Where do bed bugs live - in the couch, in bed, in pillows and can they live in clothes?
Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed on human blood. They enter the house with contaminated furniture, clothes, bags, and move from neighbors. Their presence results in restless sleep and skin problems. To completely destroy the parasites, you need to know where the bugs live. In the place of their accumulation are eggs, adults and larvae. This is the only way to eliminate the source of infection.
Where are the bugs hidden in the apartment
Domestic bugs settled in a human dwelling several thousand years ago. They chose comfortable conditions and the proximity of food. In heat, insects breed all year round, parasite generations are constantly expanding the territory. Bed bugs have long ceased to be a sign of unsanitary conditions. They appear in clean tidy apartments and fashionable hotels.
Arthropods live secretly, appear only at night. To detect and destroy them, it is necessary to find out the habitats of bugs. Most likely to find parasites when examining a berth. They slowly and reluctantly crawl, besides they take care of the offspring. The proximity of a person is a decisive factor when choosing a site for a nest. The search for insects in the apartment begins with the following places:
- bed, sofa - places to sleep;
- upholstered furniture (chairs, chairs, pouffes);
- cabinet furniture (cabinets, chests of drawers, tables);
- cracks behind the baseboard, in the walls and floor;
- picture frames;
- peeled off wallpaper;
- carpets and curtains.
Sometimes bugs live in cages of poultry or in an aquarium with rodents. Warm-blooded animals are also a source of blood for parasites.
Bedbugs on the couch
Upholstered furniture is the main site of infection with parasites. To identify pests, it is important to know what the bugs look like on the couch. Insects have a flattened body, most of which is the abdomen. The size of adults is 4.5–6 mm; larvae are 1.5–4 mm. The color of the parasites is red-brown, the offspring are lighter than the imago. Parasites do not jump and do not fly, sofa bugs only crawl.
Parasites can appear in new and old furniture. What causes bed bugs on the couch? Sheathing, a wooden frame with many secluded places, packing foam, these components are optimal shelters for arthropods. They are attracted by the favorable environment, natural materials and darkness, but the main thing is the proximity of a person. Parasites enter the sofa in various ways: on clothes, when moving from neighbors, during long-term storage in a warehouse or transportation from another country. Insects endure long starvation without harm, are activated, getting into the apartment.
Tip. When searching for a nest, pay attention to the back wall of the sofa, which is adjacent to the wall, as well as to the seams.
Bed bugs
Experts have found that most often bed bugs live in beds. They hide in the spring blocks, seams of the casing, the cracks of the wooden frame. These shelters attract parasites by the proximity of a blood source, by many secluded areas where there is enough space for a whole colony to settle. Bed bugs also live on mattresses; they do not climb inside, preferring to hide in outer seams.
How to get rid of bed bugs in a mattress?
You can detect insects on the mattress or bed details by an unpleasant smell and a lot of black excrement. A careful examination of the cluster places shows white oblong eggs, larvae and the remains of their skins. An environmentally friendly option for killing parasites is heat treatment. In winter, the mattress is taken outside, leaving it there for 3-5 days. High temperament kills insects faster. You can use a steam cleaner and treat the entire mattress with steam at a temperature of 90-100 °. Bed bugs, larvae and eggs are guaranteed to die.
One of the ways to combat is the use of chemicals. To kill insects, modern drugs with microcapsules “Xulat Micro”, “Get” are used. They are odorless, kill parasites within a few months after spraying. When removing bugs, you can not be limited to a mattress and a berth, you will have to process the entire room.
Bed bugs
Insects love to settle near sleeping people, but pillows are rarely infected. There are several reasons:
- the filler in the form of fluff or fibers prevents the bugs from crawling;
- a person lies on a pillow, often tosses and turns, bothers and crushes parasites;
- in the pillow it is inconvenient to lay eggs and develop offspring.
But these facts do not exclude the movement of insects on the pillow. When processing a bed, this item should not be forgotten.
Furniture bugs
Insects found not in beds, but in other furniture, are species of bed bugs. With a multiple increase in the number of parasites, they begin to spread throughout the room, move to neighboring rooms. They hide in drawers of bedside tables and chests of drawers, on shelves of cabinets, behind paintings and mirrors.
Bed bugs in furniture are only in the afternoon, when night falls they go to the nearest place where a person sleeps.
How to get rid of furniture bugs?
There are many methods for killing pests:
- thermal;
- chemical;
- folk recipes.
Processing furniture at home with chemicals is considered the most effective way. Well got insecticide "Get", produced in the form of a suspension. It is diluted with water and sprayed on all surfaces. The tool retains the effect on parasites for several months. Aerosols "Combat", "Clean House" are popular. They paralyze insects, quickly cause death. The disadvantage of drugs is toxicity and pungent odor.
Information. Most insecticides do not kill eggs; chlorpiprifos-based products are effective against them.
As a heat treatment, the furniture is frozen or exposed to steam. Folk recipes recommend the use of essential oils (lavender, tea tree) and herbs (wormwood, tansy). It is often suggested that furniture is treated with vinegar or other smelling agents. Such recipes have only a deterrent effect. If you can’t cope with parasites on your own, call professionals.
Can bugs live in clothes
Insects need secluded places to wait out the day and lay eggs. Clothing that has been in the bedroom closet for a long time becomes an excellent option for creating a nest. Darkness and stable climatic conditions are a favorable factor for the life and reproduction of pests. With an increase in the number of colonies, parasites do not fit in sleeping rooms, therefore, they develop the nearest territory. They are attracted to the closet or dressing room by the smell of a person.
Information. Insects prefer to eat in open areas of the body. Pajamas can protect against parasite bites.
Insects settle in seams and folds, often choose outerwear - a coat and a jacket. Fur coats made of natural or artificial fur remain clean. Bed bugs do not move well in dense hairs. Most often, bathrobes, bedding, dirty things that do not wash for a long time become infected.
Information. On clothes, you can bring parasites into your apartment from the source of infection.It is enough to sit on the couch or armchair, inside of which insects live. Attracted by heat, they crawl into the folds of clothes and travel with a person. In the room, bedbugs leave the thing, move into furniture or a crevice.
How to get rid of bed bugs in clothes?
If parasites are found in the apartment, it is necessary to inspect not only furniture, but also clothing. The signs of parasites are the same - black dots, a specific smell. There may be white eggs in the folds and seams. There are various methods for killing arthropods:
- freezing;
- steam treatment;
- high temperature wash;
- use of chemicals.
Frost is ineffective in removing bed bugs. Insects at low rates fall into a state of suspended animation and survive. To kill them, a temperature of -17-20 ° is required. With a little frost, things are left for several days.
Parasites do not tolerate heat, they die at 50 °. The best way to remove all insects from your things is to wash clothes in hot water. For cotton fabrics, a higher temperature of about 80-90 ° can be set. The procedure is guaranteed to kill adult insects and their clutch. Steam processing also gives excellent results. The procedure is carried out using a steam generator. The appliance emits steam with temperatures up to 100 °, while its humidity is very low.
Contaminated items that are not exposed to high temperatures will be dry cleaned or treated with insecticides. It is worthwhile to find out if parasite eggs are killed. If the masonry remains viable, a new generation of insects will appear.
Bed bugs are highly adaptable and survivable. They can survive without food, hide anywhere. These qualities explain the high percentage of infections in residential premises. Parasites can and should be fought with all available means. In a difficult situation, it is worth calling professional pest control.