Will bedbugs bite if the lights are left on at night?

Bed bugs are constant companions of humans. Only in the last century, after the invention of powerful insecticides and the introduction of modern building materials, people learned to massively destroy household insects, and bloodsuckers became a relative rarity in developed countries.

It only took a few decades for insects to develop insensitivity to many toxic substances and begin to confidently increase their population. US exterminators have noted that the number of calls for bed bug extermination has increased by 23% over the past five years.

The spread of insects into previously uninfected homes is facilitated by tourist trips to exotic countries. Bedbugs travel around the world on the soles of shoes and in things that are brought back after staying in hotels and boarding houses. Parasites can get into uninfested housing through furniture, mattresses, and interior items purchased at a sale.

How does light affect bedbugs?

The peak activity of bloodsuckers is at night. To attack, they choose the period of the victims' deepest sleep at night: this is the time from 2 to 5 am. Usually they strive to create a colony close to feeding sites: the sucked parasite increases significantly in size and is not able to move long distances.

The victim does not feel the bites; the parasite’s saliva contains a special enzyme that has an analgesic effect. The same enzyme helps prevent blood from clotting quickly, and the pest manages to suck out a sufficient amount. One bite is not enough, so the bug is forced to move along the blood vessel and make several punctures to feed.

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Is re-processing necessary?

Modern drugs intended for the destruction of bed bugs are contact, i.e. Those bugs that came into contact with the substance die. All new products have a prolonged effect - this means that the effect will be achieved within a month. As mentioned above, the effect of the chemical will not affect the larvae: they develop and retain their viability.

Removing bed bugs is not just a reduction in the number of individuals, but their complete destruction. To be completely sure that the bedbugs did not leave the place treated with chemicals and did not find a new secluded corner, but completely died out, it is almost always worth carrying out several measures to destroy them.

Why do bedbugs only become active at night?

The nocturnal way of life is characteristic not only of bedbugs; many nocturnal parasites feed this way (for example, the well-known mosquitoes). The reason is the structure of the insect - the body of the parasite does not have a hard chitinous coating, like that of cockroaches. The relatively soft body and lack of wings allow bloodsuckers to attack only motionless, fast asleep victims.

Bed bugs feed on people. Insects are able to sense the movement of blood under human skin and unmistakably look for the vessel closest to its surface. Most often, children and women become victims of attacks by bloodsuckers - their skin is thinner. In men, the dermis is thicker, the hairline is thicker, and bedbugs can be repelled by the smell of tobacco and alcohol emanating from the skin.

A kind of protection for the insect is the shape of its body, flat and round. An alarmed victim, turning in his sleep, will not be able to crush a hungry bug; flat insect measuring 2.5 - 9.0 mm. easily hides in the folds of beds and mattresses, narrow cracks in wood and walls.

To attack, it needs a stationary victim - the parasite can move quite quickly in search of food on vertical and horizontal surfaces. A sucked specimen increases in size by a third and becomes inactive. He can crawl into cover only if the person is sleeping.

Parasites choose to attack the most “quiet” time of day, when a person’s sleep is especially deep and the threat to the insect is the least. This rule may be violated if the bedbug colony goes without food for a long time. In this case, they will try to attack a person or animal that is within their reach at any time of the day.

Why do bedbugs appear in the house?

In the vast majority of cases, the appearance of bedbugs is an unfortunate coincidence. Unsanitary conditions or household sloppiness alone cannot attract these insects. They don't eat food, animal feed or garbage in the trash can, they don't even need water. Only blood, warmth, dryness and the presence of places where you can hide from the light. Such conditions exist in literally every living space. The most common reasons why bedbugs appear in the house are:

the presence of pests in basements and attics, where they parasitize birds and stray animals;
independent accidental introduction of individual individuals along with things and objects;
the presence of bedbugs among neighbors, in dormitories and commercial premises on the first and ground floors of houses.

In the city, bedbugs tend to gradually spread across all floors of the house. In this case, the problem will arise in several apartments at once, as the parasites spread. When bedbugs appear in a private house, they usually come on foot from neighbors or are carried between houses with things. The ways in which pests enter the home are discussed in the table below.

The destruction of bedbugs in a private house is completely organized and paid for by its owners. If parasites appear in a city building, the apartments are treated by the residents at their own expense, and the management company is responsible for the common areas of the building. She determines where the pests come from and organizes treatment. In Moscow, the presence of any insects in the house can be reported to the unified dispatch center (EDC).

How are the life cycle of bedbugs and light related?

The vital activity of humans and bed bugs occurs at different times of the day - this is caused by the need for the survival of this type of insect. Their desire to hide in a crack is caused by self-preservation, and not by fear of light.

Light of any type - daylight or artificial - will not interfere with the attack of a hungry bloodsucker. These insects do not like daylight - their visual apparatus is designed for the infrared spectrum, but this does not become an obstacle to hunting for food.

On what day after disinfestation do bed bugs disappear?

If disinsection is carried out efficiently, then bed bugs begin to die within a few hours after treatment. But in order for the insect to die, direct contact with the insecticide is needed. The newest pesticides are able to retain their properties for about a month, so even those bedbugs that are hidden at the time of treatment will still be in contact with the toxic substance during this period. Modern insecticides block the functioning of the nervous or respiratory systems of insects, which leads to their death. However, direct contact with the treated surface is necessary.

Placing insecticide in hard-to-reach places where bedbugs usually settle

In any case, it is recommended to repeat the disinfestation of the premises, but after a certain period of time (no longer than a month, optimally 14 days). This is due to the fact that the poison has no effect on bed bug larvae. If you wait longer, the insects will hatch from the larvae and lay eggs again.

Will bed bugs bite if you sleep with a light on?

In infested or unfamiliar rooms, people often tend to sleep with the lights on, believing that this way they can avoid an attack by bloodsuckers. This is a misconception - the parasite’s life rhythm is tied to the time of day. Driven by hunger and the smell of nearby food, they will go hunting at the usual time of day - from 2 to 5 a.m. and will show the same activity as in the complete absence of light.

The picture of mass movement of bedbugs in search of food, with the lights on, can often be observed in cheap motels and campsites in Asian resorts. Unaccustomed tourists are frightened by the dense mass of insects that quickly move along the walls and ceiling in search of prey.

How long do bedbugs live after disinfestation?

Upon direct contact with the insecticide, adult bed bugs die within a few minutes to an hour. But not all insects immediately come under the influence of toxic substances: this is due to the fact that bedbugs do not go hunting as an entire colony (only 20% per night). It takes several days for the entire colony to hunt and die out. Thus, if blood-sucking insects reappear in the apartment after professional disinfestation, then we can say with confidence that these are new individuals. Here it is important not to miss the moment and re-treat the room.

Repeated disinfestation after 21 days will help get rid of the larvae that have retained their vital functions.

Conclusion

Bedbugs are nocturnal hunters, attacking a soundly sleeping victim at the quietest time of day. The reference point for them is the sound of blood in the vessels and body heat.

In the process of evolution, they developed the ability to produce an enzyme that anesthetizes the wound on the skin from a bite. This allows the bloodsucker to feed peacefully without the threat of being crushed.

The main motive for attacks on the victim (human or animal) is hunger; Parasites can hunt when the light is on at night, and during the day - in case of prolonged starvation.

Source

Destruction of bedbugs in the house

The only truly effective way to get rid of bedbugs is to use special drugs against them. You can do this yourself or seek help from a health service.

Self-processing

When treating yourself, you need to buy a suitable product and treat the bedbug-infested furniture, room or entire home with it. The most convenient way to do this is with the help of fully prepared insecticides in the form of aerosols, sprays or powders:

Raid Lavender/Spring Meadow;
Dr. Klaus for fleas and bedbugs;
Ecokiller;
Raptor for bedbugs;
Combat SuperSpray;
Medilis Anticlops;
A clean home is universal.

Look for instructions for using the product on its packaging. It is important to observe it for the effectiveness of processing and the safety of yourself and others.

In order for the destruction of bedbugs in the house to be effective, it is important to exterminate all pests at once. If you do not get rid of parasites in one go, they can develop immunity to insecticides - resistance. In the future it will be much more difficult to poison them. It is for this reason that any treatment is recommended to be carried out immediately in the entire house or apartment.

Professional extermination of bedbugs SES

Professional disinfestation uses expert class preparations and specialized equipment – fog generators. The devices convert insecticides into a fine, volatile cloud with high penetrating power. It is evenly distributed over all surfaces, leaving no safe places for insects to hide and wait out the baiting.

Disinsection with cold fog is done quickly. Torch - a jet of insecticide can reach a radius of 10 meters. A room of 30 square meters can be completely processed in less than a minute. The method is effective even against resistant populations for which household remedies no longer work.

The sanitary service "Des Group" has been persecuting all types of pests in Moscow and the Moscow region since 2014. Disinfection of bedbugs can be carried out with a guarantee. You can clarify the price of the service and ask questions to SES experts by calling their contact numbers. Leave a request for a free call back from a Des Group consultant in the form on the website. A service specialist will call you back within 5 minutes.

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Cleaning and disinfection

Get rid of unnecessary items to reduce the number of places bed bugs can hide. Check for bed bugs in unwanted items and think about where you can store these items until the pests are completely eradicated from the house. Check all items again before returning them to their original location. Remove dead bed bugs, blood stains, eggs, and insect droppings using hot, soapy water. Rinse all items with bed bug stains in hot water and dry them on high for at least 20 minutes. Once dry, store items in sealed plastic bags until you are sure you are completely free of bed bugs. Vacuum carpets, floors, bed frames, furniture, cracks and cracks daily using a brush and crevice tool. After each use of the vacuum cleaner, empty the dust bag or seal it and dispose of it outside the building.

Before the arrival of the disinfectant instructor, you must:

Disassemble things, remove or pack unnecessary items, remove or isolate bedbug killers from getting on dishes, personal hygiene items, cosmetics, clothes and underwear (if you suspect the presence of insects in underwear or clothes, they must be washed), isolate food and drinking water from possible contact with the product.
Carry out a thorough wet cleaning of the entire room, wipe all surfaces from dust, get rid of debris, organize free access for the instructor-disinfector to all areas of the treatment facility and to all pieces of furniture.
If treatment for bedbugs is carried out, it is necessary to remove all bedding for subsequent washing, prepare pieces of furniture for treatment, disassemble as much as possible the pieces of furniture infested with bedbugs in order to thoroughly treat their internal surfaces, moving them away from the walls where possible.
When treating for fleas, you must thoroughly wash all animal bedding (if any).
When processing, it is necessary to remove pets, birds, and aquarium fish from the premises.
At the time of treatment, no one should be in the room except the instructor-disinfector conducting the treatment and the customer’s representative (the instructor-disinfector has a protective mask with him and provides it to the customer’s representative for safe breathing).
After treatment, you must leave the premises.
The minimum time after which the treated room can be used again is 1 hour when treated with microencapsulated preparations, the optimal time is 8-12 and 24 hours (depending on the preparations used). Therefore, when deciding on the treatment time, calculate everything so that you can leave the room after treatment for the maximum possible time for you and your loved ones.
Premises treated with the product cannot be used until they are cleaned, which is carried out no later than 3 hours before using the facility for its intended purpose.
After you return to the room, you need to ventilate all treated rooms for at least 30 minutes, thoroughly wipe tables and other surfaces using rubber gloves with a damp cloth with a soda solution (30-50 g of soda ash per 1 liter of water). But you should not carry out a complete cleaning of the room in all hard-to-reach places, since in this case you will wash off or sweep away most of the applied drug, which can lead to incomplete death of insects and a relapse of their re-spread.

Detection of the bedbug itself

Another important sign of the existence of bedbugs in an apartment is a one-on-one meeting with the parasite. It is very rare to encounter him, but it is possible, especially if you arrange a night raid. The essence of the raid is this: you need to lie under a blanket, put a flashlight next to it and freeze in anticipation. You don't have to wait until the parasite bites you. You can turn on the light and shake off the blanket after you feel a strange sound that is gradually approaching.

Bedbugs have a flattened body, the length of which reaches up to 9 mm. The shape and length of the body depend not only on the age of the insect, but also on the sex. Females have a more rounded body, and males are oblong. The color of the body is predominantly brown, although the larvae are characteristically yellowish or colorless. With each subsequent meal, the young individual becomes more and more brownish.

If you are interested in a night raid, it will be useful to know that parasites of this kind attack mainly after 2-3 o’clock in the morning. The hunt can continue until sunrise, although occasionally insects can attack after 7 a.m. if the victim likes to sleep. After meeting an insect, you can simply stun it or put it in a jar, and then examine it in detail. By the way, you can test the effectiveness of some pest control products on a caught specimen.

To make sure that the caught pest is indeed this blood-sucking bed bug, it is necessary to study its body shape in detail. The characteristic features of the bedbug include the following:

The abdomen of the bug is flat or oval, which when saturated with blood acquires a reddish tint.
The parasite has three pairs of legs.
The head of the parasite is small in both females and males. On the front of the head there is a characteristic proboscis, with which it pierces the skin and feeds on blood.
A standard bug has a size of 6-8 mm, but often with intensive feeding they can grow up to 10 mm. The photo below shows a bed bug.

Once the enemy is known by sight, you can begin to select the optimal type of weapon to fight him, or rather, to clear the apartment.

Causes of parasites

You should not think that pests can only appear in the apartments of untidy housewives, although in dirty rooms the likelihood of infection increases.

Where do bed bugs come from:

they are transferred from other apartments, hotels, dormitories, etc.;
insects crawl from neighboring rooms through cracks in the ceilings;
pests are brought in in purchased furniture or clothing.

In an apartment or private house, bedbugs settle anywhere, but they give preference to places with food close to them. Females lay eggs in sofas, on bookshelves, and in electronic equipment.

Insects live up to one year.

It is recommended to spend more time cleaning the room; parasites feel more at ease in clutter and trash.

Why are bedbug bites dangerous?

Insect bites do not allow a person to rest and sleep normally, which traumatizes the psyche and impairs performance.

The puncture site begins to itch and itch. An infection gets into the scratched wound.

The consequences are expressed in:

general deterioration of a person’s condition;
temperature increase;
suppuration of wounds.

Many people, often children, are susceptible to allergic reactions in the form of a rash that itches. Dizziness and weakness are common.

Bed bugs that appear indoors lead to the development of neuroses, depression, irritability and sleep problems. Bite marks on the body do not look aesthetically pleasing, especially on the face.

How do insects bite?

Bed bug bites themselves (they are called bed bugs) do not cause discomfort to the victim. The puncture is carried out to absorb blood while simultaneously injecting a natural anesthetic. Because of this, a person does not feel pain.

An adult insect is capable of sucking 1.5 µl of blood from one point. Then it continues to move around the body, crawling a few centimeters and biting again.

One feeding is 5-6 punctures. The total meal lasts up to half an hour. Cases have been recorded where a large number of parasites left up to five hundred bite marks overnight.

Having had enough, the parasite crawls into its home. Bedbugs need food once every ten days.

The bites of the larvae are less painless, since they do not have the ability to inject painkillers. And they need feeding more often.

Repair

Bedbugs can also appear during repairs. After all, such work is accompanied not only by noise, dirt or debris, but most often by the presence of strangers: painters, electricians or plumbers. Considering that bed bugs have a unique ability to go into suspended animation when there is a lack of food or under unfavorable conditions, we cannot exclude the possibility of them spreading on the clothes or shoes of craftsmen.

What smell are bedbugs afraid of?

When thinking about what smell repels bedbugs, you should pay attention to plants that have a pronounced aroma. For example, bed bugs are afraid of lavender, calamus, tansy, wormwood, and chamomile.

The use of these plants must be carried out according to the following rules:

Before using any plant, including wormwood, it is necessary to divide the pre-collected, dried branches into several bunches, and then arrange them in secluded places. It is best to put plants in laundry drawers, sofas, and the space behind beds.
You can also use the following method: the collected bunch of plants must be thoroughly dried and then set on fire. Parasites are afraid of the smoke coming from these plants. They should fumigate the entire room, after closing the windows. The room should only be ventilated after several hours.
You can grind the dried plants from the list above into powder, and then spread the resulting product into nooks and crannies. It should be remembered that medicinal plants can be harmful to humans. To prevent intoxication, it is recommended to be careful when processing the room.

But the most effective plant that parasites fear is tansy. When used correctly, it not only repels insects, but has a detrimental effect on them. This is due to the content of toxic substances.

To avoid poisoning, procedures involving processing the plant should only be carried out using gloves.