How to get rid of furniture bugs and bed mites?

No one is safe from the appearance of blood-sucking insects in the house. The most famous and common parasites are furniture mites and bedbugs. They feed on the blood of warm-blooded creatures, going out to hunt in the dark. And if a person feels bedbug bites, then the ticks bite unnoticed.

However, after these bites, an allergic reaction accompanied by itching may develop. In order for the fight against parasites to be effective, it is very important to distinguish whether harmful small bed mites or house bugs have settled in your home.

The main differences between ticks and bedbugs

From a distance, bedbugs and ticks are very similar. But if you look closely, you can see that the representative of the Arachnida class has eight legs, while bedbugs have six.

Bed mites have impressive dimensions and can be up to 8 mm in size. Their cousins, dust mites, are quite difficult to detect due to their small size. Furniture bugs are nocturnal bloodsuckers, while linen mites feed on dead skin particles.

Bed bugs live in secluded dark places in the apartment. They can be found in furniture, under baseboards and wallpaper, in old things. House mites live in feather blankets, pillows, and blankets.

How dangerous are bed lice?

Blood bugs are parasitic insects known as Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus that feed on human blood and cause a lot of skin irritation.
C. lectularius is found in temperate parts of the world, while C. hemipterus is found in tropical areas. Symptoms include the appearance of red spots on the skin and increased pimple-like swellings and blisters. These bites are usually found where there is exposed skin and can occur anywhere from one day to 10 days after exposure. The spots and blisters may not be itchy at first, but may become itchy later. Bite bugs are mostly at night, and they suck blood.

People catch bed bugs from sleeping in places like motels or hotels where there is a high rate of people sleeping, or from old and used furniture or clothing. Bed bugs can multiply quickly and will jump onto anyone nearby. Many people catch them while sleeping in a hotel or motel.

Scabies is a skin irritation caused by mites known as Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrow into the skin and feed. Mites cause severe itching of the skin, especially at night. There are different forms of scabies, including classic scabies, cow (Norwegian) scabies, nodular scabies, and bulbous scabies.

What do furniture bugs look like?

Popularly, these parasites are called bed bugs because they most often settle in beds and sofas to be closer to the victim.

The insect,
measuring from 3 to 8 mm, can be dirty yellow to dark brown in color.
It has a flattened body and a special proboscis on its head. This proboscis is divided into narrow and wide channels. From the narrow channel, saliva containing an anesthetic substance is injected into the wound, and blood is absorbed through the wide channel. Even at the stage of larval development, glands secreting a special secretion develop on the back of the parasite. They produce an odor that is characteristic of bedbugs. The oblong curved eggs of blood-sucking insects are whitish in color. Depending on environmental conditions, the larvae may hatch within a few days or weeks.

The larvae differ from adult individuals in their lighter color and smaller size. They do not yet have a special anesthetic substance in their saliva, so the bites of young individuals are more sensitive.

Signs of furniture bugs

enter an apartment or house along with old furniture, pets or clothes after visiting guests. If a dysfunctional family lives in a neighboring apartment, then insects can migrate away from them through cracks or ventilation.

The fact that furniture bugs have appeared in the house can be determined by the following signs:

Bites on the body after a night's sleep. Crawling along the body, the bug constantly bites, so after it the bites are located in the form of “paths”.
Discarded chitinous covers.
Dark experiments.
A sharp, unpleasant odor reminiscent of coriander.

As soon as suspicions creep in that bedbugs have appeared in your home , you need to immediately inspect the possible places of their settlement:

joints of upholstered and wooden furniture;
curtains, mattresses, pillows, beds, clothing seams;
behind skirting boards, torn wallpaper, paintings, books,
under carpets and floor coverings,
behind radiators, door jambs, under window sills.

Blood-sucking insects crawl out of their hiding places in search of prey only at night.

How dangerous are bedbug bites?

Bedbug bites resemble allergies or mosquito bites , so you may not immediately understand that parasites have appeared in your home.
During the night, one individual makes up to seven punctures, which a sleeping person may not even feel. The marks left at the site of bedbug bites may not itch. You can find out that you were bitten by a bug by the nature of the skin injury. Red spots located one after another with a dark dot inside are bites of nocturnal blood-sucking insects.

Furniture bugs - how to get rid of them?

Bedbugs quickly get used to chemicals , so finding a universal remedy for their destruction is almost impossible. Therefore, to get rid of bed bugs in an apartment yourself, you can use several simple methods:

Temperature treatment. Parasites are killed by frost below -20 degrees and high temperatures above +40 degrees. Therefore, it is useful to take bedding and small furniture outside for 2–4 hours in frosty and hot weather. You can also use a household steam generator.
Quartzization. Before treating the room and things with an ultraviolet lamp, you must open the cabinet doors, open the sofas, and place bedding under the lamp.

These methods will help reduce the number of insects in the house. However, with their help it will not be possible to completely get rid of parasites.

Modern chemicals

In stores you can buy modern means to combat bedbugs , before using which you need to prepare the room:

take out or hide food in the refrigerator;
pack dishes;
After making sure that there are no bedbugs in clothes and children's toys, pack them in impenetrable bags;
cover the aquariums tightly;
remove pets, birds, people from the apartment.

The person who will treat the premises with chemicals must wear personal protective equipment.

The most effective and popular means for exterminating furniture bedbugs include:

Delta Zone. Microencapsulated drug, the action of which leads to paralysis and death of parasites. Its active substance is the insecticide deltamethrin. The main advantage of this remedy is that its effect lasts for several months.
Pyrethrum. The drug contains a natural component that is obtained from chamomile flowers. Therefore, the insecticide is completely harmless to people and pets. Available in aerosol or powder form.
Combat Superspray. The drug, which contains cyphenothrin and imiprotrin, paralyzes bedbugs and leads to their death. It comes in the form of an aerosol and has a citrus scent.
Executioner. The product contains the active substance fenthion. Its action paralyzes the nervous system of the parasite and leads to its death. The drug is available in liquid form. Before use, it must be diluted according to the instructions.

If you can’t get rid of furniture bugs on your own, you can call an insect removal service. Specialists will carry out disinfestation of the premises efficiently and quickly.

Chemicals

In 90% of cases, owners use chemical insecticides.

“Executioner” dissolves in water before use, and it must be applied in a draft-free room (the main component does not withstand exposure to fresh air).
“Mashenka” comes in the form of a pencil, which is applied to the places where colonies are supposed to have settled.
“Fufanon” will get rid of the problem in a day, but it must be used with caution - the use of a mask and gloves will become an indispensable condition, and people and animals will have to leave the room.
"Karbofos" is even used to eliminate garden pests, but it is not environmentally friendly.
“Insecticide” is economical and effective, and 1 bottle of spray is enough even to treat a 3-room apartment.

If the measures do not bring results, all that remains is to contact professional exterminators. Their services may cost more, but the problem will be solved!

Appearance of a bed mite

The small arachnid insect is almost impossible to see . The largest size of a female tick is 0.2 mm. Under a microscope, you can see six small legs that end with suction cups. Thanks to them, parasites adhere tightly to the surface and are almost impossible to remove from carpet, upholstered furniture, clothes, and linen.

The body of ticks is covered with a chitinous shell, which is not wetted by water. That is why it is not possible to get rid of them using liquid products.

Linen mites vary in their gastronomic preferences. Some feed on cotton or linen fabrics, while others prefer wool pile or coconut fiber. Some parasites can even eat food scraps or paper.

Signs of a room being infested with ticks

The presence of bed parasites in the house be determined by a person’s well-being. The most common symptoms include:

runny nose;
inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes with redness and tearing;
the appearance of wheezing and breathing problems;
rashes on the skin without bite marks;
sneezing without signs of a cold;
temperature rise is possible.

Only a specialist can diagnose the nature of the rash , so if it appears, it is recommended to consult a doctor. If possible, laboratory tests should be carried out to accurately show whether bed mites live in your home.

What is the danger of bed ticks?

Small parasites settle in warm and humid places closer to the source of food. The best habitat for them are pillows, mattresses, blankets and sheets. Millions of house ticks can live in one pillow, each defecating about 20 times a day. Fecal pellets contain proteins that often cause an allergic reaction in people who come into contact with them.

People susceptible to allergic diseases and young children most often suffer from parasites In adults, in addition to rashes on the body, the eyes may become watery, the throat may become red, nasal congestion may occur, the temperature may rise and even develop eczema. Children who come into contact with linen mites without visible preconditions may develop bronchial asthma, which will be almost impossible to cure.

treatment

The bug bed is treated with antihistamines and corticosteroids. Scabies is treated with oral ivermectin, topical permethrin, antihistamines, and possibly antibiotics.

Blood bugs and scabies cause skin irritation that can become very itchy.
They are both parasites, but bed bug infestations are caused by insects, while scabies is caused by mites.
Bloody beetles most often bite exposed areas of skin, and scabies bites in folds of skin and straps of skin.
Bed bugs can be caught from staying in motels and hotels.
Scabies is more likely if you live in crowded conditions or have a weakened immune system.
Antihistamines can be used to treat the itching that occurs with both scabies and bedbugs.

Where do such inconvenient neighbors come from that can harm the body? Oddly enough, they can appear in ordinary dust, feathers or fluff.

It is almost impossible to predict their appearance. But if they appear, it can be immediately noticed by the condition of the person who is beginning to develop an allergy.

Dust mites are not large in size. They can easily live in a large army on 1 gram of dust. Such parasites cannot tolerate temperatures that are too high or too low.

Ideal conditions for their habitat are between 20 and 25 degrees. Their main source of nutrition is human dandruff, which forms on the skin. That is why they can appear on his body.

Bed tick bites can cause various forms of allergies in humans. As a rule, the first signs of this disease include redness of the throat, increased sensitivity of the eyes, cough, and the appearance of itchy redness on the skin.

All these factors indicate that unpleasant neighbors have settled in your bed. The only consolation in this situation may be that these insects are not capable of causing serious illness in humans, and it is very easy to get rid of them.

One of the most common ways to combat bed mites is to simply ventilate the room or take all laundry out to the balcony.

We suggest you read: At what temperature do bedbugs and their larvae die?

This method allows you to get rid of pests quite quickly, since they are not able to tolerate sudden temperature changes.

Another way to get rid of and prevent ticks in bed is to systematically replace feathers and down in blankets or pillows. This method should be used at least once every 5 years, and this will allow you not to think about the presence of parasites in your bed.

A good way to get rid of such a parasite is to dry clean feather pillows or blankets. By treating feathers with chemicals, they are cleared of dust and dirt, which deprives mites of their usual habitat.

Of course, there are cheaper methods for cleaning pillows, but not all of them guarantee 100% results, which can lead to additional problems. It should be noted that ticks cannot grow in artificial materials such as latex, polyurethane or foam mattresses.

Body lice, which are popularly called bed lice, differ from mites in pillows not only in body shape, but also in their mode of existence.

Unlike ticks, this parasite cannot exist without humans. Bed lice are born, reproduce and feed only on the human body. The main source of nutrition is blood. In order to get it, they take a small bite and start drinking.

Such a process cannot have a positive effect on the condition of the lice owner. The final result may be allergies, various redness on the skin, the formation of wounds and scars.

Body lice are also a source of very serious diseases that can be fatal. Among them are typhus. Therefore, in order to avoid contracting dangerous diseases, it is necessary to get rid of such parasites as soon as possible.

Since body lice live on the human body, appropriate means of control are chosen.

Bedbugs are another type of parasite that can live in a person's bed. They have absorbed something from ticks and lice.

Just like ticks, they are able to live without constantly being on the human body, located on it only when feeding. From lice they took a source of food - blood. But, unlike body lice, bedbugs do not cause serious diseases that could be costly for humans.

Various allergic diseases and reactions that can develop in the form of cough, redness on the body, watery eyes;

The appearance of wounds and ulcers. Such an illness can arise from a permissive attitude towards one’s sleeping place. In the case of a large number of parasites, numerous blisters and wounds can form on the human body.

In appearance, bedbugs differ from ticks and lice, being larger in size and different in shape. Ideal conditions for their existence are in rooms with a temperature of 10 to 25 degrees.

However, they are very sensitive to high-degree heat. At a temperature of 50 degrees they die instantly. At zero degrees they do not die, but fall into a state of suspended animation.

Despite the fact that most people do not experience any particular problems from the bites of these parasites, from a purely aesthetic and hygienic point of view, the presence of such animals in the house is rejected.

Therefore, people are looking for ways to get rid of bed bugs. There are several ways to do this.

The first is to use special insecticides as a means of getting rid of them.

As a rule, this method is absolutely safe for the human body, since it does not contain chemicals that could harm it. But for parasites such a remedy is destructive.

When using this method, you must remember that bedbugs can very easily develop immunity to the insecticide, so it is better to use a new product each time.

It is better to spray chemicals evenly over all places where parasites are located, because otherwise, the destruction of bed bugs may be in vain, and they will reappear in your apartment.

The second way of fighting is thermal. It consists of treating bedbug locations with special hair dryers that have a high heating temperature. As a rule, such equipment is located in special industrial facilities.

You can try to destroy the colonies with a regular hair dryer, but this method is very physically difficult, since the parasite begins to die only 30-40 minutes after the temperature is applied to it.

It is very good if the region in which a person lives is able to maintain a temperature of 40-45 degrees. In this case, you can leave bed linen, pillows, sofa blankets, etc. on the street, and by the evening they will be absolutely safe in terms of the presence of bedbugs on them.

Ticks, bedbugs and lice are quite common occurrences in the home. The ailments they cause cannot be pleasant for a person, so they need to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Means and methods for exterminating bed mites

You can get rid of ticks in your home by creating unfavorable living conditions for them:

in summer, dry bedding in direct sunlight;
in winter, take pillows and mattresses out into the cold for several hours;
wash clothes in hot water;
treat feather and down blankets and pillows with chemical deep cleaning in specialized centers;
steam the upholstery of upholstered furniture.

You can destroy small parasites yourself using a product prepared from ammonia and soap (2:1). This mixture is used to treat surfaces and things that may be infected with ticks.

Chemicals

If the health of household members has sharply deteriorated , it means that the parasite population is of alarming proportions. In this case, it is necessary to use caracid antiallergenic drugs:

Allergoff spray or component that is added to the washing solution.
Easy Air Liquid.
Milbol spray, which contains neem plant oils. They treat furniture and beds with it.
Insectoacaricide "Tsifoks". Before use, according to the instructions, it must be diluted in water. Re-processing required.
The drug is in the form of powder "Acaritox". The aqueous solution prepared according to the instructions after treatment remains effective for two weeks.
Highly effective product "Sipaz Super". Its use gives 100% positive results.

It is difficult to completely get rid of domestic bed mites. Regular control of them will prevent the population from developing and will reduce the risk of allergic diseases.

Parasites are dangerous to humans both because of their bites and because they can cause allergic reactions . Therefore, if ticks or bedbugs are found in the house, you must immediately begin to destroy them using proven and effective means.