Why fleas appear in the house: folk signs

Insects have always been human companions, no matter how much we might want otherwise. That’s why our ancestors had quite a lot of signs associated with them. And, if the appearance of, for example, spiders or ants was not always of a negative nature, then creatures such as lice, bedbugs and fleas, which not only parasitize their host, but are also capable of carrying various infections, were perceived extremely negatively.

Unwelcome Guest

In Russia, fleas were most often mentioned, calling them “black cattle.” Most likely, this reflected the insect's residence mainly on livestock, although cats and dogs, and sometimes people, could act as carriers. Due to its ability to bite, the flea was considered a very undesirable guest in the house. Especially before it starts to rain, since at this time the likelihood of getting a flea bite increases. This is where the first signs of the approaching heavy rain, foreshadowed by fleas, came from.

In a village house, such parasites not only appeared, but were almost permanent inhabitants. Therefore, when insects disappeared for some reason, it was believed that someone would die. The signs said the same thing about the situation when they bit all the inhabitants of the house, excluding one. This man was supposed to die soon. There was a grain of truth in the prediction - before death, the skin changes, which is what superstition was tied to.

Sometimes a flea biting your hand was considered a good sign. She could, for example, predict good news. But for the newlyweds the signs were only unfavorable. It was believed that by tying the insect's legs and placing it in the path of the bride and groom about to get married, one could prevent them from passing. Only by finding and removing the flea from the road could the young people be given the opportunity to pass the obstacle that other people passed freely.

Main features of fleas

Small blood-sucking insects that parasitize warm-blooded animals have tiny sizes from 1 to 5 mm depending on the species. The flea's body is flat and flattened on the sides, its shell is equipped with bristles and tenacious hairs in order to cling to fur and clothing.

The insect has three pairs of limbs, adapted for rapid movement and jumping over enormous distances (up to 20 cm), given the size of the parasite. Fleas parasitize not only cats, dogs and rats, but also birds. Therefore, they can also be found on domestic parrots.

Flea bites are very painful and cause the following consequences:

Severe itching, inflammation of the skin;
Allergic reactions;
Severe diseases: hepatitis, plague, salmonellosis, tularemia, typhus, etc.

Considering the danger of infection with these diseases, it is necessary to take measures to cleanse your home of fleas as soon as possible.

Folk remedies for getting rid of

Despite the fact that missing parasites were considered a bad omen, efforts were constantly made to get rid of them:

it was believed that the best day for this is Semenov’s day, which falls on September 14;
They tried to remove fleas from the house by collecting water during a thunderstorm and spraying it in every corner;
The wormwood spread around the house also helped drive away pests.
it was possible to remove them with earth from under the right foot, collected at the first sounds of the spring cuckoo.

Superstitions about cockroaches

Some of the most disgusting household pests in the minds of modern people were in former times carefully guarded. The presence of cockroaches in the house was considered a good sign of wealth and prosperity. This phenomenon can be explained by remembering that many-legged creatures are found only where there is food. There was nothing for them to do in the poor house. The same lucky ones who waited for the mustachioed guests in their homes fed them with crumbs from the table so that they would not leave.

The sudden disappearance of insects was regarded as a signal of imminent misfortunes. They believed that cockroaches flee the house before a fire or natural disaster.

And also cockroaches:

were considered a sure sign that harmony and harmony reigned in the family;
served as house guards against misfortunes;
attracted wealth.

Most often, this applied only to the black variety of insects. Their red-haired brothers were not so favored by popular rumor. Their appearance was regarded as a symbol of imminent sadness. A white cockroach that suddenly appeared foreshadowed the onset of frost.

Signs in the modern world

Nowadays, superstitions are not welcomed, but this does not prevent them from coming true.

Although the appearance of fleas indicates, rather, not about rain, but about unsanitary conditions. If there are dogs or cats in the house, it is easier to explain why and where the parasites came from. But even when there are no pets, insects still appear, brought in from the street. Of course, they will not live on you, but their bites, and their presence itself, can hardly be called pleasant.

Whether or not to believe in the signs about fleas is up to everyone to decide. But after checking them for coincidence with the observations of ancestors, one should immediately get rid of the reason. Moreover, there are many more pleasant and interesting reasons to think about the traditions of our ancestors and omens.

Why do fleas only bite me?

There is no need to attribute any “gastronomic preferences” to insects. It is no coincidence that the sign about the appearance of fleas in an apartment concerns all family members - bloodsuckers bite anyone who comes to hand. It’s just that the individual reaction can differ significantly: one person is instantly covered with a scattering of itchy red dots, while another simply does not notice the bites.

If suddenly you are inclined to listen to superstitions, you should be concerned about just the opposite case, when insects stubbornly ignore you.

Fleas - if you believe in folk superstitions - avoid people with serious health problems. And a person becomes completely “unappetizing” for bloodsuckers immediately before his death.

How to distinguish a bug bite from acne

Bed bug bites resemble pimples and appear as small, red, itchy, and swollen spots that appear in clusters. They appear in the morning after you have been bitten at night. They look like pimples. But bed bug bites don't break out like some pimples. They also appear in different places, such as on the arms and legs, where you are much less likely to get pimples or pimples.

Whiteheads

Whiteheads are a type of pimple that can occur due to acne. This is a place with a small white and yellow dot in the center.

The rest of the spot is red and swollen. This point is an accumulation of pus caused by the presence of sebum, which is blocked by entering the pores. It contains a small amount of bacteria that creates an infection in the pore. The body begins to fight the infection, which leads to the formation of pus.

Blackheads

Blackheads are a type of pimple in which dirt accumulates in the pores. Unlike whiteheads, the pores are not closed. Instead, you have an open spot with black in the center. This black spot is caused by oxidation of sebum. Eels are similar to each other. The only difference is that the pores are not blocked, so pressure cannot build up.

Clue! Bed bug bites do not have black spots in the center. Although they are red and swollen like pimples, they are smooth.

Where do acne and bed bug bites appear?

Another significant difference is that pimples appear in sensitive areas where there is a lot of sebum that accumulates in the pores.

These are the places where the body has sebaceous glands:

Forehead
Nose
cheeks
Chin and jaw
Shoulders, chest and upper back

Bed bugs will also bite your arms and legs as they stick out from under the blanket. So if you have a lot of spots and marks here, it's more likely to be bed bugs than acne.

Signs about insects: mosquito

Mosquitoes bother us a lot, but they also have benefits. Signs about insects mentioning mosquitoes are very positive:

A lot of mosquitoes means a lot of berries;
When traveling there are mosquitoes nearby - there is a body of water nearby;
Mosquitoes have appeared - summer is near;
The mosquitoes are gone - autumn is coming.

The mosquito is walking - bringing the harvest of berries

Linen lice

The appearance of this parasite may be a completely unexpected occurrence. They breed in bedding and mattresses. It is very easy to become infected with them; all you need to do is spend the night in an apartment where they have already settled, and carry them on your own clothes into your home. They multiply very quickly, so you need to act immediately after detecting a problem.

Lice, after getting on the bedding, begin to lay nit eggs, which are completely invisible to humans. They take about twenty days to mature after they are laid.

As time passes, lice begin to torment the owner of the sleeping place; they bite, leaving characteristic marks. Traces remain in the locations of the blood vessels; the louse does not crawl onto the head.

This problem must be dealt with thoroughly, since the louse will not disappear on its own. She does not die of hunger in the absence of the owners of the house, but goes into another stage of development, into waiting.

Since insects live in bed, it is necessary to combat them through general cleaning of bedding.

The bedding set is boiled and then steamed using an iron. Particular attention should be paid to folds in the material and seams.

It is imperative to treat the mattress with a specialized spray, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. A general cleaning, cleaning pillows and blankets won’t hurt either.

It is advisable to add a little ammonia or vinegar to the water for washing floors. In winter, pillows and blankets are taken out into the cold or in the summer into the soaring sun - this will help kill all the nits.

Pay attention to the bed frame, it needs to be covered with insect chalk. The mattress is additionally treated with lavender oil - it gives a pleasant smell and blocks the proliferation of lice.

Signs about insects: butterflies, larvae, caterpillars

In our era, butterflies are so loved, and it is completely in vain that they ignore the attention of larvae and caterpillars. After all, thanks to them you can lift the curtain of the future. In this section we have collected signs about insects that relate to butterflies, larvae, and caterpillars:

A furry caterpillar that is blocking the path should be thrown over your left shoulder - and happiness will come;
A butterfly that flies into the house is unlucky. But if you catch it or drive it out so that it flies away on its own, misfortune will bypass your home.

Butterfly in the house

How to get rid of it at home

Bed fleas can enter a living space in a variety of ways; most often, the carriers are animals with access to the street. There are a lot of means by which you can completely destroy uninvited guests, but before using any of them, it is important to carry out a number of certain measures.

Ignoring this rule will lead to a rapid restoration of the insect population.

So, before turning to insecticides that will help get rid of bed fleas, you must:

Wash thoroughly with laundry soap, then boil the bed linen. If possible, it is advisable to dry it in the open air.
Carry out a thorough cleaning of the room, also using laundry soap.
If fleas are found in winter, it is advisable to completely freeze the room. To do this, open the windows and doors and leave the room like that for at least two to three hours. Turn off the heating first.
If you have pets, you should treat them with flea repellents, and also put a special collar on your pet.

In order to completely get rid of linen fleas, you can treat the room with insecticides only after carrying out the procedures described above.

Traditional methods

It is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of bed fleas at home using traditional methods. However, grandmother's advice may well help protect your home from uninvited guests.

In order for flea larvae, as well as adult fleas, to avoid the home, it is recommended to hide small bouquets consisting of tansy, lavender branches, and common wormwood in secluded corners.

To prevent the appearance of insects on carpets or, for example, on a woolen sofa, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the surface using a brush lightly moistened with any essential oil, for example, orange, eucalyptus, pine needles.

A few fresh branches of pine needles in the house will not be superfluous, which it is also advisable to place in secluded places.

Chemical treatment of the apartment

But the most pressing question for anyone who is faced with such an unpleasant problem is the question of how to remove bed fleas using insecticides. The modern market offers the consumer a wide range of drugs that will help cope with any insects.

Signs about insects: midges

Midges are an eternal scourge of housewives, also condemned by everyone around. In this section we have collected signs about insects that relate to midges:

Midges curl together, depicting a shape similar to a pillar - it will rain soon;
If a midge gets into your mouth, you’re trying to say too much, be careful;
You swallowed a midge - keep quiet, you are giving away your secrets, which someone will later use against you;
Midges in the house - the housewife is lazy;
Also, there are midges in the house - the owners are careless with money;
A midge gets into the eye - there will be tears and disappointments in the near future;
A midge fell into a cup or glass - to wealth;
A midge fell into a glass - in the near future you will have a new amorous romance.

Midges in a column - for rain

Features of bedbug bites

Some features of bedbug bites:

Bed bug bites are flat and red.
Bites often appear in tracks of 3 to 5 bites in a row.
Bites take a long time to heal.
Itching appears gradually.
If an adult bites, it injects an anesthetic, so the insect is difficult to notice after the bite.
If small bugs bite, the bite is felt immediately.
They bite at night.

Details about bedbug bites

This is what bedbug bites look like Bedbug bites

How to get rid of fleas from your pets

Nowadays, there are a lot of different flea control products sold on the pet care market. All of them can be divided into groups:

Preparations for local use with a long period of action. Their range is huge.
Anti-flea drops are widely used. The drug is applied to the withers of a woolly pet. This medicine is easy to use, and if you follow the instructions strictly and make sure that it is suitable for the animal, you will definitely get results.
Sprays are in aerosol cans. They are designed to completely process the animal's fur; even areas around the eyes and ears must be disinfected. In this case, the spray must not get on the pet’s eye mucosa.
Bath solutions. They are rarely used, as animal owners are afraid for the health of their pet, because the effect occurs on all skin integuments at once. But these products are absolutely safe if the animal is healthy. Before bathing, the pet's ears are covered with cotton to prevent liquid from getting into them.
Shampoos with anti-flea effect. Lather the animal with this shampoo and keep it in the foam for 10 minutes. This type of flea control is characterized by the least toxicity, but has a delayed effect, but a long period of exposure.
A flea collar kills parasites when used correctly. Adjust the strap on the animal so that two fingers can fit under it. If irritation occurs, do not use such a collar, but buy a product from a different manufacturer. Air the flea collar for a couple of days before use.
Oral medications in tablets and ampoules for injection. These medications contain components that inhibit the formation of fleas. Tablets are usually given once a month, and injections are given once every six months. Along with these measures, it is necessary to combat adult individuals.
Combs, combs. Most pets, especially cats, adore these products; they themselves run to the procedure. These items are absolutely safe.

When choosing a method of combating parasites, you need to take into account the breed, health status, type, degree of infestation, age and other factors.