Common myths about bedbugs and cockroaches
One of the main myths about bedbugs and cockroaches in an apartment is that these insects supposedly cannot live in the same room, since cockroaches eat bedbugs and their larvae. In fact, both of them can peacefully coexist. The reason for this is that cockroaches and bedbugs choose different habitats. If bedbugs try to settle as close to humans as possible, then cockroaches are attracted to the kitchen and bathroom, that is, those places where there is food and moisture. Therefore, you should not hope that cockroaches will push bedbugs out of the house, or vice versa. If insects appear in the apartment, the owners cannot sit idle, otherwise the increased populations of bedbugs and cockroaches will leave no room in the room themselves.
Ultrasound and electromagnetic rays
An ultrasonic repeller uses high-frequency sound to send cockroaches into a state of panic. Human hearing does not perceive such an impact, and pests cannot tolerate sound vibrations and leave the home.
There is an opinion that the reduction of pest colonies in modern cities is associated with the widespread appearance in human homes of microwave ovens, the principle of operation of which is based on electromagnetic influence.
The most popular models of repellers with ultrasonic and electromagnetic action:
- Typhoon. According to the manufacturers, it will rid your apartment of cockroaches in 4 weeks of work. It is expensive - from 1500 rubles, but gives quick results.
- Rexant. Compact and easy to use, safe for humans. Average price – 600 rubles.
- EcoSniper. A universal device for repelling most household pests, including ants, mice, bedbugs. Cost – from 1000 rubles.
- Tornado OTAR-1. Easy to use, but only needs to be installed in an open space - even a light fabric curtain becomes an obstacle to its operation. Costs 900–1000 rubles.
- Riddex. Covers an area of 200 m2 with electromagnetic action. The most affordable - from 200 rubles.
- Pest Reject. Magnetic resonance device, advertised, but inferior to competitors in performance characteristics. Costs from 300 rubles.
How can you tell if there are cockroaches and bedbugs in your house?
Both cockroaches and bedbugs lead a secretive lifestyle, so it is not always a problem to recognize the neighboring stage. The signs of bedbugs and cockroaches in the house vary, so it is worth carefully studying the features that make it easy to notice the presence of unwanted guests in the apartment.
Signs of bedbugs in the house
Here are just a few signs that these insects are present in the apartment:
- The presence of bedbugs in the house can be determined by the presence of a characteristic odor. However, not everyone feels it, so it is also worth a number of additional measures to make sure that there are blood-sucking parasites in the house;
- Dried drops of blood on the bed linen are a sure sign that the apartment has been attacked by bedbugs; black spots on the furniture and fast-running accessories can indicate their presence; these are droppings of parasites;
- You should also be wary if characteristic bite marks appear on the skin.
- Cockroaches are quite secretive creatures, and at the same time there are only one or two. If the owners of the individual settle in the house, the nests may not notice them at all, and only when the cockroaches multiply do the owners of the home begin to sound the alarm.
- Usually, to detect the presence of cockroaches in the house, it is enough to turn on the light in the bathroom or kitchen at night. You can also tell that cockroaches have appeared in the house by brownish marks near the sink or by the presence of these insects. This is cockroach feces.
All these signs indicate that it is urgent to take measures to destroy bedbugs.
Signs indicating that cockroaches have settled in the house
What you didn't know but would like to know about the life of cockroaches
Do cockroaches eat bedbugs? No, unfortunately, cockroaches ignore these pests. However, if there is insufficient food (if the population has grown too large), they can include bug eggs in their diet.
Do cockroaches have wings? Yes, these arthropods have a couple of well-developed wings. Of course, they won’t fly, and they won’t be able to, but they will be able to plan effectively in case of danger.
Do mice eat cockroaches? Yes, they do; these rodents are omnivores and have an excellent appetite.
Do battering rams have a brain Yes, even they have a brain located in their head. But these insects also have a group of nerve cells (ganglia) scattered throughout the body that control motor and signaling functions - which is why a headless cockroach can survive for some time.
Do spiders eat cockroaches Of course, the whiskered insect can be an excellent source of building protein.
Do cats eat cockroaches?
Most often, domestic furries are disdainful of dining on these arthropods, but if they wish, they can also profit from them. This situation is complicated by the fact that cockroaches are carriers of many dangerous diseases, and a cat that eats an infected insect runs the risk of getting sick.
Can cockroaches live in a refrigerator?
The conditions in the freezer are simply unbearable for them, but in the refrigerator compartment, where +5C is maintained, insects can feel quite comfortable.
Do cockroaches have blood?
Yes, these insects have blood, but it is white. Cockroaches have an open circulatory system, with organs washed by blood and no small blood vessels.
What animal eats cockroaches? The hedgehog is a fan of cockroaches; he feasts on them, supplying his body with protein.
Cockroaches are very tenacious animals. But, like all living organisms, they are mortal.
Why do cockroaches die on their backs?
There are two main reasons why a dead cockroach ends up on its back:
- The death of a cockroach is accompanied by a muscle spasm, as a result of which the insect turns over on its back;
- Cockroaches are not at all used to living on flat and smooth surfaces, and even a healthy cockroach finds it very difficult to roll over back onto its paws. Therefore, the unfortunate person dies of thirst and hunger.
A cockroach turned over on its back is far from a 100% guarantee of its death. And besides, cockroaches help each other turn over on their paws. The best thing is if you are purposefully engaged in the destruction of these parasites.
How long after sanitation do cockroaches die?
It depends on what means were used.
If these are acute poisons. If it hits insects directly, death occurs in about 10 minutes. If you don't get it, then within about two weeks.
If products such as gels, traps, or anything similar edible were used, then death occurs within 21 days. Some will die in a week, others in three. There are drugs that prevent reproduction, this mechanism inside the body of cockroaches turns on in the second week, so these drugs kill them in the second week!
There are means by which cockroaches infect each other. Complete disappearance occurs in about 15 days.
How long can cockroaches stay underwater?
Cockroaches drown in water, cannot stay in it for long, and swim rather poorly. Since cockroaches are, after all, arid insects. Cockroaches can remain in water without air for about 6 minutes.
Well, cockroaches have almost no chance if you poison them and fight them.
Is it possible to fight bedbugs and cockroaches using the same means?
Many people believe that by buying a can of insecticide and spraying it around the apartment, you can destroy all insects in one sitting. It's a delusion. The fact is that bedbugs and cockroaches lead different lifestyles, and their nutrition is also organized differently. Cockroaches eat organic matter, and in the absence of food they can feed on paper and even plastic. Bedbugs feed exclusively on blood, so a line of boric acid on the floor will have no effect on the bedbugs. Even if a bug accidentally runs over it, it is unlikely to be poisoned, one might say.
The same can be said about food baits containing boric acid. Bedbugs are absolutely not interested in what cockroaches eat, which means they should be poisoned in completely different ways.
Advice! It is best to exterminate bedbugs and cockroaches together with your housemates to reduce the likelihood of insects reappearing in the apartment.
Boric acid and chemicals
The most famous chemical used against cockroaches is boric acid. This substance has a nerve-paralytic effect on Prussians.
In order for the poison to enter the body of pests, boric acid powder is mixed with food and placed around the apartment in the form of baits. The most attractive baits for insects:
- boiled mashed potatoes;
- bread crumb;
- boiled chicken egg yolk;
- a mixture of sugar or powdered sugar with water;
- yeast dough, dough.
Even one individual exposed to boric acid can infect an entire colony of Prussians. Therefore, the effectiveness of the product is very high, moreover, it is safe for people and pets, inexpensive and does not have an unpleasant odor.
When using boric acid, it is also necessary to prevent access of pests to water, otherwise the desired effect will not be achieved.
If drugs that are harmless to humans do not produce any effect, then they resort to insecticidal chemicals in the form of gels, crayons and aerosols, dusts and smoke bombs. These substances are potentially dangerous to humans, but are guaranteed to lead to the death of Prussians.
Contrary to popular belief, bleach scattered around the apartment will not have any effect on pests.
Folk remedies to get rid of bedbugs from your home
Most folk remedies that help in the fight against bedbugs do not destroy these insects, but only repel them, making staying in the apartment unbearable. For example, many plants have this effect, such as wormwood, tansy, and chamomile. They are usually laid out near the bed, in the corners of the apartment, and placed under the mattress. However, there is one plant whose effect is fatal to bedbugs. This is wild rosemary, which is popularly known as “bedbug”. Typically, this plant is collected in late summer, dried and ground into a powder, which is then placed in bedbug habitats. For bedbugs, such powder is a real poison, destroying both adults and their larvae.
In addition to various herbs, one of the effective ways to get rid of bedbugs is freezing and evaporating the insects. Taking furniture out into the cold or into hot steam are very effective means, since carp sprays do not tolerate low and high temperatures.
In the fight against bedbugs, ordinary table vinegar is also often used, treating surfaces and even in insect habitats. Vinegar fumes cause suffocation in the bugs, and the smell of vinegar itself effectively repels blood-sucking parasites.
Are bedbugs dangerous to humans?
They are dangerous, firstly, because of the possibility of allergic reactions. Secondly, wounds cause considerable harm; pustules and other inflammatory phenomena most often begin to appear in them. After purulent wounds, small scars often remain on the skin, which are aesthetically very unattractive.
The greatest danger is for children, pregnant women and people with poor health. This category has the strongest reactions and the consequences from them are much greater. Children and pregnant women can suffer from anaphylactic shock or a severe inflammatory reaction to the dirt that often gets caught in scratched bite wounds.
Why bedbugs are dangerous to humans - what diseases do bedbugs carry?
In addition to the fact that bedbugs are carriers of harmful diseases, they cause fear, panic and horror in many people. Moreover, thanks to them, many get nervous shock or neurosis. Their appearance alone can give rise to a whole list of phobias. Itching and restlessness can make even fairly stressed adults feel depressed.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Bed bugs are harmful primarily because they can cause allergic reactions such as itching, redness and swelling. Moreover, an allergy can appear not only to bites, but also to dust from the products of their vital activity. Therefore, it is necessary to clean houses where pests have been noticed more thoroughly than usual, even when all of them have already been exterminated.
Also, the bed type is harmful because they have access to the body precisely when people are sleeping. A person practically does not feel bloodsuckers during sleep. The next morning, those who spent the night in bed with parasites are left with large red spots on the body that itch and itch.
Are forest bugs dangerous to humans?
In addition to bed bugs, there is also such a species in nature as shield bugs, which in turn have many representatives - red, striped, garden, forest, etc. They cannot bite or harm an adult or a child in any way. Their passion is cultivated plants and their fruits. Another harm they cause is the rather unpleasant odor emanating from them.
Nevertheless, many treat them with the same fear, although these fears are unfounded. The forest type of pest is practically never found in houses. The stink bug can get into an apartment, house, or country house along with plants picked from the garden. It can also be brought on clothes or shoes by mistake. There is no point in poisoning forest bugs in an apartment with dichlorvos, dust and other effective sprays and aerosols. It is enough to collect the insects and take them outside, but away from your own garden.
Is the chicken bug dangerous to humans?
This type of blood-sucking bird does not live separately from birds, but is capable of biting people if they are nearby. Therefore, if there are no poultry farms or places where similar types of living creatures live near your home, then you should not be afraid of them.
If there are chickens at home, for example, on private property, then the danger will be almost the same as if there are bed parasites in the house. That is, we can come to the conclusion that the chicken species bites people, but being away from the birds, it dies and cannot reproduce or live separately.
Which bedbugs' venom is dangerous to humans?
The most dangerous is the venom of the bed bug. From its substances, anyone experiences negative symptoms in the form of itching and the risk of wound infection. The second most dangerous species is the chicken subspecies, but if no birds live nearby it is unlikely to be encountered.
The remaining species that are considered dangerous to plants or trees are generally not harmful to us, however, many actively fight them no less harshly and carefully, since such species cause significant damage to crops and plants. And this is an indirect attack on the health of adults and children, because in this case they will be left without food. But hunger has never brought anyone any good.
Should you be concerned about the turtle bug?
Only those who grow a variety of plants should be wary of this species. Since turtles only affect vegetation. Their effect on plants is very significant and destructive, but, fortunately, they cannot bite people or animals.
From everything written above, we can conclude that turtles are not harmful to you and me. Some of the bugs are only dangerous to plants. And it’s also worth remembering that pests living with birds can also bite.
And as a result: most pests multiply and live in housing and multiply well precisely where little attention is paid to basic hygiene of the premises. This factor is also worth remembering.
Chemicals against bedbugs
One of the most popular chemicals used to kill bedbugs is pyrethrum powder. This powder is safe for humans, but for blood-sucking parasites it is a potent poison, a real poison. The powder is sprinkled on insect habitats, and using a rubber weight, it is “blown” into cracks and crevices where they can hide.
One very common and inexpensive remedy against bedbugs is karbofos. It is available both in powder form and in the form of a concentrated solution. In addition, which is included in many insecticidal solutions and aerosols. The drug has a sharp, unpleasant odor that dissipates fairly quickly.
Plants and smells
Cockroaches don’t like strong odors so much that they are ready to leave even the most comfortable places. The following herbs will help repel the pest:
- sagebrush;
- tansy;
- lavender;
- cedar;
- honeysuckle;
- red elderberry;
- chamomile;
- Melissa;
- Bay leaf.
Fresh or dried twigs and flowers of these plants are laid out in the corners of rooms and in places where Prussians are most likely hiding. Fresh cucumber peel and lemon juice also help. The smell of paint, mothballs and turpentine is intolerable to pests.
When using kerosene, gasoline, or diesel fuel in a residential area, the smell of which is also not liked by pests, it is important to remember the safety rules due to the increased flammability of the substances.
Essential oils of tea tree, eucalyptus, anise, and mint, dissolved in water and sprinkled around the apartment, are also effective against insects. When using oils with a strong aroma, their effect on the well-being of humans and pets must be taken into account.
At the same time, although unpleasant odors will scare away the pests for a while, they will not destroy them. At the same time, young individuals hatched from oviposition will continue to ruin the lives of apartment owners.
Remedies to get rid of cockroaches
The most popular means of exterminating cockroaches in an apartment or house is boric acid. Based on this drug, a wide variety of baits are prepared, including eggs, potatoes or jam, mixing these products with boric acid and placing them in the favorite habitats of cockroaches. Boric acid itself repels cockroaches with its smell, so it is used extremely rarely in its pure form. But when it comes with food, it becomes elusive to cockroaches, and they therefore stop feeling it.
Currently, a wide variety of cockroach repellents are available on the market, available in the form of aerosols, sprays and gels. In addition to such means, traps, which can be of several types, are very popular:
It is worth keeping in mind that if cockroaches have access to water, then all measures to destroy them will be ineffective. In part, when treating an apartment with insecticides or placing poison in the corners, it is worth blocking the insects’ access to moisture by wiping the sinks dry and making sure that the pipes in the apartment are not leaking. Only in this case will it be possible to achieve good results in the fight against insects.
Advice! To make the fight against cockroaches as effective as possible, it is best to use several means at the same time, for example, by treating the apartment with an aerosol, you can place traps in it, which will catch any accidentally surviving insects.
Insect development stages
A sexually mature female black cockroach can lay eggs for further reproduction. This process is carried out regularly (about 22 times) until the insect becomes an imago (about 7 months).
The female carries the capsules for 2 weeks, and then leaves it in a warm and protected place to reproduce on its own. It contains from 8 to 20 eggs. At the moment of opening, no more than 65% of the nymphs hatch, which quickly spread throughout the living space of the room.
Currently reading: How long do cockroaches live, how to detect and get rid of them
Given favorable conditions, cockroaches quickly go through their life cycle until the onset of the adult stage (about 7–12 months). If there is a sharp drop in temperature, then the larvae can wait in the wings for several years.
How to prevent cockroaches and bedbugs from appearing in your home?
Many people associate the appearance of insects in the house with unsanitary conditions. This is correct, because the risk of bedbugs or cockroaches in the house is significantly reduced by regular cleaning, timely removal of garbage and ventilation. However, cleanliness is not a 100% guarantee that insects will not enter the home, because they can enter the apartment from neighbors, or get into the grates along with old things or furniture.
To minimize the risk of cockroaches and bedbugs appearing in the house, repairs should be carried out in a timely manner, sealing cracks and cracks, special filters with a fine mesh should be placed on the ventilation holes, and bunches of herbs can be placed in the ventilation shafts themselves, the smell of which repels insects. Such simple but effective measures will significantly reduce the likelihood of such unpleasant neighbors as bedbugs and cockroaches appearing in the house.
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Who to trust with pest control
Thus, in order to choose the right insect extermination service, you must:
- Get acquainted with the pricing policy.
- View available documentation on the methods, medications and guarantees used.
- Assess the ability to quickly resolve problems.
- Read reviews about the company.
No one can guarantee that an insect will never appear again, but keeping the house clean and tidy will significantly increase the chances that no pests will enter the premises.
