Bed Bugs in London: Why Infestations Are Rising Across the Capital
London is seeing a genuine increase in bed bug activity, especially in flats, HMOs, student halls and hotels. High population density, global travel, and connected living make it easy for bed bugs to spread silently from room to room and between neighbouring properties. If you are dealing with bites or suspicious marks, you are not alone — and the solutions are well established. As heat-treatment specialists, ThermoPest provides bed bug heat treatment in London designed specifically for urban buildings and shared living.
The London reality: why cases are rising
- International travel and short lets: More visitors and frequent turnarounds mean more opportunities for bugs to hitchhike in luggage.
- Dense, connected housing: Terraced homes, converted flats and large blocks can allow spread through cracks, voids and shared service risers.
- Public transport and communal spaces: Bed bugs can be transferred on clothing and bags in busy environments (they do not live on people, but they do hitchhike).
- Chemical resistance: Many populations show reduced susceptibility to common pyrethroid insecticides, so DIY sprays often underperform.
What people believe vs reality
- Myth: “I keep a spotless home, so it can’t be bed bugs.”
Reality: Hygiene is not the driver. Bed bugs follow people and luggage; clean, premium properties get them too. - Myth: “If I can’t see them, they’re gone.”
Reality: They hide deep in bed frames, skirting, sockets and soft furnishings and feed briefly at night. - Myth: “A quick spray or fogger will clear it.”
Reality: Contact sprays and foggers miss hidden harbourages and eggs, and can push bugs deeper, creating ‘cold spots’ pests survive in.
The science: how bed bugs survive modern London
Bed bugs feed on blood, hide near hosts and can survive months between meals. Eggs are well insulated in cracks and joints, which is why short, uneven heating or surface-only treatments fail. To be reliably lethal, core harbourage temperatures must exceed about 50–52 °C for long enough to denature proteins and lipids; see what temperature kills bed bugs for the science behind thresholds.
Common mistakes that prolong infestations
- Overusing aerosols/foggers that scatter bugs into wall voids and adjacent rooms.
- Moving untreated items between rooms or into communal halls/vehicles.
- Washing on low heat — it rarely reaches lethal temperatures for eggs.
- Skipping follow-up checks in adjacent rooms or flats that share walls and risers.
Practical steps you can take safely
- Confirm activity with a torch inspection of mattress seams, headboard, bed joints and skirting; use interceptors under bed legs.
- Reduce clutter and bag textiles before moving; tumble-dry on high heat (at least 30 minutes on hot) where labels allow.
- Vacuum slowly with a crevice tool and HEPA filter; empty the canister outdoors into a sealed bag.
- Plan for professional heat: start preparing your home for treatment so airflow and thermal penetration will be optimal.
Why whole-room heat treatment solves the London problem
Heat is a physical mode of control, so there is no resistance issue. Professional systems raise room air to around 56–60 °C and hold it, driving heat deep into mattresses, furniture frames and voids. The key is avoiding cold spots and achieving sustained lethal temperature at the bug’s actual location.
- Sensors and monitoring: Multiple wireless probes track temperatures inside mattresses, sofas and structural voids; techs adjust airflow and add heat until every probe passes target time-above-threshold.
- All life stages killed: Adults, nymphs and eggs are neutralised when core temperatures are maintained; no reliance on perfect spray contact.
- Rapid return to use: No residues; rooms typically return to service the same day, which is crucial in London flats and hospitality.
If you want the details of how professionals engineer a uniform kill, see our bed bug heat treatment process and why heat treatment works better than chemicals. After treatment, it is sensible to monitor your property after treatment with interceptors and scheduled checks.
ThermoPest’s London expertise
ThermoPest designs heat treatments around London’s building types — from Victorian terraces and converted lofts to modern high-rise apartments with complex airflow. We work quietly in occupied homes and deliver discreet, same-day turnarounds for businesses. For multi-room or multi-unit sites (hotels, PRS, student accommodation), our crews coordinate floor-by-floor programmes and provide documentation suitable for compliance.
For large sites and brands that cannot risk downtime, ask about commercial heat treatment for hotels and landlords. For individual homes and flats, our London heat-treatment service is tailored to minimise disruption while maximising certainty of outcome.
FAQ’S
Question: Why are bed bug infestations rising in London?
Answer: More international travel, dense housing, and frequent turnover in rentals give bed bugs constant chances to hitchhike and spread. Resistance to common DIY insecticides means small introductions are less likely to be eliminated early. The result is low-level infestations that slowly expand through cracks, service risers and shared spaces. A helpful step is to fit bed leg interceptors early to detect activity before it spreads; in professional practice, early detection plus targeted heat is what stops building-wide problems.
Question: Can bed bugs spread via public transport and shared buildings?
Answer: Yes, they can transfer on bags and clothing in crowded settings, though they do not live on people like lice. In London, the practical risk comes from repeated exposure: commuting, shared laundries, and moving items through communal corridors. In blocks and terraces, they can also move through gaps, voids and along pipework. Keep bags off soft seating where possible and seal laundry when travelling; in professional practice we also inspect adjacent units that share walls and services.
Question: What temperature kills bed bugs and their eggs?
Answer: Sustained core temperatures above roughly 50–52 °C are lethal to all life stages, with eggs needing the most time at temperature. Professionals typically hold room air at about 56–60 °C to ensure hidden harbourages also exceed the lethal threshold and no cold spots remain. Short bursts of heat or surface steaming can miss insulated eggs in joints and voids. If you use a tumble dryer, run on high heat for at least 30 minutes for bagged textiles; in professional practice, multiple sensors confirm time-above-threshold in the hardest-to-heat spots.
Question: Why do DIY sprays and foggers often fail on bed bugs?
Answer: Bed bugs hide deep in cracks where contact sprays and aerosols rarely reach, and many populations show reduced susceptibility to pyrethroids. Foggers can push bugs further into voids, creating cold spots that survive treatment and later re-emerge. Eggs are particularly resilient and often unaffected by a single DIY round. If you must do something now, focus on vacuuming seams and joints slowly and laundering on high heat; in professional practice, whole-room heat with monitoring is used to remove guesswork.
Question: How do I know when they’re gone — and avoid bringing them back?
Answer: True clearance is based on no bites plus no captures on monitors over several weeks, because bed bugs can feed intermittently. Use interceptors under bed legs and inspect headboards and skirtings regularly after treatment to distinguish re-introduction (a hitchhiker) from re-infestation (survivors). Re-introductions happen in cities, so treat luggage like a risk item and dry high-heat textiles after trips. In professional practice we confirm with monitoring and provide guidance on prevention habits for London living.