10 ways to detect bed bugs, how to find bed bugs in an apartment on your own and find out, identify, check, understand that they are

Reader Question:

Alice

Someone bites me at night. And the lesions have characteristic signs. The bites form like a row of 2-4 formations, with a dark dot in the center and a red spot around it. Everything suggests that it is bedbugs, but I have not found them on examination. Not under the peeling wallpaper, not inside the bed, not even under the mattress. It's kind of mystical. But I don't give up, I keep looking.
I have heard that there are some clever ways to find parasites at home very quickly, no matter where they are hiding. These are folk methods, but for me they are the most acceptable option. First, such remedies do no harm, and secondly, all you need to prepare them is always at home. But we need to know the methods, recipes, otherwise the accuracy of their use will be reduced if the technology is violated. Please give some examples of such funds. Thank you in advance.

The author of the portal answers the question:

How to recognize and identify bed bugs in an apartment. What the pest looks like. Close-up photos of adults and larvae of bed bugs

Insects of this species sometimes resemble small cockroaches, but they move much more slowly. They can be confused with fleas as well, but such parasites have a narrower body, front and back limbs of different lengths. If you happen to see an insect that is difficult to identify, you can confirm your guesses by the features of the appearance of bed bugs:

• body measurements in different states: 5-8 mm, if the insect is hungry, it increases 1.5-2 times after satiation;
• The mouth apparatus is externally different from that of a mosquito - the proboscis is not as long, but more powerful;
• color brown, becomes black and burgundy after eating;
• The body is covered with microscopic hairs, segmented;
• 3 pairs of limbs, which distinguishes bed bugs from mites;
• the end of the abdomen has no cerces, as in cockroaches.

Sometimes the detected Insects are very similar to bed bugs, but there are significant differences. For example, a light color (milky) or small body size (1.5 mm). Such insects also belong to this species of parasites, but have not yet reached sexual maturity. These are larvae, they outwardly resemble bedbugs. Nymphs (the next youngest specimens) are even more similar to these parasites. They are larger (2-4 mm), slightly darker in color (no longer milky, but light brown).

After eating, the abdomen becomes bright red, which is due to the transparency of the not fully formed outer covers.

The surest signs of detecting bed bugs in an apartment

If there are fears that insects may appear (there have been precedents before), you should pay attention to the condition of furniture in the bedroom. Some of the signs are detected upon entering the apartment - the smell, and others are detected during general cleaning or floor cleaning (shells that larvae drop off as they grow up).

Bed bug bites, irritation, red spots

You can tell that blood-sucking insects are hiding at home by the marks that remain on the body after contact with the parasites. General signs bites:

• strong itching, sometimes it appears immediately (if a larva has bitten, as it does not yet have the physical ability to anesthetize the puncture site) or several hours later (when an adult attacks);
• a drop of blood on the area where the skin is injured;
• painful sensations.

Symptoms that do not occur in all people, their appearance is due to the individual reaction of the person to the injected bedbug substances:

• swelling, and in children the bite marks are more pronounced;
• Hyperemia in the area where the bite occurred, sometimes the red spot reaches 5 cm.

Discover bedbugs can also be done in another way. At the same time, the nature of the bites is studied. It is possible to determine the source of marks on the body by paying attention to the location of the spots: they form like a track of 2-3 pcs. Unlike other insects, they are saturated in several approaches.

The pests make 2-3 punctures as they move, the distance between them is short.

Specific smell of bed bugs

The presence at home of such insects are also confirmed by other signs. Among them is a peculiar smell in the room. It appears when there is a significant distribution of pests in the object. If there are few of them, there will be no smell. It is felt when the concentration of substances released by house bugs during egg laying increases. Excrement also exudes an odor. It resembles the aroma of old cognac. When this sign appears, you can see others with the naked eye. The smell from bed bugs always indicates a strong infestation of the object.

Traces of parasites

You can find pests by looking at their feces. These are black dots that remain everywhere the insects crawl. More excrement is found where the nest (this is the name of the nidus of infestation of the apartment - set up by the insects inside the sleeping place or other furniture).

If there are many pests and they have been living in the house for a long time, the dark dots merge into a single spot.

Solitary excrement can be seen on surfaces where apartments are often moved parasites.

How to find a bedbug nest in an apartment by yourself

You have to be attentive. In doing so, look for the basic signs infestation of the object. But it is easiest to do this when there are a lot of insects. If there is only one bedbug in the room, it is much harder to find it. In this case, various methods, tricks are used. First of all, you need to know how to understand whether there are bed bugs. At the initial stage, the main method is to study the nature of the bites on your body. Even one parasite can bother people. But the bites in this case will be rare.

What methods will help to identify bed bugs

At the initial stage of infection, two options are possible:

• wait for the next bite, which may not happen soon (depends on how often you eat the bedbug);
• a new generation will appear in 1-2 weeks, then the signs of the attack will appear more often.

Both options have disadvantages. To understand how to find bedbugs in home conditions, it is necessary to learn more about the peculiarities of their life activity. So, parasites move in the usual ways, and quite slowly. Their target is the sleeping place, as well as a person on it at night. In addition, the source of food is blood.

Considering these factors, it is possible to detect parasites through various improvised means, but you should not use bait containing human food.

This method is useless when looking for blood-sucking insects.

It is possible to make a glue backing. To find out how to tell if there are bed bugs in the room, prepare cardboard. On one side, a long curing glue is applied. Such pads should be placed near the bed. You can also put the central section of cardboard untreated. The foot of the bed is placed on it. In the morning we check the presence of vermin here. You can use double-sided tape instead of glue.

The Ancient Way - Eight Glasses

Preparation is simple, all you need is sandpaper and vegetable oil. Use 8 plastic glasses, 4 of which are smaller than the others. Glasses are installed into each other, you get 4 pairs. The outer walls of large containers are processed with sandpaper. Pour oil inside, poured talcum powder. These structures are used as footstools for the bed legs. The rough surface will make it easier for the insects to climb. They will not be able to overcome an obstacle in the form of oil.

The plate method

There is another method that allows you to understand how to detect bed bugs. The principle is the same as in the first option, only metal or plastic plates are used. It is important to install such devices under each leg of the bed.

The disadvantage of these methods is that you can not use them when there is no other sleeping place except the couch.

In addition, if Insects The pests in the bed (mattress) cannot be detected in this way. It is used only when it is suspected that the insects are outside the bed.

Early rise.

This is a universal method. It can be used to see if there are bedbugsHow to detect them: It is recommended not to go to bed or get up at dawn, or even earlier. Domestic parasites are active at night - between 2 and 6 o'clock. Independently find them, if enough willpower to observe the surfaces at the specified time. In this case, the light is not turned on, but a flashlight is used.

You can also sharply turn on the light, the insects will not have time to hide.

Where to look for bed bugs: check the places where the parasites are hiding

If bite marks and red spots appear on the bed, it is advisable to check furniture, coverings, and furnishings. There are favorite habitats of bed bugs. Such an inspection of the room can be carried out during the day and at night. To understand how to detect bed bugs is not difficult, the main task is not to miss any part of the room, where there may be a den of pests:

• in the mattress, as well as all on the structural elements of the bed, sofa (seams, upholstery, leaks), the more insects and longer they live in a person's home, the worse the condition of the bed;
• Under the baseboard, if it does not fit tightly to the wall, floor, otherwise insects can inhabit the corner areas behind the furniture;
• in wall-mounted interior objects: photos, paintings, clocks, decorative elements (bed bugs can crawl inside the construction or remain on the back wall);
• inside the sockets, after treating the room, you need to clean them of dead insects, which will require dismantling;
• flooring, walls (carpet, wallpaper, parquet, laminate) - here the insects find shelter, if there are gaps;
• lighting fixtures (especially wall-mounted fixtures), bed bugs infest the back walls of the enclosure.

Question and answer section

You need to understand how to detect bed bugs in your apartment before you start fighting them. If you do this after treatment, not all of the nests will be destroyed. For this reason, it is so important to inspect the room and get rid of any traces of pests found in the process. You can ask questions to a specialist on the subject. Entomologist answers, 24 years of experience.

How do I know if there are bed bugs in my couch?

Sofia

Entomologist with 24 years of experience

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"We need to look for traces of insects: feces, chitinous shells, larvae, eggs that have just appeared, as well as empty shells. Some nests can be seen with the naked eye. They can be easily recognized: it is a cluster of brown insects, and near a lot of black dots, light formations. Some nests are arranged in the depth of the structure of the sleeping place. They are also found by self-examination, but to do this, it is sometimes necessary to dismantle the main parts of the furniture frame.

How can I tell if there are bed bugs in my mattress?

Sofia

Entomologist with 24 years of experience

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"In this case, the main measure is a careful inspection of all upholstery. It is important to understand how to know if there are bed bugs in the mattress, because here the insects are closest to the human body. They will attack their victim until the situation gets out of control: multiple lesions on the skin will appear. You won't have to look for bed bugs for a long time. They will gradually stain the mattress where their loophole is located. So, look inch by inch, determine the place of damage to the upholstery, where the insects live (it can be inconspicuous)."

How do you detect bed bugs in a bed?

Sofia

Entomologist with 24 years of experience

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"The same principle is used to search for pests in a corner sofa, armchair and other upholstered furniture: the internal surfaces of the frame are inspected. If not all areas can be checked, the structure is partially dismantled. It is necessary to check the corners, all possible joints.

What to do if bed bugs are found during an inspection. Locate and treat

If red stains are found on the laundry, chitinous shells are found around the apartment, excrement is found on furniture (in the couch, bed), insects' nests, it is necessary to clean all surfaces from traces of insects' existence. Then select funds from bedbugs.

Parasites you have to outputusing a combined method (different types of drugs and substances are used simultaneously).

Available options:

• sprays: Clean House, Raid, Raptor, Dichlofos, Combat etc. - all of them act in a similar way (negatively affecting the nervous system, the poisoning substance is delivered into the body by direct contact with the chitinous cover of the bedbug);
• powders: scattered on surfaces, but there is no guarantee that the parasites will crawl through these areas, as the bait has no effect on them, so such means are used only together with others;
• pencils: bed bugs do not find the insecticide themselves, applied to the surface in the form of a line of crayon, to remove the parasites, treat furniture legs with this agent, as well as baseboards, the back walls of interior items, the perimeter of outlets, the inner surfaces of cabinets, etc;
• concentrated liquids, microencapsulated emulsions are used to prepare a solution at home, the prepared product is sprayed with a sprayer over areas where parasites can live, but you can not spray upholstered furniture, mattress, to destroy nests in the crib this method is also used;
• folk remedies: Vinegar, ammonia, essential oils;
• physical methods: exposure ferry, freezing.

For better treatment, move furniture closer to the center of the room to cover as many surfaces as possible with the poisoning agent. You can invite professional exterminators. This will use the hot or cold fogging method.

Video tip (photo + video): how to see a bedbug, bedbug nest at home, is it possible to do it with the naked eye

Identify bed bugs: reviews

Expert tips

Anna

Entomologist, researcher. Work experience of 16 years.

- Bed bugs leave behind a lot of debris, to find them, just inspect as carefully as possible all wooden parts of the couch, bed, metal structures can be missed, even a small number of individuals cause the formation of difficult to remove the dark stains on which the insects are detected;
- If the bed headboard touches the wall, the method of checking for parasites with containers and water or oil will be ineffective - the insects can bypass the obstacle from the other side;
- the choice of method of extermination of insects depends on where they settled: for upholstered furniture do not use insecticides, use physical methods, on hard surfaces use toxic substances.

Conclusion

Parasites can be recognized by external signs: small size (6-8 mm), brown coloration, 3 pairs of limbs and transverse stripes on the body. There are other possibilities for pest detection:

1. Oriented by the bites (red spots or dots form a track), itching is felt, swelling develops. The higher the sensitivity of the body, the stronger the negative signs are manifested, especially in children.
2. To confirm their suspicions use the 8 glasses method or the plate method, inspect the room at night or early in the morning. But they are not always effective, it is better to additionally check all the furniture.
3. If found parasiteschoose method of their destruction: household chemical, professional, physical. For woven materials, the latter option is suitable.