Fighting bed bugs: 6 useful remedies

Bed bug infestation has a number of causes. What is certain, however, is that poor hygiene is not a reason for this. However, once the bugs have lodged, they are almost impossible to get rid of.

Bed bugs

The bed bug, also known as the house bug, feeds on the blood of warm-blooded creatures. So she has specialized in their or to live near the sleeping places. During the day, the nocturnal bugs, which only grow a few millimeters in size, hide in cracks or holes, such as in the mattress or under the edge of the carpet. There are many hiding places for Cimex lectularius, the scientific name of the bed bug. In addition to the wardrobe, the animals also live on the couch, in the computer or on the back of pictures, the main thing is that the hiding place is dark.

How they get into their own four walls is often inexplicable. So you can travel with you in your suitcase after your vacation or be dragged in unnoticed by overnight guests. Often, however, used furniture or items of clothing are also the cause of an infestation. The infestation is difficult to recognize. As a rule, you won't find the bedbugs, but their droppings in the form of small red or black dots. Bug bites often go unnoticed or are only discovered after days. Therefore, if you suspect you should start searching and fighting the animals.

The life cycle of the bed bug depends on the temperature. The development rests below 13 degrees Celsius. If the temperature rises, the bedbugs will continue to develop. At 15 degrees Celsius the development time is 237 days, at 28 degrees Celsius it is 34 days. If the temperature falls below nine degrees Celsius, food intake is stopped. The lifespan of adult animals also depends on the temperature. The animals live 9 to 18 months at 18 to 20 degrees Celsius and 34 days at 34 degrees Celsius. During this time, the females lay one to twelve eggs per day. On average, a total of 200 to 300 eggs are assigned to a female.

Measures against bed bugs

There are basically three ways to combat the animals. Actions you can take:

• cold
• heat
• hot steam

Because only these three agents kill animals and eggs. The chosen measure therefore depends on where the animals are hiding and where they have laid their eggs. Because not all hiding spots survive this mission without being damaged. The treatment of electrical devices with heat or steam leads to the destruction of bugs and eggs, but also to the destruction of the device.

Note: To prevent house bugs from spreading throughout the apartment, you should not carry any objects or clothing from one room to another if you suspect it. Because in this way you can become the distributor of the insects yourself.

Storage

An alternative to heat, cold and hot steam is to store objects, especially if they are already used to hide the bugs. Because with correct packaging, the bugs starve to death after a few months and the items in the plastic bag are not damaged. To pack, do the following:

• Place items in one or more plastic bags or sheets
• Seal plastic bags airtight and safe from breakout
• store outside the living space (e.g. B. in the basement)

How long you should store the infected items varies. If in doubt, however, it is better to leave books, CDs or electrical devices in the packaging for longer than shorter. Below are a few examples for guidance:

• Pictures: five months
• Books: six months
• CDs: eight months
• Computer: six months
• Records: six months

Tip: There is a special protection against house bugs for mattresses, this does not let any bugs into the mattress or out.

Washing and / or drying

Washing pillows and beds, as well as bed linen, is an effective way of combating house bugs. Because high temperatures in the washing machine kill bugs and eggs. So that the vermin and offspring are really killed, the temperature of the selected washing program must be at least 60 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, a tumble dryer can be used. In this, the laundry should dry for at least 30 minutes at 40 to 45 degrees Celsius.

Tip: To prevent the bed bugs from spreading to other rooms when the laundry is being transported, you should carry them to the washing machine in a bag.

Since it is often not possible to say with certainty whether house bugs are not already widespread in all wardrobes you should wash all laundry that can withstand these temperatures or put them in the dryer give. As a precautionary measure, it is advisable to keep the laundry in plastic bags until it is washed. In this way you reduce the risk of spread.

heat

To get the mattress or Pillows and blankets that cannot be washed in the washing machine can be freed from house bugs by placing them in the sun. However, a hot summer day is required for this heat treatment. Because the summer sun is only effective if a temperature of more than 50 degrees can be achieved over a few hours.
If the season or the weather does not play along, the temperature can also be generated in other locations, such as:

• a car standing in the sun
• an infrared light cabin
• a sauna
• an empty greenhouse

steam

A cleaning with steam is suitable for contaminated things, such as mattresses or carpets, that do not fit in the washing machine or in the freezer. To do this, the steam cleaner is set to at least 65 degrees Celsius. Because neither bed bugs nor their eggs survive this temperature.

Tip: So that the moisture that occurs during steam cleaning does not lead to the formation of mold, the treated objects should be dried well and the room well ventilated.

Cold shock

Like heat, bed bugs and their eggs cannot tolerate cold temperatures either. Therefore, if possible, you can freeze pillows, beds and covers for one to three days at minus 18 degrees. Because neither bedbugs nor eggs survive this temperature.

Note: If there are bed bugs in cuddly toys, you should freeze them for a week.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming is a possible alternative to steam cleaning, as the vacuum cleaner can also be used to clean cracks, edges and seams on the mattress. However, the vacuum cleaner only removes adults and not eggs. The vacuum cleaner bag must be replaced after vacuuming. To prevent the bugs from spreading when disposing of the bag, it is immediately put in the garbage can in the garden in a well-sealed plastic bag.

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