How to destroy bedbug eggs?

A room infected with bloodsucking parasites requires quick cleaning. Every day spent next to them turns into new painful bites. Processing the apartment allows you to get rid of adults and nymphs, but it is much more difficult to find and destroy bedbug eggs. Females reliably hide the clack, and the shell protects the embryos from the action of insecticides. Only potent remedies will help cope with the new generation of pests.

What do bedbug eggs look like?

The appearance of wounds on the body, constant itching and restless sleep are signs of the activity of synanthropic parasites of bed bugs. Insects feed on the blood of people, showing activity at night. A characteristic feature of pests is high fertility. After mating, the female is able to lay 200 to 500 eggs for 12 months. However, she does not need regular mating. Male gametes stored in the body gradually enter the reproductive organs, where eggs are fertilized.

The average size of the masonry is 5 pieces, sometimes more. The female glues it with a sticky secret to a vertical or horizontal surface. These are always dark and cramped places. The size of the eggs is about 1 mm, in shape they resemble slightly curved rice grains. In the upper part there is a cap; after maturation, the larva leaves its shelter through it. This design is characteristic of the order of the semi-rigid winged. The color of the eggs is milky white, at the end of the incubation period they turn yellow.

The outer shell of the egg or chorion protects the embryo placed in it from mechanical and chemical effects. It is not sealed, the cover provides gas exchange. The surface of the shell is smooth. The miniature size of the egg is associated with the parameters of the female bug, her body does not exceed 6 mm. Their number in the masonry depends on the amount of food. Before the bugs lay their eggs, they must drink a portion of blood. For a female, it is about 7 ml.

Information. The instinct of conservation of the species tells the female bug to lay eggs in various places. So when you destroy one masonry, the rest will survive.

The ovipositor process takes place throughout the life of a mature female. Two factors can stop its activity:

1. Lack of food. Bed bugs can live without food for up to 1 year. During this period, they are in a state close to suspended animation. To maintain the vital functions of her own body, the female digests the male sperm stored in her cavities and the embryos of eggs.
2. Low temperature. At 10 °, the activity of insects decreases, they stop reproduction.

Egg laying occurs through the ovipositor located inside the female’s abdomen. The breeding rate and the number of embryos depends on living conditions. High temperature and plenty of food lead to a catastrophic increase in the parasite population.

Incubation period

For the ripening of embryos inside the shell, certain climatic conditions are necessary. The main factors affecting the duration of the incubation period are temperature and humidity. In comfortable conditions at 25-26 ° the embryos mature in 5-7 days.When the degrees increase to 32-35 °, the process accelerates - 4-6 days. In rooms with a temperature indicator of 15-18 ° larvae appear after 15-19 days. If on a thermometer 0-10 ° eggs stop development, but retain viability. Even with a small negative temperature (from -7 to -4 °), they survive 1.5 months.

Information. It is possible to destroy masonry frost below -20 ° or heat from 45 °.

High humidity is harmful to eggs of domestic bugs. They become infected and die. Females always choose places with moderate humidity. With the advent of the larva, the second phase of the development of bugs begins. Pest offspring before adulthood is 5 ages. From the first days of life, the larva needs blood supply. Small parasites attack a person more often than mature individuals.

Where the bedbugs lay their eggs

To breed offspring, the female chooses a safe place not far from the food source. This is a manifestation of concern for the offspring; it is difficult for slow nymphs to travel long distances. Suitable are dry, dark places with a constant temperature. Insects do not like slippery surfaces, so they do not masonry on metal or plastic walls of furniture. The exception is the bed frame. Pests prefer a rough surface on which an adhesive secret will reliably hold masonry. This is upholstery fabric, wood.

The most common variant of the nest of bugs is a berth. No wonder parasites call bed bugs. They hide in the seams of the upholstery, cracks in the frame and other secluded places. The proximity of the food source makes this option the most attractive. When searching for masonry, you should check all the seams, the edges of the mattress, the mounting points of the springs.

Information. Due to the sticky substance around the eggs, they cannot be removed with a vacuum cleaner.

In order to confidently begin processing the premises, you need to know what the nest of bugs looks like. The accumulation of parasites is always dirty. They defecate in the nest. The surface around it is covered with black excrement, their color determines the nutrition of blood containing a lot of iron. Also an indispensable attribute of the habitat of the pest population is the remnants of the cuticle. Larvae, passing to the next age, drop a close cover from chitin. Shedding occurs 5 times, dry pieces of integument remain in the nest. Adult bugs, their offspring and eggs are all in close proximity to each other. Features of the parasite lifestyle in the article “Bed bugs: the appearance of bloodsuckers, and what harm can they do to health?”.

How to find a nest of bugs in an apartment

Synanthropic parasites enter a room with contaminated furniture, clothes, and bags. Bed bugs get into luggage when visiting hotels, hostels, resorts. There is a high chance of bringing insects from a trip to Asian countries, but bed bugs are also attacking luxury US hotels. Arthropods get into the apartment not only from afar, but also from their neighbors. They move through the ventilation ducts or walls of the house. On the upper floors, the attic is the source of infection. Parasites spread from abandoned bird nests.

The search for the habitat of parasites begins with certain areas in the apartment:

• upholstery of a sofa, bed, mattress;
• the space near the bed - cracks in the baseboards and walls;
• cracks in wooden furniture;
• the reverse side of the frames of paintings and photographs;
• sockets;
• Carpets
• folds of curtains;
• the space behind the peeled off wallpaper;
• vents.

Tip. Before you begin inspecting the proposed masonry locations, prepare a flashlight and a magnifier. These simple devices will facilitate the search for small eggs.

If the colony is large, then their habitat covers most of the room. Adult parasites can help with the search. They are mobile, so adults are easier to detect. The nest and masonry are always close to them. On humans or pets, parasites do not lay eggs.Having found out where to look for bugs in the apartment, you can go to buy an effective insecticide.

How to destroy bedbug eggs

Breeding bed bugs is a difficult procedure even for professional pest control. After careful processing of the premises, the population is restored in a few weeks. The fault is all the eggs that remained alive in the nooks of furniture or apartment. Why didn't they die while spraying with insecticides?

The reason is the resistance of parasites to many modern chemicals based on cypermethrin and malathion. Eggs whose shell reliably hides future larvae from insecticides show particular resistance. By the time the larvae appear (at room temperature, the incubation period is 10-15 days), the action of the active components weakens. The way out of the situation is the repeated disinfection of the apartment or the use of combined modern means.

Experts recommend 3 methods of how to get rid of pests of any age:

• mechanical;
• thermal;
• chemical.

Mechanical

The mechanical method is the least effective, its essence is the physical destruction of masonry. You need to find a nest of domestic bugs and crush the eggs with your hands. Some use a vacuum cleaner, but they can only collect a small part of the parasites. A small part of the pests is mechanically removed; their masonry is securely hidden in inaccessible places.

Tip. Wear rubber gloves before killing the parasite eggs.

Thermal

The thermal method is based on the sensitivity of insects to high temperature. It is enough to wash bedding and clothes in water heated to 60-80 °. For furniture and mattresses a steam generator is used. Places of accumulation of pests are treated with a directed stream of steam. Be sure to clean all upholstered furniture, the back walls of cabinets, curtains. Do not use the device to destroy bedbugs in outlets. During processing, various modes are selected that will not damage the wooden or varnished surface of the furniture. It is advisable to repeat the procedure after a week. Plus the method in the absence of an unpleasant odor and toxic secretions.

Information. Low temperatures are harmful to pests. Freezing is a seasonal procedure and has a number of difficulties. Furniture will have to be taken outside, parasites are able to live in the cold for several hours.

Chemical

With chemical pest control, it is important to choose an effective drug. The use of insecticides with ovicidal action gives a good result. These include microcapsule emulsions "Get", "Lambda Zone". Preparations remain on the surface for a long time, their active substance chlorpyrifos kills embryos through the shell. Tetrix, Sinuzan, Karbofos, Sikhlor help to get rid of blood-sucking parasites. Less preparations - a pungent smell. For the complete destruction of the bug population, several treatments with an interval of a week will be required.

The destruction of bedbug eggs is the most difficult part of the disinfestation of a room. Live masonry is becoming a source of parasite spread.