What does the Cimex lectularius bug look like: characteristics of linen bugs
Household bugs can pretty much ruin the life of the inhabitants of the house, whether it is a sterile clean apartment or housing with unsanitary conditions. Having penetrated into the room, the parasites quickly become accustomed and begin to multiply rapidly, annoying the household with their bites. In order for the fight against them to be most effective, you should know what bedbugs look like, what their lifestyle is and the main places of concentration in the home.
Content
Bed bugs: description
Although there are several thousand species of these insects in the world, only representatives of one variety of Cimex lectularius, bed bugs, can live with a person. They do not fly, but they move quite fast, so it is not easy to catch them. The invulnerability of parasites is also promoted by the structure of the body with some peculiarities inherent in it.
Appearance, structure, behavior of the bug
Reproduction of bed bugs
Lifespan
Bed bugs mature in 30-35 days, and the entire life cycle is 12-14 months.
In the absence of a food source, uncomfortable temperature conditions and insufficient humidity, young offspring and adults fall into suspended animation, which continues until conditions become favorable again. In this state, insects can be up to a year. Parasites seem to dry up and become practically immobile, but when the situation improves, they come to life again and continue to develop and multiply.
What do bed bugs eat
The main and only source of food for bed bugs is human blood. In its absence, adults and nymphs can feed on the blood of domestic animals for some time, and sexually mature females can maintain vitality with seed material obtained during mating, but for full development they need human blood.
An adult female is able to drink up to 7 ml of blood at a time, a larva of the first age - up to 1 ml, and a nymph of the fifth age - up to 5 ml.
How to distinguish from other insects in the house
Bedbugs are noticeably different from other insect pests that often live in an apartment. They are less mobile, unable to fly and jump.
How dangerous are bed bugs and their bites?
Are they dangerous for pets
Pets that are not owners of dense skin and thick wool often suffer from bloodsucker bites: birds, dogs, cats and others. At the site of the lesion in animals, red spots may appear and hair may fall out. When the human owner is absent for a long time, the four-legged pet, as a rule, becomes the victim.
Signs and causes of bedbugs in the house
The appearance of bloodsuckers in the apartment is not at all connected with the uncleanliness of the owners. Parasites can enter a home in an effort to find a source of food and comfortable living conditions through vents and sewer shafts, cracks in the floor and walls, windows and doors. A person himself can bring insects into the home, having been in an infected apartment or spending the night in a hotel. You can bring bedbugs into the house along with household appliances or furniture purchased from your hands. In the end, the bug can enter the room with animal hair.
The fact that uninvited guests settled in the dwelling will be issued the following signs:
- characteristic bites on the body after waking up;
- red and brown spots on the bed left from crushed parasites;
- black dots on wallpaper, furniture and bedding;
- dried shells (exoskeleton) from molting of larvae;
- feeling of mustiness and dampness in the room and from linen;
- an unpleasant almond smell, more pronounced with the growth of a colony of insects.
Where do bed bugs hide?
Insects like to hide in dark corners and places hidden from prying eyes:
- directly in the mattress, sofa upholstery and under upholstered furniture;
- under skirting boards, flooring, carpets;
- in closets with clothes, books and old things;
- in sockets, switches and household electrical appliances;
- behind curtains, paintings, furniture;
- in cracks, joints, niches, narrow openings, etc.
Sleeping places should be examined first of all, because the bugs tend to settle closer to the food source and settle throughout the apartment as the population grows.
Methods for dealing with bed bugs
If traces and nests of parasites are found, it is necessary to act immediately, using different methods or an integrated approach in case of severe contamination of the premises. With today's variety on store shelves of various preparations and devices for the destruction of bedbugs, it will not be difficult to find an effective method of dealing with them.
Home remedies
The use of simple home remedies cannot be attributed to an effective way to get rid of insects. They can be used with a small colony of parasites that has not yet grown, as a preventive or temporary measure, and as an additional method of influence. The advantages of using folk methods will be the safety and availability of funds, cost-effectiveness.
This includes treatment of places of movement and habitat of bedbugs from a spray bottle:
- a solution of vinegar and turpentine, taken in equal parts;
- a mixture of ethyl alcohol, vinegar and naphthalene in a ratio of 1:1:1;
- ammonia (3 tablespoons), diluted with water (1 l);
- a solution of denatured alcohol (150 ml) and naphthalene (5-7 g);
- alcohol tincture of valerian, tea tree oil or camphor oil in combination with water.
Modern chemicals
To quickly deal with bloodsuckers and other insects, insecticidal agents produced in the form of suspensions, sprays, aerosols, gels, powders, tablets, crayons, fumigators and emulsions allow. They are produced in different dosages and capacities, and the consumption depends on the area of \uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbthe room, the degree of infection of the apartment and the type of pests.
For humans, chemicals are not dangerous if safety measures are observed and instructions are followed.
Temperature effect
One way to deal with bedbugs is to act on individuals with high and low temperatures. So, in frost from -20 degrees and more, not only nymphs and adults die, but also insect eggs. A similar result is obtained when the temperature exceeds +32 degrees.
To destroy parasites, it is enough to take things and furniture out into the winter cold and freeze the room, which is very problematic in a city apartment.
For thermal exposure, you can use a thermal gun that warms the air up to +60 degrees, which threatens insects with instant death. When used, the equipment is directed to the habitats of bedbugs, holding it in this position for up to 30 seconds.
No less effective is a steam generator that produces hot steam with a temperature of up to +100 degrees and above, depending on the mode. The disadvantage of this method is the need for a long surface treatment due to the small size of the nozzle.
You can also fight bed bugs with a steam cleaner, a hair dryer, and boiling water over the nests of bloodsuckers. To process clothes, bed linen and home textiles with high temperatures, they resort to washing at +90 degrees and ironing things with an iron.
Protecting your apartment from bed bugs
In order to start the fight against bedbugs, it is not necessary to wait for them to appear in the house. It is much easier to take precautionary measures and carry out prevention. It will not interfere upon returning home from vacation or a business trip, when moving to a new place of residence, leaving temporary residents and finding parasites in neighboring apartments.
preventive measures include:
- weekly wet cleaning with a vacuum cleaner and detergents and disinfectants;
- checking loggias, balconies, pantries, as well as the back sides of cabinets, baseboards, sleeping and other hard-to-reach places;
- inspection of newly purchased furniture and household appliances, especially used and antique ones;
- sealing with a mosquito net of air ducts and mounting holes in engineering communications;
- elimination of ceiling and floor gaps, etc.;
- checking or replacing sockets and switches;
- getting rid of piles of old newspapers, books, things;
- cosmetic or major repairs, if necessary, with the replacement of flooring, wallpaper, lamps, heating radiators;
- installation of modern plastic windows with a reliable rubber seal;
- periodic processing of wool and beds of pets;
- washing things in hot water at high temperature and carefully ironing bed linen and clothes with an iron.