Bed bugs are flat, rust-brown insects about 5 mm long that feed on sleeping people and hide in mattress seams, bed frames and furniture during the day. They are not a sign of a dirty house: they travel in luggage, second-hand furniture and on clothing, which is why hotels, guesthouses, student flats and holiday rentals see them. A registered pest controller can clear an infestation, but it nearly always takes more than one visit. Send one request and operators near you quote for free.
Signs that point to bed bugs
Bites alone are not proof, since fleas and mosquitoes cause similar marks. Look for evidence in the bed:
- Tiny blood spots on sheets, and dark specks of dried droppings along mattress seams and the headboard.
- Shed skins and pale, rice-sized eggs in cracks of the bed frame.
- Bites in a line or cluster on the arms, neck or shoulders, often itching a day or two later.
- A sweet, musty smell in a heavily infested room.
Check behind the headboard, inside bedside drawers and under curtain hems with a torch. Bed bugs are active mostly between 2 and 5 am and can live for months without a meal, so an empty spare room is not safe after a few weeks.
Heat or insecticide?
Heat treatment raises a room to about 55 °C for several hours, which kills every stage including eggs, and often finishes in one visit. It needs special equipment and costs more. Insecticide treatment uses residual sprays and dusts, such as deltamethrin or a silica dust, on frames, skirtings and cracks. It is cheaper but needs two to three visits, about 10 to 14 days apart, because eggs hatch after the first spray. Some bed bug populations are resistant to pyrethroids, so the operator may mix products. Ask what the method is, how many visits are in the price and whether a heat treatment has a re-inspection.
Steam is a useful extra on mattresses and upholstery. Gas fumigation is not usually needed; see fumigation services for what it is used for.
Preparing before the technician arrives
Strip the bed and wash linen, curtains and clothes at 60 °C, then tumble dry on hot for 30 minutes. Seal clean items in plastic bags, not back in drawers. Do not move furniture to another room, because this spreads bugs. Vacuum the mattress and floor, and empty the vacuum outside at once. A zip-up mattress encasement traps any survivors and makes later inspection simple. Leave it on for at least a year, since a trapped bug can live that long without feeding. Tell the technician about any cracks in the walls, loose skirting or old wallpaper, since bugs hide there too.
Hotels, student flats and travel
For a guesthouse, treat the whole room and the rooms on either side, and keep a log of each inspection to show guests and insurers. Landlords should treat before the next tenant moves in. When you travel, keep your bag off the bed and floor, inspect the headboard and unpack straight into the washing machine. Keep the receipt and treatment report, because guests may ask for proof. Prices run from R800 for a single room to R3,000 or more for a flat. See the price guide.
What to include in your request
- Number of rooms with bites or signs
- Hotel, flat, house or student room
- Photos of spots, skins or insects
- Floor area in m² and furniture type
- Whether neighbouring units are affected
Bed Bug Treatment for different properties
- Homes and families: a bedroom treatment with a mattress encasement and a second visit about two weeks later
- Landlords, agents and body corporates: treatment between tenants and neighbouring units, with a report for the lease file
- Restaurants and food businesses: staff accommodation and rest areas checked, away from the kitchen and stores
- Hotels, guesthouses and lodges: room and adjoining-room treatments, with an inspection log for hotels, lodges and guesthouses
- Offices, schools, clinics and shops: waiting rooms, couches and sleeping quarters inspected and treated discreetly
- Factories, warehouses and mines: mine hostels and worker accommodation treated in blocks with repeat inspections
- Farms, grain stores and smallholdings: farm worker housing and seasonal staff rooms treated in rotation
- Exporters and freight forwarders: staff quarters and transit accommodation near ports checked before new arrivals
Frequently asked questions
Can I get rid of bed bugs in one visit?
Should I throw away my mattress?
How long before I can sleep in the room again?
Who pays in a rental?
Bed Bug Treatment by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg