The appearance of bedbugs in the house is a serious problem that needs an immediate solution. Unfortunately, many suffer fiasco in the fight against this type of parasites, as they are hardy and easily adapt to any conditions. And the worst thing is that it is worth leaving at least one larva, as everything starts again. In this article, we will tell you how to get rid of bed bugs in the sofa forever.
7 reasons for the appearance of bed bugs in upholstered furniture
It is generally accepted that these parasites live only in unkempt homes, where repairs have not been made for many years. There is some truth to this: bed bugs really do prefer dirty rooms. However, they can settle in houses sparkling with cleanliness.
What causes bed bugs in the sofa? This can happen most often in the following cases:
- Insects were brought in together with furniture – both from other owners and completely new. Storing furniture in unfavorable conditions will lead to the fact that the joints and folds are clogged with bugs.
- They came from neighbors in the house. The perfectly flat shape allows insects to pass through the smallest gaps: sockets, ventilation holes, keyholes, joints of window and door jambs. That is why parasites often inhabit high-rise buildings and migrate from one resident to another.
- They were moved together with antiques, utensils, household appliances, electrical appliances. Bed bugs love books, rags, paintings, soft toys, and bed.
- The parasite was accidentally transferred to the apartment by another person in whose house there are bedbugs. The insect easily clings to clothes and thus moves to new places.
- Living in other people’s apartments, especially economy class ones, where practically no one monitors the order and state of repair, it is easy to pick up parasite larvae and bring them into a new home.
- Insects came from basements, where they parasitized stray animals and rodents.
- From the street, through the window. In this case, even a mosquito net will not save, since the convenient shape of the body helps parasites to penetrate between its edge and the window jamb.
Sometimes it is believed that in a house where cockroaches live, bed bugs do not settle. This is a deep mistake: insects are able to get along and do not harm each other.
Signs of bed bugs in the sofa
These insects are so small that it is not easy to notice them with the naked eye. In addition, they do not like light very much, so they prefer to go hunting at night, when the victim is asleep. They settle mainly in places hidden from the eyes: seams, folds of furniture, in the roots of books, inside devices, in pillows. All this leads to the fact that the owners can doubt the presence of parasitic insects for a long time. There are a number of indisputable signs by which you can calculate the presence of uninvited guests:
- Multiple bites on the body, mostly appear in the morning. Some mistake these bites for mosquito bites, however, they are significantly different. A bug bite is a bright red lump that itches intensely, resembling a burning sensation. It heals poorly, is poorly amenable to treatment with ointments. Most often, a bug leaves a peculiar trail of bites, which also distinguishes it from a mosquito, whose tracks are chaotic.
- Blood stains on bed linen. In a dream, a person tries to scratch himself, combing the itchy places, provokes the release of blood. In addition, the sleeper can inadvertently crush the parasite, which will also give the presence of blood.
- Black spots on the bed, upholstered furniture, walls, edges of plinths are evidence of bedbugs’ life products.
- Pungent, unpleasant smell, reminiscent of the stench of raspberry bugs. Furniture, where there are many parasite larvae, becomes musty.
Bedbug larvae are very small, so it is better to arm yourself with a magnifying glass to detect them. Indentations and holes are examined by running the edge of a plastic card over them: if gray husks, eggs and black dots appear on the surface, then everything is obvious. It is also necessary to turn the sofa over, inspect the bottom and side joints.
In one night, bed bugs can make up to 500 bites on a person’s body.
The best ways to remove bed bugs from the sofa
So, the presence of bedbugs is obvious and now it is necessary to remove them urgently. There are several ways to remove blood-sucking parasites, among which the most effective are:
- mechanical;
- insecticidal;
- folk remedies
The removal of bedbugs will be most effective if you alternate all three methods, and not resort to just one.
Mechanical method
Before poisoning insects, it is necessary to find their center of distribution. To do this, lure them to the surface and destroy them mechanically. It will help to create noise: knock on the back of the sofa, on the bottom of the chairs, move them to the side. Frightened insects will get out of their shelters, and they can be transmitted.
Should you throw out a couch with bedbugs? As practice shows, this is only partially effective. More precisely, it is effective if the parasites managed to occupy only the sofa. But, most often, they manage to spread around the entire perimeter of the room and settle in all the furniture.
Insecticidal method
After some of the insects have been mechanically destroyed, and their main nest has been revealed, the best way to disinfect the bugs is to kill them. Such insecticides as Agra, Avalon, Lambda Zona, Kat, cypermethrin are suitable for this. These products are produced in the form of powders, which are diluted in 5-9 liters of water, depending on the dosage indicated on the package. Poisonous liquids are poured into a spray bottle and sprayed in the following places:
- along the entire perimeter of the sofa, armchairs and other furniture. Be sure to treat all seams, armrests, bottom, as that is where the parasites lay their eggs. Top pillowcases are removed and washed in hot water, the same is done with bed linen and linen from the closet. This is a very time-consuming job, but in order to forget about harmful insects, it must be done.
- along the perimeter of all walls, plinths, wallpaper joints. Pictures and wall decorations must be removed and also processed.
- in the kitchen, it is necessary to process all the cabinets, the products must be removed in advance. It is best to put them in a large plastic bag or bag and take them out of the apartment, for example, to the balcony. You can not touch the refrigerator, as parasites do not tolerate cold temperatures.
- in exactly the same way, you should walk through all the rooms: bathroom, pantry, nursery. Every item of fabric must be washed, and the rest of the property must be sprayed with poison.
After all the rooms are finished, all the windows and doors are tightly closed and the room is left for a day or two. Staying in a contaminated room is dangerous for human health and life.
Importantly! When working with insecticides, do not forget about personal protective equipment: mask, glasses, gloves. During spraying, it is better to open the window and the door of the balcony, so as not to be poisoned by poisonous vapors.
If you don’t want to do such a troublesome job, you can call the special service. In this case, it is necessary to prepare: remove products, remove pictures, remove things from cabinets, open all bedside tables and drawers. After the specialist leaves the apartment, you should leave everything as it is, at least for a day.
Further processing consists in washing all things and wet cleaning. It should be remembered that even in this case, poisonous vapors are still stored, so personal protective equipment is necessary.
Folk remedies
In the old days, it was customary to influence insects with temperature. These are methods of average efficiency and can serve as an additional tool.
In winter, you can open all windows and balcony doors and leave the premises for several hours. Insects do not like hypothermia and some of them will either die or crawl away from the apartment. The eggs will remain intact.
You can do the opposite, influencing the temperature of the highest mark. In modern conditions, it is appropriate to use a steam generator, a powerful iron or a construction hair dryer. By steaming things, sofa seams, you can provoke the emergence of parasites and kill them on the spot (bake them). The eggs die in the process, but there is no guarantee that the bugs will come out completely. Another disadvantage is that this method does not involve the processing of wallpaper and plinths.
Prevention
In order to protect yourself from parasitic insects, you must:
- Do not buy used things, furniture, household appliances. This is the same case where the miser pays twice.
- Maintain cleanliness in the house, monitor the condition of the apartment, make repairs on time.
- Do not rent housing in dirty neighborhoods, unkempt houses. In the event that things are brought from a rented apartment, they should be immediately sent for disinfection: washed and carefully ironed.
- Treat outside window frames, door jambs and ventilation holes with any insecticide once every three months.
How to get rid of bed bugs forever is not an easy question. But, following the listed tips, you can do it in a short time.