Where do goosebumps come from in the apartment, and how to send them back?

They always appear suddenly, crawl out of invisible crevices and also quietly leave the room. Little red goosebumps in an apartment look like creatures from a parallel world. In fact, it is. Somewhere there, in the dark depths of the house, an ant colony of many thousands swarms, lives its own life, sends scouts, sends expeditions for "provisions", multiplies. It turned out to be more difficult to fight the insect that occupied human housing than to master space and defeat fascism. But do not give up!

The ins and outs of the ginger invader

The one who is colloquially called the red goose, in the biological classification - ship or pharaohs ant. The insect is thermophilic, native to North Africa. It has long been a companion of man, on ships spread over all continents and found refuge in a human dwelling, where there is always a warm nook and nourishment.

Interesting! The imperial name ("pharaohs") received tiny red beasts from Karl Linnaeus himself. For the first time, insects were discovered in Egyptian tombs, where they either guarded the peace of mummies, or ate them.

Externally, redhead goosebump is a tiny insect. The body of the working representatives of the family, namely, we see them in our apartments, reaches a length of only 1.5–2 mm compared to 4–9 mm in their forest and garden counterparts. The uterus is slightly larger - up to 4 mm, but it is difficult to see, since the nest where it lays its eggs is usually in a place inaccessible to people - under the floors, behind skirting boards, in floors, even under wallpaper.

Due to the small size of the insect, with the naked eye we see only the light brown color of the outer covers. Under the microscope, the dark bands characteristic of the species can be seen on the abdomen. The eggs are in shape the same as ordinary ants, but three times smaller - about 0.3 mm long.

5 lifestyle features

No matter how we strive to get rid of goose bumps, it is almost never possible to completely destroy them. Why - it becomes clear, based on the lifestyle of the insect.

1. This is a synanthropic species of insects, i.e., coexists in a kind of symbiosis with humans. In warm countries, it can settle outdoors, but close to them, in cold countries - only in rooms outside which heat-loving goosebumps die. A favorable environment - where there is always a plus temperature, it is dark, humid, inaccessible to people.
2. Due to its tropical origin, nature does not provide for a hibernation period. In winter, the activity of insects decreases slightly, but does not stop completely. They continue to swarm, feed, breed, so that over the year each family grows by several thousand individuals.
3. From 100 to 200 mature females live in each ant family. This ensures high fertility and survival. Firstly, each female lives up to 10 years and lays up to 500 thousand eggs for her life. Secondly, she does not leave the nest to establish a new anthill, as is the case with their forest relatives. Thirdly, it is always in an inaccessible place.
4. Goose bumps in an apartment create diffuse nests. How do they differ from an ordinary anthill? When the nest overflows, its “branch” is created nearby. The network is interconnected, the uterus is not at odds, the ants feed together.
5. The visible part of the anthill is not more than 10%. It is easiest to detect and physically destroy the working ants or foragers who are recovering from prey and pestering people with their importunity. The vast majority (about 90%) of insects do not come to the surface - they look after the offspring.

It is clear that it is difficult to completely remove insects, but it is possible to create conditions under which uninvited neighbors will leave themselves in search of a better life.

Ways to deal with domestic ants

Consider how to get rid of goosebumps using modern means and folk tricks. But first, let's talk about general rules, the implementation of which will significantly increase the chances of winning.

• The appearance of even single insects is an alarming signal and a motive for the start of "hostilities." Perhaps these are scouts or inhabitants of the new colony - do not allow their reproduction!
• Do not rush to kill uninvited guests, first track the ant trails. On them you can find the heart of the colony, led by the uterus, especially if the nest is within the home.
• Eliminate the source attracting ants - open food or its remains. Loose food, keep bread in airtight containers, regularly take out the trash, do not leave dirty dishes and leftover pet food on the floor.
• If you live in an apartment building, act together with other tenants. Otherwise, part of the insects will certainly survive and the colony will revive.

Professional pest control

In search of a way to get rid of goosebumps, they are increasingly resorting to disinsection of housing by specialists. This option, although the most expensive, but gives a 100% guarantee. Why?

• Specialists know where the network of nests can be located, and find them.
• Fine dispersion of insecticides (steam, fog) is used. The poison enters the microscopic slots, overtaking the pest.
• They use drugs that are effective against adults, larvae, and even eggs.
• Chemical norms are calculated correctly so as not to harm humans and pets.

This method of struggle is indispensable in apartment buildings, where, in addition to the living quarters, you need to process the basement, attic, stairwell, waste bins and other "attractive" places.

Chemicals

In a private house, if insects have just appeared, an effective remedy for goose bumps is insecticides in the form of aerosols. Thoroughly spray places where you notice insects, baseboards, crevices in floors, walls, the space behind cabinets, batteries.

Great if you managed to identify an ant nest. Spray the pesticide and, after a while, vacuum the dead insects and the anthill remnants. A stream of air will suck in all the larvae, eggs, even if they did not die under the influence of the drug.

If the nest could not be found, an aerosol will help little, since it will destroy only goosebumps. In this case, you need something more ingenious.

Poisoned Bait

For example, a poisoned bait delayed action. The essence of the method is that working ants not only eat up poisoned food themselves, but also feed their colleagues in the anthill, including the uterus. Another option is the application of a poisonous substance along the path of insects so that they carry the poison into a nest on the paws. The most popular drugs of this type:

• insecticidal gels;
• insecticidal powder (dust);
• pencil, crayon "Mashenka".

But how to get rid of ants, for example, in the kitchen, where you do not want to lay out dangerous drugs in the public domain?

Traps

In this case, it is recommended to use special traps. In them, the bait is in the container. Having tasted it, the insect goes home, taking a piece of the poisoned treat with itself.

Advice! Many sources offer Velcro traps against ants. Checked - the method is ineffective, since new and new foragers will replace the dead.

"Grandfather" methods

Our grandfathers, who did not have chemical preparations, fought red-headed goosebumps in simple but effective ways.

• If you add a teaspoon of boric acid powder to a sweet solution (1 teaspoon of honey per 100 g of water), you will get a “killer” liquid. It is processed by ant trails and visited places.
• Corn insects do not like insects. Rather, they eat it with pleasure and even carry it to the anthill, but can not digest it, so they die.
• In a similar way, ordinary baker's yeast acts on pests, which, for efficiency, are bred with sugar, starting the fermentation process. Having eaten them, goosebumps die from the "digestion" of digestion.

As you can see, there are many ways to get rid of goosebumps. The main thing is not to give up, to fight persistently and methodically. And even if all the insects do not die, they will go around your apartment on the tenth road.

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