What do bedbugs look like?
Bedbugs have a flat body, they do not have wings, and their color depends on the stage of development (nymphs are born from eggs, which go through 5 stages of life and then turn into adults).
Nymphs are almost translucent; adults range in color from light brown to dark reddish brown.
While the adult male bedbug has a rather pointed body, the female is more rounded.
Folk remedies
In addition to using herbs against parasites, folk remedies include several effective recipes from improvised products:
- Mix baking soda and vanillin in equal proportions. Scatter the resulting powder in secluded places, potential locations for bedbugs.
- Combine salt (4-5 tablespoons) with vanilla, in the amount of one dessert spoon. Pour the mixture under sofas, beds, carpets, and behind baseboards. Leave for 2-3 hours, then vacuum. Even after cleaning, the room smells pleasant to humans, but unbearable to insects.
But bedbugs are not at all afraid of garlic, despite its pungent aroma.
What harm do bedbugs cause?
Leaving aside the fact that a bedbug-infested household is not ideal from a hygienic point of view, the biggest problem remains that bedbugs feed on human blood (however, they do not disdain pets or any warm-blooded animals).
These uninvited visitors require blood at all stages of development.
- They always come out after feeding in the dark 2-3 times a week and then suck blood for an average of 10 minutes, calmly and repeatedly.
- Unlike other parasites, bedbugs are not at risk of transmitting dangerous diseases.
- However, this does not mean that their feast on human sacrifice will remain without consequences. They leave behind unpleasant bites.
Pros and cons of the method
Advantages:
- Availability (bleach is sold in many specialized stores at a low price).
- Can be used as temporary protection against insects (until the exterminator arrives).
- Easy to use (you can prepare a chlorine solution or sprinkle powder).
Among the disadvantages:
- High toxicity of chlorine-based products (when they enter the human body, they form acids that destroy cells and tissues).
- Low effectiveness when used at home.
- Local effect (does not apply to the entire area of the apartment/house).
The best option for using bleach is to prepare a solution. To do this, you will need to dilute the drug in a ratio of 1:10 (for 0.5 kg of powder you need to take 5 liters of water).
The cooking process is divided into the following stages:
- The dry powder is poured into an enamel bucket and diluted with a small amount of water.
- The resulting mixture is stirred using a wooden spatula.
- After this, pour in the required volume of water.
- The solution is covered with a lid and infused for 24 hours.
- The finished preparation is poured into a dark glass bottle.
Treat areas with the greatest concentration of pests with this product.
The death of insects and their larvae occurs only through direct contact with the drug. It is not always possible to find nests and clutches of bedbugs: they are small in size and difficult to see with the naked eye.
Due to its high toxicity, this drug is used less and less in household conditions.
How to recognize a bedbug bite
Bedbug bites are relatively difficult to identify, and your doctor may have trouble identifying them. For some people it looks like a regular pimple, such as a mosquito or flea bite, but for others it causes a painful skin reaction.
- Pimples grouped in “clusters” of two or three may indicate bedbugs.
- The bug crawls while sucking blood and bites into the host's body usually 3 times.
In addition, it is not stopped by clothing or a blanket, which are usually obstacles for other insects.
So if you regularly wake up with itchy pinkish pimples of irregular shape, you can spend some time searching your apartment for bedbugs.
Why do they appear?
The existence of bed mites is inextricably linked with the proximity of people, whose epidermis is the main source of nutrition for these parasites. Human housing is ideal for dust mites - optimal temperature and humidity are constantly maintained.
Ticks most often appear in bed because it is here that a person leaves most of the particles of dead epithelium that fall off the body.
Another favorable factor for ticks is the accumulation of dust in which females lay eggs. The less often the house is cleaned, the more bed parasites will appear there. Each female is capable of laying about 20 eggs at a time.
How to detect bedbugs in an apartment
Unfortunately, the idea that bedbugs are only found in unkempt homes is wrong. All you need to do is bring a single female, for example, from vacation, or if the bugs have moved in with their neighbors and decide to honor you with a visit.
Since this parasite lays up to 5 eggs per day, within a few weeks you will have a fairly large colony at home.
Since you have virtually no chance of seeing bedbugs in daylight, identifying their presence in your home is a relatively difficult task. The first sign is often itchy bites. So if you suspect you have bed bugs in your home, it's time to do a thorough inspection.
What to focus on and what places not to miss? In particular, check:
- Frames for beds, sofas, armchairs, etc.,
- Edges and folds of mattresses, seams of bedding, upholstery,
- Backs of bedside tables, pillows, etc.,
- Wallpaper or wall covering,
- Place under posters, paintings or mirrors,
- Cracks in walls, holes from dowels, boxes, etc.,
- Spaces behind floorboards, under carpets, in gaps in the floor,
- Furniture and the spaces behind it,
- Books (bindings and pages),
- Door frames and door or window hinges.
The advantage of your search is that bedbugs live in colonies, so even if you don't see them "alive", they leave traces.
In particular, you may find feces (dark spots), bedbug eggs, or "locker rooms" left behind by bedbug larvae. If you cannot find such evidence in your home, you can use a bug trap to detect the presence of pests.
Description of bed mites
Although the bed mite is small in size, it can bring great trouble to a person with its presence in his bed.
Appearance and habitats
The bed tick has a flattened body, barely reaching 0.5 mm in size. It is protected by a durable chitinous cover that is resistant to water. The parasite moves on 4 pairs of thin legs equipped with sticky suction cups, providing the insect with stability on any surface.
Mites live in dust. With its particles, parasites penetrate into the cracks of upholstered furniture, become clogged in beds, pillows, and mattresses. Mites also settle in closets where bedding is stored. They may end up on bookshelves.
The main conditions for the existence of bed mites are a room temperature of at least +200C and high humidity.
How is it dangerous for humans?
Dust mites do not bite, so they cannot injure human skin. But this does not mean that they do not pose a health threat. The waste products of the parasite are dangerous for people.
The tick digestion process involves enzymes that break down epithelial particles. These proteins are then excreted from the insect's body in feces.
Conjunctivitis
Antigens present in excrement provoke an allergic reaction in humans. An allergy to bed mites manifests itself:
- attacks of bronchial asthma;
- conjunctivitis;
- nasal congestion;
- atopic dermatitis.
Even the presence of one adult can provoke a reaction in a person prone to allergies, since the mite defecates up to 20 times a day.
Bedbug Traps
Special traps may not help you get rid of bedbugs, but they can quite easily confirm (or, at best, refute) your suspicion that these parasites live in the same house as you. They are also often used in hotels or hostels for inspection. There are three types of insect monitoring traps:
- Pheromone traps attract bedbugs to a special pheromone and are additionally equipped with an adhesive trap to which the bedbugs stick.
- Heat traps imitate the heat of the human body, which bedbugs use to search for their prey. Having fallen into the trap, the glue again awaits the uninvited guest.
Bed foot traps are similar to the plastic bowls that bed bugs fall into on their journey for food, and use very smooth sides instead of glue so that the bugs cannot climb up.
The main differences between ticks and bedbugs
Synanthropes choose the most comfortable, hidden corners in human homes, so it is not surprising that microscopic parasites can also be found in beds.
Such a neighborhood is fraught with health problems for a person. Based on this, it will be important to know which insects contacts occur with.
Bed mite
Bed parasites include linen mites and bedbugs. Both of them belong to the phylum arthropods. This is where their similarities end. Among the differences it is worth highlighting the following:
- Bedbugs belong to the hemiptera insects. Ticks are included in the class of arachnids.
- Bed bugs are endowed with short (albeit non-functional) wings. Ticks do not have these.
- Parasites also vary in size. If bedbugs can still be seen with the naked eye, then a magnifying device will be needed to detect ticks.
- Insects also differ in the number of legs – mites have 2 more.
The main difference between a bug and a tick is the way it feeds. The first parasite belongs to the category of bloodsuckers. The tick does not have a powerful proboscis, and the existing mandibles are not capable of biting through the dermis. Therefore, arachnids feed on particles of dead epithelium.
How to exterminate bedbugs
Once you've confirmed the presence of bedbugs in your home, it's time to counterattack. But be prepared for the fact that this will not be an easy fight.
How to get rid of bedbugs? Of course, you can contact a specialized company that will carry out disinfestation in your home, or try liquidation yourself.
But forget about the usual insect repellent sprays that you can buy at the pharmacy and which will not harm intruders in any way, and focus directly on specialized products designed to kill bedbugs.
How to use chlorine against parasites
Bleached lime in its pure form has no insecticidal properties. It is intended for disinfection of various premises.
It has a negative effect on insect pests due to its strong odor and corrosive properties. It reduces their activity and forces them to choose more favorable habitats.
However, this substance is often used to control bedbugs at home.
This can be done in several ways:
- Mix the preparation with water, and then treat furniture, baseboards and floors with this composition.
- The powder can be sprinkled in a thin layer in places where bedbugs accumulate: along baseboards, around beds or near bedside tables.
Bedbug habitats are treated with chlorine solution or powder.
Inhalation of chlorine vapor poses a health hazard because this substance can cause:
- difficulty breathing and stopping it;
- dizziness;
- cardiopalmus;
- chest pain;
- a sore throat;
- severe shortness of breath;
- cough;
- pulmonary edema;
- skin burns;
- tearing, irritation of the mucous membrane of the eyes, etc.
Chemical burns may occur if chlorine comes into contact with the skin.
In this regard, when working with the product, it is necessary to wear a respirator and rubber gloves. No people or pets should be in the house at this time.
After carrying out such a procedure, the rooms must be thoroughly ventilated.
Bedbug spray
Bed bug spray is a very common way to kill bed bugs. The advantage of the sprayer is its ease of use (you will again find the manufacturer's exact instructions on the packaging) as well as its effectiveness.
One of the most popular is “Help Boyscout insecticidal spray for bedbugs and fleas, 200 ml,” which has a long-lasting effect and, after two or three applications, rids households of uninvited guests (of course, this depends on the degree of bedbug infestation).
Industrial products with chlorine
Chloride compounds are often used in the chemical industry for the manufacture of insecticides and other drugs.
The most common means:
- Chlorpyrifos is a strong drug that cannot be used at home. It is sprayed in special industrial premises on contaminated surfaces and in places with large concentrations of these insects. This procedure can only be carried out by an experienced exterminator, equipped with a special suit and personal protective equipment.
- “Chlorpyrimark” is a highly toxic compound intended for professional disinfestation. After treatment, the drug continues to act for 1.5 months, killing insects and their clutches.
- “Sichlor” is a toxic substance that paralyzes the nervous system of bedbugs. It also acts for 1.5 months, killing insect larvae that hatch after treatment. The concentration level of the composition is calculated in accordance with the degree of contamination of the room.
Industrial products are strong and toxic.
After the procedure of spraying with toxic substances, all surfaces that people will touch must be washed with a soap solution with the addition of soda.
Smokehouse against bedbugs
The undeniable advantage of a smokehouse against bed bugs is that they not only kill parasites, but also expel them from their hiding places, which could have gone unnoticed, for example, when spraying.
You can use them separately, but their combination with sprays is more effective - very often the beetle, trying to get out of the chimney, leaves its hiding place and ends up in the place that you previously sprayed.
Preventive measures
To prevent an infestation of bed mites, a number of measures should be taken:
- remove dust accumulations from the home - excess furniture, fleecy rugs, carpets, soft toys, etc.;
- replace feather, down, wool bedding with hypoallergenic ones;
- When cleaning premises, regularly use anti-parasitic agents, paying special attention to areas under the sofa, armchairs, and bed;
- use air purifiers whenever possible;
- Carry out regular ventilation of rooms.
Attention! To deprive parasites of comfortable conditions, it is recommended to maintain the minimum possible temperature in the premises.
What repels bedbugs
Is there any prevention against bedbugs? Don’t lie to yourself—it’s impossible to completely prevent these parasites from entering your home. Only if you live in a sealed environment will they not let anyone in and will never get out. However, this does not mean that you cannot take certain measures against bed bugs. Which?
In hotels or hostels, always check areas where bed bugs may occur first (especially in and around the bed). Place unopened luggage in the bathroom until you are sure there are no vermin in your room.
- When you return from the road, open your suitcase in the bathroom again (bedbugs do not like tiles or other smooth surfaces found in the bathroom), check their contents and wash anything that is heated to a high temperature (at least 60 degrees).
- When purchasing used furniture, do a thorough inspection. The same applies, for example, to bed linen, books, paintings, etc.
- Check regularly for bedbugs.
- If you know that your neighbors have bedbugs, for example, carry out preventative spraying against bedbugs. Focus on areas where insects can enter your apartment (risers, central heating pipes, skylights, front door area, etc.).
You will also find bed bug (or insect) repellent on the market, but its use is not entirely effective.
Therefore, the only reliable protection is regular home inspections. Fortunately, it is not difficult to recognize a bedbug due to its specific appearance, and even a layman can usually identify it.
If you find uninvited visitors in your apartment, do not panic and act quickly. Bedbugs are also nothing to be ashamed of - they do not say anything about your care and cleanliness.
Bedbugs are just insects that don't recognize how tidy your home is. And while they can make life very inconvenient, fortunately, there are reliable ways to say goodbye to them once and for all.
The mechanism of action of chlorine on bedbugs
Bleach, which is used to control bedbugs, is not an insecticide.
But this substance fights pathogenic bacteria, so it is used as a disinfectant.
Most often, bleach is used for the following purposes:
- eliminating fungus;
- disinfection of sewage waste;
- drinking water purification;
- pool treatments;
- cleaning common areas, etc.
But the fight against bedbugs through the use of chlorine has its own nuances.
When chlorine gets on the surface of an insect, it burns through its shell, and the bug dies. However, it will not be possible to destroy all insects in this way, since you will have to track each of them, which is impossible.
Photos of the best remedies for bedbugs
Chemical smell
Chemicals
Products from the chemical industry are probably the only products that can really act on bedbugs for a long time and effectively. The most unpleasant substance for a home blood-sucking parasite is ammonia. Its smell has a sobering effect on humans, but for a bug it is real poison.
Having smelled a pungent aroma, the insect goes as far as possible to a place where the smell cannot be heard. Often a bucket of water is placed indoors, into which a few drops of ammonia are added, and this serves as an excellent way to prevent re-infection with bedbugs. The disadvantages of this method are obvious, since being in a room with an ammonia smell is extremely uncomfortable for a person.
There are a number of odors that have repellent properties and are unpleasant for parasites, these include:
- The smell of tar soap
- Denatured alcohol
- Apple cider vinegar
- Acetone
- Turpentine
- Kerosene
- bleach
Of course, none of the above smells can kill a bug, but they can still scare them away. Often these aromas are components. But repellents and aerosols for bedbugs, but act as an aid. On their own, even in large quantities, vinegar, acetone or even turpentine cannot kill a bug, even if the insect is completely dipped into the solution.
As in all the previous described methods, the method of getting rid of bedbugs using strong aromas is rather ineffective, since it is not capable of destroying the insect, but it can introduce an unpleasant odor into the apartment.
In the process of many years of struggle with the parasitic plague, people resorted to more and more new ways of fighting, sometimes finding options that were mistakenly considered effective. These include the most popular methods that have no effect:
- Destruction of bedbugs using ultrasonic waves. However, recent studies have proven that ultrasound has no effect on parasites
- Cleaning a room with salt water and baking soda
- Fight against parasites using magnetic fields, but as in the case of ultrasound, the effect of this method is close to zero
- they are absolutely not afraid of dryness, the color of plants and vinegar vapors
Separately, it is worth saying that no prayers, spells, lapels and cleaning of the biofield, which are still used in the villages by our grandmothers, can in no way save you from the invasion of bedbugs. Use only products with proven effectiveness that can clear a room of parasites in the shortest possible time, and for prevention, use what blood-sucking insects are most afraid of.
In addition to perfumes and herbs, the following chemical compounds have an excellent repellent effect against bed bugs:
- kerosene and turpentine;
- acetone and denatured alcohol;
- white and vinegar;
- ammonia or ammonia.
All these substances are united by a pungent specific smell, of which insects are afraid. None of these compounds pose a mortal danger to their body. If you want to fight parasites using the above means, you should also take into account the fact that their aromas will create no less unbearable conditions for human life.
Bedbugs have a well-developed sense of smell. They can smell human sweat and blood from afar, but other strong odors are unpleasant to them. This feature is often used in the fight against insects. Smells repel bedbugs:
- bitter wormwood;
- medicinal chamomile;
- tansy;
- perfumes and other aromatic products;
- gasoline;
- kerosene;
- vinegar;
- bleach;
- ammonia.
We suggest you read: What is the name of the poison for bedbugs?
All these are home remedies available to every housewife. They are easy and convenient to use, and the cost is low. Which liquid to choose depends only on the personal preferences of the people living in the apartment. After all, they will also inhale all these smells, and it is not always pleasant to endure them.
Dry grass is laid out in the corners of the apartment and left for several days. The smell repels insects, however, when they become very hungry, they can overcome their disgust and crawl into the house.
The smell of perfume is also unpleasant for bedbugs. Moreover, it does not matter what quality the perfume is. The sharper and richer the aroma, the better it will repel bedbugs. Knowing this, courtiers of the 17th-19th centuries intensively sprayed themselves with perfume. This helped to protect myself from bites at least for a short time.
Those who cannot stand the pungent smell of ammonia can be advised to use vinegar. Wipe the ventilation grilles, door frames, window sills with 3% vinegar, wash the floor with water and vinegar so that bedbugs avoid your apartment.
There are positive reviews about the use of copper sulfate. You can buy it at a gardening supply store. Vitriol is diluted with water in the proportion specified in the instructions and sprayed on the walls, all parts of the bed and the floor are treated.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that strong odors do not kill insects, but only repel them. Either insecticides or heating the room to a temperature above 48° will help to completely remove bedbugs. Home remedies help when it is necessary to prevent bedbugs from crawling from neighboring apartments or to create impossible conditions for the reproduction of insects.
When deciding which means to choose in the fight against bedbugs, do not make a mistake. There are often offers to buy ultrasonic repellers. Unfortunately, they are completely useless. For bedbugs, ultrasound is as harmless as a whisper in a person’s ear. They are not afraid of soda and saline solutions, which are recommended for cleaning apartment floors.
The tradition of conspiracies has migrated from past centuries to the present time. Conspiracies are pronounced on their own or in combination with certain actions. It's hard to imagine, but there are people who believe in them. If conspiracies really helped, then bedbugs would have left human homes long ago. However, they come to it again and again in search of food.
The use of essential oils is an old, proven option for fighting home bugs. It is useful for apartments where children and animals live, where it is impossible to use chemicals. The essential aromas of some plants, placed around the house in places with colonies of parasites, act on them as a strong repellent. You can use herbs collected with your own hands and purchased at the pharmacy. Bed bugs cannot tolerate the smell of the following essential oils:
- lavender;
- eucalyptus;
- tea tree;
- clove;
- thyme;
- peppermint.
Herbs containing essential oils are not capable of exterminating bedbugs, especially their eggs. When choosing this method of struggle, you should be patient - the result will not come immediately.
In the fight against bedbugs, it is recommended to change the types of chemicals for greater effect. This is explained by the fact that parasites and their larvae, after two treatments, adapt to the active component of the product used and its use will not give the expected result.
Medicines against bloodsuckers are available in different forms: powder or pencil, liquid solution or spray, etc. Organophosphorus compounds such as chlorophos, karbofos or microphos are most often recommended. Modern means include the insecticidal preparation "Pyrethrum", applied in powder form to the places where bedbugs live, as well as the liquid preparation "Tetrix". The preparations produced in the form of sprays received good responses; they are very convenient to carry out work.
Before treating the premises with destructive chemicals, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. To do this, you should pack dishes, clothes, and personal hygiene items in plastic bags, after checking to see if there are any bedbugs there. Processing should be carried out slowly and carefully, using protective equipment.
It is better to leave the treated room for a day, tightly closing all windows and doors. After the specified time has passed, the rooms should be well ventilated and wet cleaned with a disinfectant solution. Items that may contain eggs should be taken to the dry cleaner. Bed linen and towels must be boiled.
Are house bugs afraid of cockroaches?
Not everyone can answer the question: can bedbugs and cockroaches live together in the same room? People who believe that these creatures cannot live together are mistaken. History knows many cases when these insects lived happily together.
For cockroaches to exist, they need three important things: moisture, food and warmth. Longhorn beetles find all these conditions in the kitchen, settling in cracks and crevices. They get along easily with bedbugs because their diets and habitats do not match. Cockroaches live in the kitchen and eat leftover food, while bed parasites live in bedrooms and feed only on the blood of humans or animals.
It has been established that with a meager diet, cockroaches are able to eat bedbug eggs. However, this happens very rarely, which allows both groups of pests to coexist peacefully, successfully reproducing and, at the same time, complicating the lives of apartment owners.
Detection methods in the house
Bed bugs can hide in different parts of the house. For example:
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
| Sign | Details |
| Characteristic smell | — It smells like cognac, sometimes sour fruit; - the nest emits the smell of almonds |
| Bites | — Red dots appear on the body; — there are up to 7 bites in one chain |
| Blood stains | - Small blood stains are found on the bed linen; — traces remain from arthropods crushed in sleep |
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.
Temperature effect
One of the things bed bugs fear is temperature. Sudden temperature changes create uncomfortable living conditions for bloodsuckers. The air temperature is favorable for the life of parasites within 20-30 degrees. A sharp decrease or increase in these standards by only 10-15 degrees makes it difficult for bedbugs to reproduce. A long stay in such conditions forces insects to go in search of more favorable places.
Therefore, the knowledge that bedbugs are afraid of the cold is often used in the fight against parasites. It is enough to cool the apartment in a frosty cold and maintain a low temperature in it for several days so that house bugs rush in search of new housing.
On a note!
This method should not be confused with temporary ventilation. Insects will easily survive short-term cooling of the room. They are also characterized by a state of suspended animation. At zero air temperatures, pests go into hibernation, from which they emerge when the weather warms.
Steam generator for insect control
Bed bugs cannot tolerate excessively high temperatures. Therefore, many people who are faced with this problem use a steam generator to combat bloodsuckers. They are good at handling:
- upholstered furniture;
- sofa;
- mattresses;
- carpet products;
- joints of furniture joints and other hard-to-reach places where bedbugs prefer to settle.
