What is a bed bug. About "bed mites" and how to deal with them

Quite often, bed bugs appear in a person's home. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they feed on human blood. For humans, the bite itself is dangerous, since the tick, while piercing human skin, releases a special substance that can lead to various consequences. This is especially true in the case when the human body is predisposed to allergies.

Naturally, many people think that these are mosquitoes, for example, and do not attach much importance to this, although tick bites differ in their specifics from the bites of other insects. Characteristic differences include:

• As a rule, there are a lot of bite marks, and bite marks are particularly painful and itchy. In places of bites, swelling may appear, with a pronounced red tint.
• Bedbug bites are much smaller and brighter in color, in addition, the tick can be seen drinking blood. But the bug manages to escape before it is destroyed.
• The bites itch somewhere like after a wasp or bee sting, but somewhat weaker.

The bite of a bed tick has another distinguishing feature: in the center of the red spot, a tubercle from coagulated blood is visible. In addition, bites are carried out during the period when a person is fast asleep, and this is from 3 to 5 in the morning.

Ticks are capable of carrying many viral and other diseases, but human infection does not occur during a bite. In any case, scientists have not been able to prove the opposite. Most likely, nature has made sure that bed mites have a constant source of food. If a person becomes infected and dies, then ticks will be left without such a source.

Bed bug bites are not completely harmless. For instance:

Effective Sting Treatments

The body of many people responds adequately to the bites of bed mites, and they heal themselves in a few days. There are people when they need to provide emergency assistance, as their body reacts in a very specific way. In cases of manifestation of non-typical reactions, it is necessary:

• Thoroughly wash the bite sites with soapy or soda solution, after which they are washed with clean running water. To prepare the solution, you need to take a glass of water and add a tablespoon of soda or liquid soap to it.
• Bites should be disinfected with any alcohol-containing agent, such as vodka or moonshine, cologne or perfume.
• Severe itching indicates an allergic reaction. To reduce these symptoms, you can use pharmaceutical products, and folk.

There are a number of effective and proven recipes. For instance:

• Places of bites should be wiped with pure vinegar. Rinse off is not required.
• You can apply a piece of ice or some product from the freezer to the bite site.
• If a used bag of black or green tea is applied to the bite site, this will save the victim from discomfort.
• Gadgets are also made based on medicinal herbs. John's wort is considered the most effective tool. To prepare the solution, you need to take a tablespoon of St. John's wort and pour a glass of boiling water. After the infusion has cooled, it is wetted into the infusion cotton pad and applied to the wound for half an hour. Suitable herbs such as chamomile or calendula. The tool is prepared in the same way as on the basis of St. John's wort.
• Treatment with a composition based on aloe and plantain. After mixing the ingredients, the wound is treated several times a day. The juices of these plants help to reduce swelling of the bite site, reduce itching and have an antibacterial effect.
• The juice of onion and garlic, combined together, act on the bite in a similar way. The smell of onion and garlic, in addition to relieving discomfort, helps to scare away these bloodsuckers.
• You should drink at least 5 activated charcoal tablets in order to remove toxins from the body as quickly as possible.

Usually, folk remedies help a person cope with negative consequences in the initial stages. If these funds do not cope with the task, then you should use pharmacy tools. Alternatively, you can use essential oils, which have the same effect as herbal infusions.

• Lemon.
• Orange.
• Lavender.
• Geranium.
• Tea tree.
• Needles.
• Juniper.
• Cypress.
• Sagebrush.
• Mint.

Exist like special means, developed from the bites of various insects, and not special, but which cope with this task. The thing is that each organism reacts differently to the bites of bed mites.

As a rule, such pharmaceutical products are used:

• Special ointments "Fenistil" and "Rescuer". These funds have a wide spectrum of action and help to save the victim from negative consequences.
• Vietnamese asterisk, which is characterized by the manifestation of an antibacterial effect.
• "Afloderm" helps to cope with severe itching.
• Propolis tincture effectively works against any bites.
• Ointment "Afloderm" is used with "Tavegil", which allows you to remove the symptoms of allergic reactions.
• Chatterbox "Tsindol" easily cope with the task.
• "Akriderm" perfectly removes signs of inflammatory processes.

Prevention measures

In contact with

What bed mites look like is shown in the photo:

Main habitats:

1. Mattress;
2. Pillows;
3. Blankets;
4. Carpets;
5. Furniture;
6. Shoes and clothes, and other dusty and dark places.

Many people think that such a misfortune as bed bugs is found only in houses with complete unsanitary conditions. It's not like that at all. Bed bugs are constantly near a person, and these insects can appear in any home.

The most common causes of bed bugs:

• Pets;
• through neighbors;
• in furniture and technology;
• long-term repair;
• brought in things from a trip.

There are three main methods to deal with this problem: biological, chemical or mechanical. Each of them is effective in its own way. Let's consider each method separately.

The insecticide is chemical drug, which is sold as an emulsion, powder or spray. The best, and most famous example of such a remedy is dichlorvoz. In addition to dichlorvos, you can use Reid, Chlorpyrifos or Riapan.

• Chlorpyrifos. It is diluted in water and applied to all places through which insects can enter the house and their habitats. Before use, it is important to carefully read the instructions so as not to harm the health of the inhabitants of the home.
• Raid. Time-tested remedy for bed mites, which gives a guaranteed result. The only downside is the strong smell. It needs to be sprayed along the baseboards and in problem areas and wait for the result.
• Riapan - no less effective than the above means. It is sold in powder form, scattered along the baseboard and under the bed. Riapan should be used with caution, the product is very toxic and can harm your health.

1. Camphor and turpentine. In one container, mix 100 ml of ethyl alcohol and turpentine and 5 g of camphor. The resulting mixture is treated with bedbug nests.
2. Ammonia. The pungent smell of this product is unbearable for bedbugs. To do this, mix 150 g of denatured alcohol, 10 g of ammonia and 4 g of benzene. The agent is poured on a saucer and placed near the infected areas.
3. Denatured alcohol. Insects and nests should be watered with pure denatured alcohol.
4. One more effective mixture consists of 100 ml cresol 200 ml kerosene and 10 naphthalene. Problem areas processed with the resulting mixture with a brush.

Finally

When the first symptoms of the appearance of bed mites in your home, you need to immediately take measures to prevent the home. To get results, you may have to apply many methods, but this will certainly bring results. After decontamination of the premises, it is better to make repairs in the apartment. Re-glue the wallpaper and change the baseboards - a reliable guarantee that the bugs will no longer appear.

How to deal with bed mites, in detail on the video:

Practice shows that people usually call "bed mites" either bed bugs or dust mites, which also often inhabit mattresses and pillows (especially down pillows). In the following, we will consider both variants of the problem in detail.

The pictures below show bed bugs and characteristic appearance their bites:

In the photo - a dust mite in a pillow (at high magnification):

Next, we will take a closer look at how to correctly recognize who exactly settled in bed and, most importantly, how to effectively get rid of uninvited guests, regardless of whether they are bed bugs or house mites ...

What are bed mites and where to look for them

Human dwellings are inhabited by several types of dust mites. The most common are the American dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae and the European dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, as well as the Mainey mite Euroglyphus maynei. Representatives of these species are difficult to distinguish from each other even under a microscope.

On a note

The word Dermatophagoides means that the mite is a dermatophagus, that is, it feeds on the skin (from the Greek derma - skin, phagos - to devour).

Dust mites are relatively small, making them difficult to detect. Length adult- about 0.3 mm, and due to the light translucent body, it is rather problematic to see a separate individual with the naked eye on bed linen. Without a microscope, they can be more or less clearly seen only in large accumulations in the dust, where they look like peculiar whitish dots.

The photo below shows an adult Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus:

The following photograph, also taken under a microscope, shows a cluster of dermatophagous mites in a carpet:

Dust mites feed on the dry, crumbling skin of humans and pets. It is known that each adult loses on average about 0.5-1.5 g of skin daily with dandruff and normally exfoliating epidermis. This amount is quite enough to feed many thousands of dust mites within one apartment.

It is interesting

According to studies, these arthropods also eat molds, which, however, cannot be the basis of their diet. In other words, in an apartment with people, but without mold, ticks will live quite normally, but in a room with moldy walls, but without people, they will not be able to live for a long time. That is, mold for them is just a kind of supplement that cannot replace the main diet.

Being unable to move long distances due to their slowness and small size (and not needing such movements due to the absence of dangers), dust mites settle and accumulate in rooms where a person spends most of the time and where the greatest amount of lost energy accumulates. them skin. In particular, such places are sofas and beds, pillows, mattresses, armchairs, and dermatophagous mites found here with light hand the owners of the apartment are called bed, sofa, mattress, bed, feather bed, etc. It is important to understand that in all these cases we are talking about the same dust mites.

The danger of dust mites to humans

Ticks house dust could be completely harmless utilizers of human skin if they did not cause allergic reactions and respiratory diseases in humans.

The digestive tract of dermatophagous mites contains special enzymes with high biological activity. Some of these enzymes are released along with excrement, which are very small (hundredths of a millimeter) and easily get into the air - along with house dust. Over time, the excrement particles dry out and break up into even smaller fragments, which can rise into the air with dust even faster and easier.

Due to their high biological activity, the digestive enzymes of bed mites are strong allergens and cause allergies in many people. They can irritate the surfaces of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, acting destructively on epithelial cells (just as they act on skin particles consumed by mites). Both allergies and irritations lead to swelling and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the entire respiratory tract, which can be manifested by the following symptoms and end pathologies:

• Itching in the nose, rhinorrhea;
• "Dry" nasal congestion without runny nose;
• allergic rhinitis;
• Allergic conjunctivitis or rhinoconjunctivitis;
• Chronic rhinitis.

Over time, in many patients, against the background of tick-borne sensitization, allergic rhinitis turns into asthma. It is believed that more than half of the cases of asthma in the world develop precisely because of allergies or irritation in response to the inhalation of dust with mite antigens. And for many people who do not understand why they have a stuffy nose at night and, it would seem, for no reason, the problems are often associated with the same inconspicuous bedmates.

On a note

Cases of the development of anaphylactic shock in allergy sufferers after eating foods that have clusters of dust mites are described. Also, from the contact of dust containing mite antigens with the skin of especially sensitive people a characteristic allergic rash may develop with the formation of small pimples.

At the same time, it should be noted that if someone bites you regularly in bed, and in the morning there are traces of night bites on your body that itch and itch, these are definitely not ticks. Dust mites do not bite and leave no bite marks.

Bed bugs and their bites

It is interesting

With dust mites (as well as with other types of mites), bed bugs have nothing in common. To begin with, all ticks are representatives of the arachnid class (they have 4 pairs of legs), and bedbugs are insects (they have 3 pairs of legs). At the same time, outwardly, these creatures differ significantly - even the smallest bug larva (more correctly, a nymph) is clearly visible to the naked eye, while even an adult dust mite is microscopically small.

This is what a bed bug nymph looks like:

Adult bed bugs have a wide, rounded body, flattened at the top when hungry, and reach a length of 1 cm or more. When saturated, they strongly swell and lengthen the abdomen. Then, as the food is digested and stooled, they again become like a button or a small coin.

Small larvae (nymphs) of bed bugs have a translucent body and look like light little bugs. Most indoor bed bugs are nymphs. different ages and correspondingly, different sizes(from 1 mm and more in length).

It is bites that are the main danger of bed bugs. Most people are quite sensitive to them, itchy blisters often appear at the site of the bites, which the victims often comb, increasing itching, sometimes provoking infection and the appearance of pustules. In children, with a large number of bedbug bites, the temperature may rise, and the affected areas swell greatly.

On a note

The situation is aggravated by the fact that each bug usually bites several times during feeding (with the exception of only the smallest nymphs). At the site of each bite, a blister remains, and after the bites of many bedbugs, the whole body is covered with itchy bumps.

Often, the victim develops an allergy to bedbug bites. Cases of life-threatening reactions have not been described, but severe conditions may well be observed, especially in children.

For the treatment of the bites themselves, ointments with painkillers and anti-inflammatory components are used. If the allergy is extensive and manifests itself with signs of urticaria, it should be treated under the guidance of a doctor using, among other things, effective antihistamines.

Similarly to the situation with dust mites, an allergy can also develop on the waste products of bedbugs - the remains of chitinous covers remaining after molting, excrement, egg shells. Moreover, all these allergens are located near the place where a person sleeps and can easily be inhaled with air. They can also cause atopic chronic rhinitis and asthma.

On a note

The most effective thing you can do to identify uninvited guest in bed is to try to find him and examine him. To do this, it is useful to carefully consider the mattress, pillow, bedding, the bed itself (sofa). Already at this stage, fleas, lice and sometimes bedbugs can be accurately identified.

If the insect does not jump, but simply crawls along the bed, it can be either a louse or a bug. Moreover, small larvae of bedbugs can be quite confused with lice - they have similar sizes.

Here is a photo of a head louse (the linen louse looks the same):

Pubic lice:

All these types of lice are rather slow (which cannot be said about bedbugs). It is important to understand here that a louse that fell from the head, body or underwear could only be taken from the body of the person who is sleeping here. This person needs to be looked at.

And this is what bed bugs look like:

Also hallmark the presence of bedbugs in the house are these spots of blood on the bed linen:

These blood marks are formed when a sleeping person in a dream lightly presses a satiated bug.

Additionally, the identification result can be confirmed by the bite sites. If they concentrate on the head or in the groin, that is, on the hair-covered parts of the body, then most likely lice leave them - they live in the hair and attach their eggs (nits) here. Bedbugs, on the contrary, avoid hairy areas of the body and bite mainly on the stomach, sides, neck, arms and legs.

On a note

The photo below shows what the bite marks of bed bugs look like on the body of the victim:

What to do if there is a suspicion of the presence of dust mites in the bed?

Special test systems will help here: analyzers, in which it is enough to add dust from the bed, from the floor near the bed, from any other place in the apartment, pour water and lower a chemically sensitive piece of paper. In this case, the paper takes on a certain color, which must be compared with the color on a special scale of the analyzer. So, by color, you can understand how many dust mite antigens are in the dust sample. In fact, this shows how many mites live near the place where the dust was collected.

If, according to the test results, it turned out that an increased concentration of tick-borne antigens is found in one place or another, this is enough to start the fight against dust mites, even if it was not possible to find, see and examine them, for example, with a magnifying glass or microscope.

On a note

Dust mites are ubiquitous, and are found today in the vast majority of apartments and houses. Initially, they appear indoors with dust on shoes, things, bags, various items, and if the conditions in the apartment are suitable, then they actively multiply here. In fact, they constantly penetrate into every apartment, and it depends only on whether the room is kept clean, whether ticks multiply in large quantities, or will be massively removed with dust during each cleaning.

Destruction of bed bugs in the house

The extermination of bedbugs in the room is a serious task that requires some preparation and careful implementation of all work. An attempt to carry it out half-heartedly usually leads to the fact that it is not possible to completely remove the bugs, over time, the surviving individuals multiply again and the pest control has to be repeated, sometimes many times (some people live with bugs for years, periodically making not very active attempts to get rid of them).

The fight against bedbugs itself should take place in the following sequence:

You can destroy bedbugs by chemical and thermal methods. The former involve the use of powerful insecticides, the latter - freezing the room or treating the places where bugs accumulate with steam from a steam generator (less often, with the help of special heat guns, they heat the entire room to 65 degrees).

Practice shows that the use of insecticides gives a more reliable and faster result. However, as an addition, hot steam treatment of mattresses is also quite appropriate.

On a note

Folk remedies - herbs, alcohol, turpentine, vinegar - in practice do not allow to effectively destroy either bed bugs or dust mites. For several days, with the help of such means, it is possible to reduce the activity of arthropods, but it will not work to completely remove them from the apartment.

On a note

If you initially have a feeling that it will be problematic to deal with bedbugs on your own, then it makes sense to call a pest control service. The services of such services, although they cost more than you have to spend on the drug, but provide a high probability of complete elimination of insects.

Tick ​​Control Rules

The fight against dust mites is generally easier than with bed bugs. These creatures are less mobile and more sensitive to the sanitary condition of the premises. In most cases, relatively simple but systematic measures are sufficient to eliminate them.

In particular, it is necessary:

1. Carry out a thorough wet cleaning in the whole apartment;
2. Change bed linen;
3. Dry-clean pillows and blankets and (or) wash them at a temperature of 60-70 ° C for at least 30 minutes (at this temperature, mite eggs die, among others);
4. Mattresses "fry" in the sun or treat with hot steam;
5. Remove dust from all cracks, from under furniture, carpets and rugs.

There are also special vacuum cleaners for getting rid of dust mites:

However, it is quite effective to remove dust from those places where ticks have settled, it is possible with an ordinary vacuum cleaner in combination with a damp cloth.

Also, ticks die from the same insecticidal agents that poison bedbugs and cockroaches. The use of such drugs will give a well-defined quick effect, however, with due care and only mechanical and thermal methods may be sufficient.

If, in the future, the premises are maintained in good sanitary condition, “bed” mites will not multiply here, and will no longer pose a danger.

Effective Prevention Measures

Reliable prevention from the appearance and reproduction of dust mites in bed is to maintain cleanliness in the apartment as a whole (first of all, dust control is important).

1. Carry out a thorough wet cleaning at least once a week. As part of the cleaning, dust should be removed, including from under the furniture;
2. Change and wash bedding at least once a week;
3. Every 2-3 months you need to wash those mattresses that are not completely covered. bed linen and on the surface of which dust can get;
4. Use bed linen from fabrics with the following characteristics: the size of the pores is not more than 10 microns, the ability to retain allergens is 99%, the ability to pass dust is not more than 4%.

The only reliable prevention against infestation of a room with bed bugs is its high-quality isolation from neighboring apartments and a strict check of all large items brought in here - especially furniture, as well as bags, suitcases and clothes after vacationing at resorts and business trips with hotel accommodation. Various folk remedies like wormwood or tansy do not represent a serious obstacle to the movement of bedbugs. Although insects are afraid of their smell, in case of acute hunger they will bypass them in search of prey.

if you have personal experience dealing with bed bugs or dust mites - be sure to leave a review at the bottom of this page (in the comment box). By what signs did you manage to find the source of the problem, what actions were taken and whether they gave a result - those who are in the same situation will be interested in any details.

An interesting video demonstrating many dust mites in a pillow

With ticks in bed: why you should get rid of a feather pillow

Many have heard about how difficult it is to get rid of household ticks, and this is by and large and there is. Of course, you can try to fight them yourself by using a strong insecticide. However, not knowing how handle it right, You can harm your health, his family, and don't even get desired result. That is why cautious people either study the instructions carefully before using the drug, or call professional disinfectors to their homes.

What bites look like:

Description and characteristics of the insect, why it is dangerous

Bed mites look like microscopic arachnid insects 0.1-0.5 cm in size. Suitable conditions for their life are the human environment with a humidity of 55% and an air temperature of 18-25˚С. In ordinary house dust, on average, experts find up to 150 species of such creatures. They feed on scales of dead human skin cells. Every year, each person loses up to 400 grams. dead skin, so these insects have no nutritional problems. Therefore, they live in bedding, upholstery, mattresses, pillows, books, etc.

Such microscopic individuals can cause dangerous diseases spreading their excrement in their habitats. A person can inhale them, these waste products of ticks can enter the intestines in any other way, causing the following diseases:

• allergies (rhinitis) and allergies;
• bronchial asthma;
• angioedema;
• conjunctivitis;
• respiratory diseases;
• various dermatitis;
• intestinal diseases;
• deep acariases;
• respiratory diseases.

In addition to preventive work to get rid of, such as, for example, hot washing of linen, soft toys, wiping books with a damp cloth, maintaining a dry climate in the house and apartment, using air purifiers like ozonizers, you can also use various drugs that kill linen mites.

TOP 5 means of removing bed mites

For example, consider the top 5 most popular tools.

The concentrate in the form of an emulsion is available in vials and has light yellowish tint or reddish brown. "Executioner" is attributed by experts to the 3rd class of toxicity and danger. Nevertheless, the drug is not dangerous for animals and humans.

• The principle of operation of the tool is that it paralyzes nervous system linen mites, and then leads them to death.
• The emulsion is diluted in water at a ratio of 20 ml / 1 liter of water, and then furniture, soft toys, carpets, rugs, bed linen, blankets, etc. are sprayed with this solution.
• Price - 80 rubles. for 70 grams.

Fufanon Super

The intended purpose of the product is the complete destruction of domestic insects. Produced by the manufacturer in the form of an emulsion white or light yellow flowers placed in a special bottle of 1 liter.

• Active substance - malathion 57%
• Prepare a working solution of 1.5-20 grams of the product per 1 liter of water.
• The cost of funds - 1350 rubles. per 1 liter.

This insecticide, which is available in aerosols, has a contact effect on bed mites. It is enough just to take the can in your hands, shake it slightly, and then spray on the surface of the linen, blankets, pillows and all upholstered furniture, carpets, rugs and other things.

• A drug smells faint, then quickly fades.
• T toxicity is weak for humans and animals, but it is best to wash all linen and carpets after treatment, wash upholstered furniture and ventilate everything.
• There is a short-term effectiveness of the impact of this agent on ticks, so treatment will need to be repeat after 2 weeks.
• Price - 100 rubles.

GET

"GET" among modern professional disinfectors is considered a universal insecticide with a wide impact on domestic insects. The appearance of the drug is highly concentrated emulsion which must be diluted with water.

• The proportions are written on the bottle or in the instructions because they completely depend on the type of insect.
• In particular, a solution is prepared for bed mites 50 ml in 1 liter of water, and then sprayed everything in the room where these insects can be. Creatures die after 3 or 5 hours.
• Price - 790 rubles. for 100 ml.

Raid

Universal aerosol Raid has active ingredients that can kill quite a lot of flying or crawling insects found in a house or apartment. The drug retains its effect on bed mites about two weeks. During this time, insects have time to die, and therefore one treatment of blankets, pillows, furniture, linen, carpets and other things is enough. Price - 240-450 rubles.

Professional fighting methods

If you are going to call in a disinfection specialist so that he can treat your apartment against bed mites in one session, then this procedure will only take a few hours. However, it will still be impossible to stay in the treated room for about a few days, and then everything will need to be washed in hot water and wash, therefore ventilate. Specialists can be called from the FBUZ - the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology.

How to get rid of bed mites with special means

To combat dust mites, an acaricidal agent should be used; when spraying the room, it will destroy pests. It should be remembered that contact with acaricidal preparations on the skin can cause irritation and an allergic reaction.

Exists folk method dust mites, for cooking we need 50 g of soap and 100 g ammonia the ingredients should be mixed well. The substance should be added to water for mopping, for washing bed linen, it can be used to treat contaminated surfaces.

Treatment for an allergic reaction to bed bugs

First you need to make sure that the spots on the skin are really caused by bed mites, for this you need to seek the help of a doctor in order to get tested and make an accurate diagnosis.

The doctor may prescribe anti-allergic drugs or ointment, regular airing of the room is also recommended, and eating vegetables and fruits to boost the immune system.