Problems of bedbugs in the apartment

Bed bugs are incredibly resilient creatures. They can go without food for a long time, withstand mechanical stress and even develop immunity to insecticides. So where do these insects come from and how can you fight them?

Reasons for the appearance of domestic bugs

For a long time, it was believed that bedbugs appear exclusively in unsanitary conditions. However, recent studies have shown that these tiny insects are absolutely not selective in their choice of residence. They are equally successful settling in safe, clean apartments and where they have not heard about cleaning for a long time.

Bedbugs are ready to settle in a new building with just completed renovation, and in houses of the old foundation. The only difference is that newer homes have fewer hiding spots for these blood-sucking insects to use for shelter. The main thing for them is the presence of people as a source of food. Recall that bedbugs feed only on human blood. Everything else just doesn't interest them. This means that the answer to the question of how to get rid of bed bugs is relevant for each of us.

Now let's try to find out exactly how bugs can appear in any house or apartment. There are several options:

• Great resettlement from neighbors. This is one of the most common reasons for bedbugs to appear in a more or less prosperous apartment. Insects enter housing through ventilation ducts, wall cracks, keyholes and sockets. Of course, at first only one or two individuals will "descend" into the new dwelling, but under favorable conditions they will easily create a whole colony within a short time.
• Entry from the outside. You can bring unwanted tenants into the house yourself in your own clothes, when you return from guests or from a business trip. And also on bags or suitcases. Infection is quite possible in furniture warehouses, and then, having bought a new sofa, you will bring it home with an “unwanted” bonus.
• With household appliances. As strange as it may sound, bugs happily live in boxes with household appliances, and even under the case of many devices.
• Housewarming. Often moving into a new apartment, the owners begin to wonder: where did the bugs come from? It's very simple, they hid in secret places in anticipation of a better life, which came with the arrival of the new owners of square meters.
• From animals. Such cases are quite rare, but still sometimes they happen. Bedbugs cannot bite through the thick skin of animals, therefore they do not linger on them for a long time, and at the first opportunity they run over to a human dwelling, closer to "food".

Bedbug lifestyle and nutrition

As already noted, these tiny insects feel quite comfortable both in unsanitary conditions and in exemplary dwellings. The main thing is that there is a person nearby, a power source.

The "appearance" of insects is unattractive. They have an oblong body up to 5 mm long. The color depends on age: the adult is usually dark brown, and those that are younger are dirty yellow. Newly hatched insects are transparent in appearance, and it is impossible to see them without a special device. Bedbugs become noticeable only when they are saturated with blood. And bedbug eggs in shape and structure resemble oblong rice.

There is another characteristic property that makes it easy to recognize these blood-sucking insects. They have special glands that produce secretions with a very unpleasant odor. If a bug is crushed, then this smell will quickly spread in the room.

According to experts, the most developed organ in bedbugs is the sense of smell. The bug is able to "smell" carbon dioxide, which is released at the moment of exhalation of a person, at a distance of 3 meters. And also at a distance of up to half a meter, the insect captures the warmth of a sleeping person.

Insect activity is manifested exclusively at night, and during the day they hide in secluded places. Due to the fact that they come out of cover exclusively under cover of night, it is very difficult to find them. And the bugs, in turn, freely get to the victim and choose any place they like to bite.

The bed bug leaves its shelter between 1 and 7 a.m. To get full food, 4-10 minutes is enough for him, and after that he again hides in his shelter. This food intake can be enough for an insect for up to 6 days.

After drinking blood, the bug increases in size. A well-fed insect can reach a length of 9 mm, that is, it almost doubles.

Bed bugs breed throughout the year. Over the entire life cycle, the female is able to lay up to 550 eggs.

The places of "dislocation" of insects are very diverse. From mattress and bedding, to book covers. The full developmental cycle of an egg lasts from 7 to 10 days. If the living conditions are unfavorable, then this period can last up to 20 days.

Bedbug larvae intensively absorb blood until molt occurs as soon as possible. Molting is when a grown bug sheds its brown shell. Usually, such shells are observed in places where there was the maximum accumulation of insects: behind sofas and armchairs, in the seams of a mattress, as well as in pillows and pillowcases. Before the bug becomes a full-fledged and adult insect, the molt is repeated up to 5 times.

An interesting fact: the larvae cannot produce a special substance that gives the effect of pain relief when bitten. That is why their "attacks" are so painful and unpleasant.

The life span of the bug ranges from 11 to 14 months. It is noticed that at lower temperatures, the pace of life of insects decreases, and they fall into a state resembling suspended animation. And in this "sleepy" form, they can be up to a year, maintaining full vitality.

Confusing a bug with other insects is unlikely to work.Unlike the cockroach, it lacks hind wings and antennae, but it has barely noticeable shortened wings near the head. And the body is more rounded and smaller. A bug differs from a tick in the number of legs: the first has 8, and the last has 6. Finally, if we compare a bug with an ant, they have nothing in common, but the eggs that both types of insects lay are very similar. The difference is that the eggs that ants lay are wider and flatter.

How to find bedbugs in an apartment

Having recognized the enemy, as they say, "in the face", let's try to figure out how you can reveal his presence in the apartment. If the population of bedbugs is small, then this is extremely difficult to do. By its nature, the bug is a rather cautious creature: during the day it sits in a reliable shelter and only at night it comes out to attack the victim.

Most determine the presence of bedbugs precisely by their bites. But the wounds are in many ways similar to the bites of other insects. How to tell them apart:

• The bug bite is not felt, unpleasant sensations appear only about 20 minutes later;
• A puncture is visible in the center of the bite;
• The damaged skin turns red and the size of the inflammation can vary, depending on the susceptibility of the organism. So, in an adult, an inflamed spot is about 5 mm in diameter, but in children, the damaged area of ​​the skin can reach 15-20 mm;
• As a rule, the bug "does not eat" from one bite, and on the way of movement it can bite several more times. Therefore, bedbug bites resemble a path of red dots.

In addition to the unpleasant consequences of a bite, there are other signs of a dangerous neighborhood:

• Bad smell. According to some, the characteristic smell of bedbug secretion resembles sour raspberries, others argue that this is the aroma of old cognac. The only problem is that they quickly get used to the smell, and it can be clearly recognized only after two or three days of absence from an infected apartment.
• Waste products. With a close inspection of the apartment, you are guaranteed to find the old chitinous shells of bedbugs.
• Blood stains. When the bug is full, it becomes very clumsy and vulnerable. He can be easily killed by crushing him without even knowing it.
• The most serious evidence of bedbugs in an apartment is found nests. Their most likely location is in cracks in the wall, on the back of carpets, paintings and sofas, in baseboards and under window sills, as well as in the inner lining of beds and sofas. If there are suggestions that dangerous neighbors live in the house next to you, you will have to conduct a thorough audit of the above areas. Advice: in order to find unwanted neighbors, you need to wake up in the middle of the night and suddenly turn on the light, then they will not have time to scatter. Pre-cover white bedding, then insects will be more visible.

Ways to get rid of bedbugs

Nowadays, a huge number of the most diverse ways of getting rid of bedbugs are offered: from grandmother's "proven" ones to practically nano-technologies. Which option is right for your particular case is up to you. It may take time to experiment and not immediately produce the desired result. The main thing is not to give up!

Karbofos

The action of karbofos is neuroparalytic. Getting on an insect, the drug immobilizes it, and as a result it leads to death.However, deciding to use this particular drug, remember that its paralytic effect lasts up to several months. And left on the surface of interior items, it poses a danger to children and pets. So, before starting work, read the instructions carefully and strictly follow them.

Dichlorvos

Dichlorvos is an aerosol preparation, and, according to experts, it is these funds that are most effective in the fight against bedbugs. Surfaces that have been exposed to the insecticide will “work” against insects for a long time to come. To make the fight more effective, spray dichlorvos several times a week. Try to get the substance into places where bedbugs accumulate, as well as to their possible habitats. Leave the area for about an hour after spraying and ventilate the apartment well when you return.

Hot fog

Getting rid of bedbugs with hot fog is a kind of know-how in disinfection of premises. Today, this is the most effective way to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment once and for all. The chemical used to treat the premises is poison, which means it is better not to try to use it yourself. Seek professional help. They use not only modern equipment, but also have protective suits and adhere to safety regulations.

The technology for killing bedbugs with hot steam is as follows: a chemical heated to 90 degrees is sprayed in a closed room. The hot fog heats the temperature in the apartment up to 50 degrees, and the bugs die already at +45 degrees. The processing of the premises (depending on the area) lasts about an hour. However, suspended particles of the preparation used will settle on the surface for another 3 to 7 hours. Therefore, wet cleaning of the premises is recommended not earlier than 8-11 hours after spraying.

Folk remedies

This is where you can find a huge assortment of all kinds of options for dealing with unwanted neighbors: from effective, to ridiculous and ridiculous. Although, according to many, there are folk methods that not only permanently eliminate bedbugs, but also do a good job of preventing the appearance of any insects in the house.

• Increase or decrease in temperature. Furniture with blood-sucking insects is exposed in the cold or poured with boiling water. Such actions are actually destructive for bedbugs.
• Sagebrush. The pungent smell of this plant scares off not only bedbugs, but also other intruders.
• Spraying with gasoline or kerosene the places where insects accumulate will help to significantly reduce their population. For complete destruction, such manipulations will have to be done often. If you can easily tolerate the smell of gasoline and kerosene, then this method will definitely suit you.
• Dried tansy also has a characteristic aroma that is unpleasant for bedbugs. If you spread the twigs under the mattress, then this is guaranteed to scare off blood-sucking individuals.
• If you carefully treat the places where bedbugs accumulate with vinegar, this will also reduce their number.

So, it is quite obvious that unwanted guests can appear in any home. But it is also obvious that it is possible to cope with them. The main thing is not to expect mercy from nature, but to act. And it doesn't matter which method you choose: a call to the home of professionals or grandmother's funds.

VIDEO: How to remove bedbugs at home.