House bugs, also called bed bugs or furniture bugs, are blood-sucking parasites, and their appearance in an apartment is a real disaster that requires immediate and active measures to eliminate them. Are bedbugs carriers of various types of infections and diseases? The opinions of specialists in this field differ radically, but still, numerous painful bites left on the human body will themselves require an adequate response.
Recommendations for controlling bedbugs
Over the course of the long and tedious fight against bedbugs, many remedies have been discovered that can get rid of these insects. Today, there is a huge selection of folk methods in case you decide to fight parasites without using household chemicals.
Before choosing a specific product, you should know some rules. It is important to immediately begin an effective fight against bedbugs: an incorrectly chosen method that does not give visible results will not only not help get rid of them, but will also take away your time during which you could deal with the problem.
If insects appear in the house:
- Take an objective look at the situation: traditional methods are effective if there are few parasites in the apartment and the exact location of their location is known.
- Don’t delay starting the fight: as soon as you find bedbugs in the house, look for a remedy against them.
Before dealing with bedbugs, remove pets from your home. It is better to dry clean bedding, but first expose it to low or high temperatures. If the problem is discovered in winter, then freeze the entire apartment by opening the windows and balconies for 5–6 hours. Insects are afraid of frost and die from it.
If you decide to fight without the use of auxiliary means, then in addition to execution with cold, boiling water will also help you. If you find the place where bedbugs are localized (in mattresses, pillows, sofas), perform hot treatment, soaking and washing. Repeat this procedure again after a week.
Bedbugs most often form their colonies in the sleeping mattress
How to get rid of bed bugs
How to remove bedbugs yourself? This question undoubtedly arises in everyone who has this problem and harmful insects appear. Often, panic arises due to the false idea that bedbugs are a phenomenon indicating an extremely low social status. But in reality, such conclusions are far from the truth. Almost no one is immune from the appearance of such unwanted “neighbors,” however, timely preventive measures will greatly reduce the risk of their accidental appearance in the apartment.
Therefore, we often encounter the problem of how to remove bedbugs ourselves. You can fight bed bugs yourself using chemicals, mechanical means or traditional methods. All of them are effective in their own way, but often their complex use is required to completely destroy bedbugs.
Healthy recipes
There are several simple recipes, the use of which is given the greatest preference when faced with the problem of the appearance of these parasites:
- Mix soap, kerosene and water in a ratio of 7:20:10. Treat all rooms and pieces of furniture with the composition (with the exception of clothing, dishes, personal hygiene items).
- Take a bar of laundry soap and grate it. Mix the resulting shavings with carbon disulfide, then add kerosene. Next, you need to pour the entire mixture through a funnel into a plastic bottle of a suitable size. After this, mix with water in a 1:1 ratio and treat all rooms in the house. The procedure should be repeated after a week.
- Mix ammonia and turpentine in a ratio of 5:1. Treat all rooms of the house or apartment.
Attention: the described methods are effective until the peak of infection occurs, that is, while there are few bedbugs in the apartment. In advanced cases, resorting to powerful chemical means of control is inevitable.
Preventing the appearance of bedbugs in the apartment
The appearance of bedbugs in the house can be avoided if you adhere to the following recommendations:
- Don't buy furniture that has been used by other people.
- Change bed linen at least twice a month.
Regularly changing bed linen will be a good prevention of the appearance of not only bedbugs, but also other harmful insects - Wash items that have been sitting in the closet for a long time, even if you don't wear them.
- Be careful when visiting other people's houses, hotels, hotels and hostels. Bed bugs can travel on clothes and bags.
- Do not store unnecessary things in your apartment - favorite habitats for bedbugs.
A balcony littered with unnecessary things can become a haven for bedbugs - If you find bedbugs in upholstered furniture, it is better to get rid of it immediately.
- Bedbugs often move from one apartment to another through cracks in walls, floors and ventilation openings. To prevent this from happening, seal all cracks with sealant and install nets on grilles and windows.
- After your pets visit the street, inspect them and wash them with shampoo. Animals also carry bedbugs on their fur.
When you return from a walk, inspect your pet's fur for bedbugs.
Following simple rules will help you avoid becoming the owner of such a nuisance in your apartment as bedbugs.
Folk remedies
Parasites are afraid of temperature changes, strong odors, as well as mechanical actions (for example, an insect can be easily killed using a running vacuum cleaner or the classic way - by flattening it with household slippers).
Throughout the history of the fight against bedbugs, humanity has discovered many ways to get rid of them.
Vinegar
Regular table vinegar helps in killing insects. The advantage of its use is that it is safe for humans and pets, and also has a low price. However, in most cases it only has a repellent effect without killing the bedbugs.
The secret to using vinegar is simple: the stronger the solution, the more effective the product. When processing, apply the product to all areas of the apartment, as well as furniture and surrounding objects. Pay special attention to hard-to-reach places: cracks under window sills, ventilation grilles, baseboards. Remember that bedbugs don't just live in pillows and mattresses.
The most famous recipes using acetic acid solution can be identified:
- Vinegar + wormwood decoction. A good product whose pungent odor helps repel insects. They are good for lubricating places where bedbugs enter the house.
- Naphthalene + vinegar + 90% alcohol solution. The components are mixed in equal parts, and the insects themselves are irrigated with the solution.
Boric acid
If there are kids in the house, then using boric acid is your choice in the fight against bedbugs. It is non-toxic and completely safe for children and animals. When acid comes into contact with an insect’s body, it corrodes and dries it out, and also affects the bugs’ digestive system.
The product is often used as a bait for parasites. But the fact is that these insects do not react in any way to traps in liquid form, so you should buy acid in powder form. It is poured into the places where bedbugs are located.
If boric acid powder gets on the body of a bug, it first causes scabies and then drying out.
Herbs (tansy, wormwood, chamomile, lavender, mint, wild rosemary, etc.)
Herbs, flowers and plants have a pungent odor that is unpleasant to insects. They are more effective when harvested in August and September.
Fresh bunches of wormwood or tansy flowers are placed in places where parasites are likely to appear to repel them. An infusion of these herbs is applied to children’s bodies before bedtime to prevent bedbug bites. This product can cause paralysis in insects.
Valerian infusion has an interesting effect on parasites. Its action is not to repel insects, but to attract them: when they crawl out of their hiding places to the bait, you can begin to use other control methods that can cope with a large number of bedbugs.
Ledum is popularly called bedbug. It has a pronounced aroma and is classified as a poisonous plant. To destroy parasites that feed on human blood, wild rosemary must be collected from August to October. It is during these months that the plant contains a significant amount of essential oils. They use it in crushed form, and also set it on fire (in this case, the bugs are affected by fumigation).
To combat parasites, it is best to collect celandine from May to July in weather without rain. The premises are treated with an infusion of this plant. For the highest concentration of the solution, celandine is infused in water for two weeks, taking as a basis the ratio of 1.5 cups of powder per 10 liters of water.
Chamomile, which is harmless to humans, is poisonous to bedbugs. It contains pyrethrin, which kills parasites. Freshly picked flowers are used: they are crushed and scattered in places where insects are located and appear.
Bedbugs also cannot tolerate the smell of calamus and bay leaves, mint and lavender.
Important to remember. When using herbs, first make sure that you and your children are not allergic to said herbs and infusions. The same applies to the effects of essential oils.
Photo gallery: plants in the fight against parasites
Tansy is an effective repellent: its smell repels insects
It is believed that freshly cut wormwood, scattered throughout the house, can completely expel parasites from it
The pungent smell of wild rosemary repels bedbugs well - that is why the plant is popularly called bedbug
Kerosene and denatured alcohol
Kerosene and denatured alcohol have both advantages and disadvantages in the fight against bedbugs. It must be remembered that these substances can be harmful to human health, are flammable and emit a strong odor.
It is better to carry out the treatment in a respirator and always in the absence of household members and pets in the room. The main advantage of kerosene and denatured alcohol is their price. It is low, so this remedy is available to everyone, and the search for it will not be long.
Kerosene affects the bug in the following way: when inhaled, it causes suffocation in the insect, blocking the flow of air. Theoretically, the parasite should have died. But in reality, this only happens if it is completely doused with the substance. It’s also bad that even if you spray kerosene directly on the insects, you won’t be able to touch and kill them all—a significant proportion of the bedbugs will remain in the room. Another big disadvantage of the product is that it is not able to destroy parasite eggs.
Kerosene is used both in pure form and as part of solutions based on it.
The substance is treated in places where bedbugs appear or accumulate. It is useful for repelling parasites, and is also suitable as an extermination method - for example, when it is necessary to destroy insect nests in sofas and mattresses.
Be careful when using kerosene as it is highly flammable.
Tar and laundry soap
If bedbugs appear in an apartment, bedding should be washed exclusively with tar or laundry soap. Their specific smell repels insects, and their antibacterial properties help maintain cleanliness.
Laundry soap is a commonly used ingredient in various bedbug control recipes.
Tar soap has an antibacterial and antiseptic effect: it is used to prevent the appearance and repel bedbugs
Alabaster with vanilla
An old and proven method that is used to attract bedbugs for the purpose of exterminating them is alabaster with vanillin. The product is scattered on the sofa and mattresses. It repels blood-sucking insects.
Vanillin is also mixed with soda and this powder, safe for humans, is sprinkled on contaminated furniture, household items and pet fur. There is no harm from this method, but the result will be obvious.
Copper sulfate
Copper sulfate (copper sulfate) is diluted with water and irrigated where parasites accumulate.
When making repairs, the substance can be mixed with wallpaper glue - this will repel bedbugs in the future and also ensure the absence of mold in your home. This method is safe for the health of people and animals.
To get rid of parasites, the territory of their settlement is irrigated from a spray bottle with a solution of copper sulfate
Essential oils
Many rich and aromatic essential oils have a pungent odor, which has a detrimental effect on bedbugs.
Concentrates of cloves, geranium, tea tree, rosemary, and eucalyptus are effective in combating parasites. Oils are sprayed and applied directly to the skin. They also use aroma lamps that can repel insects.
Bay leaf
Bay leaves have an aroma that is intolerable to bedbugs (the fresher the plant, the stronger).
An infusion based on this plant is effective for wet cleaning and carpet treatment, after which they are dried in the open air. Floors and furniture in the house are also treated with a concentrated composition. To exterminate bedbugs, bay leaves are used twice a day for a week. The method is safe for people and pets.
Bay leaves used in cooking have a specific aroma that is unpleasant for bedbugs
Mustard
Bed bugs cannot tolerate the smell of ordinary mustard. To get rid of parasites, mustard powder is used. It is scattered under baseboards, on wooden bed frames, and on all furniture recesses. The powder should be renewed, since the smell of fresh mustard is unbearable for bedbugs - they flee from those places within which the product is scattered.
During repairs, dry mustard is added to the glue to further repel and prevent the appearance of insects.
The good thing about buckwheat powder is that it is natural and harmless for all household members - it does not cause allergies or other problems associated with the respiratory tract. This means of getting rid of bedbugs can be used regularly.
Mustard powder is scattered throughout the room or used as an admixture to wallpaper glue.
Technical and ammonia alcohol
The premises are treated with technical alcohol to completely eliminate bedbugs. After this, all rooms in the house are well ventilated. The home is cleaned again after 5 days. The procedure is carried out in a respirator, and while the smell of ammonia persists, it is better to leave the apartment and transport your pets.
Bedbugs cannot stand the smell of ammonia. If it is constantly present in the apartment, then the parasites can leave there. An effective way is to place an infusion of alcohol in narrow bottles in secluded and inaccessible places.
You can water bedbugs and insect larvae with denatured alcohol - this kills them.
Resin and turpentine
Resin is the resin of coniferous trees. After processing, it produces turpentine. The toxic and pungent odor can destroy bedbugs, so premises are treated with this composition.
The use of the product can affect people’s well-being, so after treating the rooms it is better to leave the home for at least a day. The procedure is repeated five days later.
Cedar oil, resin, pine essential oils - bedbugs do not like all this, and the persistent smell of pine needles and resin can repel insects
Safety rules and precautions
Most folk remedies are safe and do not require any precautions. But there are drugs that require protective equipment to work with—gloves, a respirator, and goggles. These include kerosene and turpentine. After treating the room with these substances, it is necessary to ventilate it well and leave it for several days. It is important to protect children and pets from contact with drugs. This rule also applies to boric acid.
Treating a room against bedbugs is carried out wearing goggles, a respirator and gloves with the windows and doors open
If any of these substances come into contact with your eyes, nose or mouth, rinse them with plenty of warm water. If it gets into the stomach, induce vomiting, drink activated charcoal and consult a doctor.
Turn off the gas and fireplace, do not light candles or matches, do not smoke when treating with kerosene or turpentine. The substances are highly flammable, and not only the bug, but also the person can lose their home.
Copper sulfate and how to use it
Copper sulfate has proven itself very good in the fight against bedbugs. Blue powder, diluted in water, is sprayed indoors, paying special attention to places where parasites accumulate. The smell is almost imperceptible to humans, but is destructive to any organisms. How to dilute the product and how best to apply it is indicated in the instructions for use, which must be carefully studied. As a preventative measure, vitriol is often mixed with wallpaper paste or added to cement to provide a lifelong pest barrier.
When working with a chemical, it is necessary to observe certain safety precautions, as well as follow several useful tips. To prepare a solution of copper sulfate, you must use special non-metallic containers. It is best to prepare the solution immediately before using it; it is better not to dilute the stock. It is also important to know that you cannot work with the chemical near water pipes, wells, or near premises with animals or people. Solitude is the best circumstance when working with vitriol. Copper sulfate against bedbugs is best sprayed indoors either early in the morning or late at night. It is also important to remember about the temperature regime - treatment should be canceled if the thermometer rises above 30 degrees.
Copper sulfate is a chemical and safety precautions must be observed when working with it. Mandatory protection of the skin of the hands with special rubber gloves, cover the head with a headscarf. And also wear special clothes and shoes. When spraying a room with vitriol against bed bugs, care must be taken to ensure that small drops and splashes do not get into the eyes or mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. For this purpose, safety glasses and respirators are used. After the treatment is completed, you need to wash your hands, wash your face and rinse your mouth. If you follow basic rules and recommendations, working with copper sulfate when fighting bedbugs will not take much time, and the result will not be long in coming. Literally after the first spraying, the parasites will run away.
Traditional methods help get rid of bedbugs only if the fact of their appearance was detected in the early stages.
Despite the fact that bedbugs do not carry diseases, they can ruin the lives of all the inhabitants of the house. These insects feed on human blood, leaving bite marks on the body through which infection can enter. Bed bugs can also deprive you of sleep. Therefore, it is important to start the fight against blood-sucking parasites in a timely manner.
Chemical control methods
The advantage of chemical control methods is that they will help quickly get rid of bed bugs. Although, sometimes they do not give results. Don't forget that a bedbug is an insect that develops immunity to insecticides.
Scope of action of the pesticide
The consumer is presented with a wide range of insecticides. Some of them are universal. However, they are less effective than narrowly targeted agents.
Release form
Sprays are the most popular. This is due to their ease of use. In addition to aerosol insecticides, there are concentrated and microencapsulated preparations.
Concentrates are pre-diluted with water. Since insecticides are toxic, safety precautions must be observed when diluting them. A person must also have personal protective equipment. To spray microencapsulated drugs, a person must have special equipment at hand.
Bed bug chalks and traps are available for sale. But traps give short-term results, and crayons are ineffective.
Other options
Toxicity class. This characteristic indicates the degree of danger of the substance. Choose the least toxic drugs. Their disadvantage is their high price, but they are not hazardous to health.
Smell. All pesticides smell. However, the unpleasant odor after spraying various insecticides takes different times to disappear (from several hours to several months). If the smell is absorbed into clothing or furniture upholstery, it is sometimes impossible to get rid of it.
Before purchasing a pesticide, you need to find out whether it leaves stains on fabric. If the answer is yes, then you should not use an insecticide to treat upholstered furniture. Stains that remain on the upholstery are extremely difficult to remove. Therefore, most likely, you will have to get rid of the damaged sofa or chair.
Insecticide Spray Equipment
To spray concentrates and microencapsulated preparations, atomizers, atomizers or fog generators are used. Photos of the product can be seen on the Internet. Fog generators can improve the effectiveness of pest control. Photo and video instructions for using the equipment can be found on the Internet. But, handling the equipment is not difficult. Therefore, there is no particular need to watch photo or video lessons.
When using spray bottles, the insecticide is crushed into larger particles, which have more weight and settle faster. The insecticidal cloud is in contact with the walls and ceiling for a shorter period of time, without having time to penetrate into the cracks and cracks. And these are the places where miniature bed bugs most often hide.
Hot and cold fog generators are available for sale. The former are somewhat more expensive, but have a double effect. This type of equipment heats the insecticide before spraying. A bug that comes into contact with a hot insecticide dies from high temperature. Parasites that hid and did not come into contact with the hot insecticide come into contact with the cooled pesticide.
Important nuance
Find out from your neighbors if they have poisoned parasites before. If your neighbors have recently used insecticides to control bed bugs, then opt for drugs that have a completely different chemical composition.
The incubation period, which is sufficient for the egg to transform into a larva, is 3-4 days. Therefore, after a week, the treatment of the room must be repeated.
What to remember
- Mustard for bedbugs is one of the most effective methods, which, at the same time, will not harm the person himself.
- Unlike various chemicals, mustard is a natural remedy that does not cause allergic reactions or respiratory problems in apartment residents.
- To get rid of house bugs, treat areas where insects accumulate with this powder.
- Re-glue the wallpaper in your house by adding mustard powder to the wallpaper glue - this is both prevention and a method of getting rid of bed bugs.
These are all the main points that we wanted to share with you today. See you in the next article!
Biological control methods
Bed bugs can be affected by temperature. Temperature conditions suitable for parasitic insects to inhabit range from -190C to 600C. Therefore, an infected apartment can be frozen or treated with hot air.
Freezing
Before freezing (it is done at a temperature of -210C and below), we empty all the wardrobes and lay out the upholstered furniture. We take things from the wardrobes outside and hang them on clotheslines. Next, turn off all heating equipment, open the windows and leave the room for several days.
This method does not work in apartment buildings, since no one will allow you to turn off the heating. Accordingly, the temperature inside the room, even with the windows fully open, will be slightly higher than outside.
High temperature treatment
We wash clothes using the “boiling” mode. Experts recommend washing infected items at the highest temperature, which is also harmful to bedbug eggs.
Those things that cannot be boiled are sent to the dry cleaner. There they will be treated with hot steam, which also destroys their eggs in addition to bedbugs. At home, you can place such things in a steam bath. Items infested with bed bugs are processed for at least several hours.
As for treating the apartment, you can fill the nests and furniture with boiling water or treat them using special installations with hot steam. When treating floors and upholstered furniture with boiling water, remember that water, especially hot water, damages wood. Therefore, parquet or laminate flooring may swell. And there may be stains on the upholstery of upholstered furniture that are difficult to get rid of. As an option, upholstered furniture is taken to dry cleaning, where it is treated with hot steam and special anti-parasite agents.
Why are bedbugs dangerous?
Infections are not transmitted through bedbug bites. In rare cases, bedbug bites cause allergies. Parasites are the most dangerous for children. In them, an allergic reaction may be accompanied by symptoms such as fever, headache, etc. Bedbugs eat at night, leaving several adjacent bites on the skin, since they do not get enough from one bite. Larvae eat more often than adults.
The development time of a bed bug depends on the surrounding temperature. The life cycle consists of three stages: egg, larva (divided into 5 stages), adult. During its life, the larva sheds its shell 5 times. This process is called molting. Of all the parasites found in residential areas, molting is characteristic only of bedbugs. The presence of such garbage in the apartment, in which the shell can only be seen in an enlarged photo, is a clear sign of the presence of bedbugs. There may also be some odor present. And black spots on furniture are a sure sign of infection in the apartment.
