Bed bug control in Al Hijrah, Makkah

Targeted, not broadcast

Product goes into cracks and runways, never sprayed across open surfaces.
Told before we start

What we will use, where it goes, and what to cover or move before we arrive.
A follow-up visit

We return after the first treatment, because what survives it does not show on the day.
Homes and businesses

Apartments and villas, and kitchens and stores that need a record of each visit.

Why they keep coming back in Al Hijrah

Working in Al Hijrah's blocks, we notice an infestation usually starts near the shared entrance and climbs the stairwell to the upper flats before the ground floor residents even suspect anything. The method is set out in full on how we approach Bed bug control.

The first reason

Shared entrances and repeated floor plans

Every flat in an Al Hijrah block shares the same layout and the same stairwell as the one above and below it, so bed bugs rarely stay confined to a single household. Once they take hold near a shared entrance, the building next door on the same landing is usually the next stop, not the flat across the road.

The second reason

Overnight guests from the Cave of Thawr route

Jabal Thawr and its cave draw hikers and religious visitors on foot most of the year, and many of them stay the night with relatives in Al Hijrah rather than press on, bringing sleeping bags and travel bedding straight into a bedroom that has not been checked between guests.

The third reason

Hospital companions staying next door

Al Noor Specialist Hospital sits against the district, so families accompanying a patient often stay a few nights with relatives nearby rather than book somewhere formal, borrowing a pillow or a blanket from one flat to another and moving it back before anyone thinks to check it.

Landmarks of Al Hijrah

Our visits in Al Hijrah are organised along Dhat An Nitaqain Street, which cuts through the district between the blocks, so a team reaches flats near Al Noor Specialist Hospital first before moving on to the buildings further up towards the mountain.

Jabal Thawr
Cave of Thawr
Al Noor Specialist Hospital
Third Ring Road
Dhat An Nitaqain Street
Al Bukhari Mosque

Before treatment

The places that decide the treatment

The district sits roughly 1.7 kilometres from the Cave of Thawr up the mountain, so hikers and religious visitors pass through regularly, often staying overnight with relatives and carrying bedding into flats near the slope.

The stitched piping along the edge of a mattress

The mattress seam

In Al Hijrah's smaller flats the mattress often sits flush against the shared wall of the block, so the seam nearest that wall is checked first.

A wooden bed frame and its slats seen from below

Frame joints and screw holes

Many beds here are folding metal frames chosen for the tight space of a flat, so their joints and the screws that hold them are checked with care.

An upholstered headboard fixed to a bedroom wall

The headboard and the wall behind it

The headboard usually rests against a wall shared with the next flat, so we check that wall as closely as the headboard itself.

What the bedding shows

Small dark marks on the sheet or pillowcase are usually the first sign residents of Al Hijrah's compact flats notice, before the insect itself is seen.

A fabric sofa and the seam of its cushion

Sofas and armchairs

Living rooms in these flats often host guests on their way to or from the mountain, so the sofa gets the same check as the bed.

An open suitcase on a luggage rack in a room

Luggage and second hand furniture

Hikers heading to the cave and relatives staying near the hospital both bring bags into flats here, and those bags are checked before they reach the bedroom.

How we work

1
Inspect and map the spread

We strip the bed and work through the mattress and base seams, the frame joints, the headboard and the skirting, then check the upholstered furniture and the neighbouring rooms to see how far it has gone.
2
Laundry, heat and steam

Bedding is bagged and sealed inside the room, then washed and dried hot. Steam runs along the seams and edges, because heat reaches the cemented eggs that a liquid never will.
3
Targeted, non-repellent application

A non-repellent product goes onto the harbourage itself, with a dust into voids and screw holes. We do not use a repellent aerosol, because it drives the insect deeper into the wall and into the next room.
4
Monitoring and the follow-up visit

A sealed encasement goes onto the mattress and the base, with monitors under the bed legs, then we return once the remaining eggs have hatched and re-treat anything still active.

What bed bug control includes

A recorded inspection

Mattress and base seams, frame joints, the headboard, the skirting and every upholstered piece in the room.
Steam and targeted application

Steam along the seams and edges, and a non-repellent product on the harbourage itself, not on the surfaces you sleep on.
Voids and pipe entries

Behind the skirting, around pipe entries and under socket plates, which is the route from one unit to the next.
Monitors under the bed legs

Checked at every visit, they show remaining activity before the bites do.
Laundry, encasement and aftercare

The hot wash and dryer routine, a sealed encasement on the mattress and base, and what must not be carried out of the room.
A follow-up timed to the hatch

A date set on the hatch, and re-treatment of anything still active.

What is different about Al Shawqiyah Sub-Municipality

Al Shawqiyah sub municipality runs south from the Third Ring Road to the city's edge on the Al Layth road and the Jeddah expressway. Planned districts such as Al Shawqiyah, Al Malik Fahd and Bathaa Quraish have wide streets, villas and apartment blocks, while schemes in Wali Al Ahd are being built out and informal housing in Al Ukayshiyah and Al Zuhur is being cleared. The vegetable market and livestock auction at Souq Al Halaqa, open construction sites, the rocky slopes of Jabal Thawr and sewers still being laid through the southern fringe offer exposed food, shelter and moisture.

Questions about this district

We're moving into a rented flat in a relative's building here, does old furniture need checking?

Yes. Flats in Al Hijrah's blocks share walls and a common entrance, so an infestation can easily have started in an earlier flat in the same building without anyone noticing. Checking the furniture before it moves in is worth doing even when the flat looks clean.

We rent a spare room to hikers visiting the cave, does the bedding need checking after they leave?

Yes. Visitors to the mountain pass through Al Hijrah all year and often bring only light travel bedding, so it is worth checking the room and the mattress after each group before another guest or a family member uses it next.

Can bed bugs pass between our flat and next door through the shared stairwell?

In Al Hijrah's older blocks the stairwell is often narrow and shared by several flats on each floor, and the insect can travel through bags or furniture carried through it. That is why a check should cover the landing and stairwell, not just the flat itself.

A relative stays with us to visit a patient at the hospital, does the bedding need checking?

Yes. The hospital sits right against the district, so hosting a companion for a few nights is common here, and someone can carry the insect in from a waiting room or a temporary stay without noticing. Checking the bedding after they leave keeps it out of the bedroom for good.

Our flat is split into rooms let separately to single workers, does each room need its own check?

Yes. Flats divided into separate rooms in Al Hijrah's blocks usually share a kitchen and a corridor, and bed bugs move easily between rooms through shared furniture in those spaces, so each room needs its own check rather than one check for the whole flat.

We've rented a furnished flat here for the visiting season, should we check the bedding before we use it?

Yes. Furnished flats near the mosques change tenants often during the visiting season, and a previous guest can leave the insect in the mattress or the frame without any obvious sign, so checking before you sleep in it is a sensible precaution.

How much does bed bug control in Al Hijrah cost?

It is set after the inspection, because the price follows the type of infestation, the size of the space, how far it has spread and the number of visits it needs. Send a photo and a description on WhatsApp and we will give you an estimate before we reach Al Hijrah.