Bedbugs are found everywhere; species diversity has given them different body shapes and sizes. A distinctive feature of insects is semi-rigid wings, although some groups lack them. Not everyone knows what bugs look like, even if they have seen them on plants in the summer. They can be of different colors: brown, green, red. The most familiar species shown in the photo is bed bugs. The parasite feeds on human blood and settles in homes.
Description, characteristics and structure of bedbugs
The bug is a hemiptera insect, the name of which is associated with the special structure of the front wings, transformed into elytra. Most of them are a hard chitinous shell.
These insects have 3 pairs of equally developed limbs, with the help of which they move on land, in water and hold prey. Most bedbugs have open ducts of scent glands between the 2nd and 3rd pairs of legs, which emit a characteristic odor. Predators and those that live in water have no scent glands or they are poorly developed.
Well-developed sensory antennae are organs of touch. Some species of these insects have excellent vision.
Lifestyle
These are parasites that are nocturnal. Bed bugs come into the world only in one case - if living conditions have deteriorated so much that the insects are forced to begin an active search for food.
Bedbugs prefer to make as little effort as possible to obtain food. Therefore, they choose people with thin, delicate skin as their favorite victims - children come first, then women, and only then men, who have denser and thicker skin.
Parasites can find their prey thanks to their smell - bedbugs have a well-developed sense of smell. Pests can detect victims at a great distance, so they quickly spread throughout all the rooms of the apartment they enter. And they also easily move from room to room through cracks in the ceilings.
The bed bug belongs to the genus Cimex lectularius and feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals.
What they look like
The body shape of most bugs is adapted to the living conditions, so it can be different. Bed bugs differ:
The bug is a harmful turtle.
- flat - parasitic creatures that become round after saturation;
- spherical - these are representatives of the family of earthen shields and desert ones;
- rod-shaped - a separate species, which includes Ghilianella filiventris;
- harmful turtles.
Some species are less than 1 mm long, and the largest reach 15 cm. Females are always larger than males.
The color of these insects can be of 2 types: repellent and display. All parasites, as well as those species with poorly developed odorous glands, have protective colors. Bright colors, which combine red, blue, green and black, are herbivorous species that have no enemies in nature.
Types of bedbugs
Bedbugs are divided into the following types:
- useful;
- harmful;
- harmless.
The soldier bug belongs to the last category. The insect wakes up in early spring. The peculiarities of these bugs lie in their numbers and bright colors. They feed on the sap of young vegetation, seeds and dead insects.
Another harmless bug is the alder bug. It lives on the leaves of birch or alder.
Beneficial bugs
Small ground bugs feed on eggs, larvae and small insects. These nutritional features are used in biological plant protection in greenhouses.
The bug Macrolophus nubilus is used against spider mites, aphids and whiteflies. This type is specially populated in greenhouses. During the breeding season of pests, bedbugs first eat insects of a given species, and then destroy others.
To control pests indoors, bugs from the genus Orius are used. The size of these small insects is only 2 mm. Orius breed equally well in wet and dry places. These bugs destroy thrips and spider mites, whiteflies and aphids.
Parasitic bugs
There are 2 types of bedbugs that parasitize people and animals, these include:
Types of bedbugs parasites.
- bed bug;
- kissing bug.
There are up to 100 types of bedding. The insect does not have wings, but has a good sense of smell, which helps to find blood vessels. If the pest has a choice between an adult and a child, it will bite the latter.
The kisser carries a mortal threat because it suffers from Chagas disease, which can only be cured at the initial stage.
The following species harm plants:
- the cabbage bug is an enemy of cruciferous plantings, sucking juice from the leaves;
- rapeseed - destroys radishes and radishes;
- light green shield bug - prefers berry juice and plant leaves, can feed on carrion;
- lined scale insect - loves the juice of parsley, dill and carrots;
- harmful bug - spoils wheat, barley, oats and corn;
- berry - lives on currant, raspberry, and gooseberry bushes.
The majority of bedbugs are herbivorous; pests include those that destroy agricultural crops.
Agricultural pests
Varieties of these bugs cause significant damage to farmland. Adults and their larvae feed on the juices of plant crops. Without timely treatment, plants stop growing and begin to wither. During the attack of pest colonies, you can completely lose your entire crop.
The following individuals are among the most common agricultural pests.
Soldier (Pyrrhocoridae)
Among all agricultural pests, these bugs are considered the most harmless. The body of insects is drop-shaped. They do not exceed 10 mm in length. A characteristic sign of bedbugs is a pattern of black lines on the red back.
Soldiers feed mainly on weed juices. But unless certain conditions are met, they are not averse to eating stems of cabbage, grapes and legumes.
The habitat of bedbugs is the northwestern part of the earth. They do not live in the southern hemispheres; they are too hot there. Northern latitudes repel insects with a small amount of heat.
Parasites lead an active lifestyle during the day. In the evening they begin to select damp areas for roosting. Rotten stumps and other damp wood are considered favorite places for insects.
Soldier eggs are laid on the back side of plant foliage.
Rapeseed bug (Eurydema oleracea)
These insects prefer cruciferous crop juice as food. The most harmful to plants are the larvae of bedbugs, which actively eat young shoots in colonies. Adults harm plant seeds before they ripen.
A distinctive feature of bedbugs is their short head, which is concave into the sides. The body can be of different colors, black-blue or black-green. Insects reach 7 mm in length. The antennae of bedbugs are black. There are 2 stripes on the sides of the metal backrest. In its center there are wide lines of a light shade. The elytra of insects are dotted with yellow or red spots.
Pests lay their eggs in different places. This may be soil, young shoots or remnants of vegetation.
Rapeseed bugs can be found throughout Europe, North Africa and Kazakhstan. However, in the regions of the Far North and Far East of Russia, these insects are not common.
Light green shieldweed (Palomena prasina)
The light green stink bug, or as it is commonly called the “tree” bug, is the most common insect of the order Hemiptera. These beetles can be found throughout Russia. The vitality of parasites is explained by the fact that they have no bias towards climatic conditions. They tolerate both heat and cold well.
The bug has a rather large triangular body, its length reaches 16 mm. An outstanding characteristic feature of the individual is its chitin shield, which acts as a barrier to negative external factors. Depending on the time of year, insects change body color for camouflage. In summer, bugs have a green coloration that blends them with the foliage. With the arrival of autumn, the body of insects changes to a brownish-red tint.
A distinctive feature of stink bugs is their strong smell. Insects emit a specific unpleasant aroma as protection from enemies. Despite the fact that shield bugs do not pose a threat to animals, birds readily feed on them.
The diet of shield insects consists of agricultural crops. The odorous parasite eats fruit bushes and berries. In some cases, they are not averse to eating carrion.
Nutritious turtle (Eurygaster integriceps)
This family of shield insects is the most dangerous enemy of agricultural land. Without timely treatment of cereal plants, harmful turtles can destroy all the grain.
The bugs got their name from their color, which is identical to that of land turtles. Adults are relatively large. Their size can reach up to 13 mm. The body of bedbugs is protected by a dense shell, on which dots and lines are located. The wings of pests are well developed. To change their habitat, harmful turtles are able to travel long distances. Sometimes their flight is 200 km.
The life cycle of individuals is 10-11 months. At the same time, they reproduce quite quickly. Harmful turtles are capable of laying eggs 15 times in one season.
Lifespan and habitat
Despite its name, bed bugs do not live in beds. Insects choose dark places in the vicinity of the victim, where no one will disturb them. They are nocturnal, making them difficult to detect. During the day, these parasites sleep, pressing both their backs and bellies to the surface of the furniture.
Bedbugs most often form nests in the following places:
- in parts of the mattress that are adjacent to the bed frame;
- in the folds of furniture upholstery;
- between the headboard and the wall;
- behind loose wallpaper, wall hangings;
- between the battery and the wall;
- in bedside tables;
- in cabinets, incl. book;
- in floor cracks or baseboards.
The more parasites there are in a room, the wider their habitat. If there is a heavy population, pests can live in adjacent rooms. These insects move quickly, so they can get to the feeding site without any problems.
The life of a domestic insect is directly related to humans and the conditions available in the room - warmth and low air humidity. Temperatures affect the lifespan of the parasite without food. If the room is cool, the insect can survive up to 1 year. At high temperatures, metabolic processes accelerate, which shortens the life of the parasite. At average temperatures, bedbugs can live 14-15 months.
Nutrition
The carbon dioxide released when exhaling from a person’s lungs can be sensed by bedbugs from a great distance, more than 2.5 meters, and the heat of his body can be felt from 0.5 meters. The parasite can smell the smell of sweat left on the bed at a distance of 10 meters. They can determine the location of a food source from a sufficiently large distance.
The duration of a bedbug's meal (blood) is 5-10 minutes.
After finishing the meal, the bug returns to its usual place, a shelter, and does not leave there for 5 days, until it gets hungry again.
How do they reproduce?
Bed bugs belong to the group of insects with incomplete metamorphosis. They do not have a pupal stage; larvae (or nymphs) develop into adults as a result of several molts. Thus, the full cycle includes 3 stages:
- egg;
- nymph;
- sexually mature individual.
The fertilization process is traumatic. In order for the seminal fluid to enter the female, the male cuts through her abdomen with his genital organ. Sperm penetrate the body cavity, some reaching the ovaries.
A male can copulate up to 200 times per day. The insect is not able to determine which sex an individual belongs to, so it mates with everyone. Males can attack each other. Someone else's sperm, which gets inside, does not die, but mixes with its own. Now, during copulation, such a male throws not only his sperm into the female.
After the first fertilization, the female can lay eggs for the rest of her life. Once inside, sperm are stored in the body and used when needed. The reproduction process does not stop; with normal nutrition, the female can lay up to 10 pieces. in a day. Hatching occurs on the 4th day or after 3 weeks. Insects quickly emerge at a temperature of 35°C and high humidity.
The masonry is well protected, so it is not always possible to destroy it with the help of poisons. If eggs are found, the nest should be treated when the larvae hatch.
Nymphs develop quickly only with good nutrition. If there is not enough food, then development slows down, but as soon as the insect receives a new portion of blood, the growth process resumes.
The best place for breeding is city apartments, where the temperature is high, there is always food and there are many hidden and safe places to live.
Reproduction
The process of maturation, as well as the development of bedbugs, occurs as an incomplete transformation - an egg appears, then a larva (goes through 5 stages), then an adult (imago) appears. It is noteworthy that the larva is also similar in appearance to the adult, but smaller in size.
Every day the female lays from 1 to 15 eggs and adapts them with her gland secretions to the surface (wallpaper, furniture, cracks).
This secretion has a very unpleasant odor, which is why places where insects gather smell so bad. This special liquid repels other types of insects from the home of bedbugs. For an egg to mature, it will take 30 days under favorable conditions, and 50 days under unfavorable conditions. Adult bedbugs range in size from 0.5 mm to 1.5 cm.
How do bedbugs bite?
The bedbug's mouth is of a piercing-sucking type, looks like a segmented proboscis on the head and is adapted for sucking liquids. There are 2 channels in the bug's proboscis: one is designed to suck in blood, the second is for introducing an anesthetic into the bite.
How a bed bug bites.
The length of the proboscis is only 0.7 mm, so the parasite searches for an area of skin where blood vessels are located close to each other. For 1 bite, the insect absorbs about 1-1.5 μl of blood. After receiving the dose, the bug crawls 2-4 cm to bite again. In a young individual, the bite takes 2-3 minutes, in an adult – 15 minutes.
The bug leaves 3-5 bites on the body and during this time takes up to 7 µl of blood. This portion is enough for an insect for a week. However, it all depends on the number of parasites in the room. If the area is densely populated by these parasites, then in the morning there may be up to 500 bites on the body.
Consequences of bites
The bite has the following symptoms:
- swelling around the bite;
- severe itching;
- inflammation;
- red spots located close to each other.
A dangerous consequence of this insect bite is an allergy. There were even cases when the victim experienced anaphylactic shock. In addition, allergic reactions can cause the following consequences:
- erosion of the skin;
- severe swelling in the bite area;
- spasms in the bronchi;
- hyperemia;
- urge to feel sick;
- fainting.
In most cases, a bedbug bite is no more dangerous than a mosquito bite. These insects do not carry infections that are dangerous to humans.
Sometimes a skin rash appears. At the same time, bugs crawling on the bed can cause psychological disorders. A person is afraid to sleep, which causes his health to deteriorate, his performance to decrease, and his nervousness to increase.
In some cases, bites do not heal for a long time and begin to fester. This may be a sign that the wound has become infected when scratched.
How to treat
There is no universal remedy for bedbug bites, because the reaction of each person is unpredictable. In the best case, redness and swelling disappear within 10 hours. If an allergy occurs, it takes several days to heal. Most often, a blister appears at the site of the bite, which bursts and disappears.
Used for allergies after bed bug bites.
To eliminate unpleasant symptoms, ice and anti-itch ointment are used. Appropriate medications are taken for allergies. You can use Fenistil gel or Rescuer. Before applying the ointment, you need to disinfect the bite site.
Epidemiology and control.
One female is enough to form a new focus of invasion. Control of bed bugs - application of long-lasting insecticides to likely harborage areas. Shows resistance to some insecticides. A high level of home cleanliness helps.
Family Reduviidae (Predators).
Most reduviids are predators that feed on other insects and are called “killer bugs.” Many of them can, but usually do not, bite people. The bites are quite painful. Extraintestinal digestion. One subfamily, Triatominae, is of great medical importance because its species act as a vector for Trypanosoma cruzi. Unlike assassin bug bites, triatomine bug bites are virtually painless to the host, as would be expected for a species that needs to suck blood and remain undetected for several minutes. They are also called kissing bugs, as they often bite a sleeping person on the lips.
Morphology of predatory bugs.
Triatomine bugs are quite large, up to 34 mm in length. Usually have wings. The head is narrow, large eyes are located on the sides in the middle or far back on the head. Behind the eyes there may be two ocelli. May make a squeaking sound.
Biology of predatory bugs.
Different types of reduviids are characterized by different habitats - on the ground, trees, human habitation. Eggs ranging from several tens to thousands are laid in the usual habitats of adults. Embryonic development - 2-3 weeks. There are usually five nymphal stages. Triatomine bugs are not necessarily located near a food source. Blood sucking is necessary for egg production and normal development of the nymphal stages, but adults can lay eggs without feeding if the nymphal stages have been well fed. The entire development cycle lasts from one to two years.
Epidemiology and control.
It is likely that all species of triatomine bugs are suitable hosts for Trypanosoma cruzi, but it is clear that species differ in their susceptibility to trypanosoma and their ability to serve as vectors. The importance of a bug species depends on the degree of its connection with human habitation (synanthropy). The most common vector species: Pantostrongylus megistus (Brazil), Triatoma infestans (Argentina), T.sanguisuga, T.dimidiata, Rhodnius prolixus. Relative importance varies by area. These insects are nocturnal; during the day they hide in brushwood, cracks, and thatched or thatched roofs. Low quality buildings play an important epidemiological role. The number of triatomine bugs in a building increases with the number of people living in it, but the number of bedbugs can be reduced by reducing the number of places of refuge - improving the design of the home, or tidying up the immediate environment. An important factor is the reduction of other sources of food for bedbugs - dogs, birds, rats. Use long-lasting insecticides around potential refuge sites. Painting with compounds containing insecticides (especially in wooden buildings). The diet of bedbugs greatly influences their resistance to insecticides - starving nymphs were 200 times more resistant than well-fed ones.
Symptoms of infection
The most obvious evidence that there are bed bugs in the house is the discovery of an adult bed bug. At the same time, sometimes a living insect may indicate that the neighbors are being disinfested, and the surviving bloodsuckers have found a new home. Thus, when an adult is identified, the potential habitats of these parasites should be immediately inspected.
Bites on the body
The main symptom of bedbug infestation is bites that regularly appear on the skin. Red marks appear on the neck, back, cheeks and arms. Parasites do not bite in hairy areas; they choose places where the skin is thin and smooth. For this reason, children and women suffer more from these insects.
Bed bugs become active at night, so new bites can be detected in the morning immediately after waking up. Small red bumps are sometimes confused with an allergic reaction.
In this case, the bedbug bites are close to each other, forming a path. The number of red bumps on the skin increases every day along with the insect population, which is rapidly increasing. If the fight against parasites is not carried out, then a person can be bitten up to 300-350 times during the night.
Traces of blood on the bed
The substance that the parasite injects under the victim’s skin disrupts blood clotting. For this reason, a drop of blood appears at the site of the lesion, which, falling on the bed, leaves a mark. Bedding and waste products contaminate.
To remove stains, rinse the fabric in cold water. You can also remove traces with hydrogen peroxide (3-5%).
Hydrogen peroxide removes traces of blood stains after a bug bite.
The appearance of blackheads
Bedbugs are living creatures, so they have a digestive process and waste. Parasite feces are liquid and dark brown in color, but they quickly cool and become hard.
You can find excrement anywhere in your home. Most often, parasites accumulate near or on the bed. The smell of bedbug waste resembles bad cognac.
When the larva hatches from the egg, it molts several times as it grows. Each time it sheds its chitinous coating, which can be found on the floor, furniture, and windowsill.
Unpleasant smell
The sense of smell is a way for bedbugs to navigate in space, mate and notify their relatives of danger.
The aroma that these parasites exude is pleasant - sickly sweet, reminiscent of the smell of almonds or rotten raspberries. If there are a lot of insects in the apartment, the aroma becomes constant. If you smell this smell at least once in your life, you will no longer be able to confuse it with any other.
The harm that bedbugs can cause to humans
Bedbugs can carry various infections. This is of course not proven! But you should be careful! They can transmit organisms that cause diseases such as tularemia, smallpox, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and anthrax.
They cause great harm to people with their bites, depriving them of rest and sleep, thereby reducing their performance! They are traumatic and have a negative effect on the human psyche. In some cases, bites cause skin rashes and allergies. While feeding, the bug makes more than one bite! As the bug moves, it makes many bites; if the room is heavily infested, there can be 600 or more such bites in one night!
It has been proven that 70% of people fail to notice bedbug bites anyway, making bedbug detection difficult. They are detected by brown marks on the bed, formed when a bedbug is crushed by a person tossing and turning in his sleep, who is bothered by the bites. If a room is significantly infested with bedbugs, a specific smell reminiscent of cognac may appear! For some it may be the smell of mold, mustiness!
Sometimes, after treatment for bedbugs, dry cleaning of furniture may be required to completely eliminate unpleasant odors and traces of their activity.
Thanks to their sense of smell, bedbugs detect a person’s everyday clothing (usually synthetic) and hide in it, thus moving to other homes. Also, bedbugs can hide and lay eggs in any electronic equipment and pet fur, in paintings, books, and boxes. Basically, bedbugs really love wood!
Methods for detecting bedbugs in an apartment or house
To detect a bedbug, you need to know the places where it can hide. The search begins with an inspection of sofas and armchairs, bed linen, and mattresses. You should check the linen closet, bedside tables, and electrical appliances. These parasites also live under carpets, baseboards, linoleum, parquet floors, flower pots, and between books.
To confirm the presence of bedbugs, you can do the following manipulation: make a solution from a bucket of water, a few drops of alcohol, a decoction of wormwood, tansy or 9% table vinegar. Moisten the floors and baseboards with the resulting mixture. After this, the insects will immediately begin to leave their homes.
How much does bedbug treatment cost?
The real cost of exterminating bedbugs consists of several parameters:
- price of reagents, their quality, combination and concentration;
- size of the treated area;
- complexity of the surface, clutter, presence of upholstered furniture that needs to be saved
- the need for re-processing (sometimes really necessary in particularly difficult cases);
- the need for additional processing of furniture: steaming, dry cleaning, ozonation;
- cost of specialist working time.
Specialized companies, as a rule, work for results and value their reputation, and therefore all details are clarified in as much detail as possible before processing and accurately calculate the cost of the bedbug removal service. When working with reliable specialists, you can be sure that the actual cost will not differ from the declared one.
If you want to save a little on this service and not overpay, then prepare the room well before treatment, get rid of the affected upholstered furniture that you don’t mind throwing away and strictly follow the specialist’s recommendations
. In this case, the bedbug extermination service will cost less and will be more effective.
How to get rid
To decide on the method of destruction, you need to understand how many parasites live in the apartment. To get rid of bedbugs yourself, you can use insecticides, among which are the following:
- liquid Karbofos;
- liquid Executioner;
- spray Klopomor;
- pencil Mashenka;
- Get microcapsule product.
You can fight bedbugs in the following ways:
- Freezing or heat treatment. At the same time, the heating system may suffer from the cold, and renting a heat gun is expensive.
- Collection with a vacuum cleaner or by hand. This method is labor-intensive and not very effective.
The most reliable way to get rid of parasites is to call an exterminator. Specialists come with special equipment and products that are toxic to insects but safe for humans. Since these bloodsucking creatures quickly migrate from one apartment to another, it is advisable to simultaneously treat the entire entrance.
In order for pest control to bring maximum results, you should move the furniture away from the walls and free the edges of the carpets before the specialist arrives. All food, dishes and personal hygiene items must be removed from the house. After treatment, the apartment is wet cleaned and ventilated.
Control of parasites
When the presence of parasites in the apartment was detected immediately, they did not have time to multiply, you can use special preparations to treat their habitats. Preparations such as Actellik or Karbofos are sold in seed stores. You can also use aerosols and sprays “Combat”, “Clean House”, “Raptor”, “Dichlorvos” or “Raid”. But no matter what drug is chosen, you need to adhere to certain rules in its use, namely:
- strictly adhere to the instructions and use rubber gloves and a gauze bandage while processing the room (even if it is a simple and familiar Mashenka chalk);
- liquid preparations are sprayed using spray guns - these are Tetrix, Get, Tsifoks, Forsythe, Fufanon, Executioner, Cucaracha and others;
- Places where bed bugs accumulate are especially carefully treated: sofas, beds, blankets, pillows, closets with clothes, carpets, various crevices, baseboards, etc.;
- after treating the room, doors and windows are tightly closed for several hours;
- After treatment, clothes are washed in water at high temperature and then ironed.
After treating a room, you can’t immediately start cleaning it. Bedbugs are tenacious parasites and for a good result you need to wait several hours for exposure to the insecticidal agent.
In the winter season, frost can help in the fight against the parasite. At a temperature of -15ºС the bug dies; it will be enough to take clothes, toys, books out to the balcony. The method of disinfection with hot or cold fog is based on the principle of the effect of temperatures on insects.
When bed bugs were discovered late, their number increased significantly; there is no point in fighting them on your own, using, for example, vinegar, repellents or traps. The best solution in this case would be to seek help from a special pest control company or a sanitary and epidemiological station.
Summarize. We found out what a bed bug looks like, photos are attached, how long it can live without food, and how to effectively fight bed bugs.
You can find an overview of all modern anti-bedbug remedies here; in this article you will find a list of the most effective and safest of them.
Bedbugs are not the only pests in houses and apartments. We have prepared a whole series of materials on how to deal with ants, cockroaches, fleas, moths, woodlice and dust mites. Read in detail about how to get rid of moths using folk remedies, how to defeat yellow ants and expel black cockroaches from your home.
Interesting facts about insects
The first record of a bedbug was found in chronicles of the 400s. BC e. Aristotle claimed that these insects could cure the effects of a snake bite and get rid of ear infections. In the 18th century, bedbugs were used for medical purposes as a remedy for hysteria. In the 19th century began to invent ways to combat parasites - “bug cookers”, rubbing with perfume and even special spells.
In Thailand, large water bugs are a tasty treat offered to tourists in expensive restaurants and street stalls.
Predatory bugs Acanthaspis petax hunt ants, whose skins they wear on their backs. A kind of shield scares away spiders, which will never attack ants that have accumulated in large numbers.
The water bug Micronecta scholtzi is capable of producing a sound with a volume of up to 99.2 dB, which is comparable to the roar of a moving locomotive. Males chirp to attract females. To do this, they scratch their belly with their genitals. However, a person does not hear these sounds, because all the action takes place under water.
Danger of bites
Researchers are still debating why bed bugs are dangerous to humans. So far, it has not been possible to scientifically prove the fact that bedbugs transmit infections. However, assumptions regarding the fact that arthropods can infect humans with smallpox, hepatitis B, tularemia, and anthrax still exist. Linen parasites cause the greatest harm to humans through their bites. One bug can leave a chain of up to seven bites in a row on an adult or child. By the way, parasites prefer children to adults. Babies have more delicate skin that is easier to bite through.
The table lists the main dangers that bedbug bites entail and how to combat them. But before taking any medications, consult your doctor. And immediately after detecting damage to the skin, treat the bite site with an antibacterial agent (spray, liquid or ointment), and apply cold.
Table - Why bedbug bites are dangerous
| State | The Right Action |
| Allergy | — Primary treatment of the affected skin area; - taking an antihistamine |
| Anemia (in young children) | — Primary disinfection; — consultation with a pediatrician; - taking vitamins high in iron |
| Anaphylactic shock | Urgent ambulance call |
Despite the unproven hypothesis that bedbugs are carriers of diseases, it is better not to touch the bite site with dirty hands, and it is advisable to treat the wound yourself - even before consulting your family doctor.
Stress as a consequence
Among all the consequences of bedbug bites, the most serious and difficult to treat is stress. The reasons for its development may be as follows.
- Insomnia. As well as a total lack of sleep due to insect attacks at night.
- Depression. Usually develops after prolonged stress in squeamish people. The thought of sleeping on a bed with bedbugs haunts a person, exhausts him psychologically.
- Nightmares. For young children, bedbug bites are even harder to come to terms with. It is not always possible to explain to the baby what exactly is happening and when it will stop. The child begins to live in a parallel reality, new fears appear, and colorful dreams give way to nightmares.
