Bed bugs are ectoparasites of the blood-sucking family, which mainly feed on human blood. Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects, their bodies are flat, oval in shape.
They live near their victims, for example, in beds, mattresses, upholstered furniture, and wall crevices. Very often, these pests infest open areas: under wallpaper, behind paintings, behind mirrors, under the floor, and in carpets. The main conditions for shelter are darkness, isolation, and safety.
Bed bugs are active mostly at night. Their bites irritate the skin and can cause allergic reactions. The insect’s saliva has an analgesic effect, so a person does not feel the moment of the bite. People can have different reactions to bed bug bites. Some do not experience any reaction, while others are particularly sensitive and allergic.
Bed bugs are most often found in places where many people gather: youth hostels, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, ships, trains and airplanes. Bed bugs are found all over the world and can often be brought home from travel.
Unsuitable living conditions for bed bugs
Bed bugs, communicating with each other, secrete pheromones, thus transmitting information about egg-laying, feeding and mating sites. Bed bugs are active at a certain air temperature. When the temperature is below 16.1 °C, adult individuals fall into hibernation. They can survive for 5 days at a temperature of −10 °C. Cold is one of the ways to destroy bed bugs. At −12 °C, 95% of all bed bugs in a room die within three days. Bed bugs are very resistant to heat and dry air. It can survive at temperatures of 35-40 °C, but loses one third of its body weight. However, nymphs are less resistant to dryness than adults. The death point at high temperatures is 45 °C, at 46 °C all individuals (both adults and nymphs) die within 7 minutes.
Causes of infestation
Bed bug infestation in new places can occur in various ways. A person can transfer both adults and nymphs from bedbug-infested places with their personal belongings (clothes, bags). Furniture and other objects with bedbugs living in them can be brought into the house. In apartment buildings, bed bugs can come from a neighboring apartment using various cracks and tunnels (ventilation systems, electrical wiring ducts, the space above the suspended ceiling, etc.). Wild animals (bats and birds) can carry bed bugs, but pets such as dogs and cats do not carry bed bugs, although they may bite them. Studies have shown that one inseminated female is enough to cause a new bed bug infestation within a few weeks.
Tips for fighting bed bugs
We ensure the destruction of bed bugs. The most effective way to get rid of bed bugs is a combination of different methods. The most effective mechanical methods are vacuuming, heating and drying the area of infestation. One hour above 45 °C or two hours below −17 °C kills all bed bugs. It is recommended to heat clothes and bed linen in a clothes dryer or treat them with steam. Starving bed bugs is not an effective method, as bed bugs can survive for a very long time without eating. Bed bugs are difficult to eliminate, if the bugs have settled, it would be best to invite special pest control specialists. Sometimes it seems more profitable to buy poisons offered in the store, but they will not give the desired effect - bed bugs will hide in the seams of the bed and in the cracks along the walls and floors for the duration of the poison’s effect, and when the poison’s effect has ended, they will look for food sources with renewed vigor. Bed bugs are resistant to many poisons, so it is necessary to use professional products that are not sold in stores.
Before the specialist arrives - prepare:
remove all bed linen and immediately put them in the washing machine for washing at least 60℃.
check the bed mattress and frame, thoroughly vacuum all plugs with a vacuum cleaner. Wash the curtains. Empty the wardrobe, thoroughly inspect and clean with a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth. Wash all clothes. Clean the room – move furniture away from the walls and clean the walls and the backs of furniture. Then clean the floor, baseboards, lamps, switches. Do the same in the rest of the rooms.
When bed bugs appear in your home, it is important to act quickly and choose the most effective method for their destruction.