think you might have white tail spiders or an infestation of bed bugs? Find some answers in this guide or get in touch.

Bed bugs are between 4-5mm long and are oval in shape. They do not have any wings but have 6 legs and 2 antennae. They are rust red to brown in colouring and are usually flat until they have fed.

Bed bugs will typically feast on blood, predominantly from humans, but can also feed on some other animals.

Bed bugs love to stay close to their food source, so they are generally found around the bed. They can sense heat sources and will come out to feed at night when the host goes to bed. 

Bed bugs typically hide during the day in dark cracks and crevices like the piping folds of the mattress and the bed frame slats. They can also be found in furniture, along skirting boards where the carpet meets, books, curtain rods, light fittings, shelves, in and around picture frames, appliances and other nooks and crannies in dark locations.

It should be noted that Bedbugs can be transported unwittingly to other locations, causing new infestations or bringing them back to the premises already treated. 

This can be through strollers, purses, luggage or even clothing.

Although they are not a disease carrier, bed bugs are mostly known for their irritating bite marks. 

Often the bite marks are seen in a line, as the bed bug commonly makes ‘test’ bites close together. 

For some people, they are just marks on the skin, but for others who might have an allergic reaction they cause swelling at the bite site as well as itching.

Bed bugs lay between 1-10 eggs a day and incubate for 6 - 10 days.

As a nymph they have 5 moults over roughly 5 weeks, with a blood meal between each moult.

Bed bug adult lifespan can range from 45 days to 1 year with females laying between 200-500 eggs in their lifespan

Steam is an effective killer to both the eggs and insects. This can be the first step in helping rid them from your home. 

1. Put all infested clothes and bedding sheets into sealed garbage bags. This is so they don’t spread to other rooms when you transport them through the house!

2. Then place them in your washing machine on a hot wash cycle (60+ degrees celsius for at least 90 minutes)

3. Then pop them into the Dryer (highest heat for at least 30 minutes). This is to kill any eggs or adults that may be present. 

4. Bag every clean load into new and clean garbage bags so  they can’t be re-infested. 

5. Steam clean your mattress, then wrap and seal that in a plastic moving cover, purchased from most hardware stores.

6. Steam clean your curtains, carpets, rugs and furniture.

7. Make sure to call us and book a treatment. 

This is not something you can fully treat by yourself, you will need professional intervention to nip this in the bud and stop it spreading throughout your entire house and to other locations.

IPS provide a bed bug specific indoor spray.

Please call us for helpful information about what you can do to start the eradication process and what the treatment involves.

We will then book in a day and time that best suits you for the necessary treatment.

Get in touch to chat further.