West Lothian Council provides a comprehensive service to deal with bed-bug infestations. Bed-bug infestations can take a number of months to control and to be effective requires the total co-operation of the householder.
PLEASE NOTE
Due to ongoing service delivery challenges we are only providing a service for treating bed bugs to West Lothian Council tenants. We can offer basic advice to other customers, however you may wish to check for another reputable pest control firm to help you.
Legal Status
The council does not have a legal duty to provide a pest control service to control bed-bugs however, the council does have legal powers to require an owner to have effective treatment carried out.
Bed bug infestations are very persistent and can easily spread to adjoining properties If your property is demonstrated to be the source of an infestation elsewhere, civil action may be taken against you by your neighbours
What does it cost?
As the Pest Control Team are currently only treating bed-bugs in West Lothian Council tenancies we are not able to quote for treatments in other properties. Advice on dealing with bed-bugs is available and an insect identification service is available. Officers will identify insects from photographs submitted by e mail, or a visit can be arranged at a cost of £82.09 (including VAT at 20%)
How quickly will we attend?
Usually within 5 days
Do I have to do anything before the officer comes out to survey?
Please ensure all rooms are as tidy as possible with no items on floors, shelves and furniture. You do not have to move furniture as we will do this if required during the survey.
Do I have to do anything before the officer comes out to treat?
There are a number of actions you must take before the pest control officer attends to ensure the treatment is effective in the quickest possible time.
You should only carry these steps out once there has been a definite identification of bedbugs in the property.
Loosen the carpet at wall/floor junction, but do not remove it from the room
Remove any wall mounted items but do not remove them from the room
Remove plug and switch plate covers after isolating the supply to the room. A certified electrician should be used should you not be comfortable with this.
Remove all linen from the bed and base. These should be bagged and laundered as per below.
Empty cupboards and wardrobes of items.
Do not remove any items of furniture from the room. Beds can be treated and do not need to be disposed of.
If a mattress is torn and therefore difficult to treat, it can be disposed of but discuss this with the pest-controller. The mattress should be rendered unusable, sealed and disposed of after being treated with insecticide.
Laundering (as applicable to specific items) - These are the only conditions which will kill off all stages of the insect
Hot 60oC for 30 minutes. or
Hot dry 40-45oC for 30 minutes or
Dry cleaning or
Freezing (Minimum of -17oC) for 10 hours.
What are our working hours?
For the initial visit, we offer a choice of either 08:00 - 12:00 or 12:00 - 16:00 Monday to Friday. After the initial visit you may agree a revisit with the officer attending out with these hours but we cannot guarantee this will be possible.
We do not work over the weekends or on public holidays.
How long does a treatment take?
Commonly the treatments will take over 4 months of weekly or bi-weekly visits to get rid of bed-bugs from your property. Bed-bug infestations are very invasive and difficult to eradicate and will result in major upheavals to your normal life. There is always a risk of re-infestation should the original infestation be brought in by guests.
Do you carry out any works to stop future infestations?
No. There is no way to ensure you will not get nests in future years as bed-bugs are brought in by people or items and don't live in the external environment.
