How to tell if you have bed bugs as UK homes issued warning

Elliott Patrick from Well Pharmacy is urging anyone with suspicions to meticulously check for evidence of bed bugs, which jump from person to person through clothes and furniture.

Elliott’s warning comes after recent reports of a rise in the nighttime blood suckers with pest control call outs increasing by 62% since April last year.

While bed bug bites can be itchy, they rarely cause any other health problems, however they are a huge nuisance and once they get into your home, can spread easily.

Travelling at speeds of up to 100 feet per hour and able to hide in any tiny crevices across your bed, the bugs can prove to be hard to spot.

Below are the tell-tale signs that you have got an unwelcome visitor in your bed that needs to be dealt with.

Raised and itchy bites

Bed bugs feast on exposed skin while people sleep – arms, neck and face are all ideal spots to draw blood.

A day or two after first contact, the skin will become raised and itchy – but it is important not to scratch as that could potentially cause an infection.

Instead, use a cold, wet cloth to soothe any itching sensation on raised bites which usually clear up on their own over a week or two.

Spots of blood on your bedding

When making your bed in the morning, look for little patches of blood on the bedding, these could be signs of bedbugs.

When the bed bugs bite, they break the skin leaving small amounts of blood on the skin, which brushes off in the night.

It is also possible that the blood is actually a deceased bedbug that has been killed in the night by a person rolling onto them and squashing them.

Blood spots on bedding means acting fast – stripping the bedding to put on a hot wash of at least 60C before being tumbled dried for half an hour on a hot setting.

Small brown spots on furniture or bedding

Brown spots on furniture and bedding suggests a high chance of bed bugs – this is their poo.

The same advice applies about washing bedding – it is crucial to act fast and wash on high heat.

Clean and vacuum regularly to take care of any hiding spots that bed bugs are using.

Once you have dealt with the bed bugs in your home, head to your local Well Pharmacy to speak to an expert under the Pharmacy First service.

Anyone aged at least one year old can be treated by a pharmacist in-store from diagnosis to treatment including infected bed bug bites.

Often, antihistamines will be the over-the-counter solution offered – but for those over the age of 10, a mild steroid cream might also be the best way to deal with the bed bug bites.

Elliott Patrick from Well Pharmacy said: “While not a life threatening issue, bed bugs are often itchy and uncomfortable but perhaps worse they can leave people with feelings of despair at something they may feel is beyond their control.

“If you suspect you or close friend or family member has bed bugs, I would urge you to seek out a pharmacist who can quickly identify the tell-tale signs and act swiftly.

“At Well, we want patients to know that in just 10 minutes, we can have the solution to your medical issue.

“A quick assessment by one of our trained pharmacy colleagues will see you both diagnosed and then treated in the same place without the need for a GP appointment.

“In-store from door to door you will get the advice and treatments required to ensure that you can go about your day with the treatment required to treat the irritating bites in the quickest time.”