Various worms in the apartment are not uncommon; they can be found in the bathroom, in the kitchen, under the carpet and even in your own bed. The reasons for the appearance of worms are always different; even in an exemplarily clean apartment they can be seen in the most unexpected place. For example, you take out cereal to cook porridge, and there are worms swarming in the bag, or you change the bed linen, you lift the sheet, and nasty insects crawl across the bed. In any case, other than a feeling of disgust, and maybe even fear, you will not experience. I want to get rid of the misfortune as quickly as possible, but before doing this, you need to know who you will have to fight with, otherwise there is a risk of losing the war. More often than not, worms are insect larvae; let's take a closer look at who might live next door to you.
Worms in the sofa
White or yellowish caterpillars in the sofa are most likely furniture moth larvae. They can be distinguished from other pests by their cocoon, an almost entire house that they construct from the remains of fabric, excrement and silk. The worm puts it on himself and moves like this, albeit over short distances.
Furniture moth larva – photo
The furniture moth (its larva) develops at a temperature of 23-25°C for about 90 days. They do not like illuminated surfaces, so worms may not be noticed for a long time in the cracks and folds of upholstered furniture. Each of the caterpillars can significantly damage the upholstery of furniture, so pests need to be destroyed as quickly as possible. Look behind the sofa, you may find entire nests of moths there.
Tiny, white, translucent worms with sparse hair that can be seen under a magnifying glass are flea larvae. Fleas feel great on the sofa and you don’t have to go far for food. They do not bite humans; the larvae feed on organic matter (and there are many particles of your skin in the sofa), excrement of adult insects, and plant remains.
Flea larva - photo
If you place the larva under a microscope, you can see its esophagus with food that has not yet been digested and the remains of organic matter. The size of flea larvae is only about 2-5 millimeters. They have 13 segments, a round head and well-developed jaws. The larva develops in a period from 9 days to several months, it all depends on the temperature and availability of food. They can go hungry for a very long time, up to one month. They also choose unlit places, hiding in folds and crevices. In this case, you need to think about how to remove fleas from your apartment, because after they grow up, they will begin to drink your blood. You can also find flea larvae in animal bedding, closets, heaps of garbage, and even in a box with vegetables.
Measures to “clean up” the territory
Constantly scrubbing a bathroom down to the last square millimeter is difficult, but it is possible to apply basic preventive measures . Instructions for keeping dry are as follows:
- reduce humidity - eliminate leaking taps, ensure good ventilation;
- cover the ventilation holes with fine mesh;
- seal cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings;
- use floor mats made of special materials - rubber, silicone, fiber polymers, bamboo;
- do not create deposits of dirty laundry;
- wipe surfaces weekly with chlorine-containing preparations;
- After general cleaning, thoroughly dry the room using a fan or household dehumidifier.
Desiccant with tablets
By using replaceable absorbent tablets/granules, you will save electricity. One tablet weighing 450 g is enough for a year.
Chemicals
After eliminating the causes of dampness, insecticides will become powerful means of exterminating pests in the bathroom.:
- Get;
- Raid;
- Battalion commander
A guaranteed result is provided by professional disinfestation of the premises performed by special services, no matter what its price.
Several types of processing are used:
- cold fog;
- barrier protection;
- hot fog;
- complex.
Worms in the mattress (pillow, bed)
If you find a damaged mattress or pillow, examine the bedding for the presence of small light-colored worms - clothes moth larvae. Calling them worms is not very correct, because the caterpillar has, albeit tiny, six pairs of limbs. The clothes moth (larva), just like a furniture moth, makes a cover, constructing it from fabric and a certain substance of its own, reminiscent of silk.
Clothes moth larva – photo
With normal nutrition and optimal temperature, the larva develops in two months, and with a drop in temperature in five months. Caterpillars have a length from 1 to 12 mm; interestingly, they cannot drink, so they prefer damp areas of fabric - greasy stains, food debris, sweat. House moth larvae can be found in closets with clothes, in carpets, and other dark places.
Treatment Options
If the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment should begin immediately. For adults and children, the methods are similar, but have their own characteristics:
- For adult patients, procedures can be performed at home with the help of medications. The most effective drugs: vermox , mebex , helmitox , nemozol (use after consulting a doctor). Drug treatment should be combined with preventive measures (sterilization of linen, cleaning, sanitation) and diet (laxatives, foods that are easy on the stomach). It is advisable to repeat the course of treatment after 10-14 days. To relieve the itching sensation, antiallergenic drugs (suprastin, cetrin) are suitable.
- Children are most susceptible to the disease, so you need to be very careful when symptoms appear in order to take timely action. If they appear, you should immediately contact a medical facility. Delay can have a serious impact on the health and development of the child. Treatment, in general, is no different, but the dosage of medications and the conditions for keeping the patient are different.
In young girls, pinworm infection may be accompanied by urinary incontinence.
There are folk remedies that help expel worms (pinworms):
- Pumpkin seeds are a centuries-old remedy. Microelements and their combinations contained in pumpkin seeds, as well as substances formed during digestion, are intolerable to parasites.
- Another proven remedy is garlic . But it must be used taking into account the condition of the patient’s gastrointestinal tract (excluded in case of gastritis and ulcers).
But simple preventive measures will help prevent the disease.
Worms in the carpet
In the carpet beetle, the leather beetle, the larvae look like oval, semi-cylindrical or spindle-shaped worms. The larvae are mobile, their body has brown stripes and is covered with stiff, protruding hairs.
Kozheed beetle larva – photo
The leather beetle is found not only in carpets; they are attracted to feathers, fur, upholstered furniture and even clothing. Lately, skin beetles have been found quite often.
What damage can beetles cause?
So, you have a skin beetle. Why is such a “neighbor” dangerous and how to get rid of it? First of all, leather beetles destroy all things made from materials of animal origin: fluff, leather, fur, felt, silk, wool and others. They also love to chew on food products: dried and dried meat and fish, cheese, milk and cereals. Then they will not disdain books, especially old ones. Their bindings contain glue, which they also “respect” very much.
In particularly advanced cases, skin beetles can harm wires and cables, for example from a computer, chew furniture, especially upholstery, picture frames, “eat” wallpaper, especially natural wallpaper, and chew parquet.
Worms in cabinet furniture
The main pest of wood is the wood borer beetle. Its larvae live in wood products, in particular in furniture, for a very long time, up to 17 years!
Grinder beetle larva – photo
During its lifetime, just one larva can gnaw passages up to 40 kilometers long in wood. The larvae are white, fleshy, 5-10mm long. They have thickened segments on the chest, small dark spines on the back, and three pairs of thoracic legs. Adult insects fly out. Wood-boring beetles can live in your home for several years without being noticed.
Preventive actions
Prevention is of great importance. It is as follows:
- you need to constantly monitor the child when he is playing in the yard and especially digging in the sand;
- regularly give your pets antihelminthic drugs;
- ensure that the child does not put dirty hands into his mouth;
- teach your child to wash his hands;
- subject all products that come to the table to thorough heat treatment;
- All products must be washed thoroughly before use.
Worms in the bathroom or toilet
Not very much, but still similar to white or silvery silverfish worms that prefer dampness.
Silverfish - photo
The length of the insect is 1-2 cm, the body is more like a droplet. Silverfish do not like light, preferring to hide in cracks in the floor, furniture and other dark places. Pests are found not only in bathrooms, they can be found under carpets, in furniture, under baseboards, it all depends on the level of humidity in your apartment. The silverfish lives for 4 years. You can get to know the pest better and find out how to get rid of them here - “Silverfish - how to get rid of insects.”
What is pinworm
The pinworm is a roundworm that parasitizes the human body and is a type of nematode . Both humans and great apes suffer from these parasites (helminths). The disease they cause is called enterobiasis . Both children (mostly) and adults are susceptible to it.
The body of the worm is round in cross-section, up to 1.5 cm , grayish or white in color, tapering towards the ends. The worms live mainly in the small intestine (in the cecum they can cause appendicitis), and the individuals are dioecious.
Fertilization occurs in the ileum. Upon completion, the males die, and the female emerges through the anus to the surface of the body, lays eggs and also dies. The entire life of the parasite lasts about a month.
Worms in the kitchen
Small white worms in cereals are food moths that also eat flour, dried fruits and even animal feed.
Moth larvae create cocoons in the form of lumps, for example, as in the photo.
Food moths in an apartment, or rather its larvae, easily gnaw through bags where food is stored, not only eat them, but also infect them with feces, dead individuals, and skin. Thus, eating contaminated foods is not recommended. Most often, it gets into the house along with groceries from the store, but not only does it not survive, you can find a moth larva in the most unexpected corner of the apartment.
In unsanitary conditions, fly larvae appear in the kitchen, which look like white worms.
Fly larva – photo
The length of the larvae reaches 13 mm. The worm has no legs, its shape is truncated at the back, and pointed at the front, where the mouth opening is located. They live in a semi-liquid environment from three to twenty-five days, and then crawl away to a cool, dry place and pupate.
Perhaps this is the majority of all the worms that you can find in your apartment. There are still many different larvae and even worms that accidentally end up in a person’s home. If you haven’t found a specimen like yours, send a photo and we will definitely answer your questions about who has settled in your home and how to deal with them.
Where does the attack come from?
There are basically two objective reasons for the appearance of “tenants”:
- various types of communications - woodlice, millipedes, etc. migrate with impunity through ventilation shafts;
- interruptions in the operation of filtration systems, for example, in the tap water there may be small black worms in the bathroom - mosquito larvae.
Mosquito larvae
We create the remaining prerequisites ourselves in pursuit of glamorous design or due to banal laziness, they can be:
- warm water pipes hidden in boxes under the casing; but small-timers will always find a micro-crack to squeeze through to visit you;
- condensation flowing into nooks and crannies under the bathtub that are difficult to reach;
Pandemonium in a wet corner
- damp rugs on the floor near the bathroom/toilet;
- dust;
- clogged drains;
- storage area for rags under the bathroom.
How to find out if a person has worms at home
The presence of worms in the body cannot be determined visually. But there are characteristic symptoms that may indicate infection:
- drowsiness, chronic fatigue, malaise;
- frequent diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, nausea;
- weakened immunity, regular colds;
- sudden onset of allergies;
- sudden, causeless weight loss.
In children, the presence of worms is characterized by the following symptoms:
- poor sleep, grinding teeth in sleep;
- frequent diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence;
- excessive saliva production;
- itching in the anal area;
- irritability, drowsiness;
- brittle nails, hair and dry skin.
However, these signs are not specific to worm infection and may accompany other pathologies.
Therefore, consultation with a doctor is mandatory. You need to contact an infectious disease specialist and gastroenterologist. Laboratory tests of stool, smear, and blood help to make an accurate diagnosis and find out which worms have infected the body.
Garlic
Strong antibacterial agent. Its smell cannot be tolerated by insects. If you are not afraid of a specific aroma, water your indoor flowers with garlic infusion.
Garlic destroys mold spores, prevents plant diseases and repels all insects. It is necessary to chop 7-10 cloves of garlic, pour a liter of boiling water over them and leave for at least a week.
Strain the resulting concentrate, measure out 50 g and stir in 10 liters of water. This solution can be used to both water and spray plants.
A simpler, but less effective way is to put a few cut cloves in a flower pot.
Advantages of using garlic: getting rid of pests, preventing plant diseases and saturating the soil with useful substances. The disadvantages include a pungent odor, the duration of preparation of the infusion and its short shelf life.
