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Invasion of bed bugs in the house:how to solve the problem?

Invasion of bed bugs in the house:how to solve the problem?

A real scourge, the bed bug is a small nocturnal insect that nests in bedding to come and feed on our blood while we sleep peacefully. Difficult to detect, they develop and spread very quickly in a home, but they often leave traces, in particular pimples on the limbs of their victims. Who are these little parasites that colonize the whole world? How to eliminate them? Our answers in this file.

Who are bedbugs?

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus) are small, very hardy insects of 4 to 7 mm that like to creep into our beds in order to live in the warmth and feed on our blood at night, when we are in a deep sleep.

These flat, reddish-brown insects are able to live for more than a year without feeding, which is why they can go completely unnoticed. Very discreet, they never come out during the day and are often detected by the pimples and plaques that their bites leave on the skin of their victims. While bed bugs do not transmit any disease and pose no real health hazard, they can still cause some allergic reactions that take the form of puffy, red patches of pimples. In addition, once their presence is known, they often prevent us from sleeping peacefully.

Unfortunately, bed bugs are very present and growing all over the world. Once they have infested a building, they reproduce everywhere and multiply at high speed. It is then very difficult to get rid of it. Even the biggest luxury hotels are victims. Especially since if one of them slips into your luggage, it can then invade your home.

How to spot bed bugs?

Bed bugs are very small and only come out at night. It is therefore difficult to notice their presence. As they like warm and humid places, they often settle near the bed and take advantage of our sleep to feed on our blood. Here are the signs that should alert you:

  • Noticeable bites, similar to mosquito bites, or sometimes puffy red patches in the event of an allergic reaction.
  • The sheets, mattress or box spring have small black spots which are the droppings of parasites.
  • Blood streaks on the sheets appear when a bedbug is crushed by their sleeping victim.

How to get rid of bedbugs?

Several solutions are available to you to overcome bedbugs.

The big cleaning of the house

As soon as you detect the first signs of the presence of bedbugs, act without delay, because they reproduce very quickly in the house. When they are small, you can act on your own by carrying out a thorough cleaning:

  • Vacuum your house. Be careful and precautionary so as not to forget any nook, under or behind furniture, skirting boards or gaps between floorboards, etc. When finished, close your vacuum bag, burn it or place it in an airtight bag and dispose of it in an outdoor trash can.
  • Steam clean all of these same surfaces to kill stubborn bed bugs.
  • Wash your linens, fabric upholstery and clothes at 60°C, for those who can stand it. For the most fragile textiles, you can leave them at least 3 days in the freezer to eliminate parasites.
  • Take your infested furniture to the recycling center and report the problem so that it is destroyed and not given away or resold to others.
  • If you spot stubborn bed bugs, put diatomaceous earth where they go. These microscopic algae kill them within a few days by dehydration. However, protect yourself and avoid breathing them, as they are toxic to humans and pets.

Recourse to a professional

To get rid of parasites without constraints or if the invasion is too important, you can call on a bedbug professional. They use chemicals to get rid of these insects, but their intervention is terribly effective.

In general, the professional company intervenes twice at your home, the two visits being separated by approximately two weeks. Thus, the second intervention will eliminate the hatched eggs after the first disinsection.

Professionals act with two products. The first is sprayed in the hiding places and the sensitive points of the bed bugs and the second is diffused by means of a fumigation in the whole of the dwelling or the rooms to be treated. It is best to leave your home several days after the procedure, as it is recommended not to vacuum or wash the floors for a month to allow the products to work better.