What do bed fleas look like, why are they dangerous, how to fight them?

What are bed fleas?

This is rather a collective image, because this subspecies is not described in scientific reference books. Here we have a classic set of parasites: cats, dogs and rats. It is this group that is most often called linen or bed fleas. All of them are adapted to life outside the host and quickly adapt to the conditions of the apartment.

What do they look like?

The parasite has a flattened body about 2 mm long. Juveniles are black in color, while adults can range from red to brown. The bed flea has three pairs of legs, with the hind legs being more developed than the other legs. With their help, the insect jumps to a height of up to 30 cm.

Flea

For reference! Regardless of the subspecies, pests can live on any warm-blooded host. So, for example, the rat flea easily parasitizes dogs, cats and vice versa.

Where do they come from?

The most common cause of fleas in the bed is pets. Even if the apartment is kept in an ideal frequency, it is not a fact that the cat and dog are in the same condition. The latter, due to their curiosity, study almost everything and everyone, including possible places where parasites are concentrated.

The sources of fleas entering a person’s home are as follows:

1. Outerwear. When visiting forest plantations, parks and unsanitary areas, pests can become attached to clothing.
2. Basement. As a rule, it is damp and dirty, which is an ideal environment for the development of insects.
3. Entrance. Street animals infected with parasites enter the house in search of warmth and food.
4. Neighbours. If some residents have pests, they spread throughout the house through technical openings.
5. Small rodents. Mice and rats carry fleas.

Favorite Habitats

The ideal home for fleas is a warm-blooded animal. Thick fur reliably hides the parasite from potential enemies and protects from unfavorable climatic conditions. In addition, the power source is always nearby.

Outside the host, the flea tries to find shelter in some shaded place. Most often, parasites move across the floor in search of a victim. They often end up in bed thanks to pets who don’t mind taking a nap on a soft blanket.

Insects can also get onto home furnishings through clothing. Many people use the bed as a transfer point for clothes on the way to the hanger, leaving jeans, blouses and other wardrobe items on the bed linen.

For reference! An ordinary flea - a cat, dog or rat flea - jumps to a height of up to 30 cm, while the height of most beds fluctuates around half a meter. Therefore, it is quite difficult for the parasite to reach the mattress level on its own.

How to detect?

The linen flea leaves behind excrement. They are barely visible to the naked eye, but when there are many of them, a mass similar to fine sand appears in certain areas of the bed. In the course of their activity, parasites bite a person, after which inflammation remains on the skin. The pest itself can be seen both in the folds of linen and around the perimeter of the mattress.

What do the bites look like?

The skin in places of contact with the parasite begins to become inflamed: small hard tubercles appear on it, with holes visible in the center. One individual leaves behind something like a trail of 3-4 bites.

For reference! Flea activity can easily be confused with bed bug attacks. The inflamed tubercles from the latter are softer, and the number of bites in a path varies from 6 to 10 pieces.

The danger of flea bites

In addition to pain, itching and an irresistible desire to scratch the problem area, parasites are dangerous as carriers of serious diseases such as typhoid, tuberculosis, plague and encephalitis. In addition, scratching an inflamed wound opens the door to other infections transmitted through blood.

Flea bite

Favorite Habitats

Bed or linen fleas do not live in beds or linens. They get there by accident.

Main places of residence of insects:

Fleas found on the floor

In the most secluded corners, fleas rest after a meal, mate, and lay eggs, hiding from prying eyes.

Insects can settle in the seams and internal cavities of upholstered furniture if there is a significant accumulation of dirt and dust. In the bed you can find hungry parasites moving closer to the victim.

How to get rid of bed fleas in a house and apartment?

You can’t delay pest control. One female lays up to 300 eggs. In favorable conditions, one week is enough for the development of sexually mature individuals. Therefore, when the first signs of invasion are detected, it is necessary to urgently treat all rooms in the apartment.

Chemicals

The most effective method of getting rid of linen fleas is the use of industrial insecticides. There are several form factors on sale: aerosols, powders and concentrates. The former are used locally in places where the pest is concentrated, but the effect of such treatment lasts for several days at most.

The maximum impact is observed in concentrates and powdered products. Such drugs have a fixing effect lasting several weeks, or even months. In addition, they are no more expensive than aerosols.

The best concentrates:

• Get;
• Biorin;
• Chlorpyrifos.

Powders:

• Clean house;
• Phenaxin;
• ECO Absolute Chamomile.

Aerosols:

• Combat;
• Raid;
• Raptor.

Necessary actions after chemical treatment

For the active substance to work, it needs prolonged contact with the parasite. This can only be achieved by closing all doors and windows in the room. Otherwise, the draft will quickly clear the room of toxins.

For reference! The time required for the active substance to kill pests is indicated in the instructions for the insecticide. There you can also find the dosage and time frame for consolidating the effect.

After the specified time has elapsed, the room should be ventilated and the remaining drug removed to avoid poisoning of pets and household members. As a rule, washing floors with soapy water and cleaning interior items with it is quite enough. A number of products do not require further processing, which should be mentioned in the instructions.

How to treat the carpet?

Most often, there is a rug next to the bed, where fleas feel as comfortable as on the carrier’s fur. The destruction of the parasite should begin by treating the surface with a vacuum cleaner. This will allow you to get rid of not only some of the adults, but also the larvae and eggs.

Dry method

You can destroy or at least drive away fleas using salt, soda, wormwood leaves, mint, chamomile or tansy. Pine sawdust also helps. It is necessary to evenly distribute one of the selected products over the carpet, leaving it for a day. Next, you should thoroughly vacuum the pile, then clean and treat the dust collector with any disinfectant.

Dry cleaning

Wet method

Before getting rid of fleas using the wet method, the carpet must not only be vacuumed, but also beaten out. For disinfestation you will need a spray bottle and solution. The latter is most often based on vinegar, kerosene, citric acid or herbal decoctions.

Composition of the solution (optional):

• vinegar with water in a ratio of 1: 1;
• 1 tbsp. l. acetic acid per 1 liter of water;
• herbal infusion (from the dry method) at the rate of 1 tsp. for 200 g of liquid;
• 100 ml of kerosene per bucket of water.

The resulting composition must be sprayed evenly over the carpet and left to soak for a day, then vacuumed.

Room treatment

Now that the pet is not in danger, it’s time to take care of the premises. You can get rid of bed fleas in your apartment yourself. For this, it is recommended to use special insecticides.

Where can you buy medications that will help get rid of bed or household fleas?

For example, good fit:

1. Concentrates that need to be diluted with water and sprayed with ordinary sprayers. The most famous are Tetrix, Tsifoks, Cucaracha, Medilis Cyper. You need to know that concentrates are quite toxic, so before treatment you need to remove all animals and people from the apartment, and some time after use, do a wet cleaning and ventilate the rooms.
2. Special aerosols such as Raid, Raptor, Combat. They are quite effective, if anyone does not know how to remove bed fleas, they are well suited for use at home. They also have the advantage of a pleasant smell - you will not need to sleep in bed with an unpleasant smell from an insecticide.
3. If it’s frosty outside and you can’t figure out how to get rid of bed fleas, you don’t even have to worry or think about what to buy for use at home. Simply open the windows and wait until the temperature in the apartment drops to almost zero. Most of the insects will die; all you have to do is take care of destroying the larvae remaining in the bed.

Are you seriously tormented by house fleas and don’t know how to get rid of them? If you decide to act on your own, here is a scheme that you should follow at home:

• carry out wet cleaning in the house to remove excess accumulations of garbage - eggs and larvae of parasites can remain in them;
• move all furniture away from the walls, remove carpets;
• remove children and pets from the apartment for at least several hours, and best of all, for a day;
• treat the premises with insecticides, paying special attention to baseboards, upholstered furniture, floor joints, cracks, bedding and other places where “enemies” may be hiding;
• after treating the apartment, leave it for several hours, having previously closed all doors and windows in the room;
• When you return home, ventilate the apartment, vacuum all the carpets, and wash things.

Following the above scheme, you will quickly solve the problem at home, without the help of sanitation stations, which help get rid of bed fleas, but at a cost, and sometimes a lot.

Folk remedies

Folk remedies can also serve as good helpers in the fight against parasites. True, if the problem is too large-scale, they alone will not be enough. But it is recommended to use them as auxiliary methods.

So, it is possible to get rid of bed fleas on your own; some of the instructions are shown in the photo.

Use insect repellent plants. Thus, bed parasites cannot tolerate the aromas of wormwood and tansy. You can put these herbs under pillows or place bouquets with these plants in your rooms, place them in closets where bed linen is stored;

You can use baking soda and salt to control fleas. Take them in equal proportions, mix, and then thoroughly treat all fleecy surfaces with the resulting powder. After a day, vacuum everything along with the dead insects. After a few days, repeat the procedure.

Parasites really do not like cold and pine sawdust. Place sawdust in the room and near the bed so that insects can smell it. And if it’s winter outside, ventilate the room more often.

How to treat bites

Having looked at the photographs of what domestic bed fleas and their bites look like, the question arises, how to speed up healing?

• wash the affected areas with soap and water, and then treat with any antiseptic: iodine, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide;
• To relieve itching, apply ice to the bite sites;
• use calamine lotion as a wound healing and antipruritic agent.

If you experience complications, consult your doctor.

Prevention measures

After looking at the photo of what bed flea bites look like, you understand how important their prevention is. To prevent the appearance of bloodsuckers, you should adhere to the following rules:

• Carry out wet cleaning at least once a week, paying close attention to hard-to-reach places;
• purchase a flea collar for your pet;
• Periodically bathe your cat or dog with anti-parasite shampoo or treat it with special drops. In spring and summer, it is recommended to treat an adult animal for fleas at least once a month;
• Use special crayons indoors. Treat the entrance to the apartment and ventilation openings with them;
• ventilate the premises regularly;
• periodically dry mattresses, pillows, blankets in the fresh air;
• Clean furniture and wash children's toys as often as possible;
• make cosmetic repairs by eliminating all cracks in the walls, floors, windows and door frames;
• do not allow other people's animals to enter your home;

Keeping your premises clean and keeping a close eye on your pets will make it difficult for parasites to gain access to you. Closely monitoring the behavior of animals is an indispensable condition for flea prevention. And to understand that it is bed parasites that bite, take a look at the photo.

Try not to pet stray animals or visit flea-infested areas.

As preventive measures, you can use proven folk methods. For example:

• Eucalyptus leaves are effective in repelling bloodsuckers. They can be purchased at a pharmacy or health food store. The advantage of this product is that it is completely safe for children and pets living at home, and is harmful to insects. Place the leaves around the perimeter of the apartment; their smell will repel bed fleas. You will forever forget what they look like;
• Another accessible and inexpensive way to prevent fleas on a pet is to boil eucalyptus leaves and rinse the animal’s fur with the resulting product after bathing;
• It is recommended to scatter boric acid powder over the carpet, and after a while vacuum them thoroughly;
• Floors should be washed with water and vinegar.

When nothing helps

Fighting parasites such as bed fleas is very difficult. This is especially true for private houses and apartments located on the ground floor. There is a high risk of bloodsuckers spreading from basements. In this case, any fight, even with the most powerful insecticides, will be useless until the pests in the basement are destroyed.

Self-processing can result in a tidy sum of wasted time, damaged nerves and even intoxication of the body. The difficulty of personal struggle is this:

• Bloodsucker larvae hide in the most inaccessible places of the house. They are very difficult to find and even aerosol insecticides may not be effective;
• adult individuals can simultaneously parasitize both indoors and on domestic animals. Consequently, getting rid of them on your own is a whole complex of measures using a variety of means;
• flea larvae are dispersed throughout the closet, hiding in trash cans, dusty places, behind baseboards, in upholstered furniture. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to notice them with the naked eye. Therefore, removing fleas is a very troublesome and time-consuming task.

Therefore, a reasonable solution is high-quality pest control with the help of a professional agency. Experts will determine the degree of infestation of the premises with parasites and select the optimal means to combat them. All you have to do is prepare the apartment for processing. Moreover, many companies take on the preparation of the premises for an additional fee.

After professional treatment, fleas do not disappear immediately. This is normal - the effect of the insecticide lasts about a month. During this period, insects will die in contact with treated surfaces.

The cost of calling a specialist to your home depends on various factors. For example, government services will cost less, but are harder to reach. Private companies are ready to come to you upon request, but they are more expensive. Also, prices for exterminator services depend on the region. For example, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, processing will cost more than in the suburbs.

The cost of services is also affected by the quality of the insecticide. Modern masters prefer to use imported drugs that are minimally harmful to humans and animals, but at the same time, are as effective as possible.

The advantage of their use is the following:

• owners do not have to wash off traces after treatment;
• there is no need to leave the premises for several hours;
• Imported modern insecticides do not have a strong odor.

Here are the most common tools that professionals prefer to use:

• Effective Ultra;
• Sinuzan;
• Biorin;
• Empire;
• Chlorpyrimac, etc.

Where to buy funds

Let's see which companies provide flea treatment and how much their services cost:

Folk remedies against bed fleas

Let's find out how to fight bed fleas using traditional methods. First of all, this is the processing of bed linen using an automatic machine in intensive washing mode: with the highest possible temperature and high spin speed.

Parasites cannot tolerate the smell of essential oils. If you spray concentrates of eucalyptus, cloves, anise or mint near the bed, the fleas will try to find a more comfortable shelter. Fresh citrus fruits have a similar effect: orange, lemon and grapefruit.

Getting rid of fleas on pets

Pet stores sell collars, sprays, suspensions and other products, but shampoos and drops on the withers are considered the most effective. The latter have a prolonged effect, protecting the animal from parasites for weeks.

Popular flea treatments for pets:

• Bravecto;
• Stronghold;
• Advantix;
• Frontline Combo;
• Vectra.

Important! Some breeds of dogs and cats react sharply to the active substances in certain medications. Therefore, before use, you should consult a specialist.

Signs of the presence of insects

The following signs indicate the presence of parasites:

On the bed you can find living parasites, eggs and excrement that look like black sand. If there are fleas in the house or in the fur of animals, how to get rid of them is a question that does not require delay. Insects reproduce quickly, which makes the task of removing them much more difficult.

Precautions when getting rid of fleas

Modern drugs against parasites are effective, but at the same time toxic. Therefore, it is necessary to work with them wearing a mask, glasses and gloves. During disinfestation, all household members, including pets, should be sent to relatives or friends.

Treatment

Do not exceed the doses indicated in the instructions, and in case of poisoning, consult a doctor immediately. Self-medication in difficult cases is unacceptable.

Prevention of bed fleas

First of all, it is forbidden for pets to sleep on the bed and have contact with bedding in principle. It is cats and dogs that are the main cause of fleas in the house. Animals should also be checked for parasites after each walk, and in the summer months they should be allowed into the apartment only after water treatments.

Bed linen should be changed once a week and washed intensively. If this is not available, select the maximum possible processing temperature. After washing, laundry should be ironed and steamed and should not be placed next to dirty items.

How do fleas get into an apartment?

There are several ways in which these blood-sucking insects take up residence in residential areas. Linen fleas, the photo of which is shown above, are usually brought from outside on the fur of pets or on the clothes of the owners, but there are other options.

• Most often, parasites cling to pets when they walk outside or come into contact with yard cats and dogs.
• A person can bring fleas on his clothes if he has previously been in a basement or landfill.
• Often these parasites live on rats and mice, so the appearance of rodents is a reason to take a closer look to see if there are blood-sucking insects in the apartment.
• Fleas can live in the entrance of an apartment building and from there move into apartments through cracks and open doors. In a similar way, they penetrate into housing from basements.
• If your neighbors have these unpleasant insects, then most likely they will quickly spread to adjacent apartments.