If you're waking up with bites and finding small dark spots on the mattress seams, treat it as bed bugs until proven otherwise, and act quickly. Bed bugs don't go away on their own and they don't care how clean a home is. The good news is that a careful inspection, a targeted treatment and a proper follow-up will clear them.
How bed bugs arrive in Centurion
Bed bugs are hitchhikers. They hide in luggage, clothing, second-hand furniture and bedding, and they come home with people. Centurion sits on the main route between Pretoria and Johannesburg, and a lot of people here travel for work, stay over in hotels and guesthouses, move between rentals, or host visitors. Every one of those is a chance to bring bed bugs home.
We see three common situations here:
- Family homes after a holiday, a business trip or a used bed or couch.
- Rental units and flats where a new tenant inherits a problem, or bugs spread between units through wall cavities and electrical points.
- Guesthouses and short-stay accommodation where guests bring them in and the next guest finds out first.
Signs to check for
- Bites in a line or cluster on arms, neck, shoulders or legs, usually noticed in the morning
- Small rusty or black spots on sheets, pillowcases and mattress seams
- Pale, empty skins and tiny white eggs in seams, the bed base and headboard joints
- Live bugs, flat and apple-seed brown, hiding in crevices near the bed
- In heavy cases, a sweetish, musty smell in the bedroom
Not every bite is a bed bug. Fleas, mosquitoes and bird mites also bite at night, and the treatment is different. Our page on biting insects in Centurion helps you tell them apart.
What our treatment involves
We inspect the bed, bed base, headboard, bedside tables, skirting boards, curtain rails, plug points and any furniture people sleep or sit on for long periods. Bed bugs gather where people rest, so the couch can matter as much as the bed. We then apply a targeted residual treatment to the seams, joints, cracks and voids where they're living, followed by a follow-up visit to catch the bugs that hatch from eggs after the first treatment. Eggs are the reason a single treatment rarely finishes the job.
In severe cases, or for items that can't be treated any other way, fumigation with registered fumigants may be an option. That means the sealed area must be vacated until it's cleared.
For guesthouse and rental owners
If you run accommodation in Centurion, the best defence is spotting bed bugs early. Train whoever changes the linen to look along mattress seams, the bed base and the headboard each time, and to report rusty spots straight away rather than just changing the sheets. Keep a room out of use until it's been inspected if a guest reports bites. When we treat, we also check the rooms on either side and above or below, because bugs move along walls. Linen from an affected room should be bagged in the room and carried straight to the wash, not piled with clean laundry.
How to prepare
We'll give you a checklist, but the essentials are: wash bedding and clothes from the affected rooms on a hot cycle and dry them on high heat, bag them until the treatment is done, clear the floor around the beds, and don't move furniture from the affected room into other rooms.
What makes it worse
Moving to sleep in another room or on the couch. The bed bugs follow, and now there are two infested areas instead of one. Using a can of household spray on the mattress has a similar effect, scattering bugs into the walls and furniture. Keep sleeping where you are until we've treated.
A tip for frequent travellers
When you get home from a work trip, unpack in the garage or laundry, not on the bed. Put clothes straight into the wash, and check the suitcase seams before it goes back into the cupboard. Keep luggage on a rack or hard floor in hotel rooms, never on the bed.
What does it cost?
The price depends on how many rooms and pieces of furniture are involved, how heavy the infestation is and whether the property is a house, a flat or a guesthouse with several rooms. Follow-up visits are part of a proper bed bug job. A thrown-away mattress isn't a solution; the bugs are in the bed base, the room and the furniture too. This is one pest where DIY rarely works.
For the full background, read our article on how to get rid of bed bugs, see bed bug control in Pretoria, compare our Waterkloof bed bug service, or browse pest control in Centurion.
After 25 years in the trade as a SAPCA-registered company, we know how stubborn bed bugs are. If they reappear in a treated room within three months, we'll be back. Phone 012 012 5526, or send a picture of the spots or a bug on WhatsApp and we'll confirm it before booking.
Questions we get asked
Do bed bugs mean my house is dirty?
No. Bed bugs feed on blood, not dirt or food. They turn up in spotless homes and expensive hotels alike because they travel with people and luggage.
Should I throw away my mattress?
Usually not. The bugs are also in the bed base, headboard, furniture and room. A treated mattress can be kept, and throwing it out without treating the room doesn't solve anything.
Why do you need to come back for a follow-up?
Bed bug eggs are protected and hatch after the first treatment. The follow-up deals with that new generation before it can breed.
Can bed bugs spread between flats?
Yes. They move along wall cavities, plumbing and electrical points, so neighbouring units in a block may need inspecting too.
Can I stay at home during the treatment?
Yes, for a normal treatment. Stay out of treated rooms until surfaces are dry. Only fumigation, where it's needed, means leaving the sealed area.
Can you treat a guesthouse between bookings?
Yes. We can plan treatment around your bookings and treat the affected rooms first, then the rooms on either side.