What can bedbugs be afraid of in an apartment?

Are bedbugs afraid of light?

It is believed that bedbugs are repelled by light. Indeed, if you wake up at night and turn on the lamp, insects try to hide behind something. This is why people think that leaving a light on all night will stop them from biting. They leave the lamp on for 1, 2, 3 days - no new bites appear. But then the bugs crawl out of their hiding places and attack with renewed vigor.

Constantly switched on light changes the habitual way of life of parasites. They are used to being active in the dark, so they wait for its onset for several days. All this time they remain hungry. When hunger becomes too severe, they have to leave their shelters to avoid dying. The result is complete adaptation of insects to light. Therefore, it is effective against them only for a short time.

Removing bedbugs using an ultraviolet lamp

Ultraviolet and quartz lamps are used in medicine to disinfect premises. They emit ultraviolet light in the frequency range that is capable of resolving the DNA of microorganisms. Such radiation is also harmful to humans. It causes dry skin and leads to premature aging. High-intensity light can cause retinal burns.

If ultraviolet radiation is harmful even to humans, are bedbugs afraid of ultraviolet lamps? Yes, their eyes are very sensitive to light, which can blind them. But vision is secondary for parasites. They spend most of their time in the dark and navigate only by smell. Therefore, briefly turning on an ultraviolet or quartz lamp will not bring the desired effect.

In order for ultraviolet light to kill a bug, it must be exposed to light for 4–5 days. Then the light will cause dehydration and death of the insect. You can’t keep the lamp on for that long at home. A person will receive more harm from it than from the bite of a bed parasite.

Bright light

Bed bugs are afraid of light. These are strictly nocturnal insects, the peak of activity of which occurs between 3-7 am. A suddenly turned on light in the room or a raised mattress makes them run away in panic.

True, it is difficult to use this fear of insects in practice: if they find a safe dark place behind the baseboards, it will be very difficult to scare them with light.

House bugs are nocturnal parasites, so they are afraid of sunlight. Insects like to make their nests in dark, secluded corners of the room. If a person manages to discover a habitat, for example, lift a mattress or move a picture from the wall, the parasites begin to scatter in panic in search of new secluded and darkened places.

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Do smells repel bedbugs?

Couch bloodsuckers have a developed sense of smell. They smell a person at a distance of up to 3 meters, and carbon dioxide released during breathing - at a distance of up to 30 m. Therefore, it is believed that treating the home with strong-smelling compounds helps repel bedbugs. Is it so?

Vinegar

Vinegar has a pungent odor. Therefore, it can act as a repellent, but not longer than 6 hours. It should be borne in mind that acetic acid is often diluted with water before use to obtain a solution with a weak concentration. In this form, it will not be able to spoil the furniture and decoration. But then the smell will disappear in half an hour.

To get the desired effect, you will have to treat the apartment with vinegar essence. But concentrated acid not only damages property, its fumes cause burns to the mucous membranes of the eyes and respiratory tract. Therefore, using vinegar against bedbugs is either useless or dangerous.

Tar

It is a resinous product that is obtained by dry distillation of wood. It contains resins, phenol, toluene, cresol, benzene, toluene and other substances. They have a strong odor that penetrates into materials. It is impossible to remove it later, but it can take months to disappear on its own.

Despite the strong smell, tar does not work any better than vinegar. During the first days, parasites can remain in shelters. But when hunger becomes stronger than fear, they will still crawl out and get your blood. But your apartment will smell for a long time.

Bleaching

Bleach is used to bleach fabrics and disinfect premises. It smells strongly and causes a burn upon contact with the outer shells. That's why bedbugs are afraid of her. To remove them from the apartment, you need to wash the floors and other surfaces with water and bleach. To prevent burns, you should work with gloves.

You can also use bleach to control bedbugs. It needs to be scattered in all corners, crevices, and secluded places. It will disrupt the integrity of the bug's shell and lead to the death of the parasite. The price of such a victory is the unbearable smell of chlorine, which can cause poisoning and pulmonary edema.

Attention! Bed bugs are afraid of bleach. But it cannot be used in large quantities at home, because it is no less toxic to humans than to insects.

Flammable substances

If bed bugs appear in a house, people advise treating it with gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene. The point here is not so much the smell, but the resinous consistency of the liquid fuel. It clogs the sensilla - the respiratory organs on the surface of the bug's body, through which oxygen enters (insects do not have a nose). As a result, the parasites suffocate.

To get rid of bedbugs using gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel, you need to thoroughly treat all surfaces and crevices in which bloodsuckers can hide. Then they will inevitably touch the fuel while leaving the shelters. The problem is that flammable vapors are highly toxic to humans. Another danger lies in creating a fire hazard - the house can burst into flames from the slightest spark.

Essential oils

It is believed that the use of essential oil is effective against bedbugs. Presumably they are afraid of essential oil:

• nettle;
• rosemary;
• chamomile;
• carnations;
• lavender;
• peppermint;
• tea tree.

Using essential oils in their pure form is dangerous for humans and is ineffective in the fight against bedbugs. In order for them to smell the smell, you need to force the ether to actively evaporate. This can be done by diluting a few drops of oil in vodka. The alcohol contained in it is highly volatile and promotes better evaporation of substances dissolved in it.

You can make your own repellent using essential oils. This is the name of the odorous product that bed bugs are afraid of. To prepare it you will need:

• 60 ml water;
• 30 ml vodka;
• 10 drops of peppermint and lemon (grapefruit) essential oil;
• 8 drops of lavender essential oil;
• 5 drops of geranium oil;
• 3 drops of rosemary, cypress and vanilla oils (can be replaced with patchouli and myrtle oils).

All components must be mixed until smooth and placed in a spray bottle. Homemade repellent should be used daily on living rooms and furniture. The advantages of this product are safety for humans and a pleasant aroma at home. The disadvantages include the low efficiency of the method. Over time, bedbugs will get used to the smell, and it will no longer repel pests.

Attention! Many essential oils are contained in the peel of citrus fruits. You can place them under the sofa, behind the bed, near cracks and other hiding places.

Plants with a pungent odor

Scented plants act like essential oils. Bed bugs do not like the pungent smell of plants such as:

• tansy;
• sagebrush;
• marigold;
• chamomile;
• calamus (root);
• mustard (seeds).

There are several ways to use herbs in the fight against bedbugs. You can lay out sprigs of tansy or wormwood on the floor, put them in a closet with linen, or tuck them into the folds of upholstered furniture. But when they dry, the aroma from them will decrease. It is difficult to pull out branches intact from secluded places - they become fragile, causing them to break and leave behind debris.

Another way to use herbs against house bugs is to prepare decoctions. For 1 liter of water you will need 20–30 g of dry grass, inflorescences, roots or seeds. They are placed in a pan and filled with water, placed on the stove. The herb and inflorescences should be boiled over low heat for 5 minutes, seeds - 10 minutes, roots - at least 20 minutes. Then the broth is cooled, filtered and used as a repellent.

Preparing a repellent based on herbal decoction takes a lot of time. But the method is not highly effective. Another disadvantage is that herbal infusions leave stains that are difficult to wash off on fabrics.

Seasonings

It is popularly believed that bedbugs do not like the smell of bay leaves, vanillin, rosemary and cloves. We have already concluded above that “aromatherapy” in the fight against bedbugs is ineffective, and it gives only temporary results. Therefore, seasonings should be used only in combination with other, more effective methods. They can be placed around the house in whole branches or sprayed with the prepared decoction.

Solvents

Acetone and turpentine also have a strong odor. However, bed bugs are afraid not of the smell of solvents, but of contact with them. They corrode the shells of insects, which leads to their rapid death. Despite the ability to exterminate parasites, the use of acetone and turpentine at home is undesirable because:

• solvents are toxic to humans;
• they dissolve paintwork;
• spoil fabrics and other materials;
• They leave behind a persistent unpleasant odor that does not disappear for a long time.

Tar or laundry soap

You can try to repel bedbugs with a soapy smell. Laundry or tar soap are more suitable for this purpose. They leave lingering odors even after drying. For humans they are harmless and quite tolerable. Another advantage of the method is that the soap film that envelops the bug interferes with its breathing. This can lead to the death of insects. But in order to treat parasites with a soap solution, you will first have to find their nesting sites.

Medicines

Among the medicines used in the fight against bedbugs, ammonia and Vietnamese balm “Zvezdochka” are used. Ammonia quickly dissipates, but the balm not only has a persistent odor, but also irritates the body of the bug upon contact. After all, it represents a high concentration of essential oils. But for processing at home you will need as much balm as you will not find in any pharmacy.

A solution of boric acid is also sometimes used in fighting. It doesn't actually harm bedbugs. They are not afraid even of its smell. The product is mistakenly used against bed bugs because it is effective against cockroaches. But the latter die from ingesting acid, while bedbugs feed only on blood.

Preventive measures against bedbugs

Prevention of the appearance of such bloodsuckers in premises is often very effective, so it should not be neglected. The following measures are considered the most effective.

1. Wet cleaning of residential premises with certain hygiene products. You should also regularly shake out rugs and carpets, carefully sweep away debris and dust from corners, and pay attention to bed linen as often as possible.
2. In case of obvious bedbug infestations, such measures as cosmetic repairs are also recommended. All existing cracks should be filled with sealant, and in the case of parquet floors, as in the presence of baseboards, be sure to open and inspect for the presence of parasites.
3. When moving to a new place of residence, be sure to disinfect the apartment using insecticides. It is also worth inspecting furniture when purchasing - both new and second-hand.

Finally, it is worth dispelling certain folk myths, because quite often there are real legends about harmful bedbugs.

On the effectiveness of electronic repellers

In recent years, electronic repellers against all pests have gained wide popularity. They are really effective against rodents, moles, birds and even mosquitoes. But in the case of bedbugs, the devices are useless. Bed bloodsuckers are not afraid of ultrasound, electromagnetic or other radiation, because they do not have sensory organs capable of perceiving it.

Chemicals for repelling and exterminating bedbugs

There is a fairly extensive list of chemicals that can help drive bedbugs out of your home or completely destroy them.

The method of combating them using chemicals that emit a strong odor is based on the intolerance of bedbugs to strong odors of various substances. Chemicals can be used as insect repellents. Among them are:

• table vinegar;
• kerosene;
• acetone;
• ammonia;
• turpentine;
• denatured alcohol;
• creosote;
• bleach.

For the use of the above products, one rule applies: only a rich, strong odor will have a negative effect on parasitic organisms. Therefore, treatment with odorous chemicals must be carried out regularly. It is also important to add that these substances are not capable of killing insects. They can only create unbearable conditions for their livelihoods, as a result of which they will simply leave the treated premises.

Is it possible to drive away bedbugs by starving them?

Bedbugs need food 2 to 7 times a week. Therefore, some people think that leaving home for 1–2 weeks is enough for the insects to die of starvation. This raises the question: are bedbugs afraid of the lack of a nearby food source?

If the search for food is unsuccessful, the insects fall into torpor. They can live in this state for several months. If, having “awakened” they do not get blood again, death is assured. But how many families are willing to leave home for many months?

Are house bugs afraid of cockroaches?

Not everyone can answer the question: can bedbugs and cockroaches live together in the same room? People who believe that these creatures cannot live together are mistaken. History knows many cases when these insects lived happily together.

For cockroaches to exist, they need three important things: moisture, food and warmth. Longhorn beetles find all these conditions in the kitchen, settling in cracks and crevices. They get along easily with bedbugs because their diets and habitats do not match. Cockroaches live in the kitchen and eat leftover food, while bed parasites live in bedrooms and feed only on the blood of humans or animals.

It has been established that with a meager diet, cockroaches are able to eat bedbug eggs. However, this happens very rarely, which allows both groups of pests to coexist peacefully, successfully reproducing and, at the same time, complicating the lives of apartment owners.

Are bedbugs afraid of pesticides?

Yes, bed bugs are very afraid of pesticides. But they do not cause fear in them, so they do not have repellent properties. However, upon contact with the insect's body, drugs called insecticides lead to their destruction. Here are the means that can be used to treat residential premises:

• aerosols (Dichlorvos, Combat);
• suspensions (Xulate Micro, Get Total);
• liquid chemistry (Executioner, Karbafos).

The advantage of using insecticides is the high efficiency of treatment. But it must be carried out twice with an interval of 10 days in order to destroy the larvae that have hatched from the eggs by this time, but have not yet reached puberty. Another disadvantage of the chemical is that over time, bedbugs develop resistance to it. Its development can be eliminated only by major treatment of premises, which is carried out by specialized organizations using the hot fog method.

Attention! Insecticides are toxic to humans and animals. Therefore, after using them, you need to leave the apartment with your pets for several hours.

Debunking myths: what bedbugs are not afraid of

In contrast to the means that are truly terrible for bedbugs, there are also things that are widely considered to repel bedbugs, but which parasites actually treat with complete indifference.

These include:

• ultrasound - as special studies have shown, high-frequency sounds have no effect on the behavior of bedbugs
• water with salt or soda, which folk craftsmen recommend for wet cleaning, does not frighten parasites at all
• magnetic resonance field. It was this that the creators of ultrasonic emitters switched to when more and more users began to become convinced of the uselessness of the latter. The magnetic field affects bedbugs in the same way as it affects people: in order to expel them from the house with the help of an emitter, you need such powerful radiation that even a person cannot withstand.

And of course, various conspiracies, prayers, sayings and jokes, which are still used in especially deep provinces, will be completely useless in the fight against bed bugs. As long as they try to fight parasites in such obviously senseless ways, they will flourish and delight people with their proximity and limitless appetite.

Fight insects correctly!

Are bedbugs afraid of high and low temperatures?

Bedbugs need a stable temperature. When it drops to +9 oC, they stop reproducing, and when it drops to negative temperatures, the parasites fall into torpor. Therefore, there is no need to freeze in an unheated apartment in winter - the bloodsuckers will wait until the warmth returns. But you can destroy them with high temperatures. Depending on its size, the death of insects can occur instantly or after some time (see table).

At home, you can treat cracks and other secluded places with a clothing steamer. If it is missing, replace the device with an iron. As a last resort, use a hair dryer turned on at maximum power. However, hot air is less efficient than steam. Therefore, you need to treat furniture more carefully with a hairdryer.

Attention! SES employees treat the premises with hot fog, which is a concentrated solution of insecticides. It also ensures instant death of bed bugs.

Industrial products

Chlorpyrifos

Chlorine, as a toxic substance, is used by industry to produce insecticides. The most famous of them is Chlorpyrifos, which is included as a constituent element in most common insecticides.

Effectively acts on adults, nymphs and eggs of bedbugs.

In its chemically pure form it is white crystals, soluble in warm water. The product for killing domestic insects Chlorpyrifos is a white emulsion containing more than 47% of a toxic substance, a fragrance to eliminate odor and stabilizers to preserve the structure of the substance. Due to high toxicity and effects on fetal development in pregnant women, it has been banned in the United States since 2000.

The product is used by professional pest controllers and in agriculture for preventive pest control. Treatment of premises is carried out by spraying the product onto contaminated surfaces and in areas of colonies. Requires the use of personal protective equipment when working.

Advantages of the product compared to other insecticides of similar action:

The disadvantages of Chlorpyrifos include:

To guarantee the destruction of bedbugs, the premises must be re-treated over the next 14 days. Surfaces that people will touch should be washed with soap and soda solution.

Chlorpyrimark

The drug Chlorpyrimark is used to kill domestic insects and is an analogue of Chlorpyrifos. Contains it as the main active ingredient in an amount of up to 50% of the composition. Externally it is a thick, straw-colored emulsion with a pungent odor. It is a means of professional disinfection due to its high level of toxicity.

The delayed action period is 45 days and has a strong toxic effect on all domestic insects and their eggs. For each type of insect, the emulsion is diluted with water to a different concentration (for bedbugs - 0.24%).

Sychlor

Chlorpyrifos is used as a component in the insecticide Sichlor, the purpose of which is to kill bedbugs and other parasitic domestic insects. The product is approved for use in apartments and residential premises and belongs to hazard class 4.

Visually, Sichlor is a drug with a pungent odor, in the form of an emulsion, the constituent substances are Cypermethrin (10%) and Chlorpyrifos (20%). Affects the nervous system of insects, paralyzing the transmission of impulses.

The delayed action period is up to 45 days, this allows you to destroy the larvae that have hatched from the eggs. For work, use a fresh solution of the required concentration (0.5 ml of Sichlor 100 g of water), which is used to spray the nests of bedbugs.

After disinfestation, surfaces that people will touch are washed with soap and soda solution (door handles, table surfaces, etc.). Manufacturers of Sichlor guarantee the total destruction of bedbug colonies within 10 days after treatment. If the infection is severe, the premises will need to be re-treated within 10-15 days.

What exactly are bedbugs afraid of?

Here are the means and methods that will definitely harm bedbugs:

• boiling water;
• hot fog;
• use of insecticides.

To combat bedbugs, diatomite is also used - this is a rock consisting of the shells of diatoms. It is ground into powder, the particles of which have abrasive properties. When they land on the bedbug’s body, the waxy coating of the carapace is damaged. The damage increases the evaporation of moisture, which leads to the death of the parasite from dehydration.

ECOKILLER - what is it and how to use it correctly

ECOKILLER is a natural insecticide based on diatomite. It is sold in bottles with a long and narrow dispenser tube. With its help, you can pour the powder into all places where bedbugs can hide: behind the baseboard, sofa, bed mattress and small crevices. After a day, the house needs to be wet cleaned. If parasites are detected, the procedure is repeated.

How does Ecokiller work?

Here are the advantages of ECOKILLER:

• The product has no odor.
• Diatomite is not addictive to insects.
• The powder is safe for humans and animals. It is often used to produce dietary supplements and vitamin-mineral complexes.
• The product is used sparingly. For processing an apartment of 50 square meters. one bottle of 500 ml is enough. You can order it here.

The fight against bedbugs requires urgent measures. Parasites can be removed using different methods. But those products that harm bedbugs are also dangerous for humans. Therefore, they cannot be used in a home with children. In this case, it is better to use an alternative and no less effective method, which is to treat the home with diatomaceous earth powder. After contact with it, bedbugs will die within 7–9 days.

Order a safe bedbug repellent

How do bed bugs get into the house?

For what reason do bedbugs get into your house? The answer is quite simple, there you are, their power source.

Previously, it was common to think that bedbugs bite dirty poor people, tramps, as they were called. People assumed that bedbugs only lived among dirt. They said that well-off people could not get into a clean apartment. Today we know that this opinion is wrong. These parasites can settle anywhere and on anyone. This is due to the possible ways of their spread through homes.

Here are the ways bedbugs can enter your home:

• from rural animals, if you are the owner of a private house, and there is agriculture next to it (your neighbor’s chickens), then bedbugs from there can migrate to you;
• from neighbors, if you live in an apartment building, then these parasites can come to you from your neighbor’s apartment;
• from new upholstered furniture, this factor is very offensive, but sometimes insects also live in showrooms where they sell furniture. If you do not purchase new furniture, you also have a chance of infecting your home with bedbugs;
• from a taxi, if the seats in the taxi are infected with bedbugs, then on your clothes they can migrate to your house;
• from not new clothes, if you buy clothes infested with bedbugs at a second-hand store, they will later infect your home;
• from a hotel, bedbugs can also live in hotel beds, which you can transport to your home with your clothes;
• when buying any old vintage items, these could be books, furniture and other antiques.

Second-hand clothing may contain bedbug eggs

Where to look for parasites in the house and what are they afraid of?

These insects prefer warm and dark habitats; they need silence and complete darkness for comfort. For the same reason, during daylight hours they are not visible in the apartment, they carefully hide, and they go out to “hunt” at night.

Most often, bedbugs choose mattresses, pillows and sofas as places to live. Thus, they are closest to you at the time of your sleep, and in case of danger, they can quickly hide in their shelter.

They can also be found:

• behind the baseboards;
• under the wallpaper;
• in books;
• in door cracks;
• in wardrobes;
• framed behind a photograph or painting;
• in household appliances;
• even in rarely used children's toys.

Bedbugs love to live behind baseboards

Masks, vodka, ultraviolet

Why do you need to keep a distance of 1.5 meters from other people and wash your hands more often?

Alexander Gorelov: Research has been conducted on the stability of the new coronavirus in the external environment. Outside the human body, it remains active for an average of 5-6 hours, under favorable conditions (optimal temperature, humidity) - a maximum of two days. The smallest drops of saliva and mucus that a person secretes when talking, coughing, or sneezing scatter from him, creating an invisible aerosol infected cloud. Hence this recommendation - to maintain a distance of at least 1.5 meters from each other, and preferably more. This is necessary to prevent infection by airborne droplets.

But this infectious aerosol gradually settles on all surfaces, all surrounding objects. Therefore, the second common route of infection is contact. How long the virus lives on the surface of objects depends on the material. Less on smooth polished surfaces, such as metal. On porous ones - cardboard, paper - a little longer.

How to disinfect objects? Is it necessary, for example, to disinfect food packages brought from the store?

Alexander Gorelov: Key point: the virus is not very persistent, it is sensitive to almost all disinfectants. You can use alcohol-containing, chlorine-containing solutions - wipe the surface of the object with them, let it dry - and you can safely use it. Hydrogen peroxide acts on the virus. And even an ordinary soap solution is quite enough to disinfect both hands and surfaces.

Much has been said about the fact that a 70% alcohol solution kills the virus. But vodka doesn’t “take it” anymore?

Alexander Gorelov : Treatment with vodka is quite enough. Standard antiseptics used in medical institutions act not only against the virus, but also against other more resistant pathogens. Ultraviolet radiation, by the way, is also detrimental to coronavirus. You just need to use closed-type lamps so as not to burn the cornea of ​​your eyes.

At what temperature does the virus die? Is it necessary, for example, to boil dishes, forks and spoons now?

Alexander Gorelov: It is enough to wash them with hot water at a temperature of about 40 degrees. The factor of mechanical cleansing is very important here.

Does this mean that the advice to disinfect outer clothing almost every day when returning from the street, and to wash the house with antiseptics several times a day is an excessive measure?

Alexander Gorelov: Absolutely. Of course, if we assume that someone was sneezing and coughing right next to you, it makes sense not to drag outer clothing into the house, but to leave it, for example, in the sun for several hours. But in general - yes, if there are no sick people near you, there is no point in constantly cleaning and disinfecting everything. It is enough to ventilate the apartment and do wet cleaning as usual every day.

What else do you recommend doing when returning from the street, besides washing your hands? Even though we have a self-isolation regime, we still have to go to the pharmacy, the store, and some people still have to go to work.

Alexander Gorelov: I have already said that in the fight against the virus, the factor of mechanical cleansing is important. It's not just hand washing. When you return home, it’s good to do a nasal shower—in other words, rinse your nose with water.

The virus does not immediately penetrate the mucous membrane, therefore, when rinsing the nose, we simply remove it along with the mucus. It is best to rinse with an isotonic solution of sea or regular salt. You can use ready-made sprays - they are sold at the pharmacy. This recommendation as a preventive measure for all respiratory infections was developed a long time ago and is quite effective. In some situations, nasal douche, if practiced regularly, is similar in protection to vaccination. There is no vaccine for coronavirus yet. But rinsing your nose after possible contact with the virus is quite accessible to us.

How to rinse?

Alexander Gorelov: If you use a spray, it’s quite simple. We irrigate the nose generously so that the water flows into the nasopharynx - and spit it out. You can pour the saline solution into both nostrils one by one from a kettle or syringe. Yogis simply sniff water from a handful. It's not at all difficult to learn.

Again the question of wearing masks. There is a lot of conflicting advice. Rospotrebnadzor recently softened the recommendations, saying that healthy people do not need to wear them on the street. Which is correct?

Alexander Gorelov: Masks are absolutely necessary for doctors, since they have a high viral load, because they come into contact with a large number of infected people. But these are different masks, with a high degree of protection. If we talk about a normal situation, you need to wear a mask at home only if you are caring for a patient with signs of ARVI. You can't know what kind of infection he has.

The best way to avoid infection is to stay at least 1.5-2 meters away from other people. Photo: EPA

And on the street, masks are not needed at all. It is impossible to obtain a high concentration of the virus outdoors.

But if you go into an enclosed space with a large number of people - in the subway, store, etc. - then, yes, you need to wear a mask. We are talking about droplet infection - here, although a mask will not provide 100% protection, it will help reduce the risk of infection.

Just wear the mask correctly: it should fit snugly to your face, covering your nose and mouth (for some reason, many people only cover their mouth). And if you’ve already put it on, then when you take it off, don’t put it on again. In general, an ordinary medical mask lasts no more than 1-2 hours. Then it needs to be changed, and the used one must be disposed of.

Another tip: wear gloves outside or open doors not with bare hands, but using disposable napkins. This is right?

Alexander Gorelov: Well, they say that there is a shortage of toilet paper because they also started using it for that. There is nothing bad or wrong about this if you immediately throw away such a napkin. And if you forget and put it in your pocket, then all previous precautions become meaningless. I would still recommend, first of all, to simply wash your hands more often and observe antiviral etiquette: do not hug, do not kiss when meeting, put off shaking hands for a while.

Should you hide your hair under a hat? In China, nurses cut their hair short to reduce the risk of infection.

Alexander Gorelov: It is believed that viruses are adsorbed on hair. Working in infectious diseases departments, doctors always wore caps and hid their hair. Nowadays it is fashionable to wear a beard. But again, you need to understand the conditions in which you find yourself. It’s one thing in the infectious diseases department. It's completely different on the street.

It's spring now, the weather is good. If it’s warm outside and you’re not afraid of catching a cold, it’s better to walk in the sun without a hat - ultraviolet light is only beneficial.

The question that worries everyone. How contagious a person remains after recovery if he had symptoms of the disease. And how can you understand that it is not contagious if the disease was completely mild, with virtually no symptoms?

Alexander Gorelov: This is the most painful question. Because there is still no exact answer to it - there are no clear research results. Therefore, all recommendations have a certain degree of tolerance.

For example, now in Moscow we allow people with mild or even moderate severity of the disease to stay and be treated at home. Exit from quarantine is possible only when two tests in a row, done one day apart, show a negative result. As for the asymptomatic course of the disease, people who have been in contact with the sick person, even if they do not have signs of the disease, are also subject to repeated tests. If the results are negative, that’s it, you’re free. If positive, the person, even if he feels absolutely normal, is sent to quarantine.