Bedbugs live in almost all old buildings, and in many new buildings. Many people do not notice these parasites, but bed bug bites still appear every morning. Such “attacks” are not only unpleasant, but sometimes very dangerous, especially for children and those with allergies.
It is difficult to remove bedbugs from your home. In addition, many are afraid that the remedy for these insects is dangerous and toxic. Also, people often choose the wrong treatment for bites, which is why they suffer for a long time. That is why it is important to know everything about these insects, treat bites and immediately take action if parasites appear.
What are bed bugs?
The insect is quite difficult to confuse with other domestic parasites. Bed bugs have a small flat body from 0.5 to 1 cm. Hungry bugs are light, almost red, while well-fed ones are brown.
They don't have wings like cockroaches or strong legs like fleas, so they don't fly or jump long distances. Unlike lice, they have a rounder body, and the bugs are larger in size. However, they live long enough to have time to move from one apartment to another. They do not appear in the house right away, but soon they cause a lot of trouble.
Advice! If you have been in a room where there are bedbugs, then when you come home, immediately put all your items in the wash, treat them with vinegar, boil them, or leave them in the cold. Usually, it is through clothing that bedbugs enter the house. The same must be done if a person has been in a room where someone recently got rid of lice.
The insect is quite difficult to crush due to its flat body, so it is rare to see a dead bug on furniture. Many people don't even know what bedbugs look like. But signs of their presence are noticeable - dark spots (excrement) on sofas, bedding or curtains.
The bug lives up to 1.5 years. Over a lifetime, 1 female can lay up to 500 larvae. These parasites do not have specific nests, but they can be found in large numbers in furniture, under baseboards or in drawers with clothes.
How do house bugs live?
These insects feed on human blood, but do not live directly on the human body. They usually go out “hunting” at night or in the early morning, so the people in whose housing they live often have problems sleeping.
Important! Despite the fact that parasites feed on human blood, bedbugs can also bite domestic animals, most often in the folds and armpits.
A bug can live without food for up to 10 days. After the parasite has had its fill of blood, it goes into hiding for up to 5 days. That is why, if there is no one in the apartment for about a week, when the owners return, the bedbugs begin to attack with greater force.
Insects molt, so chitinous shells can often be found in places where they accumulate, which are often mistaken for dead insects.
If bites are not treated, what are the consequences?
Bed bugs can cause a person to become infected with various serious diseases, which happens in extremely rare cases. If you do not carry out the simplest steps to cure bedbug bites, then this may be just that rare case of the appearance of an illness.
The feeling of unpleasant consequences after a bite, manifested in the form of general malaise, a severe allergic reaction, as well as pain, indicates the need for an integrated approach to solving the problem. If left untreated, a bite that causes unpleasant symptoms of pain and itching can be complicated by serious consequences such as the development of an inflammatory process, infection, and nervous disorders.
If you know in advance that bedbugs live in your apartment, you can protect yourself by spraying eau de toilette, deodorant or perfume on your skin. Bloodsuckers do not tolerate strong smells, so you can protect yourself for one night.
You won't be able to protect yourself from bedbugs by wrapping your head in a blanket, since these small parasites crawl into any cracks. In addition, they sense a person, so it will not be possible to hide from them. The only way to avoid becoming a victim of night bloodsuckers is to carry out a thorough and effective disinfestation of the entire apartment or house.
Signs that there are bedbugs in your home
- In the morning after sleep, small red spots appear on the body. They cannot be treated and they appear every day.
- An allergy has appeared, the cause of which the doctor cannot determine.
- Small dark spots are visible on fabrics, walls, and carpets.
- A characteristic smell in places where they accumulate, similar to the smell of rot. The aroma intensifies in those places where there are the most insects.
If you suspect that there are insects in the house, check for their presence in hard-to-reach places: under the bed, behind cabinets, under baseboards.
Another detection method: before going to bed, place adhesive tape on the floor near your bed. If the pest goes hunting at night, it will stick to it.
Bed bug bites
On the body of a person who spent the night in a room with bedbugs, small spots - bites - will be noticeable. There are always several of them, most often 3-5 in a row. Since they bite most often in bed, the marks are usually on the back, arms and legs. It is quite difficult to recognize them, as they look like an allergic reaction.
The bites itch, in extreme cases they hurt, and the skin in this area may swell. It is quite easy to distinguish a bedbug bite from the bite of another insect.
Bedbugs bite women and children more often, because... they have thinner skin that is easier to bite through. In children, the reaction to bites will be more pronounced, but everyone needs to treat the consequences. Any person can develop allergies due to bedbugs.
How to recognize a bedbug bite
Many people mistake traces of bedbugs on the body for allergies, mosquito bites, even chickenpox. The thing is that the skin reaction in each specific case can manifest itself individually. But some signs are still specific; it is from them that one can suspect that the damage appeared precisely from the bite of domestic bugs:
- The bite site is swollen, with a bump, and has a clear outline.
- In the center of the lump you can see a puncture, through which the pest sucked the blood of the victim.
- Bedbug bites follow a “path” of 4-6 lesions with a distance of 1-4 cm between them. The parasite goes hunting collectively, so there can be several dozen such paths.
- Bedding and underwear are stained with microscopic blood stains.
- The bite site begins to be disturbed later, after waking up. In a dream, a person does not feel that they are actively feeding from him (during a puncture of the skin, an anesthetic enzyme is released).
- Bedbugs are nocturnal hunters. Only severe hunger can drive them out to search for food during the day, which makes the parasite aggressive.
- The damaged areas begin to itch severely, a burning sensation and pain appear, and slight peeling of the epidermis may occur.
The thinner the skin, the more pronounced the reaction and the larger the lesions. On the human face and neck, the skin is thinner, and blood capillaries are also located close to the surface, so in these places the bites are especially large and painful.
Why is it important to treat a bite?
It has been scientifically proven that bedbugs are not pathogens, unlike ticks. But their saliva, which is released during a bite, can bring bad consequences to allergy sufferers, including anaphylactic shock. According to statistics, 70% of the population is allergic to bedbug bites.
Because the bites itch, they may begin to fester. Pustules appear especially often in children, as they scratch the spots and can introduce an infection there. Therefore, it is important to smear the bite sites with antiseptic agents.
House bugs are harmful to people in general. In houses where these parasites exist, residents sleep much worse due to constant attacks. Constant itching also has a negative effect on the nervous system, causing people to become more irritable (as after the appearance of lice).
Advice! It is necessary to treat the bite site, but at the same time it is important to remove the bedbugs from the room.
Folk remedies
Traditional methods of treating bedbug bites are sometimes much more effective compared to chemical medications. Traditional medicine has always been at its best, as it saved us from many diseases, including serious ones, in ancient times.
- Soda paste. The easiest way to prepare a folk remedy for treating bedbug bites is to prepare a soda paste. The recipe is simple, you just need to pour water into a container and add baking soda, stirring it lightly. The paste will be ready only when it takes on a mushy form. This mixture must be applied to areas of the skin that have been attacked by bedbugs, and then rinsed off under running water after 15-20 minutes.
- Lemon and St. John's wort. You need to prepare a decoction of St. John's wort by pouring boiling water over the dry leaves. After preparing the decoction, you need to soak a cloth in it, then drip lemon juice on top, and then apply it to insect bites on the body. This remedy is quite effective, since in addition to reducing the rash, it also speeds up the healing process.
- Chamomile extract. You can prepare a decoction of chamomile, and then apply it by applying compresses. It is possible to achieve calming of the skin, reducing symptoms of itching, as well as burning and swelling.
- Aloe juice. There are many pleasant rumors about the juice of such a popular plant as aloe. With its help, it is possible to cure diseases such as rhinitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis, etc. It is also used to treat bites of various insects, and bedbugs are also included in this list. To use it, just cut off an aloe leaf, then treat the affected area of skin with the juice, and then wrap it in a plastic bag. In just one night you will be able to relieve inflammation, swelling and redness of the skin.
Freshly squeezed aloe juice will help eliminate itching and swelling after a bug bite
Any treatment method has its advantages and disadvantages, but which one to use in your case depends only on you. You can consult a doctor, but often no one does this until you feel worse. By trying several methods that are acceptable to you, you can be convinced of the effectiveness of a particular drug or product.
This is important to know: facts about bedbugs that you did not know (video)
Treatment for parasite bites
It is important not only to minimize itching and redness, but also to use antiseptics to avoid infection. If traces of bedbugs are found on the body, then measures must be taken immediately:
For some people, bedbug bites can cause serious consequences: inflammation, fever, chills. In such cases, simply smearing the bite site will not be effective, and it is important to consult a doctor so that he can prescribe the correct treatment. Also, for allergy sufferers, it would be a good idea to take antihistamines to avoid serious reactions.
For severe itching, allergies or prolonged redness, it is recommended to use Menovazin solution or Afloderm ointment. The products are sold in pharmacies and are inexpensive; you need to smear them several times a day. They also help against bites of other insects: mosquitoes, ticks, horseflies. If Menovazin does not help with an allergic reaction, then you need to take an antihistamine in tablets and consult a doctor to prescribe comprehensive treatment.
Advice! To treat this type of inflammation, it is better to choose an ointment rather than a cream: the latter is absorbed too quickly. The bite site should be treated immediately after detection.
Treatment
After a bedbug attack, an allergic reaction occurs that should be properly treated. After detecting specific traces, you need to begin treating the skin. It should be said that there is no separate course of treatment. Mainly used against parasites:
- ointments;
- lotions;
- medications prescribed by a doctor.
A simple bite on the body goes away within 12 hours. If an allergy occurs, treatment will take several days. The main methods of treatment are focused on getting rid of redness and irritation. The main methods include treatment with medications and traditional methods.
Treatment of bites with traditional methods
If an allergy is noticeable, you should consult a doctor immediately to prevent consequences. You also need to go to the hospital if none of the remedies help for a long time.
"Psilo-balm"
This is a drug in the form of a gel, the main active ingredient of which is diphenhydramine. Many people know it as the drug “Diphenhydramine”. “Psilo-balm” also blocks histamine receptors and reduces capillary permeability. The drug has a cooling effect, reduces swelling and inflammation. Helps well against itching and pain. It is also recommended to use “Psilo-balm” in cases where crusts form at the site of the bite, as it effectively dries them out. This drug can significantly speed up the healing and disappearance of bite marks.
