Bed bug treatment in Groningen: be sure first
Bites alone do not prove much: mosquitoes, fleas and allergic reactions itch too. Bed bugs are best recognised by what they leave behind. An adult is flat, oval and reddish-brown, roughly the size of an apple pip. Young ones are smaller and paler.
- Tiny black spots in the mattress seams and on the bed frame.
- Small blood stains on sheets or pillowcases.
- Empty, translucent skins in cracks around the bed.
- Bites in a line or cluster on arms, neck or shoulders.
- With a heavy infestation, a sweetish, musty smell in the bedroom.
How bed bugs get in
Bed bugs have nothing to do with hygiene. They hitch a ride: in a suitcase after a hotel stay, in a second-hand sofa or mattress, in a guest's bag. During the day they hide in seams, behind skirting boards, in plug sockets and in the screw holes of the bed. At night they come out to feed on blood and then disappear again.
Because they hide so well, an infestation is often only discovered once there are eggs and several generations. Especially in houses where residents share a kitchen, sofa or hallway, they can quietly move on to other rooms.
Our heat-based bed bug treatment
During the inspection we check the bed, mattress, sofa, skirting boards, curtains and adjoining rooms, so we know which spaces need treating. You then receive a clear preparation list: what to wash, what to bag up and what to leave exactly where it is.
Next, we treat the room with heat. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive high temperatures, and heat also penetrates cracks that a spray struggles to reach. Where needed, a certified pest controller adds a targeted product. A follow-up visit checks whether anything is still alive. You can read more about how we work on our page about pest control in Groningen.
What to do – and not do – yourself
Throwing everything out in a panic or moving to another room seems logical but often makes matters worse. The bed bugs follow you and spread to new places, and a mattress dumped on the pavement can infest the neighbours.
- Wash bedding and clothes on a hot cycle and dry them in the tumble dryer.
- Put clean items in tightly sealed bags.
- Vacuum the seams of the mattress and sofa and empty the bag outside straight away.
- Do not use insect spray or a fogger; it only drives them further into the house.
If the bites are mostly around your ankles and you have a dog or cat, fleas may be the culprit instead. Find out more about flea treatment.
After treatment: keeping them out
Most new infestations begin with a suitcase or a piece of second-hand furniture. When travelling, put your case on a luggage rack rather than on the bed or floor, and take a quick look at the mattress seams and behind the headboard. Back home, wash your clothes straight away and vacuum the suitcase.
Buying a used sofa, bed base or bedside table? Check every seam and screw hole before it comes indoors. A well-fitting mattress encasement makes new bed bugs easier to spot. And if you share a house, agree that everyone reports bites or spots immediately.
