Bedbugs are blood-sucking insects that can potentially be carriers of various diseases. After pests enter the apartment, the first bites begin to appear within about a week. As a rule, this is how most people first learn about the existence of insects in the house. The second most common option is to accidentally see an insect.
Due to the fact that bedbugs pose a threat to people and animals, feeding on their blood, it is useless to hope that the pests will go away on their own; the fight against parasites must begin immediately and be approached thoroughly from the very beginning. How to poison bedbugs in an apartment? How to do it right? What is important to consider to achieve maximum efficiency? What methods and means can be used independently and when does it make sense to seek help from sanitation specialists?
Why do bedbugs appear and where to look for them?
To get rid of bedbugs, you first need to find them. These parasites choose as a refuge:
- mattress;
- bed frame;
- sofa;
- space under baseboards;
- cracks in the walls;
- places where wallpaper or linoleum does not fit tightly;
- sockets;
- cabinets;
- paintings;
- carpets;
- window frames and window sills;
- soft toys and more. etc.
By the way, there are many reasons why bedbugs appeared in the house. However, most often parasites come from neighbors' premises. They easily pass through the narrowest cracks. In addition, if you have pets that go outside, they can also bring these blood-sucking insects.
You can also “pick up” a bug by spending the night in another place, and then returning home to your bed. This parasite easily hides in clothing, where it is difficult to notice. Finally, purchasing used furniture can also bring bedbugs into your home. So no one is safe from the appearance of these pests.
Quartzization
This method will not poison the bedbugs, but will disinfect the room from any infection they may carry. Turn on a lamp daily for 20 minutes in every room of your home. Be sure to use quartz after killing bedbugs to kill any viruses that the insects may have left behind. In general, such a disinfectant would be useful in every home, especially if you have pets.
Folk remedies for bedbugs
Are you and your loved ones constantly getting bitten at night? Do swollen red spots appear on your body after sleep, which are very itchy and itchy? Moreover, they are all located one after another, resembling a path? Well, 99% of them are bedbugs. What to do in this case? And most importantly, how to get rid of “unpleasant roommates”?
Of course, you can turn to the methods of fighting bedbugs that our parents and grandparents practiced. After all, chemical agents that get rid of domestic insects were not as widespread as they are now. Therefore, people had no choice but to poison bedbugs with plants. Some people still prefer to use herbs. For example:
- sagebrush;
- wild rosemary;
- tansy;
- calamus;
- chamomile, etc.
All these plants have a pungent odor that repels bedbugs. Therefore, a decoction is simply made based on them. Then it is sprayed into those places where parasites are found. Tansy is used a little differently. A decoction is rarely prepared from it. Usually they simply scatter flowers where bloodsuckers live. But wild rosemary is most often dried and crushed. Then the furniture is sprinkled with this powder.
However, if there are a lot of bedbugs, then this method will not help. It is better to use different herbs for preventive purposes.
What other folk remedies are there that allow you to poison bedbugs in an apartment yourself? We list the most popular options:
- You can poison bedbugs with a mixture of kerosene and turpentine. Moreover, all these substances are also diluted in boiling water. Then pour it into a spray bottle and spray the previously identified habitats of the bug. This solution is quite effective. But only in cases where there are few insects - literally a couple of pieces. It is pointless to use a mixture of kerosene and turpentine against hordes of bloodsuckers. You'll just be wasting your time by giving the bedbugs a chance to multiply even more.
- Laundry or tar soap is used against bed bugs. How can you use it to scare away parasites that have settled in a bed or sofa? It is enough to thoroughly wash all bed linen, blankets, bedspreads, mattress covers, etc. in very hot water with tar or laundry soap.
- You can also try to remove bedbugs from your apartment with vinegar. Crawling parasites really don’t like its specific smell. However, acetic acid itself cannot kill insects. Unless you catch the bug yourself and throw it into a jar of vinegar. Therefore, this remedy cannot be called effective. In addition, to successfully kill bedbugs in an apartment with vinegar, you need to treat the entire room with it for almost six months.
- Essential oils are another folk remedy against bedbugs. Basically, their smell repels insects. But it doesn't kill. Therefore, within a couple of days after treatment, the bugs begin to bite again. Although the oils of some plants can permanently paralyze the nervous system of a blood-sucking insect. So you can try to remove bedbugs with natural insecticides. The following essential oils are suitable: anise, juniper, myrtle, lavender, etc.
In addition to all the options listed, many people try to exterminate bedbugs with mustard, valerian tincture, alcohol, mothballs, machine oil, and much more. etc. Moreover, all these substances, according to different recipes, are often mixed and then treated with them in the room and household items.
One can argue for a long time about how effective folk remedies for fighting bedbugs are. Of course, they have a good repellent and preventive effect, but they cannot cope with large numbers of insects. Therefore, you need to know about other ways that will drive away such uninvited guests.
How specialized services poison bedbugs in an apartment
If you have already tried everything and nothing helps, or you initially do not want to deal with removing bedbugs yourself, you can order the appropriate service from the SES. The main advantage of this treatment is how specialized services poison bedbugs in the apartment.
- Disinfectors use the so-called fog method - the insecticide is sprayed throughout the room using a high-power generator.
- The device turns liquid insecticide into a flying cloud with droplet sizes of 0.5 microns, which evenly covers all surfaces and easily penetrates hard-to-reach places with air movement.
- The fog can be cold - at room temperature, or hot - in contact with surfaces, having a temperature in the region of 40-60°C.
The fog method allows you to quickly treat entire apartments and private houses, leaving no chance for pests to survive. Depending on the treatment method, the warranty for bedbug baiting services with fog can range from 1 to 3 years.
Recommended Links
SES services: professional methods of baiting bedbugs, warranty conditions, preparing the apartment for treatment.
Chemicals against bedbugs
Today there is a huge range of insecticidal preparations, using which you can effectively poison uninvited guests. Moreover, they are all produced in different versions:
- aerosols;
- gels;
- powders;
- sprays;
- crayons, etc.
What type of insecticide is best against bedbugs? Everyone has their pros and cons. Let's just talk about each in more detail.
Aerosols
They are distinguished by a convenient shape. Also, using them, you can reach the most inaccessible surfaces and places. At the same time, aerosols give quick results. As for the downsides, when sprayed, most of the toxic substances enter the air. This means that there is a high risk that they will penetrate the respiratory system of a person or animal or get on dishes, food, household items, etc. Therefore, when working with aerosols, it is necessary:
- In advance of treating the premises, remove all food products, hide clothing and hygiene products where toxic substances will not reach.
- Use personal protective equipment. Gloves, goggles and a respirator are a must!
- Make sure that all household members and pets leave the premises. It is advisable to even keep the aquarium away.
- Under no circumstances should you spray the poison near an open fire or plugged-in electrical appliances.
What aerosol insecticides are there for bedbugs? There are quite a lot of them:
- dichlorvos;
- raptor;
- battalion commander;
- clean house;
- raid, etc.
Sprays
The effect of aerosols is not so long-lasting. Therefore, many people poison bedbugs with insecticides in the form of sprays. They are usually supplied as a concentrated liquid that must be diluted in certain proportions (indicated in the instructions for use).
Unlike aerosols, sprays are more “durable”. Toxic substances remain active on treated surfaces for approximately 2 weeks. This is enough to cope with bedbugs. However, under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and high air temperatures, toxic substances in sprays reduce their effectiveness every day. Therefore, in half of the cases, repeated treatment is required to get rid of parasites forever.
The line of insecticidal sprays is widely represented. Although baiting bedbugs is most effective using means such as:
- Karbofos;
- Executioner;
- Tetrix;
- Get;
- Cucaracha;
- Mikrofos.
Powders and crayons
The advantage of powdered products is that they remain active for a long time. Up to 2-4 months. In addition, during the process of treating the room with them and after, there is no need to leave the room or ventilate it. However, the following must be taken into account:
- Surfaces treated with dust and chalk look unaesthetic. The product resembles dirt or dust.
- Care must be taken to ensure that children or pets do not try the product. Otherwise, trouble cannot be avoided.
- Dry chemicals that form the basis of powdered and fine insecticides are easily and quickly absorbed by mucous membranes. This is fraught with allergic reactions and intoxication.
- Powders or crayons must be applied to a perfectly dry surface. After all, if moisture gets on these insecticides, their effectiveness will decrease significantly.
The most popular small preparations against bedbugs are “Mashenka” and “Clean House”. There are more powders. These are Chlorophos, Neopin, Phenaxin, Klopoveron, etc.
Gels
Quite effective in the fight against bedbugs. Essentially, they have the same principle of action as powders. But they don’t stain the surface that much. At the same time, the gels are characterized by a long period of active action. They also last better and do not wash off as quickly as dusts.
Typically, insecticidal gels are available in syringes with a sharp dispensing tip. Due to this, the product is easily applied even to the most difficult to reach places - cracks in walls, joints, space under baseboards, etc.
If there are few bedbugs, then after applying the gels, the parasite population will decrease significantly within 3 days. But it will take two weeks to completely get rid of insects. In addition, you need to know how to properly treat a room with such insecticides.
- The gel package should be opened only immediately before use.
- It must be applied with a dotted line. The distance between the points is 10-20 cm (for more details, see the instructions for the specific drug).
- You can first apply the gel to small pieces of paper or newspaper, and then spread them throughout the room.
- It is best to use gel-type insecticides against bedbugs in combination with aerosols or sprays. Just make sure that all products have different active ingredients. It's much more efficient. In addition, this eliminates the possibility that bedbugs will develop resistance to chemicals.
Do you want to know what the best anti-bedbug gels are? These are Foxy, Absolute, Globall, Blockbuster and Forsythe.
Destruction of bedbugs: barrier protection or collective treatment
Many who already have experience fighting bloodsuckers know that a few days after chemical treatment they often appear again. There are several reasons for this.
The first thing you need to do is make sure that neighboring apartments are not infested with bedbugs. These insects easily travel from neighbor to neighbor, while remaining unnoticed.
In one recent study, which was conducted in a large apartment building, it turned out that of all the apartments where bedbugs were found, only half of them were aware of the infestation.
The fact is that many people do not feel their bites, which is why the bugs manage to multiply and spread to their neighbors. Therefore, the following rule applies here: if one apartment is contaminated, then all adjacent sections (left, right, top and bottom) are considered contaminated until a thorough inspection is carried out in them.
Just asking your neighbors if anyone has bitten them is not enough - try to convince them to take action. After all, bedbugs in the entrance are like chicken pox in a kindergarten - if they are not in one apartment now, then after your treatment they can easily appear - kindly explain this to those who do not understand. By carrying out pest control together (even for preventive purposes), you will not leave the bloodsuckers any escape route.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to come to an agreement with neighbors. In this case, when processing, pay special attention to those areas through which bedbugs can get to you from other apartments (read more about this below). Check that the cracks in the walls, floor and ceiling where communications pass are sealed, and seal the ventilation holes with fine mesh.
The most effective remedies for bedbugs
Based on many reviews from customers and ordinary people, as well as the opinions of experts, we can highlight several of the most effective drugs.
- First on the list is "Executioner". The name is truly intimidating. And the product itself is harmful to bedbugs. The drug is produced in Russia, but the manufacturing company itself is German. The active substance is fenthion. The insecticide is relatively safe for animals and humans. What should you remember? For example, that “Executioner” does not kill egg laying, so when using it, re-treatment is necessary. But larvae and adults die from it within the first 36-48 hours.
- “Insecticide” is a fairly effective poison that allows you to quickly get rid of bed bugs. This product is completely domestically produced. It has a nerve paralytic effect, leading to the death of parasites. O belongs to toxicity class 3. That is, it is moderately dangerous for humans and animals.
- "Tetrix" is a professional remedy for bedbugs and other bloodsuckers. Many disinfectants use it. The drug is produced in the form of a concentrated emulsion. Affects the nervous system and leads to paralysis of the insect. Tetrix is a very effective product, but expensive. For a half-liter bottle you will have to pay about 4 thousand rubles.
- “Get” – we can’t help but say a few words about this product, which is available in the form of a spray. And not quite ordinary. After all, as a result of application, microcapsules are formed. They easily stick to bedbugs that come into contact with the treated surface. As a result, the individual itself and the entire nest become infected and die. The drug contains chlorpyrifos. This active substance quickly blocks the nervous activity of the insect, as a result of which all its life processes stop. It is important that “Get” is low-toxic. They are even often used in clinics, kindergartens and schools.
For reference! Some people try to poison bedbugs using a fumigator. However, they forget that this device only works well against flying insects (midges, mosquitoes, etc.). After all, toxic substances spread through the air. And bedbugs hide securely in their hiding places. Therefore, fumigators are useless against them.
Types of parasites
There are about 30 thousand species of this insect in the world. Many live on plants, near rivers, lakes and swamps: smoothies, water striders, shieldworts, cabbageweeds. All of them are absolutely harmless to humans. There are parasites: white, chimney, swallows, which feed on the blood of animals and bats, but if a person is close, they can attack him.
Terrible pests are bed bugs. They drink blood and, when bitten, can transmit a virus or infection. In addition, insects multiply quickly and within a few weeks populate the entire apartment. If you find them, take immediate action.
This is interesting: at one time, the female bug lays about 250 eggs, and after 7 days new insects appear from them.
How to properly and safely poison bedbugs?
You now know what kind of poison there is for bedbugs and that these “reptiles” can be removed from the apartment not only with karbofos. All that remains is to understand exactly how to use insecticides so that it is not only effective, but also safe. After all, most often people try to “drive out” insects with the help of chemicals - sprays and aerosols, which contain many toxic substances.
So if you don’t want to poison yourself and harm your health when treating your apartment or house for parasites yourself, then don’t forget about the following:
- Do everything step by step. First, be sure to get personal protective equipment. This includes a respirator, goggles, rubber gloves, and long sleeves. However, do not try to protect your nose with a towel or any cloth. After all, this is pointless and dangerous. Insecticide particles will easily penetrate the respiratory tract. Only a high-quality respirator will help!
- If, after poisoning the bedbugs, you feel dizzy, weak, or feel unwell, then get out into the fresh air as soon as possible. Then wash your face and hands with soap. Then take 10 tablets of activated carbon.
- After poisoning the bedbugs, ventilate the room well. Open all windows and doors. A draft and fresh air will eliminate insecticide particles. In this case, you need to ventilate for at least 2-3 hours.
- You can do wet cleaning after treating the room for bedbugs. For example, by adding soda and detergent to the water. But do not forget that you should wash only the surface with which you come into contact - tables, chairs, doors or cabinet handles, etc. In other places, the product should be left for further exposure.
For reference! Before poisoning bedbugs, it makes sense to “cooperate” with your neighbors if they also suffer from an infestation of parasites. Complex treatment of several nearby premises will certainly allow you to forget about intrusive pests forever.
How to choose anti-bedbug medications
When choosing a drug for bedbugs, you must be guided by important criteria:
- The composition should not contain too high concentrations of chemical compounds, as this will negatively affect the health of both people and pets.
- Consider the aroma of the product. More often, such preparations do not erode for a long time, causing inconvenience to residents of an apartment or house.
- Method of use of the drug. Some of them can be used immediately after purchase, others need to be diluted in water.
Temperature treatment against bedbugs
Don't want to use folk remedies? Don't you also like the fact that you have to spray chemicals around your apartment? Then try to remove bedbugs from the room using cold. After all, these parasites are warm-blooded creatures. At low ambient temperatures they die quickly. It is enough for the thermometer to drop below -22 °C.
In many regions it is much colder in winter. So if it’s 20 degrees below zero outside, you can simply turn off the heating and open all the windows for 4-6 hours. The entire insect population will be destroyed!
Extreme heat also kills bedbugs. True, the ambient temperature should be about 50 °C. This is more like a bathhouse or sauna. What should we do then? There are several options:
- Find an insect nest and pour boiling water over it.
- Scald the area where bedbugs accumulate with steam from a steamer.
- If it’s a hot summer outside, then take the linen and furniture in which the parasites live out into the sun, leaving it all to “warm up” for a couple of hours.
Why there is no effect
Bedbugs began to be poisoned intensively several decades ago. Then insecticides began to be used for this purpose. The poison acts when ingested mainly through the skin. There is no way to poison bedbugs through food, since they are only interested in human blood. Initially, we tried different forms of the product - powders, gels, aerosols, crayons, and finally came to concentrates. When people began to poison bedbugs, they noticed one thing - the poison does not affect them. Everyone pointed to the ineffectiveness of the product. In fact, this situation arose for the following reason.
Bed bugs have the ability to adapt to their environment. The insect gets used to pungent odors and survives in the absence of food for 2 years. But most importantly, it can develop immunity to poisons. When a small dose of the product is ingested, the bug becomes temporarily powerless. He is unable to crawl, loses orientation in space, and slows down his development. But a small dose of the drug is not able to cause the death of a bug. Meanwhile, the bug’s body develops immunity. The poison acts like a vaccination on him. The bug continues its normal activity in the apartment, but subsequent disinfestation with a similar insecticide will not affect it at all. That's the whole solution. If bedbugs appeared en masse from your neighbors, you need to ask them what means they used to poison the bedbugs. And it's not just a matter of excessive curiosity. It would be pointless to simply use such a drug in an apartment against bedbugs.
Will quartz treatment help get rid of bedbugs?
Another interesting method of fighting bedbugs is quartz treatment. Is it effective? Yes, ultraviolet radiation can destroy these insects (more precisely, blind them forever!). However, the entire surface must be treated! For example, bedbugs infested the sofa. Then you need to completely disassemble it, remove the upholstery, turn out the bed linen or pillows. Then place quartz lamps above all this.
However, it is worth remembering that ultraviolet light only blinds the bug forever. But it doesn't kill. At the same time, the insect is able to continue to live and bite, focusing on the smell. Therefore, quartz treatment should be considered as a preventive or auxiliary means of combating such household pests.
For reference! If you just can’t cope with house bugs on your own, then be sure to seek help from professionals! Today, in almost every city there are a dozen organizations involved in the extermination of insects and pests. Specialists from such companies will save you not only from bedbugs, but also from cockroaches, ants, fleas, moths, etc.
The most popular ways to combat bedbugs
There are many methods to get rid of blood-sucking parasites on your own. Depending on the method of exposure to insects, they are divided into the following groups:
- traditional (folk);
- mechanical;
- chemical;
- calling special services.
Exterminating bedbugs in an apartment is not always easy. The owner himself decides how to remove blood-sucking insects. When choosing a method, it is worth considering the degree of infestation of the home and the financial aspect. Calling insecticide services can put a big dent in a family's budget. However, professionals will help ensure that you get rid of pests. It is advisable to call a special team if it is necessary to treat a large area of a heavily contaminated room.
In most cases, owners are able to remove parasites on their own, especially if the apartment is not heavily infested with them. After a thorough inspection of the premises, people can determine the degree of contamination and the size of the surface being treated. If you find clusters of bedbugs near sleeping areas, but do not find parasite oviposition, then the pests appeared quite recently and did not have time to spread throughout the living space. In this case, you can limit yourself to treating the sofa or bed. However, if the parasites managed to lay eggs, then the apartment is most likely completely infected.
If you want to remove bedbugs yourself using chemicals, remember that many of them are unsafe for health. If a person violates safety precautions when using insecticidal preparations, he can suffer severe poisoning. It is always necessary to follow the instructions for use and do not allow people prone to allergic reactions, as well as pregnant and lactating women, to carry out the treatment.
Fighting bedbugs at the initial stage of infestation in the house is not difficult, since many insecticidal preparations are suitable here. If parasites have infested the entire home, things are worse, since not all means are capable of destroying pest eggs. In this case, you should give preference to the most effective means.
Cold fog against bedbugs
A method called “cold fog” is especially effective against bed parasites. It is precisely what is used by many sanitary services and professional disinfectors involved in the destruction of insects.
What's the point? It's quite simple:
- When treating with cold fog, a special mobile device is used, into which an insecticide is added.
- Then this device sprays it with small particles, the size of which does not exceed 80 microns.
- As a result, droplets of poison mix with the air. A fog appears in the room (hence the name), which does not settle for a long time and does not disappear.
- It turns out that the toxic substance evenly penetrates into a variety of places.
- Despite the name “cold fog,” the insecticide is not exposed to low temperatures. In this case, the toxic substance does not heat up. Its temperature corresponds to that of the air in the room.