Bed bugs are active indoors all year, but our call-out diary tells a very clear seasonal story: from mid-June through to September, demand for bed bug surveys roughly doubles. There are two reasons for that — biology and behaviour — and understanding both makes it much easier to keep your home or business ahead of the curve.
The biological reason
Bed bugs breed fastest when ambient temperatures sit between 20 and 30°C. A typical UK bedroom in February might run at 16–18°C; the same room in July often holds 22–26°C overnight. At that warmer range, eggs hatch in around a week and nymphs reach breeding age in roughly five weeks — about twice the speed of winter. A handful of bugs picked up in May can become a visible infestation by late July.
The behavioural reason
Summer is travel season. Bed bugs are world-class hitchhikers — they don't fly or jump, but they're brilliant at climbing into the seams of soft luggage, rolled-up clothing, and the lining of suitcase wheels. Hotels, hostels, Airbnbs, cruise ships and even rental cars all serve as transfer points. The UK's biggest single source of new infestations is returning holidaymakers, not poor hygiene at home.
Five-minute hotel-room check
- Before unpacking, put your suitcase in the bath or on a hard luggage rack — never on the bed or carpet.
- Pull back the bottom sheet and inspect the mattress seams and piping for dark spots or live insects.
- Lift the corners of the mattress and check the bed-frame slats and the join where headboard meets wall.
- Check behind the headboard with a phone torch if it isn't fixed flat to the wall.
- If anything looks suspicious, ask to change rooms to a different floor — not just next door.
When you get home
Unpack on a hard floor, not on the bed. Tumble-dry holiday clothing on a hot setting for 30 minutes — that kills any life stage, including eggs, that 60°C washes might miss in thicker fabrics. Vacuum the inside of the suitcase, then store it away from the bedroom if you can. If bites or dark spots appear over the following weeks, get a survey booked early; a one-room treatment in July is straightforward, a four-room treatment in September is not.