What bed bugs and their bites look like, and how to remove them.

House bugs are pests that cause a lot of trouble and problems for humans. In addition, parasites pose a serious threat to human health, being carriers of many infections. Making sure that bloodsuckers live in an apartment is not so difficult. Waste products are one of the main symptoms of the presence of these creatures in the house. It is very important to detect parasites in time, since disinfestation will be much more difficult in the future. This article will tell you what are the signs of bedbugs in an apartment.

Photos of bedbugs of all ages

Bed bugs are parasitic insects with a flattened body 8 mm long. The color of insects can be dirty yellow or dark brown. After the insect is saturated with blood, the body inflates and acquires a scarlet color. Bed bugs have 6 limbs. The larvae externally resemble smaller mature individuals. Newly hatched larvae have a transparent body. Therefore, they are almost impossible to notice on the surface. Bedbug eggs look like small grains of rice, 1 mm long. When crushed they emit an unpleasant odor. Many people find bites on their bodies, the origin of which is attributed to mosquitoes.

What do adults look like?

Bed bugs are not just one type of insect. There are many varieties in it. But from a visual point of view there are no significant differences. The house bug is not an ordinary beetle. It differs from such insects in the absence of wings. This feature distinguishes it from one of its natural enemies - cockroaches, as well as from other types of bugs (water striders and soldier bugs). Since it does not have wings, the boundaries between the abdominal segments are clearly visible. It may seem that his entire body is covered with thin stripes.

An adult bed bug is dark brown in color. Unlike the toy soldiers, there are no patterns on its back. There is one more feature in which it differs from ordinary, non-bloodsucking insects. For example, an ordinary beetle always has the same body parameters. But for a bug, this indicator depends on whether it is hungry or not. This is all because the tissues of his body are elastic. The size of a bedbug when it is hungry is only 5-6 mm. And after the insect is full, its abdomen stretches greatly, and its body length increases almost 2 times. Moreover, this insect has an excellent appetite. In one meal, a bug can drink almost 2 times its own weight in blood.

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Interestingly, the color of an insect also depends on whether it is hungry or not. Usually only well-fed bugs are dark brown, while hungry ones have a light red tint.

Bed bugs are not just one type of insect.

House bugs belong to the order Hemiptera. Therefore, they have a number of common characteristics with the same “soldiers”. It is a small flat triangular head. Below it there is a long proboscis, which represents fused jaws. The proboscis of bedbugs is hard and durable, since it is needed to pierce the skin. True, they only bite humans, since dogs and cats have thicker skin, and the insect cannot cope with it.

The bug has 2 channels in its proboscis that ensure survival. Through one channel, the bug sucks out blood, and through another channel, a substance with analgesic properties enters the human blood. This is what masks the bug bite. A person may not feel any pain or itching for several hours, so he will not crush the troublemaker.

NOTE! To quickly get rid of bedbugs and other insects, there are only three effective options:

Calling a pest control service (expensive);
Buying an inexpensive one (1390 rubles);
Chemicals (doubtful effect).

Interestingly, only the bites of adult individuals have such properties. Young larvae, called nymphs, cannot introduce such a component into the blood. Therefore, their bites are more noticeable. Allergy sufferers and people with thin skin are especially affected. Because of this, they may notice the bug while it is still feeding. But this does not always happen. The proboscis of the larvae is not yet so dense and sharp, it is smaller in size than that of an adult, and people with less sensitive skin may indeed not notice anything.

By the way, outside of feeding, the proboscis is difficult to notice even in adult insects; it is pressed to the lower part of the cephalothorax.

Considering the structure of the insect, one should note its flattening. It is because of this that the body length is short, and crushing the bug is quite problematic. Those brown spots that remain on bed linen from crushed insects are traces of well-fed and therefore clumsy individuals, which, moreover, increasing in size, become denser and more voluminous.

Photos of bites on the body

The shape of bedbug bites resembles small punctured tracks located in one line. If an insect damages the skin of children, allergic reactions are possible later. In most cases, a person does not realize that a bite is a sign of the presence of bed bugs. Visible traces of the presence of parasites can be observed after reproduction and detection of the remains of their vital activity. Residents of large cities and small towns encounter the problem of bed bugs. Such insects can appear in well-kept homes and in dysfunctional ones. The specificity of parasites is that they are completely invisible in small numbers. When the insect population multiplies and begins to increase sharply, you may find bloody marks on bedding and numerous bites on the skin. With such a large number of insects, it is much more difficult to remove them.

What places does it bite most often?

Most often, bed bug attacks occur on exposed areas of the skin. Although sometimes, in pursuit of food, bedbugs are ready to get under clothes .
These bloodsuckers prefer areas of the body with the most sensitive and delicate skin, since they are easiest to bite through and get to the blood, which means saturation in such places will be faster. The most vulnerable areas:

inner surfaces of the hands;
face;
neck;
groin area;
stomach;
legs (rarely).

Life cycle and reproduction

The month of an insect's life is during the larval phase. During this period of time, she is unable to reproduce. However, the rest of the time, females actively lay eggs, and males act as inseminators.

A female bedbug is capable of laying about 500 eggs over its entire life span. The larva hatches on the 5th day. In the larval stage, the parasite cannot reproduce. After a month, the larva turns into an adult parasite and is able to independently breed offspring. The average lifespan of an insect is 1 year. At low indoor temperatures, viability decreases and the parasites go into suspended animation.

At temperatures above 30 degrees, life expectancy is reduced, but the number of eggs hatched increases significantly. Bedbugs reproduce through traumatic insemination. At the same time, the male pierces the female’s abdomen with his subcutaneous genital organ and injects the seed into her. As a result, the seed enters the spermatheca where it is in a viable form. The process of laying females continues until the reserves in the spermatheca are depleted. Parasites have high viability because they have the ability to survive in the most unfavorable conditions. With insufficient food or unfavorable temperatures, insects fall into suspended animation. They can spend about a year in this state. When comfortable conditions arise and a food source becomes available, the parasites return to their previous lifestyle.

Harm of bedbugs to humans

Bed bugs interfere with healthy sleep and cause many bites on the human body. During a puncture of the epidermis, a person does not feel pain. However, after 20 minutes, severe itching occurs as a result of the introduction of saliva by the parasite. Red spots and rashes form on the skin, turning into wounds when scratched. An allergic reaction may occur after insect bites. This is especially true for people with high sensitivity.

Allergies can manifest as fever, nausea and dizziness. Children may develop iron deficiency anemia. Research has found that the bug is capable of sucking out about 7 mg. blood. With constant contact with parasites, a person may experience increased nervousness, sleep disturbance and depression. It has been established that bedbugs are carriers of various infections. Among them are: plague, syphilis, typhoid, hepatitis and others. As a result of numerous studies, it was revealed that hepatitis B pathogens can survive for several days in insect excrement. The risk of infection arises from contact with them.

Where do bed bugs come from?

The main source of infection is neighboring premises. There is a high risk of such insects appearing in old high-rise buildings and houses being built in rural areas. By their nature, parasites are immobile. They don't have wings, so they can't fly. However, they are very resilient and can withstand long journeys.

Bedbugs are able to find a person's home by smell. They can easily move into the home from rabbit hutches and chicken coops on the skin of animals. Parasites spread very quickly in apartment buildings. They move easily through ventilation and electrical wiring channels. Also, they can be found in the cracks of entrance doors. Having a very flat body, they can crawl into hard-to-reach places without holes or crevices. Parasites can enter the premises through items brought in by owners or guests. Bedbugs can enter your home through suitcases, bags and backpacks. Bedbugs often come from tropical and warm countries.

You should know that it is enough to have one adult female for a whole population of parasites to form. Insects can hide under clothing, in folds, shoes, etc. Bed bugs can get into an apartment with used furniture. You should especially be wary of used beds and sofas. Bedbugs can come from old furniture from previous owners. Also, they are easily interspersed through clothing. When daylight comes, bedbugs move to warmer places. These can be scanners, microwaves, laptops and other equipment. In most cases, bedbugs live in apartments for many years and reproduce. Therefore, people do not immediately notice their presence.

Infection through clothing

Being in a dysfunctional apartment is not enough for bedbugs to appear in things. Parasites do not like light and prefer to be nocturnal. During the day they hide in their shelters and go out hunting only after dark. Therefore, bedbugs can appear in clothes only if a person spends the night in such a place. Such a need may arise during travel, vacation or business trip. Returning home with such “baggage” promises to soon be in the vicinity of an entire population of domestic bugs.

On a note!
Another way of infection by bloodsuckers through things is through parcels. Considering that bedbugs themselves do not live in clothes, this does not prevent them from staying in them for some time. The folds of the product can serve as a good refuge for the parasite.

We cannot exclude the possibility of finding eggs in such places, from which larvae will appear after a certain time. The likelihood of such a situation occurring is especially high when the premises are highly contaminated.

Bed bugs in clothes

Signs of bedbugs

Determining the presence of bedbugs in the house is not difficult. All insects leave waste products that can be used to determine their presence. You can verify the presence of bedbugs by numerous bites on the body. A bug bite does not cause pain. The parasite secretes a special substance and drinks human blood.

This process occurs at night. As a result, slight itching of the skin may occur. As a rule, the bites of these parasites look like long tracks. One bug can inflict about 10 bites per night. Based on the resulting bite marks, the movement of the parasite can be determined. The damaged area is a reddish spot with a diameter of 15 mm.

In the center of the spot there is a point that is the site of the bite. Bed bugs damage areas where the skin is very thin. Such places include the neck, buttocks, arms, back and face. Single bites do not pose a threat to human health. Using hydrogen peroxide or alcohol, you can prevent infection from penetrating into the deeper layers of the skin. After a few days, the bites go away. The danger is the mass formation of bedbugs, which causes the most unforeseen consequences. In this case, it is necessary to go to the hospital for a general examination.

During the period of night sleep, a person makes movements. Therefore, the possibility cannot be ruled out that a person can crush the parasite. In the morning you can find stains on the bed linen, or the insect bodies themselves.

Also, you can find the products of their vital activity in the form of excrement. They appear as small black dots. If you cannot find them, you need to carefully look through all the corners in the apartment. Upon careful examination, you can see eggs or larvae of parasites. The eggs have a transparent oval shape. During parasitic activity, parasites emit an unpleasant and pungent odor.

It can only be felt during the breeding season. The smell of one parasite is impossible to smell. Once a whole population of insects forms, the smell becomes intolerable. Bed bugs live in secluded places. Bed linen is not a favorable environment for them. Therefore, they live and breed close to the bed.

Smell

Another sign of bedbugs in the house is a characteristic smell. It is caused by the release of a special secretion that pests need for orientation. With his help they find each other. With the gradual appearance and spread of parasites, home owners may not notice this smell. But once you leave for a couple of days and return, the smell will seem very strong and even suffocating. Guests at home will also tell you about the specific aroma.

Some people think that bedbugs smell like cognac (or cognac smells like bedbugs). They have a strong nutty smell. It's more like the smell of rotten nuts. Sometimes the aroma can resemble the smell of rotten raspberries. The smell is persistent and spreads throughout the entire room. In places where eggs are laid and where adults gather, the smell is much more intense. It’s not just the adults that emit the aroma. Eggs, larvae, and excrement also smell.

Methods for controlling bed bugs

To quickly get rid of bedbugs, you should use the following methods:

Call a pest control service;
Purchasing electronic is discouraged;
Use of chemicals.

The fight against bedbugs has a number of features. Parasites are very resistant to various drugs and insecticides. Therefore, using anti-ant or anti-cockroach products will be useless for bedbugs. Bedbugs can quickly adapt to poisons, so the effectiveness of the drug may decrease over time. Since insects settle in places intended for people's recreation, the fight involves disinfecting children's rooms and bedrooms. Therefore, the methods used in the kitchen may not be suitable due to their high toxicity. However, they must be fought with various means, the goal of which is complete destruction.

The most effective methods of control are:

Use of insecticides. The preparations can be in the form of a spray, powder or concentrate. The products help to destroy bedbugs within their radius of action in a short time. This method does not involve the use of complex equipment, therefore it is the most accessible and widespread.
Temperature method . This involves treating parasites with boiling water or freezing. The method cannot be used everywhere, especially when it comes to freezing an apartment. This can be fraught with rupture of pipes and disruption of the general water supply system. Heat treatment is a more accessible method. It is produced using industrial hair dryers. This method is absolutely harmless to humans and has no consequences.
Mechanical methods. This involves destroying the nest of parasites using a vacuum cleaner or with your own hands. The method is quite labor-intensive, and the result is short-lived. This allows you to reduce the number of bedbugs, but not eliminate their population.

The choice of methods for exterminating parasites must be approached very responsibly and seriously. If the apartment is heavily infested, you should seek the services of professional exterminators. Methods to combat bedbugs will only be effective if the apartment is sufficiently treated. It is impossible to get rid of insects in a separate room. Elimination of bedbugs should be carried out simultaneously in the entire apartment, since they quickly spread throughout the entire space.

Clutches of eggs

Adults, after receiving the next portion of blood, begin to reproduce. Their eggs resemble small translucent grains of rice.

Bed bugs nests are located close to the food source - near beds, sofas . Sometimes females protect their offspring from possible detection and hide eggs in old things, behind baseboards.

If masonry is discovered, it must be destroyed using boiling water or mechanically. If this is not done, new bloodsuckers will hatch from the eggs and continue their population.

On average, one egg takes 2 weeks to mature, so in a month entire armies of bloodsuckers will be traveling around the house.

Folk remedies for bedbugs

The use of folk remedies against bedbugs allows you to achieve short-term results. Such methods repel bedbugs, but destroy their population. Their use is advisable for preventing infection.

Folk remedies aimed at combating parasites include:

Technical alcohol, or denatured alcohol. Thanks to its pungent odor, it repels bedbugs and kills them; , turpentine, used alone or in mixture with other agents;
Organochlorine pesticide DDT or dust;
Vinegar can temporarily repel insects;
Birch, wormwood and tansy leaves repel parasites with a pungent odor;
Mechanical methods, involving the use of a vacuum cleaner and other objects;
Using the high temperature method. Bedbug nests are burned with steam or boiling water;
Solutions of turpentine, naphthalene or kerosene.

Please note that homemade chemical solutions are very toxic. They can corrode rubber gloves, damage the surface of the skin and the respiratory tract. Therefore, before cooking, you should prepare reliable protective equipment. The effectiveness of folk remedies is manifested when the number of insects is insignificant.

If the apartment is completely infested, the methods listed will not help eliminate the parasite population. Therefore, the listed methods should be used as a supplement to the main treatment of the room. They also serve as an excellent preventive measure.

Preparation before removing insects

Before you begin the process of eliminating bloodsuckers in the sofa, you need to prepare the entire living space for this. Its competent processing will contribute to the effectiveness of the procedure.

Preparation includes the following steps:

Carrying out wet cleaning of surfaces to remove dust, eliminating all deposits of things.
Preventing curtains and curtains from insect eggs by washing.
Wash bed linen at temperatures from 60 C° to 90 C°.
Processing of all decorative items located on the walls (paintings, carpets, etc.).
Moving the location of furniture so that it is not pushed close to the wall.
Emptying cabinets of items followed by heat treatment.
Packing dishes in polyethylene.
Place all food products in the refrigerator, including salt and cereals.
Providing protection for household appliances using polyethylene film.
Removal of all people and pets from the premises.
De-energization of electrical wiring due to processing of sockets.
Separating skirting boards from walls.
Hermetically sealing doors and windows.
Complete removal of the sofa from all textiles that are on it. These are covers, pillows, blankets.

It is important to note the need to ensure free access to water supply. It is possible that during the treatment of the premises from parasites, toxic substances will get into the eyes or onto human skin.

How to fight bed bugs using chemicals

Since parasites have a high level of adaptability to changing environmental conditions, it is quite difficult to fight them. Therefore, manufacturers create various products that help fight parasites. Bed bugs quickly develop immunity to chemicals, so choosing a specific chemical is impossible. Also, there are no means that could protect the premises from repeated invasion of bedbugs.

When using chemicals, safety rules must be followed. Especially if there are animals and small children in the house. To avoid the negative impact of products on people's health, precautions must be taken. To obtain the maximum effect, you must follow the instructions included with the drug. If you follow the correct sequence of actions, you can ensure maximum protection of the premises. When choosing a product, you should take into account the scale of the spread of bedbugs. In apartment buildings, comprehensive treatment must be carried out in all apartments. Otherwise, bedbugs will move from other apartments and fighting them will be useless.

What are the types of chemicals?

Before purchasing a drug to combat bedbugs, you should consider the most effective and popular insecticides. Among them are the following:

Executioner . The drug has German certification. The product is developed on the basis of fenthion, therefore it is relatively safe and highly effective. The liquid in the bottle should be dissolved in half a liter of water. The resulting mixture should be thoroughly mixed and all surfaces and places where parasites accumulate should be treated. When processing the premises, all residents and animals must be removed. It is better to leave the apartment for a couple of days, and after returning, ventilate thoroughly. Surfaces should be wiped with a cloth and all clothes and bedding should be washed;
Insecticide. A Russian-made drug that is highly effective. The drug is based on three active components: piperonyl butoxide, cypermethrin, permethrin. One bottle is enough to treat a two-room apartment. The drug is not safe for human health. Therefore, it should be used when there are no people in the room. It is necessary to treat the room using special protective equipment for skin, eyes and hands. After disinfection is completed, you need to leave the apartment for several days. After returning, you need to do a general cleaning and wipe down all surfaces;
Battalion commander It is a chemical agent that allows you to effectively fight insects. The drug is in a high price category. This product is produced in Korea. The product is very convenient to use because it comes in a small spray bottle. It can be applied to hard-to-reach places using special nozzles;
Fufanon . The drug is produced in the form of an emulsion with a high concentration of active substances. The package contains ampoules that need to be diluted in 2 liters of water and treated with the room. The resulting solution must be mixed well and allowed to brew. It is recommended to use the product using protective equipment. It is better to process an empty room. After completion, it is necessary to ventilate and thoroughly rinse the room;
Get. It is an innovative drug that provides protection against bedbugs. The product is absolutely safe for people and animals. The drug has the form of a microencapsulated suspension. It is based on organic solvents, so it does not have a pungent odor or irritating characteristics.

Processing methods

There are several types of treatment for bedbugs and clothes.

Use of chemicals

Chemicals are what you can use to treat things and clothes against bedbugs at home. Insecticidal preparations such as Dichlorvos, Clean House, Raptor, Kombat, Dobrokhim FOS, Reid or Eslanadez have a good effect. There is no white or sticky residue or odor left on clothes after Medilis. The safest ones include Lambda Zona, Delia Zona and Get.

On a note!
Bed bugs on clothing will not be a nuisance if the chemically treated item is placed in a plastic bag and kept in it for 24 hours.

After this, thorough cleaning of the seams and folds where insects lived is required. After several days, items that have been infected with bedbugs are treated with a soda solution and washed.