How to get rid of house (bed) bugs at home

House bugs drink blood at night. They prefer the delicate skin of women and children, but in a state of severe hunger or indoor dominance, they will also bite men. In the morning after a restless sleep, red blisters will appear on the areas of the body covered with a blanket. They will itch.

Sometimes such bites are fraught not only with itching, but with allergies and all the ensuing consequences: runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath. Having infestations in your home can negatively impact your sleep and morale. Women may become hysterical. Children going outside and scratching blisters on their skin run the risk of introducing infection into the wounds.

For those who are faced with the problem of bedbugs in an apartment or house, the project “Without.Insects” will give some practical advice and answer the question: how to get rid of bedbugs at home?

Where do bedbugs come from, and why are they dangerous?

The question of where bedbugs come from worries everyone who one morning discovered numerous bites on their body. Many people believe that this is a consequence of unsanitary conditions in the apartment, but this is not so.

Even the most well-kept home can have bedbugs . Most often they move from neighboring apartments. Therefore, before choosing a method of struggle, it is imperative to warn your neighbors and act together. Otherwise, after some time, insects may reappear.

• A bedbug can be brought into the house with a new item, bedding or appliances. These insects choose the most secluded places for hiding - in the folds of clothing, in seams, in boxes that were stored in a warehouse under unknown conditions;
• If you bought an apartment with furniture from the previous owners, especially if this furniture is quite old, it is likely that bedbugs have been living in it for a long time and were simply “inherited” to you;

• It is very rare, but you can bring a bedbug along with the animal.

Bedbug bites are clearly visible visually. Usually these are several bites in a row, less often - single, random red dots. The individual chooses the most “delicious” place on the human body, moves along it and bites. In 1 minute, a bug can make from 5 to 7 bites.

The danger of bites is that they can cause a severe allergic reaction, burning and itching, like after a mosquito bite. In addition, bedbugs are carriers of various dangerous diseases. When a person is bitten by an adult, it happens unnoticed, since an anesthetic enzyme is released during the bite. The larvae, due to their age, do not have this ability, which makes the bite also painful.

Determining enemy positions

Reconnaissance is a term used in military affairs. It means studying enemy positions. House bugs are just such an enemy, and in order to get rid of them yourself, you need to find out their location and number.

The obvious way is to wake up in the middle of the night from bites and turn on the light to see where the bloodsuckers are. However, this strategy may not be suitable, since a bug is not a mosquito; in the light of a lamp it will not sit on the wall, conveniently exposing itself to the clap of the palm. Moreover, according to statistics, 70% of people do not even notice that bed bugs drank their blood at night.

So, it remains daylight. If you notice blisters on the skin and blood stains on the sheets, the first thing you should do is inspect the bed. It is necessary to remove the sheets and mattress and shake them. If it is a sofa, then disassemble it, paying special attention to the corners of the frame and large seams. In addition to the parasites themselves, their presence will also be indicated by the shed skins that they change during molting, dark grains of feces and, of course, the smell. The aroma emitted by bedbugs has long been the subject of jokes: the little bloodsuckers smell like bad cognac or like fermented raspberries.

Bed bugs are synanthropic parasites; they feed on the blood of mammals. They identify victims by the heat emanating from them and try to arrange nesting sites close to, so to speak, the food supply. Therefore, a bed or sofa where a person spends 7-8 hours of sleep every day is an ideal option for them.

However, in order to be guaranteed to get rid of bedbugs at home, you should not limit your search only to a place to rest at night. It is also worth paying attention to the following:

• Cabinets. Inspect the area where the furniture touches the wall. Take clothes out of the closet and shake them out. Bedbugs are especially partial to synthetics.
• Bedside tables. It’s the same here – explore the space between the bedside table and the wall. It's a good idea to take out the drawers. There may be parasites there too.
• Bookshelves. Books are rarely read these days; they mostly gather dust on shelves. This is an excellent hiding place for bedbugs. Take out the volumes of Shakespeare and Shilova, and inspect the free space.
• Floors. There are many options here. Parasites can hide under rugs, carpets, parquet flooring, in the cracks between boards, behind baseboards and old or poorly glued wallpaper.
• Electrical appliances. Bed bugs love heat, including artificial heat. Therefore, sockets, switches, heaters and radiators are their favorite habitats.

If your search does not bring results, you can dilute vinegar essence and wipe it on plastic coverings, floors and baseboards. The solution must be strong enough to emit a strong odor. Synanthropic insects cannot tolerate it and will immediately be forced to leave their shelters. Then you can easily find them.

Where do bedbugs hide?

Getting rid of bed bugs on your own can be very difficult. Firstly, they reproduce very quickly. One female per day is capable of laying up to 5 eggs, which turn into a full-fledged individual after 10 days.

Secondly, in order to completely destroy insects, it is necessary to identify all possible places where they can hide. They usually live:

• inside upholstered furniture;
• in a sleeping mattress;
• in the carpet;
• under baseboards;
• behind the paintings;
• on shelves with bed linen;
• in sockets;
• under loose wallpaper, etc.

Places of their accumulation can be detected by noticeable signs - black dots and brownish scales of chitinous cover, which are shed by both larvae during molting and adults.

Bedbugs are nocturnal inhabitants. Even the most thorough inspection of the apartment during daylight hours may not yield results. The activity time of insects is from 01:00 at night to approximately 05:00 in the morning. It is during this period of time that you need to inspect all of the above places with a flashlight. Some people also recommend laying down a white sheet before going to bed, moving the bed away from the wall or curtains, wrapping the legs in plastic wrap and placing them in a container of oil. For example, you can pour oil into nylon caps. Then get up in the middle of the night and turn on the overhead lights. If you see bedbugs or droplets of blood on your bed, it means they are living in the mattress. A container with oil will become an obstacle for insects that want to climb onto the bed and for those who want to “escape” from it.

What do bedbugs look like at all stages of development?

The life cycle of bed bugs includes three states:

• egg;
• nymph (larva);
• imago (adult).

Stages of development of domestic bugs: 1. Egg 2. Hungry and well-fed larva 3-6.
Stages of transition to adulthood 7. Hungry adult bug 8. Well-fed adult bug If there is a constant source of food, female parasites lay clutches every day. Each clutch contains up to 12 elongated white eggs. They reach 1 mm in length. At one end of the egg there is a small hole through which the formed larva emerges. Depending on the ambient temperature, this occurs on days 4–19. By the time the nymphs appear, the eggs acquire a yellowish tint.

The larva has a flat, hairy body with pronounced segmentation and three pairs of limbs. Its length ranges from 1.5 to 4 mm. Initially it is translucent, with a brown tint. As the nymph matures, it becomes dark brown in color. The abdomen of the young parasite consists of 8 sections. It holds up to 1.3 mg of blood.

The body of the larva is covered with a chitinous shell. Over time, the pest becomes cramped in it. Then he sheds it and forms a new shell. After 5 molts, the nymph turns into an imago and gains the ability to reproduce.

Attention! The lifespan of bed bugs reaches 12–14 months.

Adults have a round body shape, slightly pointed at the back. Female house bugs reach a length of 8 mm, males - 6 mm. Before laying, the female body stretches into a long oval. The color of adult pests is dark brown. At the junction of the head and abdomen, short, non-functional wings can be seen.

External differences between male and female bedbugs

Preparing to kill parasites

Before you start exterminating insects using one or another means, you need to check all the premises step by step.

• Inspect all small objects - books, toys, dishes, small equipment, etc. for the presence of bedbugs or their larvae. Regardless of the inspection results, pack your belongings in sealed, thick plastic bags and remove them from the apartment. This will protect clean things from being colonized by parasites, and the room from the spread of insects from infected things;
• We collect bed linen, things hanging on the bed or chair, curtains and put them in the washing machine. They must be washed at the highest possible temperature. Those fabrics that cannot be washed at high temperatures, and other things that do not fit into the washing machine, must be packed in sealed bags and left for a while;
• Next, remove all paintings, photo frames, clocks, panels and other decor from the walls;
• Empty the bookcases, clear out all the books, move the furniture away from the walls and unscrew the baseboards;
• Furniture that can be disassembled must also be placed in separate bags and removed from the premises. If the covers are removed, they are placed in a separate bag;

• Next, all indoor plants and pets are taken out;
• After the apartment has been vacated as much as possible, it is necessary to treat it with an insecticide strictly according to the instructions or the chosen folk remedy;
• After this, all isolated items are processed. It is advisable to do this outside.

Features of removing bedbugs from various places

You can remove bedbugs using different methods. They should not all be used always and not everywhere. You need to understand when it is better to do heat treatment and when to use chemical insecticides. There are cases in which the problem can only be solved with the help of special services. In another situation, a person can cope with such a misfortune on his own. It depends on the degree of infestation, sources and the desire of the person to try to remove bedbugs for a long time and painfully or leave it to specialists.

Recommended reading: How to remove the smell of garlic from your hands

How to get bedbugs out of a sofa

To remove sofa bugs, you can take the furniture out into the cold or treat it with a steam generator or chemical insecticide. This will require patience and hard work. It will be as follows:

1. Initially, you need to disassemble the sofa as soon as possible.
2. Remove the pillows, unzip and uncover them, wash the covers at the highest possible temperature.
3. Vacuum all parts of the sofa, corners and folds.
4. Treat all possible areas of the sofa with a steam generator or chemical agent: ends, back, seams, corners, bottom, tray.

After using chemicals, the sofa should be ventilated and not used for several days until the smell completely disappears.

How to get bedbugs out of clothes

To remove bedbugs from clothes, you can use one of the listed methods, taking into account the type of clothing, so as not to spoil it. Outerwear should be taken out into the cold for 2 days or treated with a steam generator. This method will preserve the appearance and quality of the clothes. For other types of clothing, cold heat treatment outdoors or in the refrigerator, as well as high temperature washing in hot water, are also recommended.

You should not use chemicals to remove parasites from clothes so as not to harm your health.

How to remove bed bugs

Bed bugs can live in bedding, as well as in the mattress and its seams. To remove bed bugs yourself, just wash your laundry in water at a temperature of about +600C. You can also keep it in the cold for a couple of days for greater reliability. First vacuum the mattress well, especially the seams and folds, and then treat it with a steam generator or keep it in the cold for at least 48 hours.

Vinegar and ammonia

It is a mistake to think that a bite or ammonia has a detrimental effect on bedbugs. They simply do not like the smell of these substances, nothing more.

Therefore, treatment with these drugs
more suitable for preventive measures .
A solution with the addition of vinegar is prepared on a water basis in a 1:1 ratio. The resulting composition is used to wipe windows, both inside and outside, because special bristles on the legs of bedbugs allow them to easily move along the outer walls of the house. Moreover, they can cover a distance of about 1 meter in just 1 minute. If there are screens on the windows, you can also treat them with vinegar and check the quality of their fit to the frame, since insects have a flat body and can penetrate into the narrowest gaps. They process slopes, window sills and ebbs, furniture, baseboards, and floors. It is reasonable to periodically carry out such treatment if you live in an old house, where complaints about the activity of various insects are much more common. If you use ammonia, it can be added to the water during wet cleaning at the rate of 2 tbsp. alcohol to a bucket of water. After evaporation, ammonia creates a transparent film on the surface, which has a repellent odor for insects for a long time.

Several cases from practice

In March, four months ago, we worked in Mytishchi; a woman herself removed bedbugs from an apartment for two years, but did not remove them. Twice exterminators worked in front of us, each time they killed the bedbugs, but after a month or two they appeared again.

We checked our order database, half of the apartments in this building are or were infested, that is, one of the neighbors constantly has bedbugs.

During the treatment, the exterminator got confused, checked everything, found two cracks in the heating risers, and a crack in the box in the toilet where the toilet flush goes into it. The woman immediately sealed these cracks with sealant during treatment. Four months have passed. Not a single parasite was seen in the apartment. The customer is happy, her children and no one bites her, she recommends us to friends, says how well we carry out the treatment. But in reality, the whole secret was in this sealant putty.

Standard organization for introducing heating risers into a room - in the gap between the pipes, bedbugs could skip (if they could jump)

There was an interesting incident in another apartment. It was a dead-end apartment in an old building, and it was very well renovated, literally perfect walls, perfect joints, ceilings, ventilation grilles. And a person has the same problem: it turns out that there are no bedbugs, but after a month or two they appear. He poisons himself, orders treatments - the result is the same.

We checked all the risers and sockets in the apartment - everything was sealed, everything was clean. We looked at the front door - there was no rubber seal on it. A good metal door, solid, but without elastic. They started checking it with a sheet of paper, and it turned out that when installing it, the box moved a little. It is not visible to the eye, the curvature occurred on the side opposite the hinges, that is, this curvature does not affect the opening and closing in any way. But there is a gap.

The next day the customer went to the market, bought an elastic band for the entire perimeter of the door for 200 rubles, it cost 200 rubles. He glued it on. This was after the New Year, more than six months ago. After this he has no bedbugs. Not because we carried out the treatment so well, not because the product was 12,000 rubles per liter, but because they can no longer get to it.

And there are many such situations. Somewhere you need a cheap tube of silicone for 150 rubles. Somewhere an elastic band costs 200, somewhere a grille costs another 200. Plus, it takes half an hour to do it. And that’s it, then carry out normal treatment and forget about bedbugs forever.

There are, of course, cases when bedbugs are reintroduced by people themselves. But in reality, if a person once had bedbugs in his house and was able to get rid of them, then this is usually such a negative experience that in the future, in situations where bedbugs can be accidentally brought in with things or furniture, the person will be extremely careful to prevent this. Did not happen. He will wash things, check bags after trips, will not buy used furniture, and most likely he will not bring bedbugs into his home.

Boiling water

Bed bugs cannot tolerate high temperatures. Therefore, many recommend simply scalding the insects with boiling water.

Yes, every adult that comes into contact with boiling liquid will indeed die instantly.
Such a short-term effect will not have on the larvae . And it is simply not possible to treat all the walls in the room and pieces of furniture with this product. Boiling water can scald baseboards, naturally, in dismantled form, cornices, walls and floors lined with tiles.

Signs of furniture infestation with bedbugs

It is not immediately possible to determine that there are bedbugs in the sofa. Adults numb their bites and come out to drink blood once every 3-4 days. But some characteristic signs can help identify parasites in furniture:

1. a peculiar aroma will be felt in the apartment, reminiscent of cognac, almonds or stale raspberries;
2. Bedbug bites are different from mosquito bites, with which they are usually confused. The mosquito bites once, nocturnal parasites build a “path” of 3–5 bites, moving along the blood vessel;
3. Insect feces will be visible on the sofa, they look like small black dots or poppy seeds. It is not recommended to touch with your hands - only with gloves;
4. if you carefully examine the sofa, you can see the night parasites themselves. They often live under the lining, in the folds of the material. Insects of all ages, larvae, eggs, excrement, and shed shells are usually mixed in the nest.

Usually, bedbugs do not settle only in the sofa; they also inhabit other secluded corners of the apartment. You need to get rid of them quickly before they multiply even more.

Turpentine and kerosene

But turpentine or kerosene is poisonous for bedbugs.

On its basis, active compositions are prepared, for example:

• 300 ml of turpentine + 300 ml of ethyl alcohol + 15 g of camphor;
• 600 ml of turpentine + 600 carbolic acid + 0.005 ml of salicylic acid;
• 20 ml turpentine + 20 ml kerosene + 1150 ml boiling water;
• 250 ml of turpentine + 250 ml of kerosene + 60 g of naphthalene.

The resulting mixture should be used to treat the areas where bedbugs were found. After this, the room is sealed for at least a day. Afterwards you need to carry out thorough cleaning and ventilation.

Measures to prevent re-infection

After you have removed all the bedbugs from the sofa and the apartment, you need to make sure that they do not get into the apartment again. Several preventive measures will help to do this:

1. periodically carry out wet cleaning with the addition of aromatic essential oils to the water;
2. remove cardboard packaging from the apartment immediately. Don't leave it overnight. Bedbugs often live there;
3. check things that are brought into the apartment, for example, after trips, trips, business trips;
4. do not clutter the apartment with unnecessary things, old furniture, this creates shelters for many domestic parasites;
5. seal cracks in the room, seal up torn wallpaper - all this also serves as nesting sites for bedbugs;
6. Do not walk further than the hallway in street shoes. Disinfect the wheels of baby strollers and bicycles that are brought home. You can treat with soda solutions or a weak alcohol solution.

Preventive measures will prevent the eggs of bedbugs and other parasites from being transferred into the apartment, which will prevent re-infection.

Wormwood, tansy, wild rosemary

Another measure to prevent the recurrence or initial appearance of bedbugs in an apartment is the use of dried strong-smelling herbs or decoctions based on them.

• Wormwood has a characteristic aroma that many insects cannot tolerate. It is enough to place small branches of dried wormwood in corners, under baseboards, in bookcases and other places to repel bedbugs from your home;
• Tansy is a poisonous plant. It must be collected precisely during the flowering period. After this, dry and spread around the perimeter of the room. Keep in mind that dried tansy is toxic, keep an eye on children and pets, ventilate the room more often;
• Ledum is also a toxic plant. A decoction is prepared from its leaves, which is used to treat the interior and furniture. The broth will have a clearly noticeable odor, so you need to leave the apartment for a day, and then ventilate well for another two days.

How to get rid of the smell of bedbugs

You can tell that a room is heavily infested with bedbugs by the smell. Behind the insect's front legs, on its abdomen, there are odorous glands that produce a substance that easily evaporates in the air. The concentration of the released substance depends on the situation in which the bloodsucker is located. When in danger, or when a crushed bedbug is crushed, it releases the most smelly substance.

To get rid of the smell of a blood-sucking parasite, you first need to completely remove bedbugs from the furniture. As a rule, it is possible to get rid of a large number of insects that make themselves known by their smell only with the help of chemical poisons. They give a positive result, but the combined smell of poison and insect after etching is no longer easy to remove.

Therefore, experts recommend:

• choose odorless chemicals;
• after killing bedbugs, carry out a good general cleaning using scented cleaning products;
• make cosmetic repairs to those places where there was the greatest concentration of insects;
• ventilate the room well;
• remove furniture and other items to fresh air for ventilation.

Attention! There are methods for eliminating persistent odors in an apartment by neutralizing the sources of such odors. One of the methods is dry fog treatment using a special generator. This operation is carried out by specialists whose services you should contact.

Scotch

Many users share their experience of fighting bedbugs using double-sided tape. It is glued to small pieces of cardboard around the perimeter and placed under the legs of the bed so that the tape follows their contour.

With this homemade trap you can catch insects that try to climb onto your bed to bite you.
However, if there are already a lot of insects in the apartment, then this is not a solution. This method helps in the fight against single individuals noticed in the early stages. Then the caught bedbugs can be destroyed physically or with boiling water. Then treat the apartment with a composition based on alcohol, ammonia, or spread aromatic herbs around the perimeter.

Review of bedbug extermination products

Destruction of bedbugs

Modern chemicals available to the masses are characterized by higher efficiency and effectiveness.

They are quite simple to use and can be stored for a long period of time (for example, for re-processing a room or preventing the appearance of parasites). For example, the most common chalk among people is “Mashenka”.

Of course, like any chemical substance, any antiparasitic agent is to a certain extent dangerous for humans, domestic animals and plants. Therefore, when using them, it is strongly recommended to adhere to strict personal protection and hygiene rules. They will be discussed below in a separate generalizing chapter.

The most effective and popular types of bedbug treatments include the following:

Aerosols. They are distinguished by their ease of use - you can apply the product to any surface, even hard-to-reach ones, in a few movements.

At the moment, it is aerosol antiparasitic drugs that are recognized as the most effective and quickly acting. Local impact allows you to act directly on areas where bedbugs accumulate.

The choice of such funds is quite wide, designed for all cost categories:

• "Raptor" . A branded drug that regularly receives a lot of positive feedback. The essence of the effect on bedbugs is the paralytic effect of the nervous system of the parasites. Recommended for local application directly on bedbugs or their nests.
• "Raid" . Another well-advertised product that still allows you to remove bedbugs fairly quickly and efficiently. Local impact on parasites and areas of accumulation, especially in upholstered furniture, will ensure effective disposal of harmful insects. The unpleasant odor disappears quite quickly, which makes “Raid” very convenient for treating residential premises.
• "Combat" . An affordable and quite effective aerosol product, which is also supplied by the manufacturer with a set of attachments for especially hard-to-reach places. It has a paralytic effect on the nervous system of bedbugs. It is recommended to treat nests or parasites directly.

Bedbug repellent Kombat

• "Microfos" . A drug from the professional group of antiparasitic drugs. Maximum efficiency is combined with a very pungent and persistent odor. Can be used to treat upholstered furniture (after which additional cleaning of surfaces with detergents is recommended to eliminate odors), bedbug nests or the insects themselves. Refers to expensive drugs.

Insecticidal powders and crayons . Before you remove bedbugs from your apartment yourself using advertised crayons, you need to make sure that the preparations contain contact poison and not intestinal poison. The fact is that, unlike cockroaches, bedbugs will not consume powders and crayons due to the fact that they feed exclusively on blood.

Therefore, the product should act upon contact with the insect, and not after getting inside the parasite. In general, good insecticidal powders and crayons offer effective results, but require more time to fully get rid of bedbugs than, for example, aerosols.

The most popular products on the domestic market include the following items:

• Powder product GEKTOR (HECTOR). A new generation drug that has proven itself well in the domestic market. The main distinguishing feature is its natural composition, which can cope even with bedbugs that are accustomed to most chemicals. Thanks to its natural composition, it is completely safe, incl. for pets. Without smell. It is allowed to leave it in treated areas to prevent the reappearance of insects.
• "Chlorophos" . To use this organophosphorus powder must be diluted with water, 15 g of Chlorophos per 10 liters of water. It has a destructive effect on adults and their eggs. Allows you to achieve 100% results. Toxic to humans, especially if inhaled.
• "Neopine" . 10 g of powder, diluted in 1 liter of water, will allow you to efficiently remove bedbugs from beds and upholstered furniture. It is applied to surfaces by irrigation, after which it is necessary to let it “work” for 2-3 hours. Then you can safely wash off the remaining product and its characteristic odor using detergents. Neopin should be used daily for 2-3 weeks. Only in this way can you achieve the desired result and remove bedbugs. A one-time application will only reduce the number of parasites and partially destroy their eggs.

Pencil Mashenka

• "Mashenka." Perhaps the universal and most popular means for household extermination of various types of parasites. It stands out for its ease of application and use, versatility and fairly good efficiency. Due to the content of pyrethroid group poisons in its composition, it has a long-lasting and reliable effect on harmful insects. It also represents the optimal ratio of the main indicators for the average consumer - price and quality. Ideal for cases where bedbug concentrations are small. For more serious colonies and in advanced cases, it will not provide the expected result.

Liquid products. They are extremely poorly represented on the domestic market. When working with them, it is necessary to use special equipment, including specialized protective equipment. The high cost and complexity of use, even when ensuring a guaranteed successful result, have negatively affected the demand for liquid antiparasitic agents.

But for those who are ready to use all methods for removing bedbugs, we can recommend the following names:

1. "Primadid";
2. "Lakterin";
3. "Insecta Dibro-Fin";
4. "Aktellik";
5. “Foxid;
6. "Foresight";

Each of these products must be accompanied by detailed instructions for use and ensuring protection of the skin, respiratory tract and mucous membranes during use of the drug.

Bedbug Traps

So far (as of fall 2021), only the HECTOR company has this type of funds.

They are plastic stands with a groove that need to be installed under each of the legs of the bed.

In addition, it is necessary to move the bed away from the wall and prevent the bedding from touching the floor.

Temperature treatment

Bedbugs live and reproduce only in conditions that are comfortable for them. And temperature plays a significant role.

Therefore, by creating uncomfortable conditions for parasites, you can achieve their extinction without even resorting to chemically active agents:

• Sub-zero temperatures . Being in regions where there are severe frosts is beneficial in the fight against parasites. There is an old and proven way to get rid of harmful insects by simply taking the furniture in which they have established a nest outside for several hours. In this case, the external temperature should be below -250C. Hard frost will break up bedbug clusters and effectively get rid of their eggs.

How does baiting of bedbugs happen with special smoke?

• Elevated temperatures . If you find a cluster of bedbugs, you can pour boiling water over it. The disadvantages of this method are the likelihood of causing damage to furniture or its upholstery. If bedbugs and their colony are located, for example, inside a chair or sofa, then it is almost impossible to reach them with boiling water without dismantling the piece of furniture, and in some cases it is completely impossible.

Specialized services sometimes use special steam generators and heat guns, with the help of which they spray the surfaces of the entire room with a heat wave with a temperature reading above +500C. Without special equipment, such temperature treatment cannot be achieved using improvised means.

Rules for personal protection when removing bedbugs

Regardless of which method and means are chosen to kill bedbugs, it is necessary to take a number of measures to protect living beings and food from the dangerous effects of antiparasitic drugs. Thus, it is necessary to seal all food products, even those that will be consumed later after heat treatment. Dishes and kitchen utensils must also be reliably protected from any possible ingress of chemicals.

This is especially true if aerosol or liquid treatments will be used. There must be no children or pets in the room that will be treated.

This rule applies to both aerosol treatment and removal of bedbugs using powder and crayons. The fact is that small children and pets can taste this or that product. The content of concentrated poisons in the composition of antiparasitic agents will lead to the most complex and dangerous consequences. When sealing items, it is important to carefully examine them for larvae and egg deposits. Even one bug embryo can cause them to re-populate.

For personal protection, regardless of the chosen method of eliminating bedbugs, you must purchase:

1. Latex gloves;
2. Protective mask;
3. Protective disposable clothing - gowns, shoe covers, etc.;
4. For powder products - special sealed containers;
5. Effective detergents that will further remove the characteristic odors of antiparasitic drugs.

When deciding to remove bedbugs from an apartment yourself, it is advisable to be prepared for unforeseen financial expenses or their unplanned increases. The reasons why one or more methods of eliminating parasites may not bring the expected result are outlined at the beginning of the article.

Instructions for removing bedbugs at home

How to properly remove bed bugs

Methods for how to remove bedbugs from an apartment yourself will vary depending on their habitat. Therefore, it is necessary to identify what exactly was the source of parasite infection and the main place of their accumulation.

As a rule, insects choose upholstered furniture, mattresses, cabinets, peeling wallpaper, spaces behind baseboards, in books or between them as a place of refuge.

Due to the inaccessibility of some areas especially favored by bedbugs, it is necessary to make additional efforts to identify their concentrations. But subsequently, these difficulties will be rewarded with effective and complete elimination of parasites.

How to get bedbugs out of a sofa?

Sofas are one of the most favorite places for bedbugs to live. This is explained by the proximity of the main source of nutrition - man, or rather his blood. An important advantage of sofas is their special design, which in most models of this piece of furniture requires the presence of a large number of tight joints. It is in them that the parasites “sit.” Crowding and darkness are key factors in bedbug comfort.

To get rid of a harmful insect in the sofa, you can use one of the following methods:

1. Mechanical destruction . Collecting parasites by hand. It is characterized by low efficiency, duration, but is extremely cheap.
2. Heat treatment, hot .
   This can be done using heat guns or steam generators, or scalding the sofa with boiling water. In the latter case, you will need a lot of boiling water and a long time to dry the interior item. Getting rid of bed bugs at home
3. Heat treatment, cold . This is done by taking the furniture outside if the outside temperature is below – 250C. A good frost completely exterminates both adult bedbugs and larvae of bedbugs.
4. Using aerosols . It is advisable to find the main location of the parasites and spray them with any available means. Due to the possibility of a characteristic odor, subsequent cleaning of the furniture may be necessary.
5. Using powders and crayons . They should be applied to the joints, joints of parts of the sofa - where insects prefer to “live”. Subsequently, there may also be a need for washing with special means.

You should use extremely carefully such preparations, which contain denatured alcohol and turpentine (most often folk remedies for fighting bedbugs), as they can cause irreparable damage to the upholstery of the sofa.

How to get bedbugs out of a bed?

Bedbugs infested the bed

The bed is not inferior to the sofa in popularity among bedbugs. I even dream about bedbugs at night, why do I even dream about bedbugs? The proximity of the human body, the absence of the need to move and search for food make the sleeping place an ideal “dwelling” for the parasite.

Methods for removing bedbugs from beds can be divided into the following groups:

1. Destruction of bedbugs using chemicals. These can be either aerosol or powder preparations with which the surface is irrigated and then washed off. Before treatment, it is necessary to remove bed linen and mattress covers and thoroughly wash them in a hot cycle. The best option would be professional dry cleaning.
2. Freezing . With the onset of severe frosts, there is an excellent opportunity to get rid of bedbugs cheaply - just take the mattress and bed frame outside. The effect will only be if the temperature is below -200C.
3. Burning out . It is not necessary to take this method only in the literal sense. Exposure to a warm wave of +500C will be enough. The source can be either a construction steam generator or a household heat gun.
4. Collect parasites manually or using a vacuum cleaner . An ineffective, time-consuming method that is best used in combination with other, more effective ones.

Using turpentine, dust, denatured alcohol and other “folk methods”. The big disadvantage of these products is their persistent unpleasant odor. Exterminating bedbugs only in a sleeping place is unlikely to bring the full expected result. As a rule, parasites spread throughout the entire apartment, so eliminating one source cannot block their further spread and does not guarantee complete victory over insects.

How to remove bedbugs from a carpet?

Postelynyy Klopp

Due to the relative compactness of the carpet, removing bedbugs from it is not so problematic. Firstly, you can leave this matter to specialists (some dry cleaning services provide this service at a professional level). Secondly, you can use any of the following methods:

• Thorough cleaning of carpets with a vacuum cleaner. It is advisable to use modern, powerful models that can remove insects from among the pile. You can also try to destroy the parasites manually, but this will be extremely difficult to do with long-haired products.
• Washing the carpet using active detergents. Not a particularly effective method, especially if the spread of bedbugs is widespread. Washing can be a great addition to other pest control methods.
• Use of chemicals. The most effective effect on insects, which can be carried out both locally and over the entire surface of the carpet. It is best to use either aerosol preparations or liquid preparations.
• Thermal elimination. To do this, you need to expose the carpet to critically low or high temperatures. In winter, you can take the coating outside and leave it for several hours, the main thing is that the thermometer shows the temperature no higher than -200C. Warm treatment involves exposure to air masses heated to +500C.
• White vinegar. It is rubbed into the carpet with a brush, left for a day or more, after which it is advisable to repeat the procedure several times with the same frequency. In most cases, it helps to get rid of traces of bedbugs and their larvae without leaving a trace. Even with a successful fight against carpet bugs, it is necessary to remember that there may be other “foci” of their spread throughout the entire apartment. Therefore, it is recommended to carefully examine the favorite places for parasites to “reside” - upholstered furniture, beds, cabinets, chests of drawers, baseboards.

Heat treatment

For normal life, bedbugs need an environment with a temperature of +20°С… +30°С.

A decrease or increase in temperature to them . You can take advantage of this fact to destroy insects that live in the mattress, old furniture and all those things that we carefully packed in sealed bags. If the bedbug infestation occurred in the summer, take everything possible outside into the full sun. It is not a fact that all individuals will die immediately; repeat the procedure for several days in a row. If it's winter outside , you can take items out into the cold and expose the parasites to cold treatment.

Cold and hot war

Bed bugs are heat-loving insects that feel comfortable at 20-25 °C. They tolerate any temperature fluctuations painfully. For example, a cold snap of just 10 °C puts them into suspended animation; at -20 °C and below, their bodies freeze, and after a few hours the frozen organs rupture the internal tissues, leading to the death of the insects.

However, bedbugs like warmth for the time being. As soon as the thermometer rises to +55 °C, the parasites begin to feel uneasy. An hour or two in this heat and they die. A day later, the same fate overtakes the eggs they laid.

It would seem that freezing and evaporation could become the most popular means. With their help, you could easily get rid of bedbugs yourself and without special costs: you don’t need to buy chemicals or contact pest control services. However, in real life, it is not so easy to exterminate parasites with cold and heat.

Killing by cold requires a consistently low temperature outside. The windows are opened wide, the heating is turned off, the water is drained from the pipes so that it does not freeze and break communications. Freezing is carried out in two stages: the first time the population of adult individuals must die, the second time - those bugs that manage to hatch from heat-resistant eggs in about 2 weeks. If everything is done correctly, the blood-sucking enemies, as well as their eggs, will disappear forever.

But such a powerful effect will also have a downside. Freezing temperatures can ruin plaster, furniture, wallpaper or cause other costly damage. Therefore, freezing is only suitable for local control of parasites. Let's say bedbugs have infested the sofa and have not yet spread throughout the house. The furniture is taken out into the cold and left under the windows for a day. The result: no parasites, no chemical smell, just the aroma of frost on the upholstery.

Things are not so simple with the evaporation of bed bugs. To say that using this method to easily get rid of bloodsuckers at home would be an exaggeration.

For this procedure, a steam generator apparatus is used. The temperature is set to 60 °C and above; it is advisable to wrap the nozzle with a rag so that water vapor is sprayed at a wide angle. A jet of steam quickly kills bedbugs, their larvae and eggs, but the treatment process itself takes a lot of time, since with the help of a steam generator you can only hit bedbugs with targeted blows, and only in open areas: by removing a panel from the wall or rolling up a carpet on the floor. It will not be possible to crawl with such a unit into the far corner of the bedside table or treat the socket with a stream of steam. In addition, steam is harmful to paint surfaces, and at temperatures above 70 ° C, also to plastic coatings.

Therefore, as with freezing, evaporation is suitable for controlling bed bugs in a confined space when they have not yet spread throughout the room. Otherwise, only a temporary effect can be achieved - the remaining individuals will reproduce and quickly restore the population.

Steam generator

This destruction method is based on exposure to high temperatures.

The steam generator should be used to treat all surfaces that allow this, all pieces of furniture and textiles in the house, including carpets, joints between the floor and the wall.
Many people advise treating the walls, but there is a chance that the wallpaper will move away from the surface under such influence. also use powerful steam generators .

Safety precautions during processing

Regardless of which insecticide the treatment will take place, you need to protect yourself from toxic substances.

Chemicals should not come into contact with the skin, mucous membranes and respiratory tract. The sprayer should be held at arm's length from you.

It is prohibited to direct it towards yourself or another person. It’s better to poison insects together, so you can monitor your friend’s condition and help if necessary.

Often, the instructions for the drugs recommend carrying out the treatment with the windows and doors closed, which will increase efficiency. You need to work carefully, but quickly; you should not stay in a room filled with toxic chemicals for a long time.

Before using chemicals, you must wear protective equipment. Protect your eyes with special goggles and wear gloves on your hands.

It is better to wear long sleeves, boots, and tuck your trousers into them. The respiratory tract is protected by a respirator. After finishing the treatment, wash your hands with soap. Clothes need to be dry cleaned or washed.

How to choose an insecticide?

Often traditional methods of fighting bedbugs turn out to be useless, and you have to resort to the help of special chemicals.

Before you go to the store, you need to know what criteria are important when choosing:

• Toxicity. The drug must be safe for people, indoor plants and animals;
• It should have a convenient release form. Many note that sprays and aerosols are the most convenient for processing. In addition, the drug is already ready for use;
• Exposure time. In this case, the faster the better, so you should choose a drug that will ensure the destruction of parasites within a few hours - 1 day. This will not only avoid the appearance of new individuals, but will also eliminate the need to leave your home for a long time.

We remove bedbugs from the apartment ourselves

We remove bedbugs from the apartment

If you manage to detect the parasites and their location in time, there is a high probability that you will be able to get rid of the bedbugs on your own, without the intervention of special services. It must be remembered that there are practically no universal remedies. As practice shows, a product that allows you to remove bedbugs in one case may not meet the expected effect in another. This is due to the unique feature of bedbugs to get used to various types of chemicals and preparations intended for their extermination.

But there is no need to despair - with a comprehensive, thoughtful and step-by-step removal of bedbugs, you can achieve 100% results and get rid of bedbugs forever in your apartment, house, or country house.

There are folk remedies for removing bedbugs and special chemical ones that can be purchased in specialized stores. If the infestation of parasites is not large-scale and was noticed in a timely manner, you can first use traditional methods; in 40% of cases they help to effectively remove bedbugs without resorting to rather dangerous and difficult-to-use chemicals.

List of popular chemicals

This review is based on reviews from users who shared their experiences on various forums.

• Executioner - the product has a nerve-paralytic effect and kills the parasite literally in minutes. At the same time, the product is safe for humans and does not have a strong odor. Its main advantage is that not only adults die, but also larvae. The only inconvenience is the need to prepare the working staff yourself;

• Combat – when ingested, it causes paralysis and, as a result, death. Sold ready-made in a convenient bottle, it is odorless and does not leave streaks on treated surfaces. The toxicity of the drug appears on the first day, so it is recommended to leave your home during this time;
• Raid is a viral drug that paralyzes the nervous system of insects. For a positive result, re-treatment is required after 2 weeks. Many people note that after use, an oily film that is difficult to wash off remains on the surfaces. Also, the drug is ineffective if there are a lot of bedbugs in the apartment;

• Karbofos is a nerve agent against bedbugs and larvae. It has a very pungent, unpleasant odor and leaves an oily film on the surface. It is sold in the form of a powder or ready-made emulsion, the cost of which is much higher. It is highly effective, but requires repeated treatment and evacuation from the premises for 3-4 days. Be sure to read the recommendations on the packaging before purchasing;
• Get is a highly effective insecticide, safe for people and animals. It causes paralysis of pests after a few hours. Does not have an unpleasant odor and does not require re-processing;

• Gektor - the effect of the drug is based on complete dehydration of the insect for just a few hours. the active substance contained in the insecticide, falling on the insect, draws out all the moisture from it due to high adsorption. It is safe even if it comes into contact with the skin, has no odor, and successfully cleans even areas heavily populated with parasites. Disadvantages include high cost and long exposure time.

What smells do bedbugs dislike?

Bedbugs have a highly developed sense of smell. This helps them quickly find a source of nutrition - human blood. Therefore, insects always react to odors and do not like highly concentrated aromas. This was discovered a long time ago and was used to repel blood-sucking insects. Smells that bed bugs are afraid of include herbal aromas:

• wormwood;
• tansy;
• calamus;
• chamomile;
• wild rosemary

The scent of perfume and cologne can also ward off an uninvited guest. But only if the smell is very persistent. Among the chemical agents to repel bedbugs, you can use ammonia, vinegar, turpentine, wiping the legs of the bed and the floor around it with their solutions.

Comment! Repelling bedbugs with an unpleasant odor is only a temporary measure. A very hungry insect will still attack a person to satisfy its hunger.

How to independently detect the presence of bedbugs in a room?

Independent detection of bedbugs indoors is difficult because the arthropods are very small and nocturnal. But by paying attention to some characteristic signs, you can still recognize insects:

1. The appearance of bites on the body is the main sign that there are bed bugs in the apartment. To distinguish bedbug bites from mosquito bites, you need to look closely to see if there are small droplets of coagulated blood on them. When bitten, a mosquito secretes a hemostatic mucus, which the bug does not have. The bug only numbs the bite site, so blood particles remain on the wound.
2. Blood stains on bed linen. A parasite that has drunk blood becomes very large and clumsy. It moves slowly and can easily be crushed by a sleeping person. In the morning, if you look closely at the bed linen, you can see small blood spots.
3. The presence of black spots - bedbug excrement. They can be on the sofa, in bedside tables, wardrobes.
4. The keratinized membranes of parasites that remain after they molt. The shells can be found in areas with large concentrations of insects and excrement.
5. Live insects, eggs, larvae. To detect adult individuals, you need to lay out the bed and turn on the lights sharply at night. Insects will definitely be noticed, as they will not have time to hide.

To simplify the search for pests, it is recommended to use a flashlight and a magnifying glass. It is necessary to examine all hard-to-reach places in the house. A magnifying glass will help in identifying excrement, eggs and larvae.

Bedbug trap

Unfortunately, bed bugs are quite difficult to attract with anything. Therefore, now there is only one type of trap on sale, which uses your sleeping place as bait. Such traps are plastic containers with a special “catching groove”.

The trap should be placed under each of the bed legs, and the bed itself should be moved away from walls and other furniture. Bed linen should never touch the floor. If all this is done, then bed bugs will have no other option but to crawl up the legs of the bed.

The bug, having climbed to the top along the outer rough side of the trap, encounters an obstacle in the form of a groove with a slippery surface. An insect thirsty for blood cannot understand in time that its legs are unable to grasp such a surface. Trying to get through the obstacle, the bug slides down, from where, for the same reason, it cannot get up.

This trap is usually sold in a set of 4 pieces.

How to prevent the spread

To stop the reproduction process, you need to create unacceptable conditions for this. The main factor is temperature difference. Conditions within +25…+35°C are considered comfortable for parasites. When the temperature is lowered with the help of an air conditioner to +18 and below, the development of insects slows down and the reproduction process is inhibited.

This will prevent the spread of insects until the bedbug nests on the sofa are destroyed.

When introducing pests, it is necessary to find their habitat. If it is destroyed, the number of insects will decrease many times. This is the fastest way to control pests in your home and also prevent further spread of insects.

Find all bed bug nests inside the sofa

Sources

• https://vreditelstop.ru/klopy/kak-bystro-izbavitsya-ot-divannykh-klopov.html
• https://prusakam.net/kak-vyvesti-klopov-iz-divana/
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• https://ouborke.ru/kak-samostoyatelno-vyvesti-klopov-iz-divana
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• https://misterklop.ru/klopy/klopy-v-divane-kak-najti-i-vyvesti-samostoyatelno

Why total bullying is always better

To understand how to remove bed bugs, you need to remember their ability to migrate. During the period of persecution, these parasites can leave places that are dangerous to their lives. For example, they can move from the sofa to a nearby chair, or even move to their neighbors, calmly waiting out an unfavorable period there. That is why spot treatment of an apartment often gives only a temporary effect, or does not bring results at all.

Of course, if an object infested with bedbugs gets into the house, it is enough to immediately get rid of it, or promptly destroy the insects that have settled in it. The main thing is that not a single female has time to lay eggs in any other corner of the apartment.

If it is not entirely clear where the parasites came from, you will have to treat the entire apartment, as well as cooperate with neighbors, since in apartment buildings, simultaneous collective persecution often becomes the salvation from bedbugs.

Alternating control agents and repeated treatments

Many good chemicals for baiting bedbugs are ineffective in the fight because the insects have already developed immunity to them. A generation of bedbugs that has survived persecution with a certain drug passes on resistance to the active ingredients of this drug to the new generation. To ensure that bed bugs are removed quickly and accurately, it is better to alternate medications.

In addition, only a limited number of chemicals act on bedbug eggs, while most drugs kill only adult bedbugs. And after some time, new parasites appear from the eggs. That is why it is necessary to arrange repeated treatments and use different means of control.

Rules for processing furniture and apartments

Furniture is treated both outside and inside; it is very important to treat all surfaces on which insects crawl. Found nests of parasites need to be irrigated especially generously. It is better to remove armrests and soft elements from sofas and armchairs, and pull out linen drawers.

When processing cabinets, tables, chests of drawers, you need to remove all contents from them and be sure to treat the space behind the back wall.