Bed bug control in Johannesburg

Bed bug control in Johannesburg needs a thorough inspection, a careful treatment of every hiding spot and a planned follow-up visit. Bed bugs hide in seams, joints and cracks around the bed, and their eggs survive most treatments. We treat the beds, furniture and room, then return to catch the bugs that hatch afterwards.

What bed bugs are, and why they're not about dirt

Bed bugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects about the size of an apple pip when fully fed. They feed on blood, usually at night, and spend the day hidden within a couple of metres of where people sleep. They don't jump or fly. They travel in luggage, second-hand beds and couches, handbags, and the bags and clothes of visitors.

A spotless home can get bed bugs as easily as any other, because the bugs only need a person to feed on. We see them in Johannesburg homes after a holiday or a business trip, in flats where they spread between units, in student accommodation, guesthouses and hotels, and in homes that took in a second-hand mattress.

Bed bugs can survive for long periods without feeding. That's why a flat that stood empty between tenants can still have an active infestation when the next person moves in, and why simply leaving a room unused for a few weeks doesn't solve the problem.

How to tell if you have bed bugs

• Itchy red bites, often in a row or cluster, on arms, shoulders and legs that were exposed while sleeping
• Small rusty or blood spots on sheets and pillowcases
• Dark spots like a felt-tip pen dot along mattress seams, on the bed base and the headboard: these are droppings
• Pale shed skins and tiny white eggs in seams and crevices
• In heavy infestations, a sweetish, musty smell in the room

Bites alone don't prove bed bugs, because fleas, mosquitoes and mites can look similar. Finding the bugs, their droppings or shed skins is what confirms it. If you're unsure, WhatsApp us a clear photo.

How we treat bed bugs

1. Inspection. We strip back the bed and check mattress seams, the base, the headboard, bedside tables, skirting boards, curtain hems, picture frames and plug points, then check neighbouring rooms where needed.
2. Treatment. We apply residual treatments to the bed frame, base, joints and cracks, and treat the mattress seams and surrounding furniture where suitable. The products are odourless and non-staining.
3. Follow-up visit. Bed bug eggs are protected from most treatments, so we come back after the eggs have had time to hatch to treat the new nymphs before they can breed. Skipping this step is the main reason bed bug jobs fail.

You don't need to move out. Keep children and pets out of the treated rooms until surfaces are dry, then use the room normally, including sleeping in the bed. Sleeping in the bed actually helps, because the bugs come out to feed and cross treated surfaces.

Getting the room ready

Good preparation makes the treatment work far better. Wash bedding, curtains and clothes from the room on a hot cycle and tumble-dry them on high heat, then keep them sealed in clean bags until after treatment. Vacuum the mattress, the bed base and the carpet edges, and empty the vacuum outside straight away. Clear clutter from under the bed. Don't throw out the mattress before we've seen it: dragging it through the house can spread bugs, and a new mattress in an untreated room is quickly reinfested.

Hotels, guesthouses and student accommodation

Accommodation businesses need discreet, fast work and records. Hotels and guesthouses around Sandton's business district and the conference hotels of Midrand call us when a guest complains, and we inspect and treat the affected room and the rooms on either side. Student residences and flats near Braamfontein and the universities, which fall under our Rosebank area, often need the whole floor done because bugs travel between rooms.

The mistake that spreads bed bugs

Moving to sleep on the couch or in the spare room. The bugs follow the person, and now two rooms are infested. Spraying the mattress with a household insect spray causes a similar problem, scattering bugs into the bed base, skirtings and furniture without reaching the eggs.

What bed bug control costs, and why

The price depends on how many rooms and beds are affected, how heavy the infestation is, how much furniture needs treatment, and whether the job is in a home, a block of flats or a hotel. The follow-up visit is part of a proper bed bug treatment, not an optional extra. Our pest control price page gives the guide price. Bed bugs are one of the pests where DIY rarely works, but the preparation steps above genuinely help, and our article on how to get rid of bed bugs explains them in more detail.

If the bites look more like fleas, our flea treatments in Johannesburg may be what you need instead.

Jason van Heerden, who owns and runs Combat Pest Control, has 25 years in the industry, and the business is SAPCA registered and on the Department of Agriculture register. Expect service within 24 hours and a 3-month guarantee on bed bug work. Bed bugs are stressful, so talk to us early on 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp a photo of the marks on the mattress for a quick opinion.