In houses and apartments with us live not only household members, but also various types of insects. One of them is apartment ticks. Such a neighborhood is unpleasant and poses a threat to human health. It is very important that more than 150 species of parasites can live in the house, among which there are:
- Dusty;
- Carnivorous;
- Rat;
- Forest.
At the same time, dusty and predatory representatives of this class can constantly coexist with people, but forest ones are not permanent residents.
Description
House dust mites, or dust mites - microscopic arachnids, body shape - flattened, have 3 pairs of legs, live in human dwellings. At the moment, scientists have found 150 species in house dust. Allergies cause three of them: American tick house dust (Dermatophagoides farinae), European tick house dust (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) and euroglyphus (Euroglyphus maynei). People and animals are not bitten. They feed on dead particles of human skin. The individual size is 0.1-0.5 mm. The life cycle is up to 3 months. The female lays 60 eggs at a time.
Interesting! For a year, the human body exfoliates 2 kg of skin.
The comfortable temperature for dust mites is 18-250C (for some species - 22-260C), humidity - 55% and higher. An increase in numbers is observed with the beginning of the heating season, from August to October. As a result of vital activity, parasites secrete feces, the excess of which leads to allergic reactions. Over the entire period of their life, ticks secrete excrement, the amount of which is 200 times greater than the weight of arachnids.
For reference! 100 mites in 1 gram of dust are considered harmless. In the presence of 500 individuals, bronchial asthma occurs.
Thus, dust mites exist where people live and, accordingly, dust is formed. Their complete destruction is impossible, but it is imperative to fight and minimize them.
The "face" of the enemy
The appearance of representatives of different species of ixodids is somewhat different. There are ticks with a monochromatic back and patterned ones, there are dark ones, almost black, and there are light brown and gray ones. What they have in common is that a well-fed tick is many times larger than a hungry one and looks like a bloated blood bubble. The length of the hungry is from 0.2 mm to 5 mm. The body is solid, the head is not clearly defined. In some species, the body is covered with an armor or scutes. He has 4 pairs of legs, and on his head there are piercing-sucking mouth outgrowths. How to kill a tick if you suddenly caught it on yourself? Just crush? His covers are so hard that after such an execution he continues to live on. Therefore, it is recommended to burn it, and it is better to take it to a laboratory for tests to find out if it is infected with viruses or not.
Signs of presence and location of congestion
Dust mites are not visible to the naked eye. Parasites can only be viewed under a microscope with 100x magnification. However, there are several signs, by which they understand that a large number of dust mites have started up in the apartment:
- Itching, redness of the skin. When the number of parasites is large, they do not have enough food. Therefore, ticks look for it on the human body.
- Runny nose, stuffy nose.
- Lachrymation, redness of the eyes.
- Constant cough, wheezing, chest tightness.
- Rapid breathing, shortness of breath.
- Decreased appetite.
- An increase in the weight of the pillows and mattress, which indicates the accumulation of dust and, consequently, dust mites.
Fact! If the mattress has not been cleaned, then after 3 years of use, 10% of its weight will be dust mite feces.
The unprotected organism of children is most susceptible to allergic reactions. This reaction is manifested by bouts of coughing, lacrimation. The temperature does not rise. If there is one or more signs, they pay attention to the condition of the room: if layers of dust are visible on cabinets and cabinets, they carry out a thorough wet cleaning.
Fact! An allergic reaction to the discharge of dust mites is found in 70% of children with bronchial asthma. Exacerbation of symptoms occurs in the spring and fall.
Arachnids are one of the causes of asthma. If a person has an increased sensitivity to dust mite allergens, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, conjunctivitis may develop. If you do not take action, chronic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, skin diseases, Quincke's edema develop.
Advice! To identify allergies, they turn to an allergist for tests, prescribing medications, and prescribing treatment.
Dust allergy symptomscaused by ticks:
- Throat sore, tickles, causing fits of coughing.
- My nose itches and burns, I constantly want to sneeze.
- Eye irritation occurs.
- Shortness of breath and wheezing.
- The mucous membranes and skin are irritated, red spots appear on the body.
What to do upon detection of one or more of the following:
- Consult a doctor.
- If the diagnosis of dust allergy is confirmed, they do a general cleaning, clean furniture and carpets, using personal protective equipment - a gauze bandage, in order to avoid inhalation of arachnids and their feces.
- Syrups and anti-allergy tablets are taken as prescribed by a doctor: Cetrin, Suprastin, Claritin, Tavegil, Erius, Diazolin, Fexofenadine, Fenistil gel.
- Vitamin complexes are used to strengthen the immune system.
- Use means to reduce irritation of the mucous membranes and skin.
- Against nasal congestion use "Aqua-Maris", "Aqualor", "Desitin", "Losterin". The nasal passage is washed with a solution of salt dissolved in water.
Mites live in upholstered furniture, carpets, mattresses, blankets, bedding, curtains, house slippers. Ticks like feather pillows. Places of residence are any places where dust accumulates. For example, pet hair, book shelves, natural wool bedspreads and carpets.
Fact! Dust mites can penetrate upholstered furniture to a depth of 30 cm.
One of the ideal habitats for dust mites is the vacuum cleaner's dust collector, which contains collected debris, pet hair, and dead epidermal cells.
If you need to accurately establish the presence of mites in house dust, use chemical test control systems... For example, Akarex, Germany. The kit includes 10 color tests, each of which includes: chemical reagent - 1.2 ml bag, test strip, dust collector, measuring spoon and color scale for assessing the degree of dust mite infestation. Store the product in the refrigerator at 40C.
To conduct the study, a sample of dust collected by a vacuum cleaner is placed in a liquid, stirred and briefly immersed in the test strip in the test sample. After 1 minute, a comparison is made with the reference. Determine the fact of infection and the number of dust mites: a lot or a little.
During testing, rubber gloves and a gauze bandage are used. At the end, wash your hands with soap and water.
Working with acariciades
There are a number of drugs that have long been popular in the processing of a summer cottage.
For example, Taran, Samarovka-insecticide, Akaritoks, Force-Site.You can also use Tsifox, Sipas Super, Breeze and Alfatrin.
All of them can be bought in hardware stores in the public domain, therefore, as soon as the snow has melted, you already need to go to the country house and carry out tillage in advance. Indeed, with the first heat, ticks begin to lay off larvae and actively reproduce - then it is much more difficult to fight them.
Working with acaricides is generally safe, but you still need to take all sorts of safety measures so as not to harm yourself and your loved ones. Therefore, carefully follow the instructions, do not forget that you are dealing with poisons. You need to protect your skin and arm yourself with a gauze bandage and rubber gloves.
Dress in as close-fitting clothes as possible so that the chemicals do not penetrate your skin - an allergic reaction or burns may occur. You need to process those places where there is especially thick grass or bushes, as well as where people usually rest. That is, it is necessary to process the area with sun loungers and hammocks, hiking trails and recreation areas, for example, the vegetation by the children's pool.
Reasons for the appearance
The main reason the presence of a dust mite - dust accumulations at:
- Irregular cleaning of the room, lack of wet cleaning of floors, sofa upholstery, curtains.
- A lot of unnecessary things.
- Living in areas where there is a lot of dust.
- Pets. After a walk on the street, pets are washed with pets. Pets are periodically combed out, wool is cleaned. Animals are not taken to bed, in order to avoid the transfer of ticks from the wool to the bed.
- The presence of a large number of carpets, curtains.
- Storage of books in open cabinets.
Note! When dry cleaning, vacuuming, dust mite feces rise into the air and do not settle for 15 minutes. And parasites freely enter the human body through the respiratory tract. Therefore, wet cleaning is recommended, using a vacuum cleaner with an aquafilter.
Spider mite
This species feeds on the contents of plant cells, but is harmless to humans and animals. The main signs of the presence of such a mite are a thin cobweb that braids the plant, as well as small white dots on the leaves (most often on the lower side of the leaf). A plant affected by a pest gets sick, becomes weakened, the intensity of photosynthesis decreases, so the parasite must be eliminated as soon as possible - otherwise the plant may die. Very often, this type of mite is found on roses and orchids.
To prevent the occurrence of this pest, it is necessary to maintain high humidity in the room and regularly spray the plant.
How to get rid of
It is impossible to completely destroy dust mites, however, with the help of folk methods and purchased preparations, their excessive reproduction can be avoided.
To prevent the formation of a large number of dust mites, you must:
- Repair leaks in pipes, plumbing to avoid excessive moisture.
- Install an extractor hood in the bathroom and in the kitchen.
- Use devices for drying air with high humidity in the apartment.
- You can use an electric blanket, an electric heating pad. This will keep the bed wet.
- If there are dust bags in the vacuum cleaner, they are cleaned in a timely manner. Reusable bags and plastic containers are periodically doused with boiling water.
- The washed bed linen is ironed.
- The room is quartzised for 20 minutes. The absence of people, animals and plants in the room where the ultraviolet treatment is carried out is mandatory.
There is a UV cleaning service for the pillows. For the destruction of ticks, treatment is carried out for at least 3 hours. There are vacuum cleaners on the market with UV lamps that also help get rid of dust mites.
Purchased funds
Special natural sprays for surface treatment and dust mite control are on sale. The preparations eliminate arachnid allergens. They are harmless, easy to use and give good results. After processing children's clothes, clothes, soft toys, bed linen, they are washed in a typewriter.
Spray locations:
- Corners.
- Skirting boards.
- Shelves.
- Floor.
- Curtains.
- Areas near furniture.
Preparations for washing in a washing machine, carpet and surface treatment:
- Easy air, liquid. Bactericidal environmentally friendly product. The active ingredient neutralizes dust mite allergens. The drug is used to treat carpets, bedding, mattresses. It is used in a washing machine at the last rinse, as well as in washing vacuum cleaners.
- Spray "Milbiol" for bedding. The agent disrupts the nutritional capacity of ticks and stops their growth and development, suppresses reproduction. During processing, a slight smell of onions appears, which evaporates after a maximum of 1.5 hours. Re-processing is carried out after 4-6 weeks, and then regularly, with an interval of 8-12 months. Before use, the preparation is shaken and sprayed onto the surface from a distance of 40-50 cm. Bedding that cannot be washed is treated. Before using the product, the surface is vacuumed, bedspreads and covers are washed.
- Japanese spray Dani earth... Used for cleaning upholstered furniture, toys, pillows.
- Powder "Acaritox" for breeding in water. The agent is sprayed from a spray bottle. The effect lasts up to 2 weeks.
- Powder "Tsifox"... Works in 20 minutes. The effect lasts up to 3 months.
- X-MITE - a product that is used for dry cleaning of carpets and carpets. Upholstered furniture and mattresses can be processed. Apply once every 3 months.
Traditional methods
Drying sun exposure is an affordable, safe and effective way to reduce the number of ticks. Blankets, mattresses, and, if possible, sofas are taken out in the summer under ultraviolet solar radiation for a couple of hours. Winter frost also effectively combats arachnids. Carpets are recommended to be taken out in the snow in winter, periodically beaten out.
Wet cleaning spend with added salt (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) or baking soda. When cleaning upholstered furniture, use a steam generator. Chlorine-containing preparations ("Whiteness", ACE) are effective.
Store clean bed linen in a dry room. Cabinets with linen and clothes are periodically left open for ventilation: mites do not tolerate fresh air.
Interesting! People living in rural areas develop immunity to dust mite allergens.
Apply essential oils: tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon. 5 drops of oil are diluted in a bucket of water (10 liters) and the surfaces are washed. Eucalyptus is used when washing things in a washing machine in an amount of 20 drops. Rooms are sprayed with a solution of water and eucalyptus oil: bedding, soft toys, carpets.
Strong smelling plants scare away pests: not only dust mites, but also bedbugs and cockroaches. Sprigs of wormwood, tansy, chamomile are laid out for 3 days.
Houseplants help to purify the air, scare away dust mites: chlorophytum, chamedorea palm, ficuses, geraniums, spathiphyllum.
Why can't you crush the parasite with your fingers?
If you do not have a special laboratory in your city, or it is very far away and there is no way to deliver an insect for research, it is necessary to kill the tick. Experts do not recommend trying to crush the parasite with your nails.
Answering why it is impossible to crush a blood-sucking insect, one must remember that its body is covered with a slippery and extremely hard chiton shell. Thanks to this, it is almost impossible to completely crush it with a fingernail, in addition, it can easily fall out of the hands, after which it will be extremely difficult to find it indoors.
In addition, when interested in whether it is possible to crush a tick with your fingers, it is important to remember that even if the event is successful, infectious agents can enter the human bloodstream through microcracks on the skin and in the nail plates. As a result - infection with a dangerous disease.
Fighting ticks is a difficult and time-consuming process that must be started immediately. This is the only way to prevent infection with dangerous infectious diseases. An elongated tick must be killed, since these insects are extremely hardy.
Prophylaxis
Preventive measures will help avoid the occurrence of dust allergies in households. The main rule - regularly carry out wet cleaning of the apartment. Add 10 tablespoons of table salt to the water for washing in a 10-liter bucket. Or, use commercially available disinfectants. A vacuum cleaner with an aquafilter will provide a thorough cleaning of upholstered furniture and carpets.
Additional recommendations:
- Instead of natural pillows and blankets, synthetic ones are used, which are washed once a month. It is recommended to replace mattresses, pillows and blankets with new ones every 5 years.
- The mattress becomes hypoallergenic. Or use special hypoallergenic polyester covers. Mattresses are dry cleaned once a year. In the summer, they bring it out into the sun to warm it up. Ticks do not survive in high and low temperatures when exposed to fresh air.
- Books are stored in closed cabinets to avoid dust accumulation.
- The sleeping place is covered with bed linen.
- Apply an air conditioner, an air purifier. The filters of the devices are washed in a timely manner, replaced with new ones according to the instructions.
- Ventilate the apartment. In winter, such a measure helps to reduce the temperature in the room, and in summer - to increase it. Dust mites will not survive.
- Bedspreads, curtains, bed linen, pillows, soft toys and other items that accumulate dust are periodically washed at a temperature not lower than 650C.
- During general cleaning, they thoroughly wash the places under the bed, baseboards, and corners of the room.
- Get rid of unnecessary things: old carpets, books, magazines and things that are not used, but accumulate dust. And together with dust, they contribute to the reproduction of dust mites.
- Curtains and tulles are replaced with easily cleaned blinds, wooden shutters.
- Pets are combed out, which helps to reduce the number of hair and mites in it.
- Mattresses, pillows, sofas are covered with covers, which are periodically machine washed. Leather and plastic covers are wiped with a damp cloth.
- Vacuum cleaners are used with aqua and HEPA filters.
- Use a steam cleaner as the high temperatures kill the mites.
Items that cannot be washed are dry-cleaned or put in the freezer for a day. The fabric surfaces of sofas are treated with special preparations that are purchased at the pharmacy. Use tea tree oil, which repels ticks. Add a few drops to the water and wipe the surface of furniture, shelves, floors with a cloth soaked in solution.
Interesting! Studies have shown that people who do not make their bed immediately after sleep are less susceptible to allergies. The fact is that under the influence of fresh air and sunlight, dust mites die.
The need for laboratory research
Laboratory analysis of the tick
After pulling the bloodsucker out of the wound, you need to make sure that it is not a carrier of a dangerous disease. For this, the tick is placed in a test tube or any glass container with a lid and taken to the nearest laboratory at a medical facility. There, experts conduct a series of studies and determine whether the parasite has been infected with viruses.
If the answer is positive, the victim is immediately hospitalized and treated with modern medicines.
On a note!
Depending on the severity of the disease, the victim of the bite will have to spend several weeks in the hospital, taking antibiotics, immunoglobulin, vitamins and antiviral drugs. A timely diagnosis and medical care provided contribute to a quick recovery of the victim.
The sequence of actions after finding the parasite at the site of the bite
If the tick has already sucked, and it turned out to be a carrier of the disease, it is most likely too late to panic. It is recommended to plant the parasite in a sealed vessel and deliver it to the laboratory for analysis as quickly as possible. In practice, this is rarely used, since 1–2% of ticks carry the infection, and people have immunity.
The tick can be removed, and it is best to use special tweezers with sharp curved legs, or any other device that allows you not to put pressure on the abdomen. After removing the parasite, you should check the wound for any parts of the tick's body or foreign fragments. If there are any, squeeze them out. Then treat the wound.
For some time, control over the well-being of the bitten should be strengthened. Signs of the disease can be:
- fever, chills;
- pain, pulling sensations in the muscles, twisting - in the joints;
- dizziness and headaches;
- vomiting, nausea, diarrhea;
- enlargement of lymph nodes, their soreness;
- rash on the body, decay of the bite site.
In case of manifestation of even one of the described symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Sometimes it takes up to 20 days to feel worse - the incubation period of some microbes is long.
When removing a tick, you should not experiment with petroleum jelly, alcohol, oil and other organic liquids. Parasites can stay in a comfortable state for a long time even with minimal oxygen access - by immersing themselves in the skin. The oil will not kill or suffocate them, nor will the pressure. Flammable liquids such as kerosene, on the other hand, can cause irritation and allergies.
Precautions
Remember that diseases are always easier to prevent than to cure afterwards. For this reason, during the season of tick activity, large thickets of bushes and tall grass should be avoided, plain light-colored clothing should be worn in the forest, it is easier to find an insect on it. Closed shoes and trousers are also good for going outdoors, this will help protect your feet. Do not forget about folk and chemical remedies for ticks for humans, cats and dogs.
Since ticks more often live in grass than on trees and bushes, the surrounding area should be well-groomed: trash cleaned, lawns trimmed.
Incorrect extraction
When the procedure was not carried out correctly and the head, legs or other remnants of an insect remained in the wound, they should never be left. You can try to get it yourself. To do this, a needle is taken, disinfected, and then you need to pick up your head and pull it out, just like we get a splinter out of the body.
There are situations when the head remains very deep in the wound, in which case it is necessary to go to a medical institution, it is forbidden to expand the wound on its own. Remember that a child can have severe allergic reactions, so it is imperative to see a doctor.