You can pick up bed bugs in the office: where do they come from and how to avoid infection

Signs that there are bedbugs in the apartment

It is quite easy to understand that there are bedbugs in the house based on the following signs:

• bites on the human body (bugs do not bite animals, but can move on their fur);
• a specific smell (similar to sour raspberry jam or cognac of dubious quality);
• waste products in places where bedbugs accumulate: dead insects, dried feces the size of a poppy seed;
• small blood stains on the bed linen.

What does a bug bite mark look like?

Bedbugs constantly feed on blood.
An adult insect bites several times in order to get enough, which is why marks called “tracks” appear on the skin. At the moment of the bite, the bug injects an anesthetic under the victim’s skin, so the person does not feel discomfort. But in the morning the wound turns red, swells and begins to itch. There can be many marks on the body, because absolutely the entire population feeds on blood, and each insect feeds once every 6-10 days. In the center of the bite mark there is always a noticeable dot - a wound with a small bump in the middle. Traces of a bedbug attack cannot be confused with mosquito bites. In addition, they attack silently and all year round, and not just in the warm season.

If bedbugs bite even during the day, it means there are so many of them that the entire population simply does not have time to get enough during the night.

Does a bedbug carry infections?

It is believed that the bug does not infect the victim immediately at the moment of its bite; scientists have not been able to detect pathogens of dangerous diseases in its saliva. But they are present in the digestive tract and excrement, so the contamination of rice is still very high. Bedbugs can transmit tularemia, brucellosis, smallpox, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and anthrax to you.

To reduce the risk of infection, in the morning you need to wash off all bedbug excrement from the skin with soap and water and treat the wounds with a chlorhexidine solution. Bites can be lubricated with any anesthetic ointment: Lidocaine, Menovazine, Fenistil.

Unpleasant smell

An apartment with bedbugs has a special smell: something between sour raspberry jam and cheap cognac. Sometimes residents get used to it and don’t feel it, but experienced exterminators can determine by smell where exactly bedbugs are hiding and in what quantity.

Evidence

If you turn over the mattress of a bed or sofa and find the following traces, you need to start fighting parasites without delay:

• brown hard skins of larvae;
• larvae;
• eggs;
• chitinous skins of larvae;
• excrement;
• dead insects

Another evidence of the presence of bedbugs in the apartment are small spots of blood on the bed linen. A well-fed bug becomes clumsy and slow, and, tossing and turning in their sleep, people crush them - hence the blood stains. A hungry bug is nimble and nimble; it will not be possible to accidentally crush it also because it has a hard chitinous shell.

What are bedbugs?

Bedbugs have existed for several thousand years, and there is no indication that they will become extinct in the near future. They are tiny, wingless, almost flat, reddish-brown insects. Before feeding, their body size is 6 mm. They can be seen quite easily even without a microscope.

Doctors say that bed bugs visually resemble apple seeds. As for the bedbug larvae, they are practically invisible and resemble a small piece of pepper. However, there is no need to worry about whether you see the larva or not. If you notice adult insects, then this definitely means that there are larvae.

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Where and how do bedbugs live in an apartment?

The bug lives from 12 to 14 months. He needs to feed on blood regularly, about once every 5 to 10 days. If food becomes unavailable, the insect goes into suspended animation and lives in this state for more than a year, even at low temperatures. In search of food, insects migrate through ventilation ducts, along the outer walls of houses, and can move by settling on the fur of an animal. On their own, the imago (adult bug) travels 1 m in a minute, and the nymph (young individual) - up to 25 cm.

Adults do not tolerate sudden drops or increases in temperature. Like the larvae, at -17°C they do not live longer than a day. At temperatures from +45°C and above, adults and larvae die after 45 minutes.

Bedbug, I'm coming to look for you!

If you are convinced that parasites live in your home, find out where their colonies are concentrated. They do not have nests like ants, but they live in groups in the most comfortable places for these insects.

The “bed” bug lives next to its breadwinner. For proper nutrition, he needs the person to sleep soundly and not move. The bloodsucker only bites in open places; it does not go under pajamas or blankets. Therefore, it settles in a mattress or in the upholstery of upholstered furniture. Ectoparasites do not live in bedding because it is changed, washed and ironed.

Where to find a bedbug at night?

From 3 to 8 am the parasites go hunting.
If you turn on the light suddenly, they can be seen in the bed next to the victim. Individuals who have not yet drunk quickly retreat, and those that are well-fed will slowly crawl back into their burrows. Trying to get rid of ectoparasites by night “catching” is pointless. You will have to forget about sleep, and the insect population will recover very quickly. You won’t catch them all, because they feed once every few days, which means that someone will hide in a shelter, and the larvae, when they grow up, will replace the destroyed adults.

A third of the bedbug colony lives in the box spring, frame and slats of the bed. It's warm, dark and there's a person nearby. In addition, people rarely look under the mattress, which means it will be difficult to declassify their nest.

Where do bedbugs hide during the day?

During the day, a small population of bloodsuckers hides in the mattress. If there are a lot of bedbugs, they have to settle in new places. Most often they settle in:

• upholstered furniture;
• cracks between furniture, walls and floors;
• under baseboards;
• in curtains;
• in carpet pile;
• in the nightstand by the bed;
• in sockets;
• behind the paintings;
• under linoleum;
• behind the battery;
• in electrical appliances;
• behind a layer of peeling paint on the walls;
• between books.

These are the places where you need to strike the main blow!

Where do bedbugs like to live?

Bloodsuckers inhabit the back side of the sleeping area. If there are holes in the upholstery of a sofa or bed, it will be very convenient for insects to hide there. A foam mattress is an ideal place: it is warm, there is enough air, and the pores are comfortable for laying eggs. If not the entire population fits on the back side of the bed, some have to live in the armrests, drawers and on the sides, pushed towards the wall.

All furniture with foam layers is suitable for ectoparasites to live in: ottomans, chair-beds, pillows. In wooden furniture, they hide in cracks and joints, waiting for the night, and the females lay eggs. The larvae do not lay on metal and tiled surfaces.

Where do bedbugs come from on the sofa?

Bed bugs found in upholstered furniture are an unpleasant surprise. Moreover, most people believe that these parasites can only appear in old sofas or in sloppy owners. Bedbugs are not able to travel long distances on their own, as other insects do.

In most cases, they are brought into the apartment by the owners themselves; this can happen in several ways:

1. In things where the bloodsucker settled and laid its larvae. This often happens upon returning from business trips or vacations. Upholstered furniture can be infected by bedbugs not only in cheap hotels, but also in expensive hotels. You can get parasites in any type of transport, as they move between the luggage of various passengers.
2. Together with the furniture and the larvae that have settled in it. Insects can settle not only in used mattresses and sofas, but also in new products. This happens because many stores and factories do not follow sanitary standards during storage.
3. On clothes, because tiny bedbugs have the ability to crawl into folds of clothes and appear invisible.

Blood-sucking parasites can be carried into the house on an animal's fur. Or they themselves make their way from neighbors through a balcony or ventilation system. This may occur due to the ongoing treatment of the apartment located through the wall.

How to get rid of bedbugs in an apartment?

For the operation to be successful, you need to determine where exactly the bedbugs live. To do this, bring diluted alcohol or a decoction of tansy to the suspected places of their accumulation. Dissatisfied bloodsuckers follow the smell. The locations are indicated to the exterminator.

Traditional methods

Centuries-old practice of combating ectoparasites suggests methods such as extreme temperatures and exposure to odors.

Heat treatment

At temperatures below -15°C, bedbugs die. But the result will be achieved only if this temperature is maintained for a couple of days. Furniture, carpets and pillows with bedbugs are taken out into the cold for several days. The optimal result can be achieved if you purposefully cool the apartment for several days. This method will not work in a city apartment: due to central steam heating, the temperature will not drop to the required level.

The steam generator kills insects using high temperature. A small number of bedbug infestations can be removed using steam.

Bedbugs that hide in curtains and bedding can be removed by washing and ironing.

The disadvantage of the temperature method is that by acting on mature individuals, the larvae may not be destroyed and after some time the invasion will repeat.

Scare away with smell

Ectoparasites do not like the smells of lavender, tansy and wormwood. But it will not be possible to destroy them in this way. Herbs will certainly repel bedbugs that want to move away from the neighbors. To do this, hang tufts of grass on the adjacent wall and near the vents.

Professional disinfection

The use of chemical insecticides gives the best results. But it is important to choose the right drug and apply it to the places where bloodsuckers live. An incorrect dosage calculation can lead to human poisoning, or it will be insufficient to eliminate insects and will only build their immunity.

How to avoid bedbug infestation?

In general, you won't be able to avoid bed bugs by simply practicing basic hygiene, but it certainly helps. Due to the tendency of these insects to travel, you can make it a little more difficult for them to find a home.

There are certain precautions you can take to avoid bed bug infestations. To do this, you need to use a mattress protector to prevent insects from burrowing deeply into the mattress. You need to be very careful and take care of your clothes, especially if you use laundry services or share your clothes with other people.

It is important to periodically check your mattress and box springs for bed bugs, every time you stay overnight in a hotel or even in someone else's bed. From time to time, such a check should be carried out on your own bed.

If you find several bed bugs, it will be very difficult to get rid of them without special products that destroy these harmful insects. Doctors say they crawl at the same speed as ladybugs, so it's not their speed that should be of concern, but their ability to nest and hide.

In other words, if you see several bed bugs, then in the place where you noticed them, there are a lot of these insects. Therefore, precautions need to be taken.

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Chemical means to control bedbugs

• Aerosols are effective against bedbugs, but are dangerous for humans. You need to spray strictly on insects, wearing a respirator and a protective suit. After the procedure, wash your hands and face with soap. Popular remedies: Dichlorvos, Tetrix, Insecticide, Executioner.
• The powders kill insects within three days. The dust is destructive to adults and nymphs, but has no effect on bedbug eggs.
• Pencil crayons are not dangerous to humans, but they only repel insects and do not destroy them. Clean House, Titanic and Mashenka will make it clear to the bedbugs that they are not welcome here if they happen to drop by for a visit.

It will not be possible to eradicate a large population of ectoparasites on your own. The struggle takes time and effort, toxic substances affect people living in the apartment, and money is spent on purchasing drugs that will never give the desired result.

A pest control specialist identifies the habitats of insects, determines the size of the population and competently uses the optimal long-term exposure drugs.

Bring in the fog

Using special equipment, the exterminator creates cold and hot fog. The chemical, in the form of a cloud of steam, fills the apartment, making its way into the most secluded corners. During the spraying process, all adult bedbugs immediately die, and after disinfection, the substances act for about a month and bring death to the new generation that hatched from the moment the “fog” was sprayed.

Features of bed bugs

The insect can reproduce quickly, which means that even if one female gets into the apartment, after a short amount of time there will already be hundreds of them. The female lays no more than six eggs at a time, and no more than five hundred eggs in her life. If bedbugs appear in the apartment, then you need to start fighting them immediately so that the problem does not become a real disaster. Typically, insects settle in upholstered furniture, mattresses, beds, clothes, household appliances, reproductions, books, and so on. If there are too many insects, they move into neighboring apartments.

Common questions about bedbugs

Is it enough to throw away a sofa in which bedbugs live to get rid of them?

No. Most likely, insects have inhabited not only the sofa. Of course, if the sofa is old and riddled with bedbugs, you should throw it away, but to be sure that the insects will not sit under the baseboards or behind the closet waiting for a new sofa, it is worth treating the room.

What temperature kills bedbugs?

A temperature of +50°C almost instantly kills bedbugs at all stages of development. Adults die at temperatures below -20°C and above +45°C. The larvae die at -17°C.

Is it possible to accidentally bring a bedbug home?

Yes. Bloodsuckers may accidentally come to you along with someone else's household appliances or upholstered furniture. Since purchasing used items always carries a risk of infection with bedbugs, they should be treated with an insecticide before bringing them into the apartment.

Can bedbugs live inside an orthopedic mattress?

The size of the insect does not allow it to penetrate inside the mattress. But if the cover is torn or has holes, the bug will infest all layers of the mattress.

In what cases do bedbugs appear again after treatment?

• if the insecticide was chosen incorrectly and live insects remained in secluded places;
• if your neighbors’ apartment is infested with bedbugs and they don’t poison them;
• if the eggs were not killed, young larvae will hatch from them 5-7 days after treatment

This is why treatment against bedbugs often has to be repeated 2-3 weeks after the initial extermination.

If you need a guaranteed result, call the phone number listed on the website or fill out the feedback form. The company’s specialist will advise you on the exact cost of the service and book a specialist visit on a date and time convenient for you.

We are ready to promptly exterminate hated insects 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

How to remove bedbugs from your couch yourself

Treating the sleeping area against parasitic accumulations will have a positive effect, provided that the entire living space is simultaneously disinfected. It's a troublesome task and takes a lot of time, but it's worth it.

How to get rid of bedbugs in a sofa:

Effective disinfectants

Commercially available insecticides have a detrimental effect on the nervous system of pests. Chemical compositions suitable for home use have passed quality certification and do not pose a danger to humans.

The most effective drugs:

• Get.
• Executioner.
• Dichlorvos.
• Cucarach.
• Clean house.
• Battalion commander
• Raptor.

2-3 hours after sanitization, ventilate the room well and perform a wet general cleaning. Change the bedspread to a fresh one.