Who's the Boss in the House?: How to Fight Bed Bugs

Home is a place where we feel safe. However, not all living creatures recognize human rights over their territory, regularly encroaching on our personal space. And the most brazen are usually the most unsightly, almost microscopic insects. These are bedbugs.

Bed bug: Know your enemy

Insects that prefer to live in close contact with humans (cockroaches, ants) tend to prey on food, unlike bedbugs, which prey on the most valuable thing—the body. This is because these insects feed exclusively on blood, with a particular fondness for that of children. If there is no person nearby, then out of desperation they attack domestic animals.

The first mentions of bedbugs date back to the writings of Aristotle, in which he describes these insects as the native inhabitants of the caves of the Middle East. Due to unsanitary conditions, these parasites coexisted comfortably alongside humans and animals. Incidentally, ancient people believed that bedbugs cured snake bites and infections. Over time, these beliefs were proven to be unfounded.

Bedbugs have existed alongside humans for centuries.

So, what is a bedbug, or house bug? It's a flightless, small insect (only 2-8 mm) that can suck blood two to three times its own size. Depending on how much the parasite has fed, it can be:

• brown or black;
• burgundy or scarlet.

His body turns bright red after he is full.

A young bug, just hatched from an egg, is almost transparent when hungry, and after it has sucked blood, a red drop can be seen in its stomach.

As for size, like most of their relatives, female bedbugs are larger than males.

Like most insects, the female bed bugs are larger than the male.

The insect's head contains a stinger, which it uses to pierce the skin. The bedbug's jaw is intricately designed: it contains two channels, one of which acts as an anesthetic, making the bite invisible to humans, while the second, wider channel acts as a communicating vessel between the aggressor's digestive tract and the victim's skin.

If a bedbug is hungry, its mobility makes it almost impossible to kill it mechanically. However, a well-fed bug becomes sedentary and, therefore, more vulnerable.

Table: Distinguishing characteristics of bed bugs

Bedbugs are often confused with ticks, but the former are larger and have a different number of legs.

Where do they live?

Bed bugs don't build nests in the literal sense of the word. They also don't particularly camouflage their habitats, preferring to settle as close as possible to their food source—humans. Therefore, their favorite places to gather are closets with "delicious"-smelling items and upholstered furniture (hence another name—"sofa bugs"). You can tell if a house is infested by black spots—the feces left by the bed bugs. By the way, insects lay eggs in this same waste. Typically, those "in the line of fire" are:

• upholstered furniture;
• electronics;
• cloth;
• shoes;
• animals;
• vegetables;
• fruits;
• books, etc.

Bed bugs are classified based on their location. Sofa bugs nest in upholstered furniture, while bed bugs nest near linens and fabrics.

Bedbugs settle in furniture and other interior items.

Lifestyle

The bedbug is a nocturnal creature; during the day, the insect can only be encountered if it is extremely hungry or if there are several colonies of parasites living in the house.

Hunting time is usually determined by the depth of a person's sleep. From three in the morning until six at night are the hours when Morpheus's embrace is most powerful. Insects feed once every five to ten days, and spend the rest of the day digesting their food in shelters. This is why it's easier to spot them there than to "meet them by chance."

Bedbugs prefer to digest food in the quiet environment of their lair.

Bed bugs are very resilient: at low temperatures, they simply hibernate, which they can do for up to 12 months. They're also very cunning. So, if insects sense that they are being persecuted, they immediately leave their nesting place through ventilation ducts, risers, and other openings and move to their neighbors. Therefore, the fight must begin together, that is, simultaneously with all the residents of the house.

How do they reproduce?

The mating mechanism of bedbugs ensures 100% fertilization, which explains the high fertility of the insects.

Mating bed bugs always guarantees the appearance of offspring.

A female can lay up to 5 eggs per day, which closely resemble miniature grains of rice: white, elongated, no more than 1 mm in length.

The number of eggs from one queen during her life cycle varies between 400–500. Bedbugs hide their offspring in:

• clothes;
• upholstered furniture;
• pet hair;
• electrical appliances;
• household appliances;
• boxes and bags.

The egg develops into an adult in 30–40 days if living conditions are favorable, and in 80–100 days if conditions are unfavorable (for example, if the environment is too cold). The bedbug does not have a larval stage.

Bedbugs, unlike most insects, do not have a larval stage.

Reasons why bedbugs appear in the house

Bedbugs, like other insects, can appear in a home for a number of reasons:

1. If your basement is swarming with insects, there's a 90% chance they'll appear in your apartment sooner or later. In this case, don't even bother trying to exterminate the pests unless you take steps to eliminate the source.
2. Considering the ability of a bedbug to cover a distance of 1 meter in 1 minute, it is not surprising that the insect can “run away” from its neighbors.
3. You can bring a bedbug back from vacation. A bedbug can easily fall from a hotel mattress into your suitcase.
4. Insects can also enter the home from the street, for example, on the fur of a pet or on the clothes of children who like to play on the grass.
5. Used clothing and furniture also pose a risk of bed bug infestation.
   

   Old mattresses can be a breeding ground for bedbugs.

How to tell if you have bed bugs in your home

Scientists have proven that approximately 70% of people do not feel bedbug bites. Moreover, if the number of insects has not yet reached a critical level, then more than half of the victims do not attach any significance to the appearance of isolated red spots on the body.

However, there are a number of signs that can help you spot this nuisance early on in the infestation of your home:

1. A crushed bedbug on a bed. Even without feeling the pain or itching from the bite, a person can toss and turn in their sleep and crush the clumsy, gluttonous creature.
   

   Blood stains on bed linens may indicate that bed bugs have taken up residence in the house.

2. Black spots of excrement on furniture, bed linen, walls.
3. Bed bugs shed their skin periodically, so you can detect their presence in your home by looking for black chitinous scales on sofas and furniture.
4. If there are a large number of pests in the house, a characteristic unpleasant odor appears - it is emitted by males to attract females.

When pests infest your home, you can even find bed bugs under your bathroom or kitchen sink.

Three surefire ways to detect a parasite

In addition to the general methods for detecting bedbugs listed above, three more folk methods for identifying unwanted neighbors can be added.

Eight glasses

Instructions:

1. You need to take 8 plastic cups - 4 larger and 4 smaller.
2. Insert them in pairs, one inside the other, to make the structure more stable.
3. Sand the edges.
4. Pour some vegetable oil and sprinkle the trap with talc.
5. Place the glasses near the bed legs.

When the insect climbs up the bed, it will fall into the prepared trap. It won't be able to escape.

Instead of glasses, you can use plates or lids.

Four plastic plates

Instructions:

1. Grease the outside of the plates with vegetable oil.
2. Sprinkle talc inside.
3. As in the previous method, place it near the bed legs.

The bug should get stuck inside the plate.

For the trap you can use a container and water, if possible it is better to place the leg of the bed in this structure

The early bird gets the worm

Instructions:

1. Make the bed with a white sheet.
   

   It is desirable that the fabric of the sheet be smooth in texture.

2. Set your alarm for 3:30–4:00 a.m. This is the best time to catch your enemy red-handed.
3. Inspect the bed for live or crushed bed bugs.
   
   

   It is essential to inspect the mattress for bed bugs.

It is important to keep in mind that bedbugs rarely confine themselves to one room. So, pest control measures need to be applied throughout the entire house.

Features of bites

People react differently to the appearance of red spots in different areas of the body: some don’t pay any attention to it, some attribute it to a food allergy, and some attribute it to mosquitoes.

It is quite easy to distinguish bedbug bites from other skin reactions:

1. The punctures on the skin are grouped and multiple, forming a path 3–5 bites long, each 3–4 cm long.
   

   Bed bug bites are grouped in lines of several pieces.

2. The bite appears as a small, well-defined red spot with a swollen bump in the middle.
3. The most vulnerable parts of the body are the arms, legs, and neck. If a person sleeps naked, spots can be found on the sides, back, and stomach.

If you don’t scratch bedbug bites, the redness will go away within 2–3 hours.

Why are bites dangerous?

No one wants to share their home, let alone their bed, with uninvited guests. Moreover, living next door to bloodsuckers can lead to a host of problems:

1. The affected area becomes intensely itchy. When biting, the bug secretes a special substance that prevents the blood from clotting. However, after 15–20 minutes, this substance causes unbearable itching. A rash and red spots then appear on the skin. Scratching these areas until they become raw can lead to infection.
2. Allergies. Numerous insect bites can cause nausea, weakness, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.
   

   The first sign of an allergy is an expansion of the area of ​​redness.

3. Anemia. This condition is most often observed in children, as a single bedbug bite can suck up to 7 mg of blood. Even rough estimates of blood loss in a child are shocking, especially if the house is infested with insects.
   

   Bedbugs love to bite children because their skin is not as thick as that of adults.

4. Nervousness, depression, sleep problems—these are the emotional disturbances caused by living with bedbugs.

If a house is infested with bedbugs, a person can suffer up to 500 insect bites per night.

Bedbugs have been proven not to be carriers of infectious diseases. They can only carry:

• tuberculosis;
• leprosy;
• plague;
• fever;
• typhus;
• syphilis;
• leishmaniasis;
• filariasis (a type of helminthic invasion).

However, contact with bed bugs can cause a person to become infected with hepatitis B. Researchers have concluded that the pathogens can remain viable for several days in bedbug feces. Therefore, accidental contact with contaminated areas increases the risk of contracting the disease.

So, there are plenty of reasons to start a merciless war against bed bugs.

How to fight bedbugs

There are three approaches to killing bedbugs: chemical and physical methods of exposure, as well as folk remedies.

Video: Evaluating the effectiveness of different approaches to bedbug control

Bed bugs develop resistance to insecticides very quickly. Therefore, choosing an effective treatment can be quite difficult. It's best to seek professional help.

Table: Chemicals

The executioner has proven itself well among insecticides

If chemistry at school didn't inspire a strong aversion, you can try applying the knowledge you've gained at home. Prepare one of three mixtures (naphthalene, benzene, and denatured alcohol; naphthalene, cresol, and kerosene; turpentine, phenol, and salicylic acid) and apply it to cracks in the floor, holes in the walls, and baseboards.

Table: Physical measures of influence

When heat treating, special attention should be paid to mattresses and upholstered furniture.

In recent years, research has been conducted into biological methods of controlling bedbugs. Specifically, superparasites have been developed that lay eggs in the insects' bodies, causing their death. A mold fungus has also been discovered that attacks bedbug colonies and causes their death. These methods are currently in development.

Table: Folk remedies for bed bug control

Folk remedies repel insects quite well, but they are only partially destroyed.

The most effective method of getting rid of bedbugs is to call a pest control service. Not only is the treatment quick, but specialists guarantee elimination of the pests for several months.

Video: Medical Advice on Bedbug Control

Prevention

To prevent bed bugs from becoming a nuisance, it's worth regularly taking preventative measures:

1. It is necessary to seal the gaps around pipelines and communication channels.
   

   Sealing the cracks partially ensures that the bed bugs' path is closed

2. Additionally, insulate the sockets with silicone.
3. Check purchased furniture for uninvited tenants.
4. Periodically inspect furniture and books for black spots.
5. Wash curtains, clean carpets, and mop floors more often. Don't forget to thoroughly vacuum the room.
6. It is necessary to systematically wash not only bed linen and clothes, but also furniture covers.
7. Try to prevent wallpaper from peeling off (by the way, this is one of the most favorite places for insects to lay eggs).
8. Carefully inspect your hotel room, keep your suitcase closed, and wash all your clothes after returning home.
   

   The welt of a travel bag is a favorite hiding place for bedbugs.

9. Use mosquito nets in summer.
10. You can put bunches of lavender in the ventilation and change them every 14 days.

The most effective preventative measure is getting rid of old furniture.

Reviews

Believe it or not, Mashenka chalk really helped. We bought eight of them and drew on all the beds wherever we could: inside, around the perimeter, as they say, with all our heart. So far, we haven't had any bedbug complaints. So, I decided to share my experience, because we suffered terribly and wasted a lot of money! And most importantly, it's harmless to humans. Just make sure you buy fresh chalk and not counterfeit.

In winter, if the outside temperature is below 25 degrees Celsius, you can open all the windows wide and go away for 4-5 days. It's best to put a sofa with thick cushions on an open balcony for a couple of weeks. I tested freezing in my own apartment; it's an excellent solution!

I was offered Medilis Anti-Bug spray, which costs 390 rubles. We disassembled the entire sofa and sprayed it, along with all the baseboards and crevices. One bottle was just enough for the entire 18 square meter room. The smell was terrible. After the treatment, we closed the room for 15 minutes and then aired it out for half an hour. After airing, the smell, of course, wasn't completely gone, so we left the window slightly open and went to spend the night at my grandmother's. The cat stayed home, and the treatment didn't affect her behavior or well-being. In the morning, the smell was almost gone. We found several dead bedbugs on the floor; we didn't see any living ones. We wiped the floor, sofa, and other furniture with a soap and soda solution. Two months have passed since then, and no new bedbugs have appeared. I plan to do a preventative treatment of the apartment with the same product in the coming days.

Bed bugs have coexisted with humans for centuries. However, this in no way justifies their invasion of homes and apartments. After studying the ins and outs of this tiny bloodsucking enemy, thoroughly inspecting the premises and identifying the parasite's nests, it's time to choose the most appropriate methods of control. And you'll definitely have at least one less source of stress.