Insect pest - double-tailed: YouTube / HitroUmno Double-tailed is an unpleasant insect that, when it appears in the house, harms indoor plants, spoils food, and also poses a threat to human health. If two-tailed birds have settled in your house, do not rush to panic and leave your home. Take the advice of experienced housewives and get rid of annoying insects.
How to get rid
Every person experiences unpleasant feelings as soon as various insects or two-tailed insects appear in the house. The latter are very small arthropod creatures with long outgrowths at the end of the body, similar to tails.
They are called cerci, their length is equal to or slightly longer than the entire body . Their appearance and differences from earwigs indicate that double-tailed earwigs are not insects.
Its length is no more than 1.5 cm, including “tails” and antennae. Its habitat is moist, swampy soils, where there is plenty of food for it. Most often these are decomposing plant and animal remains.
At home, the double-tail appears first in the basement, bathroom, and then in the kitchen. If this happens on the territory of a residential premises, then a frantic search begins for means to get rid of double-wort in the house.
Chemicals
Everyone who has them is thinking about how to quickly get rid of double-easts. The easiest way is to use household chemicals. Moreover, not only direct destruction is needed, but also prevention.
The most common are:
- Dichlorvos. The basis is a chemical compound that is created to combat harmful insects such as cockroaches and bedbugs. It is also suitable for arthropods. This drug is a fumigant, that is, it is applied by spraying. The product is applied from a distance of 20-30 cm to the intended habitat of the two-east. Since they lead a hidden lifestyle, they choose several points at once. Dichlorvos is considered effective, since small splashes penetrate into the smallest cracks. The downside is that the treatment must be carried out wearing a mask in a room free from pets and people.
- Raptor. Like dichlorvos, it is an insecticide and a reliable remedy for two-wort. It is also at the same time a means that instantly destroys two-way and has a prolonged (long-lasting) effect. Small drops of the drug settle on the walls, floors and cracks, creating a natural barrier against the double-east.
- Antiseptics. They have the ability to protect wooden products from both rotting and premature destruction and fungus. For example, Anti-Bug penetrates deep into the cracks of wooden buildings. Its main advantage: it will not only help get rid of double-wort in the house, but will also disinfect the tree. You need to wipe not only the cracks in the walls and floors, but also wooden windows and doors. They will be like new and will last a long time.
- Chlorine-containing preparations. Such as “Sanitary”, “Belizna”, “Domestos” will help in the fight. They are diluted in a small amount of water and applied with a sponge to corners and walls. It is better to work wearing gloves.
Almost all preparations from the group of insecticides are suitable to destroy two-wort. Antiseptics that contain boric acid will not only help get rid of arthropods, but also eliminate the cause.
Their food consists of small insects and tiny microorganisms that will be destroyed. This product is especially suitable for a private wooden house.
Traditional folk remedies
It is especially difficult for those who live in an old wooden house. Unlike an apartment, where all the cracks in the bathroom and kitchen are carefully filled with putty, and the tiles are very easy to clean, wooden walls require special treatment.
It must be regular, since rotting products quickly attract two-wort . If you have bought a property that has been abandoned for a long time, then the question may arise about how to get rid of double-wraps in a private wooden house. It is best to combine modern drugs and folk remedies.
Wet trap
The principle of this old, proven remedy is based both on the behavior of the two-tailed fish and its way of life. She hides in dark damp places. You can only detect it if you quickly turn on the light in the room where it lives. It will not be possible to examine the double tail, as it will instantly leave the light zone.
To set up a wet trap you will need a rag . It should be as old as possible, absorb moisture well and not smell of any detergents. It needs to be wetted and placed in places where you think the two-tailed fish lives. The rag should not dry out; it should be regularly and carefully moistened with a spray bottle.
After 2-3 days, the rag needs to be lifted, and if double tails begin to scatter from under it, everything is done correctly. It is moistened again and left for another day so that the arthropods return to their place. After this, without lifting it, pour boiling water or a chlorine-containing preparation over the rag.
Onion and garlic tincture
In private homes, it is recommended to regularly spray the corners with fragrant products rich in essential oils. This is a tincture of onion and garlic. It is prepared like this: pour the onion and garlic paste with vodka in a 1:1 ratio by volume.
For example, 1 glass of mixture for one glass of vodka. Leave for several days, strain and pour into a spray bottle. You can spray it every day; the product is harmless to people and pets.
Infusions of medicinal herbs
Another remedy that is harmless to humans can be obtained by infusing herbs. Wormwood, tansy, yarrow, chamomile, thyme, St. John's wort, mint, and lemon balm are suitable.
The raw materials must be finely chopped and an infusion prepared. To do this, pour boiling water in a ratio of 1:2. Leave for 24 hours. Strain and use as the previous remedy.
Boric acid
Boric acid kills most insects when inhaled . It will also help against multiplying arthropods.
It is scattered in areas of accumulation or in floor cracks. Spraying corners and walls with boric acid solution will also help.
Specialized services
If you can’t cope on your own, and there is a suspicion that in addition to the two-tailed earwig, an earwig has taken up residence in your apartment, then you need to call for help. Now there are many private specialized companies that help get rid of both. The effect of visiting a specialist should be long-lasting.
Folk methods of struggle
What means do you use to combat double-tails?
FolkChemical
The most common and widely used folk remedies are herbal infusions. They are prepared from 1 tablespoon of dry herbs and 1 liter. boiling water To combat double-tailed insects, it is better to brew tansy or wormwood. The finished product is applied with a brush to the surfaces of possible insect habitats or sprayed with a spray bottle.
An infusion of onion and garlic effectively repels earwigs from their homes. This product must be left to steep for at least 12 hours before use.
Expert opinion
Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna
The traditional means of control is any product based on boric acid. Most often, at home, boric acid is mixed with hard-boiled chicken yolk. The product prepared in this way is shaped into balls, after which they are laid out in problem areas.
Reasons for appearance
To get rid of uninvited guests, you need to eliminate the reason for their appearance. To do this, you need to know where the double tails come from in the house.
They usually appear where there are three main conditions for their comfortable life:
- water;
- high humidity;
- food and other waste residues.
In other words: dampness and dirt are their favorite places. Plant residues, which become humus due to moisture, provide them with nutrition for a long time. Moreover, there should not be a lot of them: ordinary accumulations of dirt in the corners, invisible to the human eye.
When a minimum of moisture gets there, processes occur that attract these pests. Then only proven means of struggle help.
Another source of trouble is holes and cracks, especially in old wooden or private houses. Two-tailed insects can live between ceilings, but do not penetrate into the room. The presence of tiny holes makes it possible for them to move inside.
If these reasons are removed without taking any additional actions to destroy them, the two-tailed birds will disappear. Or rather, they will move to places where there are more comfortable living conditions.
Harm from two-way
Doubletails and earwigs.
Earwigs cause damage to plantings:
- undermine plant roots;
- eat green parts;
- feast on berries;
- spoil indoor plants;
- They don’t disdain vegetables.
To avoid confusion, we will continue to call harmful earwigs double-tailed. Although these insects have many differences.
Why is it dangerous for humans?
The double-tail itself, located in an apartment or house, is not dangerous. However, its appearance suggests that from a hygiene point of view, not all is well. Of course, you can remove pests using modern means, but, as a rule, you first need to eliminate the causes.
That is, restore order, reduce humidity, wipe walls and corners. Otherwise, after a short period of time they will appear again.
There is a myth that the two-tailed earwig is the same as the earwig, which supposedly can penetrate through the ear of a sleeping person into the brain. Scientists say such claims are groundless. There is not a single fact that would confirm this fiction. In addition, they belong to different classes in the classification. Their similarity is limited to 2 tail-like cerci.
Twintails in the house
Doubletails are frequent visitors to the sites.
They are small, nimble and useful. Representatives of the bivostok help fight small harmful insects and make healthy compost. Expert opinion
Evgeniy Koshalev
I dig in the garden at the dacha until the last rays of sunshine every day. No specialty, just an amateur with experience.
Why fight them then, you ask? The question itself is correct, because there is no need to destroy beneficial insects. And it’s impossible to meet them.
Insects that are found near people are earwigs. They are called double-tailed by those who are not specialists in this field and because people are so used to it. They do more harm.
Ways of entry into residential areas
To remove insects, you need to block their access to the house. They penetrate through windows and doors, as well as cracks in the housing frame (foundation, walls, floor). These insects can find leaks in window frames and door frames. They make their way through the entry points of sewer pipes. Two-easters are attracted to objects with high levels of humidity, where dampness is felt.
Doubletails appear in areas where moisture is most likely to be found:
- Bathroom
- Water pipes where condensation occurs
- Places of sewerage exit from the premises
- The foundation, which is facilitated by the dampness of the basement and subfloor, especially if it is the foundation of a wooden house.
In addition, some species are attracted to light. These insects are more likely to appear in houses that are located in lowlands or near a body of water.
Prevention measures
After getting rid of insects in the house, it is important to prevent their reappearance by taking the following preventive actions:
A private house needs to be heated thoroughly.
You can install devices that relieve the air space of the room from excess humidity.
The plumbing must be in good working order and the water taps must always be closed.
It is better not to place containers filled with water without closing them with a lid.
Splashes from spilled water should be wiped up immediately.
Food should be stored in the refrigerator or put away in a closed place.
Freshly washed laundry should be hung outside, as earwigs love wet things.
Search for and eliminate all earwig areas. They prefer hard-to-reach places: ventilation, pipes, cracks in walls. They can also settle in insulation and in the space under the floor.
Dealing with double-tails is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. This can be done using simple and affordable home methods without using chemicals. The main thing is not to forget to take preventive measures.
Description of the insect
The average length of the two-tailed fish is 2 cm, but some individuals grow to significant sizes (7 cm). The insect is characterized by a brown color. The body is segmented, which, along with significant endurance, also provides flexibility. At the end of the abdomen there are processes - cerci. With their help, the prey is captured, then the double tail lifts it, the body bends and delivers food to the oral apparatus.
The function of the eyes is performed by long mustaches. With their help, the pest is oriented in space. This is due to the high sensitivity of the mustache. Males are distinguished from females by their more rigid cerci.
Popularly, they are usually called double-tailed, due to the presence of characteristic “forceps” on the back of the abdomen.
Eating habits and lifestyle
Two-tailed animals appear in the apartment at night. Thanks to this feature, they can rarely be observed at home, which makes it difficult to combat them, because it is difficult to determine the degree of infection
Two-tails live in damp, damp places; it is important that they are hidden from prying eyes. For this reason, pests are usually found in the bathroom, toilet, and kitchen.
Insects are predatory, but can feed on berries and fruits
Sheds, basements, garages and other rooms with high levels of humidity and poor lighting are favorite places for pests.
In private housing, they are hidden behind baseboards, in the bottom drawers of cabinets, in various crevices of walls and floors. The colony population grows quickly, as up to 50 eggs are born in one breeding cycle.
The two-tailed fish feeds variedly. These can be insects, preferably nocturnal, as well as vegetation. The pest destroys young shoots of cultivated plants, fruits and berries. At home, the insect feeds on the remains of human food. This means that it is still necessary to get rid of the double-west.
