How to recognize and get rid of bedbugs on the first try

There are more than 40,000 different types of bedbugs in the world. They differ in shape, presence or absence of wings, size and preferences for food that keeps them afloat. As for the individuals that most often penetrate human homes, these are the so-called bed or linen bugs. Sometimes they are called furniture, and sometimes clothes, depending on in which part of the apartment a person finds them.

The duration of the meal of the linen parasite is 12 minutes. During this time, the female is able to drink up to 7 ml of human blood, doubling in size.

External data and characteristics of the parasite

The linen bug differs from midges and other species of its own kind by its inability to fly. Born to crawl and suck the blood of living things, it has a clearly segmented abdomen. If you look closely, it seems as if his entire miniature body is tied with shiny belts and divided into striped segments.

• Head. Has the shape of a triangle. Below there is a long proboscis, which is essentially jaws fused together. True, all this can be seen only under a microscope. The proboscis is sharp enough to pierce human skin. But it cannot pierce the skin of cattle or dogs of large and medium breeds.
• Length. The body length of a hungry insect does not exceed 3 mm. However, as it becomes saturated, the body stretches and lengthens. After gorging themselves, bed bugs reach more impressive sizes - up to 8 mm.
• Form. When hungry, bed bugs look like a flattened cake. But the insect, which has managed to feed on the blood of its victim, noticeably rounds, stretches, turning into a tiny barrel.
• Color. The shell is brown or red-brown with a brown tint. And here, too, everything depends on the satiety of the creature. A hungry bug is lighter than its well-fed counterparts, but after a meal it also takes on a deep dark shade.

The parasite's proboscis has two separate valves. One is designed to absorb blood, and the second is to introduce an analgesic, a substance that relieves pain, into a hole made in the skin, allowing the insect to strike the victim as unnoticed as possible.

Features of life

The life cycle of a bed bug is quite monotonous and lasts on average 12 months. Particularly tenacious representatives of the species live for a year and three months.

• Pairing. A female may have only one mating process in her life. The male “transplants” his seed into the chosen one in a traumatic way. In fact, he pierces her abdomen with his genitals to share genetic material. The female periodically lays eggs if she considers the surrounding conditions favorable for “children.” On average, she lays up to five hundred eggs during her life.
• Transformation of an egg into a nymph. After a week or two, the egg turns into a nymph, that is, into a larva. The next transformation will occur only when the nymph drinks a full portion of human blood. Compare: the female drinks 7 ml of “food” in one sitting, and the nymph drinks no more than 0.3 mg.
• Incubation period. Depending on conditions, the transformation of an egg into a mature individual takes from a month to 100 days.
• Period of suspended animation. Bed bugs feed on human blood. Sometimes - the blood of bats and domestic animals (those whose skin can be bitten through). If an insect remains hungry for a long time, it goes into hibernation - suspended animation. Bed bugs can live without food for up to a year. But as soon as food begins to loom on the horizon, they immediately awaken from sleep and begin to act instantly.

At a temperature of 50 °C, bed bugs die. And instantly. These creatures are more resistant to frost than to heat. For an egg to die, the air temperature in its habitat must remain at –30 °C for at least two to three days.

Differences from other insects

Due to ignorance, the bedbug can easily be confused with other insects. For example, with ants, which nymphs (parasite larvae) look like, or with fleas. Four main differences will help you get to the bottom of the truth.

1. Lack of wings. If an insect has wings, it is most likely a cockroach. Or, alternatively, any other insect that has entered the house from the street.
2. Inability to jump. A miniature bug that dashingly jumps from object to object is a flea. A real laundry parasite can neither jump nor fly. In his arsenal of talents there is only prosaic crawling.
3. No constrictions in the abdominal area. If the insect you find has such a constriction, then it is an ant.
4. The presence of six legs. Flat, round, small bugs with eight legs are mites. They are extremely dangerous, but they do not settle in human habitation and do not form nests in sofas.

Bedbugs are often confused with cockroach larvae. However, the latter have a characteristic difference - a double tail (a bifurcation in the lower part of the abdomen). Biting parasites have nothing like this.

Useful materials

Read other articles about bedbugs:

• Find out the main reasons for the appearance of bloodsuckers in the apartment, namely bed parasites.
• What do house bugs look like and how to get rid of them using various methods?
• Find out why they are dangerous for humans? How to recognize their bites, especially in children, and how to properly treat the damaged areas?
• To effectively combat these insects, find out what species there are, how they reproduce and feed, where you can find their nests and can they live in clothes?
• Read more about folk remedies, in particular vinegar and temperature effects.
• Effective preventive measures.
• Study several review articles about modern means of control, in particular against bed bugs. Check out the list of products that are safe for people and pets, and also find out how to properly prepare your apartment before treatment.
• If you cannot cope with parasites on your own, we recommend turning to professionals. They have effective destruction technologies and will be able to help you in the shortest possible time.

Below is a list of drugs that have proven themselves (can be used independently):

• Powders and dusts: Clean House, Karbofos.
• Chalk Mashenka.
• Sprays: Tetrix, Get, Tsifoks, Forsyth, Fufanon, Cucaracha, Executioner.
• Aerosols: Raid, Raptor, Combat.

Distribution routes

Pests do not form nests as such. However, they prefer to live in the same places. A cluster of insects has characteristic signs: the place looks extremely dirty and intimidating. In the so-called nest, adults scurry about interspersed, the larvae are adjacent to the eggs from which the nymphs are about to emerge, their own excrement and the chitin that remains after the “molting”. But where do bed bugs come from that cause such discomfort to humans? There are four main reasons for their appearance in an apartment.

1. Tourist trip. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the topic of bedbugs was never discussed at entomological conferences, but with the development of tourism, the parasites were finally talked about. In fact, the development of a tourist destination led to people taking insects to different parts of the globe. When staying at a “bedbug” hotel, know that you can also bring a “present” from your trip in your own suitcase.
2. Migration from neighbors. If your neighbor has bedbugs, then they will most likely appear in your apartment sooner or later. This usually happens as follows. The neighbor gets tired of living side by side with annoying pests, he unsuccessfully poisons them, but does not achieve total elimination. Bedbugs quickly migrate in search of a more liberal climate. For example, to your place - where no one uses any chemicals yet. During the cold season, parasites move through ventilation shafts. In warm weather - along the external walls of the house. Therefore, mosquito nets on windows are one of the ways to protect against blood-sucking parasites.
3. "Hello" from the guests. Bed bugs can live in clothing, and they can also use it to move from one place to another. You can carry insects in your own jacket pocket on your way back from a party. The reason for the appearance of insects in the house can be a guest who brought them in a fur coat, jacket or back pocket of trousers.
4. Proximity to a farm or poultry house. Blood-sucking parasites often move into the houses and apartments of people living near farms. Farms with goats, sheep, rabbits and chickens are their habitat. But arthropods prefer human blood to animal blood, so they happily “move” when they smell “upright food.”

Information about bed bugs was first discovered in a source dating back to 400 BC. Later, these parasites were mentioned alternately by Aristotle and Pliny. The latter assured that the pest’s bite could neutralize snake venom.

Folk methods of struggle

A proven and effective remedy is a mixture of kerosene, turpentine and water. Add 20 ml of kerosene and 15 ml of turpentine to a glass of boiled water.

An ancient way to get rid of bedbugs is tobacco infusion. It's easy to prepare and works quickly. The tobacco is boiled for two hours and infused for two days. The resulting infusion is sprayed onto the home.

Valerian tincture acts in the same way as tobacco tincture.

We poison bedbugs

In winter, the sofa or bed is taken outside for a couple of hours, the room is well ventilated. Bed linen is washed at 90 degrees and ironed. Pillows and blankets must be frozen or dry cleaned.

An effective method is to place wormwood branches in the apartment. All insects are afraid of its smell. Tansy has the same effect.

Using a corrugated cardboard trap. Bedbugs love to hide in such material. The trimmings should be scattered around the house, especially in the bedroom. After a day or two, the cardboard is collected and burned. A new one is thrown into place. This method cannot destroy all bedbugs, but it can be used as an additional method.

Detection methods in the house

Bed bugs can hide in different parts of the house. For example:

• in sockets;
• behind the paintings;
• in the mattress;
• in sofa upholstery;
• behind wallpaper that has come off the wall;
• between furniture and wall;
• in a clothes closet;
• under the baseboard;
• under the windowsill;
• under the carpet;
• inside household appliances.

There are several clear signs of arthropods in the home. More details about this are in the table.

Table - Signs of a house turning into a bug infestation

During the day, insects do not leave their shelters; they hunt exclusively at night. If you get up at 3:00 am and suddenly turn on the light in the room, you can see a whole “swarm” of insects in motion. This cannot be confused with anything: neither fleas, nor cockroaches, nor ants are so active.

Signs of infection

Symptoms of the appearance of bedbugs begin to appear from the first days. However, the person does not pay much attention.

Specific smell

Linen bugs have scent glands. They are activated when the insect is in danger, notifying other relatives about the location of a food source during the mating process. The smell of bedbugs is reminiscent of rotten raspberries, nutmeg, and cheap cognac. It is impossible to get rid of it, it gets worse every day.

Clear evidence

Bites appear on the body. Outwardly they resemble mosquitoes. Red blisters with baked blood in the center. However, bed bug bites have a characteristic arrangement - 2-5 punctures. A kind of track remains on the body. Several bites merge into one huge spot.

Bedbugs bite on the lower and upper limbs, neck, shoulders, and back. Photos of bed bug bites can be seen below. Bites are accompanied by severe itching. In most cases, symptoms go away on their own within a week. Alcohol tinctures, laundry soap, baking soda, and ointments from bedbug bites help get rid of them.

Symptoms of bedbugs

On a note!

Sensitive skin develops a strong allergic reaction, to eliminate which antihistamines and topical ointment are taken.

Traces on the bed

Bloody spots remain. When bedbugs bite, they inject a special substance that prevents the blood from clotting. After the meal, the blood continues to ooze and stains the linen. A well-fed bedbug can be easily killed by turning the body or moving the hand. Small dead specimens and blood stains from the bursting body remain on the bed. Black dots are excrement; skins after molting can also be found.

If at least one sign is present, it is necessary to examine the bed and the entire bedroom. Linen bugs form nests:

• in bed;
• mattress;
• on the bed frame;
• from the back of the furniture,
• in carpets, interior items.

Danger of bites

Researchers are still debating why bed bugs are dangerous to humans. So far, it has not been possible to scientifically prove the fact that bedbugs transmit infections. However, assumptions regarding the fact that arthropods can infect humans with smallpox, hepatitis B, tularemia, and anthrax still exist. Linen parasites cause the greatest harm to humans through their bites. One bug can leave a chain of up to seven bites in a row on an adult or child. By the way, parasites prefer children to adults. Babies have more delicate skin that is easier to bite through.

The table lists the main dangers that bedbug bites entail and how to combat them. But before taking any medications, consult your doctor. And immediately after detecting damage to the skin, treat the bite site with an antibacterial agent (spray, liquid or ointment), and apply cold.

Table - Why bedbug bites are dangerous

Despite the unproven hypothesis that bedbugs are carriers of diseases, it is better not to touch the bite site with dirty hands, and it is advisable to treat the wound yourself - even before consulting your family doctor.

Stress as a consequence

Among all the consequences of bedbug bites, the most serious and difficult to treat is stress. The reasons for its development may be as follows.

• Insomnia. As well as a total lack of sleep due to insect attacks at night.
• Depression. Usually develops after prolonged stress in squeamish people. The thought of sleeping on a bed with bedbugs haunts a person, exhausts him psychologically.
• Nightmares. For young children, bedbug bites are even harder to come to terms with. It is not always possible to explain to the baby what exactly is happening and when it will stop. The child begins to live in a parallel reality, new fears appear, and colorful dreams give way to nightmares.

Linen bugs, what kind of insect?

Among the currently known human parasites, bloodsucking insects are one of the most noticeable and, of course, causing many different troubles. Of all of them, linen bugs are doubly unpleasant because they love to settle in human habitation, closer to their main source of food. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that in too advanced cases they can easily turn a person’s comfortable home into a room completely unsuitable for normal life.

Operation Elimination: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

People do not immediately notice the symptoms of bedbug bites. And if they do notice, not everyone understands that these are not mosquitoes or fleas. As soon as the truth is revealed to household members, they rush to search for effective methods of combating alien parasites. According to tradition, at first the majority chooses gentle folk remedies, and only if the latter are ineffective, they turn to chemistry.

Folk remedies

Reviews from users who have already dealt with bedbugs once again prove that herbs and decoctions are not capable of destroying tenacious parasites. The maximum that can be achieved with the help of folk remedies is to lure bedbugs out of their hiding place in broad daylight. The table will tell you how to do this.

Table - Folk baits for bedbugs

To “smoke out” parasites from under baseboards or other hard-to-reach hiding places, you need to add vinegar to the water for washing floors. The smell will not kill insects, but it will definitely bring them out into the open.

Insecticides

When choosing modern methods of eliminating blood-sucking bed parasites, do not be guided by the rule “expensive means high quality.” It has long since compromised itself. It is important that the drug you choose contains karbofos, a broad-spectrum insecticide. The table lists modern means that will help you win the fight against small “invaders” of your home.

Table - Chemicals against bedbugs

There are also biological weapons against bedbugs. The enemies of these insects are cockroaches and spiders. And the poison of the pharaoh ant is completely fatal for blood-sucking creatures. True, it will not be possible to use biological weapons in the house, otherwise one invasion will replace another.

Our ancestors believed in omens and superstitions. And therefore, having discovered a parasite in the house, they took it with them to the funeral, threw it into the coffin and said: “Where the coffin goes, there goes the bug.” But today it’s hard to believe in the effectiveness of the conspiracy. Europeans who lived in the 19th century preferred to rub their bodies with perfume. For some time, the pungent aroma of perfume scared off the bloodsuckers.

The most effective way to get rid of bedbugs can only be total professional pest control. And not only your apartment, but also all the others neighboring in the same entrance. The use of chemicals and folk remedies will only give a short-term effect.

Video on the topic

Reproduction

The young female enters the mating process upon completion of the last molt. The entire family of parasites is included in the reproduction process itself. Males inject seminal fluid by puncturing the abdomen anywhere. They are not particularly picky in choosing a partner. It may be a male, a nymph of different ages, a female, or another insect.

When seminal fluid is injected into the male's body, the portion of sperm doubles. Such an insect is called a mega-male. When seminal fluid enters the body of a sexually mature female, fertilization of eggs is ensured throughout life.

The females begin laying eggs. Do this daily, 3-5 pieces. Attached to any surface using a special secret. Bed bugs lay eggs in the seams and folds of laundry.

On a note!

The adult lives for about 8 months under favorable conditions; in the stage of suspended animation without food, the bug can live for about a year. Over the entire life period, one female reproduces 300-500 larvae. Getting rid of it at the initial stage of infestation of an apartment is problematic.

Reviews

Alexander: “I live in a dorm. The bugs were infested - they did not give life. The SES was called several times. The insects appeared again after a couple of weeks. The entire dorm donated to “The Executioner.” We bought it on the Internet. They gave us a discount. One bottle cost fifty-five rubles. Everyone treated their home – there were no parasites for six months!”

Nadezhda: “At the dacha it is better to use the proven Karbofos.” And the money will be saved, and the result will be. I cleaned up my house and went home. A week later I did the cleaning and the insects were blown away by the wind!”

Diana: “I noticed bedbugs and bought Mashenka. I smeared the bed legs, frame, baseboards, and front door frame. The first night after the procedure I woke up without any bites. After a while I began to notice dead insects. “Mashenka” helped!”

Read also:  Thermacell repeller: how it works and how to use it, where to buy it?

bed bugs photo bites

Olga: “I noticed the appearance of bedbugs in the corner of the room. The house is damp and from time to time all kinds of living creatures appear. She laid out wormwood branches there, and coated the corner itself with turpentine. Our room was empty, so I closed the doors and no one entered there for two days. After that, I washed it and put in new wormwood again. There are no insects. If detected in a timely manner, folk remedies help well. In case of an invasion, it is better to immediately turn to chemistry!”

Marina: “I vacuumed up the bedbugs. I started noticing bites on myself in the morning. Then I discovered a small insect. Dysfunctional neighbors live downstairs. Tenants change constantly and are rented out. And the parasites got to me. I laid out the sofa and vacuumed it thoroughly. I washed the linen. To be safe, I sprinkled valerian. After such an event I sleep peacefully. There are no “tenants”!”