Bed bugs fly or jump - do bed bugs have wings and how to get rid of domestic bed bugs yourself

Reader Question:

Veronica

I have had a thing since childhood - I am afraid of flying insects at home ("thanks" to the neighborhood kids for scaring me). If in the open space they do not scare me, then at home I panic, begin to react inadequately. It's an uncontrollable reaction, after the attack is over I'm a little embarrassed if anyone has witnessed such a thing. I have almost learned how to avoid insects at home: there are mosquito nets on the windows and doors, and mesh on the ventilation grilles. The cracks in the facade cladding have been removed, thanks to my husband. The last few years have been peaceful for me.
But recently someone from the guests brought bedbugs with them. Now I can't eat, I don't sleep well, in a word, I'm afraid, because I heard that bedbugs fly. And they look intimidating, very unpleasant: red-brown body, like dirty, there is a proboscis. My husband sent me to my in-laws for a couple of days while he processes the apartment. But I realize that the fear at the thought of flying bed bugs now follows me everywhere. Please tell me if these insects can really fly. And if so, how to get rid of them faster. I will pass on your advice to my husband, thank you.

The author of the portal answers the question:

Are there bed bugs with wings, flying bugs. Photo

There is a large number of types. There is a wide variety of species among them. The answer to the question whether they fly bedbugspositive - many species can move through the air. They have wings for this purpose. And some are able to fly long distances, while others can only fly short distances. It depends on the structure of wings: they must be well developed. Flying. Bedbugs include:

1. Triatomine bug. It develops in stages, undergoing an incomplete transformation cycle. After some time, the insect develops wings, at which point it becomes an adult. The bite of the triatomine bug is deadly, causing severe pain and increasing the risk of Chagas disease, the causative agents of which are carried by these insects. Their body size is substantial, up to 3.5 cm. However, these pests are most commonly found in tropical climates, extremely rare in Russia.
2. The hornbill is one of the largest bed bugs, with a body length of up to 15 cm. It is aquatic, does not live in an apartment, can fly, which allows it to move long distances - most often in this way insects of this species disperse to the surrounding water bodies. The Gladyschus is a predator, it does not feed on blood, but it can bite a person, causing severe pain.
3. Marble. It belongs to the family of the Shieldwings. They can fly only when they reach adulthood. The pest feeds on crops - it sucks the nutrient sap from the soft tissues of plantings. Marble bed bugs do not attack humans. They do not live in human dwellings, but during the onset of cold weather, pests can be found in your home. Only not on the bed, as representatives of other species, but in the lining of the building. When they sense warmth from the house, they can mistake it for a spring change in temperature and crawl inside. Sometimes there are several thousand insects in the process.
4. Watermen. There are various species of this family. Some have underdeveloped wings, others have no wings at all. But there are also representatives of such species that are able to fly, for which they grow full-fledged wings as they mature. However, they are not found at home in humans, but inhabit bodies of water (they live near the surface of water).
5. Turtle. This pest inhabits wherever there is an opportunity to feed on suitable plants. It destroys mostly grain crops. This means that these bugs cause damage to crops, which can lead to poor harvests. However, they are not dangerous to humans.
6. Woody. It is characterized by green coloration, body length up to 16 mm. They feed on bedbugs of this species with plant sap: they destroy berry bushes, deciduous trees, and spoil crops. Moreover, such insects can consume food of plant and animal origin. They harm humans indirectly by affecting plantations.

Are flying bugs dangerous to humans

Such Insects can move quickly and over considerable distances. In addition, some of them attack humans. The presence of wings makes pests more dangerous, because the risk of encountering insects anywhere increases. Certain species of pests bite, provoke the development of allergiesThe bites are not only a symptom, but also an inflammatory process in the areas where the bites were made.

However, if you do not come into contact with a bedbug, it will not attack. The exception to this is the triatomine species, which feed on the blood of warm-blooded creatures.

Bugs that don't fly

On evolution pests affected by habitat conditions. If bedbugs fly, it is a consequence of the need to spread in wildlife. In this way, insects can move to obtain new sources of food, as plants die quickly after bedbug infestations. Then they find new fields.

If. pests If they were only crawling, they would not have had the energy to find another place to live - they simply would not have crawled. This is due to the fact that due to the peculiarities of the structure of the body note the low speed of movement, so there was a need for alternative ways of movement. If you wonder whether bed bugs fly or not, you need to consider the effect of home conditions on the development of the pest. For bed bugs parasites flying is not necessary, because they are constantly at home, where they get their food and mate. They do not need to fly. This led to the gradual reduction of the wings.

There are species of pests that are not able to move through the air, they originally have underdeveloped wings or they are absent. Non-flying pests include bedworms, soldier bugs, etc.

Home

Another name is. bed bugs. They live in people's homes and feed on blood. They usually attack humans; animals are attacked less frequently. Body length is up to 8 mm (female), males are smaller (up to 6 mm). Outer coat is brown, shell is rigid, so it is difficult to kill the parasite in a hungry state - the body is hard. Bedbugs of this species are unable to fly. Many people believe that parasites jump, but they don't. They can only crawl. Insects' bodies are not adapted to jump.

If a bedbug falls on a person from above, it only means that it has crawled onto the ceiling, since other ways of accessing the food source are closed, for example, the bed legs are placed in a container of liquid in the process of fighting

White

They live close to humans, but prefer to attack bats. For this reason, they are most often found in the attics of human dwellings. Insects are characterized by the white color of their outer covers. Another external sign is the presence of hairs on the body. People are attacked by such pests in the absence of the main source of food, as well as in the case when a person himself is in the field of view of this insect. White and bed bug very similar, the difference is in color and body size.

Chimneys or swallows

It is the last of the existing species among those that are found near humans. Most of these insects are found in the European part of the Russian Federation. They received their name because they parasitize on swallows and live in the nests of these birds.

The pests are inferior in body size to their bedfellows (up to 2.6 mm).

Jumping bedbugs

Some pests can't fly, but they are good at jumping, so they get their own food, flee from natural enemies. Others are able to fly and jump. Some of the bedbug species are able to move in this unusual way:

The first of them were considered above, it is necessary to learn about the peculiarities of coastal jumpers. The official name is coastal jumpers, salsas. They got their name because they live near the shoreline. In addition, these insects are capable of jumping. The body size varies from 2 to 8 mm, the outer covers are rigid.

The shorebirds can live in fresh and salt water, they feed on invertebrates, including carrion.

How to fight flying and non-flying bed bugs

Recommendations for destroying and repelling representatives of different types of insects are the same:

• You need to cut off access to pests to the apartment, for which they eliminate the smallest gaps in the supporting structures (floor, walls, joints with pipes);
• surfaces are treated with strong-smelling solutions;
• from time to time spray insecticides, and you should use an aerosol or spray, then increase the chance of killing the parasites, which will be the first to come looking for a new home from the neighbors.

How to exterminate bed bugs: folk methods

Such methods are more suitable for deterrence. Strongly smelling substances have a negative effect on parasites, do not allow them to freely navigate in space, transmit signals to their fellows. Insects can not dwell for a long time under such conditions, they either leave the room in search of a new home, or stay for a while, but they will not stay long anyway. Recipes:

1. Vinegar solution. Vinegar 9% is prepared, it is mixed with water in a ratio of 1:1, the finished product is treated surfaces.
2. Turpentine. There are different recipes based on it, one of the popular is a three-component mixture. Use 250 ml each of turpentine, kerosene, 60 g of naphthalene. The substance is applied on the areas where pests usually appear.
3. A mixture of ammonia and water. And the content of this chemical in the liquid should be low. It is enough to take 2 tbsp. per bucket of water. The remedy should be used to wash the floor, to apply to various surfaces. To enhance the effect and surely get rid of parasites, increase the concentration of ammonia. However, people in this case will be more difficult to stay in the treated room because of the strong smell.

Chemicals

Street pests, like house pests, are afraid of insecticides. To prevent either type of insect from getting into a person's home, treat surfaces with chemicals. Some of the most effective ones include:

• "Clean House.Two-component product, contains two types of pyrethroids, comes in different forms, including aerosol, for bed bugs this is the most suitable type of preparation, because traps and powders do not provide the required effect;
• "Get." - is a concentrate, a one-component product that kills many pests, including street and house bugs;
• "Raid." - is a pyrethroid-based formulation that contains only 1 type of insecticide, but is just as effective as other preparations.

Use also "Dichlofos.", "Carbofos." and others - any insecticidal aerosol will do, which will kill bed bugs.

Video tip (video): street flying bugs

Question and answer section

In order to increase the effectiveness of bed bug control products, any specifics should be taken into account. For example, it is important to remember to change insecticides regularly so that the insects do not develop resistance to them.

Are house bugs flying?

Sofia

Entomologist with 24 years of experience

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"No, members of this insect species do not have the ability to fly, otherwise they would cause even more trouble for humans. They don't have full-fledged wings, so they have to move around on surfaces.

What movements are characteristic of bed bugs? Variety of movements

Sofia

Entomologist with 24 years of experience

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"Domestic pests crawl, they don't make jerks. Their mode of movement is traditional for most insects. However, their speed is slower than that of many other species. Bed bugs that can fly often also crawl, but they do so faster. Floating specimens tend to have long legs, which allows them to move through the water in spurts-the pests push off the surface of the water and move forward rapidly. There are also bed bugs that jump. Most of these species have long limbs that make it easier to move.

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Expert advice

Anna

Entomologist, researcher. Work experience of 16 years.

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- Some water bugs cause a lot of discomfort - they bite, provoke the development of allergies, I recommend carefully inspect the shoreline before entering the water: there are bugs, especially with long limbs (bedbugs), but I do not mean water bugs, these species are the least dangerous;
- domestic insects must be destroyed using several methods at once: folk methods for repelling, insecticides for poisoning pests, because of the hardness of the outer covers it is better not to waste time on a mechanical method of controlling insects;
- The same insecticides help against street pests as against domestic pests, but they will be effective if used indoors, only agents against herbivorous bed bugs provide good results outside the object - they treat plantations, it is difficult to kill flying bed bugs this way, because the concentration of the active substance is significantly reduced, besides, it is difficult to predict where the pest will go in the next second.

Conclusion

When you encounter a bedbug, you need to understand how it moves: can it fly, jump, or only crawl. This will help you react quickly to get rid of the pest. To eradicate the insects, you need to learn about the rest of the features:

1. There are bed bugs with wings, but not all of them move through the air. The most famous of the flying specimens are the triatomid, the spiny bug (tortoise, marbled bug, tree bug), and the gladish bug.
2. Not all of the insects that can hover in the air are dangerous. One of the worst in terms of the severity of negative effects is the triatoms, they carry pathogens of a deadly disease.
3. Domestic parasites do not fly, they are constantly near humans to have access to food. There are also jumping individuals, they have longer limbs, their body size may vary - this does not affect their ability to move quickly.