Bedbugs: Find and Destroy

Many of us naively believe that the problem of domestic pests is a thing of the past. Entire studies have been devoted to the disappearance of cockroaches, and the word "bedbug infested" now simply refers to old, poorly maintained, and cluttered apartments. But is this true? Lately, we've been increasingly hearing complaints from friends about biting house insects—bedbugs. What's dangerous about them, and how can we combat them?

How to distinguish bedbugs from other insects

Once you suspect a possible presence of bedbugs, you should determine whether bedbugs are present in your particular apartment or house. At first, you might not even notice the red, itchy spots on your skin, and in the summer, you might mistake them for mosquito bites.

Bedbugs usually bite exposed areas of the skin, causing irritation in the form of red spots.

How can you be sure that this parasite is the cause of your problems? First of all, the bites will be close together, and you'll discover them in the morning, as these insects hunt at night. It's also worth checking your bedding—they may contain small blood stains. If you have keen eyesight, you might even see the parasites with your own eyes—they don't grow larger than 3–8 mm.

However, this will require waking up at night—during the day, bedbugs hide inside furniture, under baseboards, under wallpaper, and in other hidden places. The fight against these pests must begin immediately. Their bites are not only itchy and unsightly, but can also cause allergies, especially in children, the elderly, and people with weak immune systems.

How to get rid of parasites

If you've decided to go to war with bedbugs, you can first try to deal with them yourself. The first things that come to mind are dichlorvos, boiling water, and herbal infusions. As we can see, there are several options, so let's take a closer look.

Chemical attack

You can, of course, go to the store and stock up on a wide variety of insecticides. However, remember that powders, gels, and aerosols work only upon contact with bedbugs, and these parasites, as noted above, tend to hide. Of course, the insects may later run across the gel or powder, but it's difficult to treat absolutely everything in the house with these substances. Liquid chemicals, diluted with water and then sprayed with a spray bottle, are much more effective. This method can cover surfaces, crevices, furniture grooves, curtain folds, and even the most inaccessible areas. The selection of such products is now vast—all you need to do is visit the appropriate section of the household chemicals store. For example, Dichlorvos Neo, Zonder, Palach, and GET have become very popular recently.

The universal remedy Palach effectively rids your home of bedbugs, saving you time and money.

The most important thing when purchasing a product is to pay attention to the chemical composition. Pyrethroids and their derivatives, such as chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, and tetramethrin, are currently considered the most effective pesticides against bedbugs. Before treating the room, securely store all food, clothing, and dishes, and keep your family, pets, and houseplants away from the poison. It's best to allow 7-8 hours for this important task to allow time to clean the apartment, apply the chemicals, and allow them to dry.

User reviews of chemicals used to combat bed bugs

About two months after the renovation, my husband started complaining about being bitten at night, and we started finding blood stains on the bed linens. <…> I accidentally stumbled upon a review from a woman describing how she got rid of bed bugs using a product called "Executioner." <…> The product has a fairly mild smell, slightly reminiscent of kerosene. Dilute the product in warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Treat all areas: baseboards, cabinets, dressers, upholstered furniture, the floor, and definitely behind cabinets, window cornices, and the carpet. After doing this once, we spent the night in another room. By morning, everything had aired out, and you know what I discovered? I saw half-dead bed bugs die before my eyes. They barely crawled, and then they died. I repeated the procedure that same day. Two years have passed since then. We never saw any more bedbugs. The Executioner really works. And I want my review to be helpful to anyone else who's found themselves in this same hell, because I didn't even want to go home at the time.

After a long search online, I ordered GET <…> I followed the instructions, although I first poured boiling water over all the places where bedbugs were hanging out. The next day, I sprayed the entire room with GET, as described on the website. I did this all wearing gloves and a mask. I was lucky that I was able to leave the house and had no pets or children. After the first treatment, they remained alive for a while, but gradually disappeared. A week or two later, maybe two—I don't remember exactly—they died, although the paranoia of someone biting at night remained. A month later, I did a second treatment, although they were no longer anywhere and no one was biting. And three months later, I did the final treatment; I had a little product left, since I only treated one room. Now all that's left are the dirty seams of the light-colored sofa, but you can't see it unless you go inside. Two years have passed, and they haven't returned.

Thermal methods

Bedbugs, although quite unpretentious in everyday life, still cannot boast of particular resistance to temperature changes. Insects die when cooled to -18 ^OC and below. But setting up such a freezer at home is not easy, and the method only works on adult insects, as the larvae are quite capable of tolerating low temperatures.

Killing bed bug larvae is a more difficult process than getting rid of adult bed bugs.

Furthermore, if your home has hydronic heating, you could damage the pipes. However, it's possible and advisable to expose individual items to -30°C temperatures for a few days, as prolonged exposure to the cold will also kill the parasite eggs.
The opposite option is to heat the room up too much. You will need a temperature of at least +48–50 ^OFrom 7-8 hours, and if you bring the conditions up to +60 ^OC, then 3-4 hours will be enough. This can be done using a heat generator, also known as a heat gun. The advantage of this method is that bedbug larvae tolerate heat much less well than cold. However, despite its high effectiveness, this method should be used with caution: remove all flammable substances and items sensitive to high temperatures (paintings, small electronics, plastic furniture) from the apartment. Items such as clothing and bedding are best washed at 60–90°C. ^OC or even boil (if possible), as bedbugs can also hide in them. It makes sense to try to kill the parasites with a regular steamer capable of producing stable steam at least +55–60 ^OS. You'll need to thoroughly steam the furniture, especially the joints where the pieces meet the walls. Safety precautions are the same as for regular heat treatment, so avoid directing the steam jet at yourself and avoid using it on plastic, appliances, books, or heat-sensitive fabrics.

Folk methods

Since bedbugs have lived near humans for much longer than specialized chemicals have been around, there are many folk remedies. The oldest of these are herbs: tansy, chamomile, wormwood, lavender, and geranium are considered poisonous to bedbugs, but are safe for humans and pets.

Tansy and wormwood are the most popular plants for fighting bedbugs.

A cross between folk remedies and specialized ones are household chemicals originally intended for other purposes. These include, for example, turpentine, denatured alcohol, vinegar, and kerosene diluted with water and soap. Mothballs, which could probably be found in every Soviet cabinet, are effective not only against moths but also against bedbugs. However, it's difficult to recommend these remedies as safe—all of these substances are toxic to humans and animals, and turpentine and kerosene are highly flammable.

Getting rid of the problem with repellents

Another option is to repel bedbugs using special devices and equipment. However, don't blindly trust advertising and buy everything you can find. For example, ultrasonic and magnetic resonance "scarecrows" are practically harmless to insects.Yes, they can confuse them, but they won't kill them or drive them out of the house. Furthermore, over time, the pests will become accustomed to this treatment, forcing you to invest in increasingly more powerful devices instead of solving the problem once and for all. Fumigators that emit unpleasant odors are no more effective and are only suitable as a temporary measure. And if bedbugs have already made a nest in your sofa, this method won't remove them.

Calling emergency services

If you've completely given up on your futile attempts to get rid of these nasty pests, or simply want to save yourself time and energy, it's worth turning to those who make pest control their profession.

A team of qualified exterminators can deal with bedbugs (and often all other household insects) in just one day. Of course, you'll have to part with a certain amount of money, but in return, you'll get a clean and safe apartment with guaranteed protection from small pests for a certain period. Sometimes, pest control is carried out in two stages.

If, during the warranty period, a miraculously surviving bloodsucker emerges from its hiding place, a repeat treatment will be performed free of charge. Naturally, before beginning the procedure, you will need to thoroughly clean the apartment and hide anything that shouldn't be treated.

User reviews on the effectiveness of pest control

Well, if bedbugs have appeared, you need more serious measures than just treating them with household products! I experienced it myself. It was terrifying. After all our attempts, there was a whole battery of bedbug repellents sitting on the windowsill. The solution was simple: we threw out the sofa and called the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for 2,200 rubles. The website says there's no odor, but there is one, albeit not strong, but still present. The bedbugs disappeared. What a joy! After calculating the money we spent on household products, we realized we shouldn't try to solve the problem ourselves, but call in specialists from any pest control company.

Let me say right away that trying to exterminate yourself is practically useless and will only prolong the process and fray your nerves. Call the service. But look specifically for a Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (SES). This means it should be a regional, provincial, district, or other pest control center. Private companies 95% do poor work, and there's no guarantee of the products or, consequently, the results. A reputable SES will explain right away that you need to exterminate twice, according to regulations, and will charge for two treatments, with the second one 10-14 days later. In my city, that's 2,500 rubles. And they use a different product each time. And often, only such a company can provide cold fog treatment (the equipment is quite expensive for private companies), rather than just a random spray.

Photo gallery: popular methods of insect control

Bedbug extermination: myth or reality

The choice of bedbug control method should be based on your capabilities. Specialized chemicals and "folk remedies" like kerosene and turpentine are suitable when you and your family can leave the apartment for a few hours—this allows the toxic fumes to dissipate and prevent poisoning. Combining chemicals with repellents is possible, but using repellents alone is quite ineffective. When purchasing aerosols, powders, and solutions, be sure to pay attention to the ingredients: they should be clearly listed on the label. You can also contact pest control companies to find out what products they use and use them yourself. A Entrusting pest control to your apartment will be the most reliable option.However, this requires funds and, again, the ability to leave the house for a day. If your options are limited and you're concerned about poisoning yourself and your family, heat treatment is an option. Of course, a heat gun also costs money, but less than professional treatment.

As we can see, today there are many different ways to get rid of bedbugs for good—all modern scientific and technological advances are here to help. You won't have to constantly scald your furniture, boil every sheet, or recite pagan incantations against insects (yes, they did practice this in Ancient Rus'). The best way to deal with these bloodsuckers is up to you. If one method doesn't work, you can always try another. The main thing is not to despair and not give up!