The extreme rate of reproduction of bedbugs is the main difficulty that a bedbug fighter will have to face. Typically, only adult individuals die during treatment, while the offspring, protected by the chitinous shell of the eggs, remain viable. So it turns out that treating the room only solves the problem halfway, because after a short time new insects will emerge from the eggs, thirsty for blood. Before understanding the main question of the article, “how to destroy bedbug eggs,” let’s take a closer look at what bedbug eggs look like and where to look for them.
Where could they be
To destroy bedbugs, you need to know where their nests may be. You can get rid of these insects only if you simultaneously treat all their habitats - nests. If at least one living individual remains (a female at any stage of development), everything will have to be repeated. And they are so tenacious that they will definitely remain. Until now, they have not found a remedy that would kill all the bedbugs at once.
For the fight against bedbugs to be effective, you need to know where they can hide.
Bed bugs usually make nests near the feeding area - 2-3 meters from the bed. In this area, they can live in any crack, recess, or hole that is larger than 0.5 mm in size. Here's where to look:
- Under and in mattresses.
- In the bed frame.
- In bedside tables, chairs, armchairs, cabinets.
- On the back of carpets and rugs.
- Behind the baseboard.
- In sockets, switches, electrical appliances, in electrical wiring channels.
- Behind the peeling wallpaper.
- In the cracks between the floor/ceiling and the wall.
- In the cavities of frames and frames of paintings and photographs.
- Under floor coverings and in floor crevices.
- In the recesses of the wall.
- In clothes.
This is what bedbug bites look like.
Actually, all places where it is dry and warm at a distance of a couple of meters from the bed can be breeding grounds for bedbugs. Here's an example: if the plaster is behind, then they will be behind it. Or under the laminate. Or under linoleum. In any cavity.
Inspection Process: Example
When fighting bedbugs, you need to thoroughly inspect all possible places of their nests. For example, in furniture, inspect the bottom and legs. Remove the back wall if possible. Be sure to pull out drawers and shelves. Inspect all joints of furniture parts, under fastening and mounting plates, in recesses for fasteners. Even remove the handles and check for bedbugs.
If you want to find all bedbug nests, remove all parts that you can
This is how meticulously and scrupulously everything needs to be checked. Otherwise, even the best remedy will not help. When processing, go through even those places where theoretically there should not be bedbugs. They are found in strange and remote places. And if one survives, then after a while there will be a hundred again, and then a thousand.
Powders
One of the oldest bedbug poisons. Powders have been used since the century before last (with varying success). They are based on dry active substances that affect adult insects and larvae .
Among modern brands, the following are especially famous: Klopoveron, Fas, Phenaxin, Neopin, Riapan.
The advantages of dusts against bedbugs include::
- availability;
- durability of action after a single application.
Bedbug powder does not affect bedbug eggs , but is effective against adult insects and larvae.
How to poison bedbugs
Even though bedbugs settle near the bed, the entire apartment must be treated at once. If you treat only one room, the insects can “wait it out” in other rooms.
In addition to all the possible places listed above, ventilation ducts must also be treated. And not only with “poison”, but also with barrier means. They will prevent bedbugs from other apartments from migrating to yours. The well-known Mashenka chalk works well as a barrier. It can also be applied under baseboards and in cable ducts. Just don't forget to update it.
To prevent them from getting back into furniture that has been cleared of bedbugs, use Mashenka chalk.
To prevent disinfected pieces of furniture from becoming infected with bedbugs again, coat everything you can with the same “Masha.” If it is cabinet furniture, all the shelves around the perimeter, behind the cabinet before putting the back wall in place. Upholstered furniture has places for attaching legs and a couple of rings on the legs themselves. You can “draw” closer to the body so that it is less noticeable.
How to deal with bedbugs: repeat over and over again
If the degree of bedbug infestation in an apartment is very high, any single treatment will be ineffective. They may disappear for a day or two, then appear again. You will have to poison again and again, trying to reduce the number of insects. With the right amount of persistence, you can still win. But such a fight against bedbugs takes many months. And during all this time, treatment must be carried out at least once a week.
If the apartment has a high degree of bedbug infestation, there may be dozens of similar nests
This is what many stories look like: poisoned many, many times and as a result the bedbugs disappeared. The means used are very different. It is only important that during treatment the bedbugs actually die and that you find their shells every day. In this case, after several months of regular use of one of the products (as practice shows, any that kills bedbugs), you will defeat the bloodsuckers.
How to get rid of bedbugs faster: make repairs and poison them
A faster option is to combine repairs and measures to eliminate bedbugs. For maximum results, you need to take out all the furniture, remove the wallpaper, remove the floor covering, suspended or suspended ceiling, if any. During this work, bedbug nests are exposed and must be destroyed. Therefore, stock up on insecticides in the form of sprays or powders, which are best first tested on the “control group”.
Look where there may be bedbugs in the apartment. Only repairs will allow you to reach all possible places
After everything has been taken out and removed, all cracks, depressions and cavities must be sealed. Anywhere nests can appear again. It is also necessary to inspect the ventilation shafts. Then treat all rooms a couple of times with the selected product or method. For insurance, you can re-process or combine techniques.
Only after you have not observed bedbugs for a week (preferably two weeks) can you complete the repairs and bring in the treated furniture (or better yet, buy new).
How to sleep without getting bitten in bedbug-infested rooms
Not everyone has the opportunity to spend the night outside the home while the fight is underway in their home. How can you sleep without being bitten? You need to place a disinfected bed on high legs in the middle of the room. Cover the legs with Velcro for flies.
Fly velcro on the legs and ceiling will help you sleep without being bitten
Make a couple of rectangles on the ceiling from the same Velcro. The smallest one should be the size of the bed. The other two are 5 cm wider/longer. That's all. You can go to bed. If this does not seem sufficient, apply Velcro to the floor as well. But it will have to be updated every evening.
Bedbugs will crawl along the legs of the bed and stick there. They will try to “drop” from the ceiling. But they will stick there too. Just update your traps periodically. Until you get rid of bedbugs completely.
Liquid insecticides
This category includes popular brands : Karbofos, Forsythe, Executioner, Fufanon, Tetrix, Get, Tsifoks, Cucaracha and others. Most liquid products have a strong, characteristic odor.
Among the advantages of liquids :
- affordable price;
- high degree of penetration;
- suitable for processing different surfaces;
- do not require frequent updates;
- able to cope with large colonies of insects;
- affects adult bedbugs, larvae and eggs.
For convenience, liquid insecticides are poured into a spray bottle. Places where bedbugs accumulate are treated: upholstered furniture, bed frames, bedside tables, carpets .
It is also necessary to spray places where insects can enter: door frames and thresholds, ventilation grilles, window frames outside and inside .
It is important to protect the respiratory tract and wear rubber gloves when working.
Ways to combat bedbugs
There are several effective methods for getting rid of bedbugs in an apartment or house. The most common is to treat it with chemicals. But chemicals often cause allergies, and they take a lot of time. Not a single available chemical can kill bedbugs in one go. The fact is that few substances act equally effectively on adult bedbugs and their larvae.
It is far from so easy to destroy all bedbugs if their number already amounts to hundreds
Let's say you poisoned adult bedbugs. After 2 weeks, the freshly laid larvae hatch into nymphs—teenage bugs. Under unfavorable conditions, they may appear after 6-7 weeks. Therefore, you have to repeat treatments once a week, at least for a month. Or better yet, within two months.
Another option is to steam everything you can. Bedbugs can only withstand heating up to +50°C for an hour. At higher temperatures they die immediately. The steam generator produces a stream of steam at a temperature of about 80°C. Clothes and linen can be washed at high temperatures. Everything else can be processed with a powerful steam generator. This method is good because the temperature kills bedbugs of any “degree of maturity.” You just need to get all the nests and individuals. To be sure, it is advisable to take the ferry a couple of times at intervals of several days.
Steam will help where chemicals cannot reach - in the deep layers of upholstered furniture
Freezing also works, but this method is suitable for things and furniture. Because bedbugs can withstand -10°C for several days. At -20°C they survive for more than 24 hours; at even lower temperatures they die within a few hours. You will not freeze a house or apartment so much that the walls, floor and ceiling have a deep sub-zero temperature. And there may be a lot of them there. Even if you can open the windows/doors of a private house and leave for a week, during this time the pipes/radiators will burst and the equipment will freeze out. But the furniture can be exposed to frost for several days. And for several weeks.
Without chemicals, you can fight bedbugs using frost
Squeezing and beating bedbugs is a futile idea. Adult individuals have a shell adapted to this, but larvae and young individuals are only smeared.
Development and life cycle
The development of bed bugs occurs according to a certain algorithm. The eggs are laid by females. One female can lay 10 eggs per day. From egg to adult, insects develop as follows:
- Egg stage. It takes 3-4 days after laying until the larva hatches. The speed at which the parasite appears is influenced by external factors. Sometimes development takes more than 10 days. If the room is cool, the pests hatch more slowly.
- Larval stage. The structure of the larvae is almost the same as that of adults. The difference is in size. The larva goes through 5 stages of development. Every time there is a shedding. The transition to the final form takes about 10-15 days.
- Imago (adult). An adult bedbug lives for approximately 12 months. All this time he causes a lot of damage to a person.
Bedbugs feed on blood, but they can survive without it for long periods of time. Larvae require more blood, so they interact with humans more often. They do not use an anesthetic secretion, which makes their bites much more painful. Parasites almost always bite at night. During the day they are located in nests and are rarely seen by humans.
When the bug begins to lay eggs, a nest is formed. There can be 2-3 nests in the apartment. Because of this, the fight against parasites is complicated. All nests must be located before using strong chemicals.
What chemicals will help?
Unfortunately, almost all “targeted” drugs sold in stores are ineffective. This is explained by the fact that if a couple of individuals survive after being treated with chemicals, their offspring become insensitive to it. Professional products work, but they are absorbed into walls, floors, and furniture. They cannot be washed for months. Therefore, apparently, allergies often develop.
After a while, you just want to get rid of bedbugs. And the method is not important - only the result is important
There are several other drugs that help get rid of bedbugs. Read below about their action and how to use all these means.
Colloidal microcalcite
This is not poison, but a powder that absorbs moisture. It is contained in the pharmaceutical drug "Polysorb" and the like, so the development of allergies is unlikely. The Hector product is based on this substance. Almost pure colloidal microcalcite contains Aerosil 200, a thickener for epoxy compounds. You can find it where they sell resins and fiberglass. The same substance in a different form is found in Diatomite (food grade) and Diatomaceous earth - these are food additives. They differ from those listed above in that they do not dry out the air and only bring benefits to people. Bed bugs die from them in the same way as from their analogues.
The release form or name of the drug is not so important
How does this substance work? Bed bugs catch particles of powder on their legs and shell. They do not die instantly, but walk around “dusted.” But after a couple of days you begin to find their shells. The powder simply dries them out and the insects die.
They don't die immediately from the powder. And every other day they still don’t die. But after a couple of days you start to find their dry shells
The only problem is that the powder will “dry out” you too if you inhale it. So you need to spray colloidal microcalcite wearing a respirator, long sleeves and gloves.
Powdered colloidal microcalcite should be sprayed in bedbug-infested areas. It is volatile and this will not be a problem. If you bought not the drug, but the powder in its pure form, make a “dust bottle”. Take a plastic bottle and add powder to 1/2 volume. Put on the lid with small diameter holes made in it (burn with a needle heated on the fire). Then simply squeeze the bottle, spraying the powder. Aim at the places where there may be nests. The volatile suspension will reach the rest on its own. It is better to leave the powder indoors for at least a month. And it’s better not to clean under baseboards and in crevices at all.
Delcid
Delcid also helps get rid of domestic bed mites. This is a veterinary drug (insectoacaricidal drug) that is used to treat animals and places where they are kept. It is also effective against bedbugs. Sold in ampoules and even in canisters in veterinary pharmacies or stores. The good thing is that it is not harmful to birds and animals (and humans). But toxic to fish and bees .
One of the release forms. Maybe for dogs. There is also water concentrate in bottles or canisters
In veterinary pharmacies it is usually sold in ampoules. They contain a concentrate that is diluted with water. The amount of water is indicated on the package (concentration may vary). Forms a white emulsion with water. You can spray it from a regular spray bottle. For animals and their habitats, double treatment is recommended. The apartment will probably require more repetitions - just to be sure.
Any insectoacaricidal drug
To kill ticks, you can use any insectoacaricidal drug from a veterinary pharmacy. Drugs in this group are aimed at destroying animal parasites, including bedbugs. So any of them will work. For animals, double treatment with an interval of 10 days is recommended. For an apartment with a high degree of infestation, more repetitions will be required.
It needs to be processed very carefully. Insects can settle in any fold or crevice.
When choosing, take release forms for large dogs or even larger animals. The concentration of active substances in them will be sufficient to quickly kill insects. Sprays are the most convenient. With their help, you can apply the drug even to the farthest corners. Upholstered furniture can be processed point by point, but make at least 2-3 “points” per square meter. At the same time, it is better to apply more of the drug into all possible cracks (between the railing and the seat, in the cracks of the frame, in the folds of the upholstery, etc.). Don’t forget that ventilation also needs to be treated. You can put rags soaked in the product there. To guarantee, it is better to carry out several “extra” treatments.
Aerosols
Among aerosol insecticides, the following are popular : Raptor, Raid, Carbozol, Clean House, Combat.
Among the advantages of this group :
- ease of use;
- possibility of deep penetration;
- There are products with a mild odor that does not irritate the respiratory tract.
The disadvantages include the relatively high cost of funds . It is not advisable to use aerosols in areas where children or pets live. Spray products are not suitable for people with allergies or respiratory problems.
Ozonation is very dangerous, but effective
Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that, at the proper concentration, destroys all living things. Literally everything. In the classification of toxic substances, it is in the same group as arsenic. Therefore, this method cannot be used in multi-story buildings. But in private homes you can do whatever you want. But you will need to live somewhere else for a few days.
How to fight bedbugs using ozone
But even this method will not help get rid of bed house mites in one go. If the level of infestation is high, 3-4 applications per week will be required for 4-5 weeks. In addition, you need a powerful ozonizer and clogged windows/doors and ventilation ducts. They place it in the affected room, but leave the doors to all others open. In an average-sized room, the ozonizer should operate for at least 10 hours. Considering the fact that it consumes a lot of energy, the pleasure is not cheap.
There is no need to spray ozone - it will penetrate into all the cracks on its own.
But this is strong poison!
The ozonizer must be turned on/off remotely (throw the extension cord/carrying device outside). After turning off, wait a day, after which you can jump in wearing a respirator (preferably a gas mask), open the windows and jump back out. Airing will end in about another day. If the required ozone concentration has been achieved, you will get rid of all fauna in the house, including bedbugs.
Once again: ozone is a powerful poison. Be extremely careful. But along with the bedbugs, it will also destroy their smell.
Traditional methods
Sometimes problems arise with the use of chemicals to kill bedbugs. In such cases, folk methods come to the rescue. However, such methods are effective only when the premises are not heavily infested with bedbugs.
Bedbug mixtures
To kill bedbugs, it is recommended to use a mixture of turpentine, water and kerosene. The ingredients must be mixed in a ratio of 10:100:15 ml with the addition of liquid soap.
Ammonia mixed with denatured alcohol and benzene (10:150:40), and a mixture of denatured alcohol (300 ml) with naphthalene (10 g) are effective. The components are mixed, and the resulting composition is sprayed onto problem areas of the apartment.
Cold and heat exposure
Both frost (below minus 20 degrees) and very high temperatures have a detrimental effect on bedbugs. Heat treatment of mattresses, bed linen and clothing with hot steam, iron or boiling water (70 - 80 degrees) allows you to destroy adult individuals and even their eggs.
Plants with a pungent odor
Tansy, valerian, wild rosemary, wormwood, chamomile, calamus - all these plants have a detrimental effect on bedbugs. It is better to use them fresh, when the smell is most powerful due to the essential oils contained in the herbs. But in the cold season, when it is not possible to use fresh herbs, dried plants are also suitable.
Bedbug bite
Bedbug bites are not always painful and can go unnoticed for a long time. The bloodsucker chooses the most vulnerable and exposed places on the human body, such as the legs, arms or neck.
A bug bite can cause an allergy, which is an individual reaction to toxic substances contained in the insect's saliva. Signs of a bug bite are swelling around the bite site, severe itching, inflammation of the skin at the puncture site, and reddish spots located close to each other.
If an allergic reaction occurs at the site of the bite, it is recommended to apply Fenistil gel. In severe cases, tablet antihistamines are prescribed: Suprastin, Claritin.
Compliance with hygiene standards and timely destruction of bedbugs using modern insecticides help to quickly cope with a bedbug infestation. If necessary, you can contact specialists and organize professional disinfestation, destroying both adult individuals and their eggs and larvae.
Crayons
The most popular option in this category is Mashenka. The chalk is universal , effective against bedbugs, cockroaches, and other domestic parasites. The insecticide is carried on the legs of insects, promoting infection and gradual extinction of the population.
Among the advantages of the product :
- low toxicity;
- availability;
- can be used for prevention;
- not dangerous for children and pets.
Bed bug chalks are not capable of destroying eggs , but they do have an effect on the larvae. It is better to use the product as an auxiliary, for example, after treating a room with liquid aerosols. Use chalk to outline the floor around the bed or sofa, the perimeter of windows, and door jambs .
Content
- What does a house bug look like?
- Where do bedbugs live?
- Where do house bugs come from?
- How to get rid of bedbugs yourself
- 6 effective chemicals for removing bedbugs
- 4 best ways to get rid of bedbugs yourself
- Folk remedies
The domestic (bed or linen) bug is a blood-sucking insect pest that feeds on the blood of humans and warm-blooded animals. The appearance of bedbugs in the house is an unpleasant situation in which anyone can find themselves. Parasites become active at night and actively drink the blood of household members, penetrating even under the blanket. Blisters form at the bite sites and are very itchy. Bites can also cause an allergic reaction with all the ensuing consequences. The presence of pests in the house brings great discomfort and creates a negative mood in people. Therefore, it is important to understand how to get rid of bedbugs.
