It is difficult to name an insect that causes such a persistent negative attitude as bedbugs. Despite the fact that nowadays it is much more difficult to meet them than several decades ago, any such acquaintance becomes an extremely unpleasant surprise for a person.
The situation is complicated by the difficulty of combating a parasite that is strictly nocturnal. During the day, insects hide very well, which makes the question of where bedbugs hide extremely relevant. The article describes 15 secluded corners of housing where insects prefer to be during the daytime. The listed places where bedbugs are found in an apartment or house should be treated first and most thoroughly during the fight against insects.
Before proceeding directly to the description, it is necessary to note one more important point. It is as follows. The above list of places is not an exhaustive answer to the question of where bedbugs usually hide. But it clearly shows what exactly parasites prefer to use as shelter and how to most effectively find them in practice.
15) Book spines or edges
The list should start with places where find bedbugs only if their number becomes very large. In such a situation, insects use any secluded corners of a house or apartment as a daytime shelter. A typical example is book spines pointing inside a cabinet. In this case, detecting the parasite becomes extremely difficult, especially if there are a lot of books. Looking inside each volume is a difficult and time-consuming task, which will still have to be solved.
Attack of bloodsuckers in bright light.
A common question on numerous forums is whether bedbugs bite when the lights are on? Bloodsuckers are most active at night. This is due to the peculiarity of the insect’s biorhythm. Artificial light in the room does not repel pests. Becoming more cautious, they still sneak into a person’s bed and perform their usual feeding.
Numerous tourists who stay in the Guest House have noticed that at night, with the lights on, bloodsuckers move in flocks around the room. If you don’t turn off the lights in the apartment, only hungry bugs will dare to bite a person.
14) Computer system unit
household appliances any habitat for bedbugs. Much more it attracts other unpleasant neighbors of humans from among insects - cockroaches. However, there are many cases where parasites were found inside various household equipment. Most often, in such a situation we are talking about either a microwave oven or a computer system unit.
These types of household appliances heat up during operation; there are quite a few dark places inside the structure; in addition, the devices are constantly used by humans, who emit carbon dioxide during breathing, which bedbugs really like. The result of all these factors is that the parasite chooses a system unit or a microwave oven as a hiding place.
Main reasons for migration
The movement of blood-sucking insects is a forced or natural process.
Parasites enter an apartment in the following ways:
- on the clothes and shoes of family members;
- when purchasing contaminated furniture or items;
- on pet fur.
Migration of bedbugs occurs during renovation of premises or during the period of disinfestation measures. Relocation of bedding species is carried out in the dark. Only during disinfestation do insects migrate during the day. The movement of blood-sucking individuals can also occur along the external walls of multi-story buildings.
The main reason for the movement of bedbugs is hunger, which threatens their existence. The migration of laundry parasites from neighbors is a common process in a multi-story building.
13) Curtains and drapes
The presence of bedbugs on curtains and curtains is difficult to explain logically. But for some reason these objects attract insects. Most of all, parasites like to sit in the daytime on the upper zone of curtains and drapes, preferring poorly lit folds and, especially often, seams. The small dimensions of the bug allow it to effectively hide even in thin fabric.
In this case, it is possible to detect insects thanks to traces of their vital activity in the form of dark dots or small blurred spots. They are especially noticeable on fabrics of light colors and shades. In any case, when preparing for disinsection, you should definitely inspect all the curtains, drapes and drapes used in the apartment or house.
Temperature changes
A comfortable temperature for the parasite’s body is from 20 to 30 degrees. Small changes on the thermometer do not destroy them, but do not allow them to multiply efficiently and stably. Only at very low or very high temperatures do insects look for a new home.
Interesting fact
“A huge population of blood-sucking bugs was found in caves in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. In this area, bats became their food source. The temperature in these rocks does not exceed 16 degrees, but this does not interfere with the full life of the insect."
12) Switches and sockets
Engineering communications and their exits to the surface of walls, ceilings or, less commonly, floors are favorite habitats for a wide variety of insects. Bedbugs are no exception to this rule. They especially often choose sockets and switches, which in most cases are made of various plastics, as daytime shelter. The design features of the electrical fittings provide for the presence of free spaces, and the loose connection to the wall allows parasites to easily crawl and hide inside.
It is especially unpleasant to find bedbugs inside sockets and switches if the electrical installations are placed on the same wall, but in different apartments. This provides parasites with a convenient opportunity to move around the house, delivering unpleasant surprises to residents.
Parasitic pests?
They drink the blood of warm-blooded creatures: humans, animals, birds. Some of the species are dangerous to humans. However, they mainly live in tropical regions. Bedbug bites can be fatal.
House bug, also known as bed bug
It does not cause significant harm to humans. If you are bitten, you may develop an allergy, but the symptoms are mild. Bed bugs do not carry dangerous diseases; their saliva does not contain poison; on the contrary, a person does not feel the bite. The bug injects a substance that numbs the puncture site.
Such parasites live on the human bed, which is why they got their name.
Kissing bug (triatomine)
The kissing bug (triatome) has the ability to fly.
It belongs to the family of predators. The pest is called a kissing pest, because it prefers to bite a person in the lip or eye area. The bite can be fatal due to the ability of some insects of this species to carry Chagas disease. They have an unusual color: on the back you can see black dots, there is an orange color, the paws and cephalothorax are black. The body length is 3.5 cm. Representatives of this species are classified as flying bugs.
Often bites a person in the lip or eye area
11) Paintings and carpets
In one of the previous paragraphs, the “love” of bedbugs for fabric materials that are used for sewing drapes, curtains and curtains was described. All of the above fully applies to carpets and paintings, in which parasites hide no less willingly. In the vast majority of cases, they are located on the back side, but they can also be located outside if the total number of insects becomes large.
As a rule, it is quite easy to detect parasites in these places. To do this, you need to peel back the carpet or move the picture away from the wall, and then look at the inside of the object. Particular attention should be paid to those that are located in close proximity to the bed or sofa that a person uses to sleep. This type of shelter is used most often by parasites, as it provides them with the opportunity to quickly reach the object of their “hunt” after dark.
Do bedbugs bite after disinfestation?
In response to exposure to pesticides, bed bugs produce detoxification enzymes, which make the parasites more resistant to insecticides. In addition, such resistance is genetically transmitted to new generations. This poses a serious problem for the control of household bedbugs using chemical agents.
The owner of the apartment, and even a professional disinfector visiting the site for the first time, is not able to determine in advance how resistant a particular colony of bedbugs is to certain pesticides. For this reason, it is difficult to predict the reaction of bloodsuckers to treatment, for example, how many days after disinfection the bugs will still bite. In some cases, the next night after treatment, the parasites attack even more aggressively than before. However, this fact in itself does not mean that disinfestation did not work. As a rule, the result is assessed no earlier than the third or fourth day and then for 7-8 weeks.
But if 4-5 days after treatment the number of bedbugs does not decrease and they continue to bite with the same intensity, this most likely means that repeated disinsection is necessary.
10) Decorative elements and finishing
Bedbugs willingly use any building structures that have depressions and cracks or are loosely adjacent to the wall, floor or ceiling as hiding places. First of all, in this situation we are talking about baseboards - floor or ceiling, false coverings, suspended ceilings, door and window frames and other similar decorative and finishing elements, found in large numbers in any residential premises.
Even peeling wallpaper or peeling paint can unpleasantly surprise the inhabitant of an apartment or house with dozens of bedbugs located inside. Joints, cracks or other defects in the flooring also often become a favorite place for the parasite to spend the day. The easiest way to combat insects in such a situation involves not only pest control, but also high-quality repairs that eliminate or reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of the problem in the future.
9) Wardrobes
Cabinet furniture rarely attracts bedbugs and is rarely used as daytime shelter. But it is necessary to take into account the possibility that the parasite gets inside the closet along with bedding or clothing. Another common option in which the parasite chooses this type of furniture for permanent residence is if the closet is located in close proximity to the bed or sofa used by residents for sleeping.
In addition, do not forget that as the number of bedbugs increases, they can be found almost everywhere. This equally applies to cabinet furniture in the form of wardrobes, sets or separate cabinets. Especially often, insects hide in the joints of individual parts or on the back surface of the cabinet, facing 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.
Soft chairs
Armchairs are not often used for sleeping when compared to a sofa or bed. However, this type of upholstered furniture often serves as a place for a person to relax in the evening, and therefore is extremely interesting for bedbugs. The design of the chair allows for many secluded corners where it is easy for a parasite to hide. These are numerous folds in the upholstery fabric, and the joints of individual elements of the product, and all the surfaces located below are unlit and inaccessible to humans.
You should especially carefully inspect upholstery defects in the form of tears and cracks in the fabric. It is in such places that it is easiest to find bedbugs. Often, to detect the parasite, you have to remove the back trim of the chair, since the insects are hiding inside.
7) Nightstands
Almost always, next to the bed or sofa on which a person sleeps, there is a bedside table or chest of drawers. Bedside furniture is a favorite place for bedbugs to hide during the day. Insects quickly move there directly from the bed or sofa, comfortably placing themselves in the unlit interior space.
You can find a bug anywhere on the bedside table, but you should especially carefully examine the joints between the individual parts of the product - shelves, walls, ceiling and floor. In order to find parasites, you will need to remove all the objects located inside the furniture and carefully inspect all the listed places.
What do bedbugs need during their life cycle?
Bedbugs are unpretentious and long-lived creatures. Insects try to choose a place of residence close to their future victim. Therefore, in order for bedbugs to feel comfortable, they require three vital components:
- food (human blood);
- suitable temperature (20–30 degrees);
- secluded places for interruptions during the daytime.
Residents should analyze each item in detail; the information will help draw up rules of action, a strategy for the behavior of all residents, without exception.
6) Chairs and tables
Wood, especially untreated and not coated with any varnish, is rightly considered one of the most “favorite” materials for bedbugs. Tables and chairs are often made from it. In this case, they can and are highly likely to become places where insects hide. Especially if a chair or table is installed next to the bed.
In addition to the joints of wooden parts, parasites also use the upholstery as a hiding place, as well as the places where the fabric joins the chair frame. It is also necessary to carefully inspect the furniture for defects in various surfaces and the structure as a whole - potholes, cracks or crevices. These places also often attract parasites and are used by them for daytime stay.
5) Bedding
A variety of bedding - linen, pillows, blankets - are rarely used by bedbugs for daytime shelter. Typically, parasites are found on these objects at night during the active phase of their lives. They prefer to hide in more secluded and inaccessible places.
But it is important to take into account the fact that this applies to cases where there are relatively few bedbugs. If the situation becomes dire and the number of parasites goes off scale, they can be found literally everywhere, including bedding. Naturally, in this case, emergency measures are required, and the main task is not to detect insects, but to choose the most effective methods of exterminating them.
Who is most often bitten by bedbugs?
When attacking people, bedbugs behave quite selectively. Of two people in bed, sometimes only one can find wounds on the body in the morning.
In such a situation, the question arises, which of the family members do bloodsuckers prefer?
- When given a choice, parasites choose victims with thin skin texture. The smaller the layer of epidermis, the more acutely the taste of blood is felt, and such tissue is easier to bite through.
- Children are the first to be attacked. Adults have much rougher skin. Women are in second place. Men take last place, but the chance of being bitten is not zero.
- Researchers interested in the preferences of bedbugs conducted a study to determine which blood type insects value more. It turned out that there is not much difference for bedbugs, but they prefer the first blood group.
- Bed bugs look for unprotected areas of the skin, because they are not able to attach themselves through clothing, so a victim with a minimum amount of clothing is selected.
We can conclude that for a bloodsucker it does not matter in principle who to bite. Gender and blood type do not affect the choice of victim. For them, only the necessary food and easy ways to obtain it are of paramount importance.
4) Sofa
This piece of furniture is quite rightly considered the second most popular, of course, after the bed, as a hiding place for bedbugs. Parasites hide both in the upholstery and on the surface of the back wall, pushed towards the wall, and in any joints of individual parts of the product. They are often conveniently placed on the bottom of furniture, where light does not reach, and climbing is not difficult. Another favorite hiding place for parasites is folds of fabric on the armrests and sides, as well as the interior of the sofa.
In a situation where bedbugs are found in an apartment or house, you will almost certainly have to not only inspect the sofa, but also disassemble it during the search and subsequent treatment. An alternative option is to simply throw away the furniture if it is worn out and of no particular value. Often this method of solving a problem becomes faster and cheaper. Naturally, it does not relieve you from the need to treat your home with any effective means to kill parasites.
How dangerous is a bedbug bite for humans?
Why is a home bedbug bite dangerous for humans? It does not pose a serious threat, but it can cause physical discomfort and cause a person an enormous amount of moral suffering, even leading to a nervous breakdown. Women are very afraid of insects, and the very fact of the presence of some biting bugs in bed can lead to panic and hysteria.
Possible consequences of bites
- For some, small wounds itch slightly, and bedbug bites pass painlessly and unnoticed.
- Susceptible people scratch the damaged areas and lead the wounds to complications and abscesses.
- Of course, there is a small percentage of people who have an allergic reaction and it is quite serious. It can be expressed by a mild form of suffocation or cough. When the allergy is severe, it can end in anaphylactic shock, which is very dangerous.
3) Mattress
The most popular place bed bugs use as a hiding place is, without a doubt, the bed. Moreover, you can consider it as three separate subjects, describing each of them in more detail. The first is the mattress. It is there that bedbugs hide first, since this ensures the reliability of the shelter and the proximity of its location to the “hunting” grounds.
Parasites are especially often located on the lower edge of the mattress and in all seams of the product. The only advantage of such a bedbug shelter, if their presence can be accompanied by any advantages at all, is ease of detection. In the vast majority of cases, mattresses are upholstered with light-colored fabric, on which traces of insect activity are clearly visible. In order to identify them, simply remove the bed linen, turn over the mattress and carefully inspect it.
2) Bed frame
As a rule, wood is used to make a load-bearing bed frame. The design is a set of individual parts and provides for the presence of numerous joints, fastener locations and other secluded places where bedbugs like to hide during the day. Often, various boxes, shoes and other items are stored under the bed or inside the furniture, which are also used by parasites for shelter.
Finding insects in the bed frame will require removing bedding and removing the mattress, and in some cases, turning over or disassembling furniture into individual parts. In most situations, finding bedbugs will be possible without problems, although it will require a lot of time and effort. In any case, when parasites are detected, the bed in general and the frame in particular must undergo protective treatment.
METHODS AND WAYS OF COMBATING BUGS
To kill bedbugs at home, you can use old-fashioned recipes that do not harm others. This is boiling water, ammonia, kerosene and turpentine, mixtures of kerosene and turpentine with soap and hot water. Books and small pieces of furniture (chairs, chairs, shelves), where signs of bedbugs are found, can be kept in the cold for a couple of hours. In any case, if bedbugs reappear, the treatment should be repeated. But unfortunately, these methods are only a temporary measure; for the complete destruction of bedbugs, contact professionals!
Bed bug treatments should be applied to the area where the insects are found, as well as to areas where they may be hiding. Another method of independently combating bed bugs is the destruction of furniture affected by insects. A mattress that is heavily infested with bed bugs should be destroyed. Since the bed is difficult to treat with insecticide, it and the mattress must often be destroyed.
1) Bed box spring
Topping the list of places where bed bugs like to hide is the bed spring unit. The reasons for this situation are obvious - a quiet and secluded shelter, warm and comfortable, moreover, located literally a stone's throw from the source of food in the person of a person. Given the extremely secretive lifestyle and low speed of movement, such a place is best suited for parasites to stay during the day.
Additional advantages for insects are the complete absence of light, visual inaccessibility to humans, and the frequent presence of wooden parts, which for some reason are extremely popular with bedbugs. Almost always there are cracks or other defects in the bed covering, which make the journey there and back even shorter, more convenient and faster for the parasite.
To detect bedbugs in a spring unit, you will need, as in the case of a bed frame, to remove bedding, remove the mattress, and sometimes disassemble some of the furniture parts. Carrying out the described measures takes time, but is mandatory in any situation where there are suspicions about the presence of parasites in an apartment or house. It is from the bed, as the most common hiding place, that you should always begin your search for insects, moving on to the next places only after carefully studying this.
Can a bug bite only once?
During feeding, the bug bites from one to ten times, but one bite on the entire body is very rare. He walks along a straight line, leaving a characteristic path behind him. The attack sites are located at a short interval from each other.
Bedbug bite marks are usually not limited to one point. Bedbugs like to bite several times, leaving “paths” - several bites nearby.
An adult large insect needs a lot of blood to saturate. During one feeding, he can dig into the body many times.
The nymph larva makes only one bite. She needs a small amount of food and manages to get the required dose after a single dose. Older larvae become saturated after two to three feedings. But only one larva cannot be present in the bed; the parents must also be present somewhere next to it. Therefore, if one dot appears on your body - a bite mark, it is most likely that it was bitten by a mosquito or some other insect, but not a bug.
Conclusion
The above top 15 places where bedbugs prefer to hide during the day clearly shows the preferences of parasites. They love secluded places where it is dark, warm and there is minimal likelihood of contact with a person at an inappropriate time for the insect.
Using the rating, you can carry out the most effective and quick search for parasites in an apartment or house, which is a mandatory preparatory step before protective treatment of housing. Moreover, knowledge of the actual habitats of bedbugs will allow disinfestation to be carried out with maximum efficiency, guaranteeing relief from an unpleasant neighborhood for a long time. Before treatment, be sure to check where bedbugs are hiding in your apartment.
Danger to humans
The greatest danger to humans is an allergic reaction. It occurs due to enzymes injected into the wound, and microparticles of chitin and excrement rising into the air with dust. Often an allergic reaction occurs even in people who are not prone to it.
Allergic reaction to a bedbug bite in a child.
Like all bloodsuckers, house bugs are capable of carrying serious diseases:
- typhus;
- tuberculosis;
- yellow fever;
- pseudotuberculosis;
- tularemia, etc.
Infection of an insect can occur from a previous owner, and, moving to a new one, the bug is capable of infecting it during its life.
