10 household pests and how to deal with them

Bedbugs

What? Usually detected by the maddeningly itchy bites they leave. Bedbugs are reddish brown, a flattened oval shape about the size of an apple pip, and are fatter when they are fed.

When? All year round.

Where? Despite their name, they can hide out anywhere, particularly where the carpet meets the wall at the head end of the bed and under loose wallpaper. Attracted by the warmth and carbon dioxide of sleeping bodies, they feed at night. Look out for telltale specks of blood on the sheets.

Prevention: Keep cluttered areas under and around the bed to a minimum. Check and vacuum skirting boards and sleeping areas regularly.

Action: They are easily spread via suitcases and hard to get rid of; professional treatment may be needed.

Did you know? A bedbug can eat its own weight in blood in 15 minutes and it's body can swell up to six times it's hungry weight.