The practice of killing bedbugs has proven that these insects react poorly to temperature changes. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether to be afraid of frostbugs is positive. Since ancient times, in the absence of powerful insecticides, bedbugs were corroded precisely by high and low temperatures. Even small deviations from average temperature marks (-10 and +20 ° C) are difficult for the bed bug to withstand. This weakness of pests is successfully used in the fight against them, especially if the use of poisons is unacceptable in the room (there are animals and children, there is expensive furniture).
At what temperature do bed bugs and their larvae die?
Bed bugs are among the most ancient creatures on the planet. Nowadays they parasitize with the same success as they did many decades ago. This fact alone speaks of the colossal ability of parasites to adapt to environmental conditions. It makes you admire their life cycle, development, reproduction and the ability to fall into suspended animation. According to the official data of scientists, the optimal living conditions for bed bugs or domestic bugs are the temperature range from 20 to 35 degrees Celsius. Since insects are parasites of a person, they settle in his house, where the required temperature is maintained all year round.
Everything seems very simple - to provide full ventilation of the room, and the entire generation of bedbugs will die. One of the methods of struggle according to folk recipes is based on this - freezing. The first condition is the temperature outside the window is not higher than -10. On a frosty day, you can do it. However, after such a procedure, based on the feedback from the victims, the parasites again make themselves felt. At what temperature do bugs and their larvae die then? According to studies of past generations, insects originally lived in caves, actively developed at a temperature of +9 degrees Celsius. When it decreased by several degrees, the larvae stopped developing, the entire population of parasites fell into hibernation. From this it turns out that the deadly temperature for bed bugs can be either sub-zero temperatures or too high.
Mechanism of action
As you know, all insects are cold-blooded creatures. Their body temperature is not constant and depends on the environment. Cold-bloodedness provides insects with a slow metabolism, so that they can go without food for a long time.
If the temperature in the insect's body becomes too low, body fluids will begin to freeze and damage tissues, leading to rapid death. This factor is key for the freezing method - parasites are very afraid of frost.
Temperature at which house bugs and bed bugs die
Time passes, and only memories remain from the former cave bugs. Modern parasites have become more vulnerable, but this does not make the fight against them easier. So, the optimal temperature for the full development of the bug and its larvae is the range from 20 to 35 degrees Celsius. When deviating from these values, their development changes, and in some cases leads to death.
- +14 degrees - the female stops laying eggs;
- +10 degrees - the laid eggs stop developing, the embryo freezes;
- +5 degrees - the whole generation falls into suspended animation.
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With the improvement of climatic conditions, insects return to their normal lifestyle. In the suspended animation stage, adult bugs can live for 2 years, larvae for about one and a half years. In order for the parasites to die, constant exposure to temperatures below 20 degrees or above 50 degrees is necessary. Scientists have found:
- When exposed to bugs with a temperature of -20 degrees, insects die within 2 days. At 18 degrees, it will take 80 hours for them to die.
- Exposure to a temperature of +60 degrees for 10 minutes is considered fatal. To kill parasites instantly, it is necessary to provide exposure for at least 5 minutes to a temperature of 90 degrees.
It follows from this that traditional methods of combating airing and blowing boiled water over the infected area are ineffective.
Chemicals
Are bedbugs afraid of vinegar, are bedbugs afraid of bleach, or, in other words, which of the available means will help in the fight against parasites? Herbs and lighting are half measures. They can force bedbugs to escape from a room or even an apartment, but they will not kill the parasites. This means that insects can return at any time.
Of the available tools, several of the most effective can be distinguished:
- Ammonia - works on the same principle as herbs. Fear of unpleasant odors causes insects to flee, and if you spread alcohol balls next to nests, a large number of insects will die.
- A solution of vinegar and water (essence) - works due to the fact that the bug is afraid of strong odors. And if it gets on an insect, it can kill.
- Acetone and any chemicals with acetone. They are extremely effective, but they can also harm residents or pets.
- Lime, according to some reports, has the same effect.
Whatever means the pests are afraid of, they will still return after a while. Therefore, the processing must be systematic.
Room processing rules:
- Prepare a solution with the maximum concentration of active substances safe for humans.
- Spray the area, paying particular attention to nests and nooks.
- Carry out wet cleaning.
Substances such as vinegar essence, ammonia disappear quickly enough. But the smell of acetone can remain for a long time.
In order to assess how effective the drug will be, it is necessary to prepare a highly concentrated solution based on any of the listed agents and thoroughly spray the room and carry out wet cleaning.
You can use harsh-smelling substances (for example, perfumery) in order to scare away insects at night. It is enough to spray the bedding and you can sleep peacefully.
Do bed bugs die when washing
Often, parasites settle in the bed, sofa, where the person sleeps. Simply put, in bed. There is a need for washing, the question arises: "Do bedbugs die when washing?" It all depends on the temperature at which it is carried out, on the duration of the procedure itself. If it is hand wash, things are immersed for 10 minutes, then hung out, all bloodsuckers will be alive. Machine wash with a duration of the procedure for at least 30 minutes with an optimal temperature of 40 degrees, also cannot kill parasites. How do you wash to destroy them?
Rules for hand washing
- Water is poured into a basin immediately after it boils.
- Immerse the laundry for 20 minutes, cover the basin with plastic wrap, oilcloth, or something else to keep the temperature high.
- Then you can add powder, carry out normal washing.
Machine wash rules
- The temperature should be at least 60 degrees.
- It is preferable to set the mode with 95 degrees.
- The duration of the procedure should be at least 1 hour.
After the clothes are dry, be sure to iron them with a steam iron. Pay special attention to seams, folds.
It should be borne in mind that when boiling, bugs of different generations and their eggs die instantly.
Plants and herbs
It turns out that plants can help fight off parasites. How it works? The fact is that bedbugs are insects. Like other members of this class, they perceive aromas and smells using special sensitive receptor hairs. The insect has enough of these hairs to recognize the presence of nearby plants. Some scents can attract parasites. And poisonous or unpleasant herbs are a great way to fight.
What grass are bugs afraid of? First on the list is wormwood. This is the most effective remedy for any insect control. Wormwood works especially well in combination with chemicals. If you treat the room with a special tool, and then put wormwood, then the insects will not return. Wormwood repels bedbugs not only in the form of a plant. A decoction works great, which can be sprayed or used as a wet cleaning agent. The only drawback is that wormwood in the form of a decoction quickly disappears, so you need to clean it up more often.
There are several other plants that can be used to repel:
- Tansy. Due to its smell, it is able to drive out almost all pests. The advantage of tansy is that when small particles of a plant or a decoction come into contact with insects, tansy causes paralysis. The best and easiest way is to arrange dried or fresh plants in the corners of the bedroom, or spread out directly on the bed.
- Ledum - used in the form of a powder, which must be scattered where parasites have appeared. The wild rosemary flavors drive out insects. To get the maximum effect, you can set fire to some of the powder and fumigate the room.
- Calamus - has an effect similar to tansy, but is used in powder form. The powder is scattered on the bedding for the animals, behind the baseboards - in those places where insects are hiding.
- Pharmacy chamomile is used as a solution of ready-made flowers and salt.
Of all the plants described, only chamomile is completely harmless to humans. Therefore, it is not recommended to stay in the room during processing (especially when lighting the powder). If you are allergic to flowers or pollen, it is not recommended to use plants, it is better to look for another method. In any case, after the bugs leave the apartment, it is necessary to remove the plants and thoroughly ventilate the room.
At what temperature in the room do parasites die?
The temperature method is often used to kill bed bugs. It is based on the use of high and low temperatures. Moreover, you can use them only in winter.
Freezing
In ancient times, in order to destroy the "living creatures" in the house, in case of frost from -10 degrees, doors and windows were opened, and left for at least 2 hours. Under such conditions, not only adults, larvae of different generations die, but also eggs. Today this method is considered not the most effective for several reasons:
- Low temperatures are poorly tolerated by a modern heating system. After prolonged freezing, you can remain unheated. It is recommended to wrap up batteries, a boiler, which takes a lot of time, energy, materials.
- Low temperatures can damage household appliances - TV, computer, laptop, stereo, etc. They will also have to be wrapped up or taken out to another room.
- Indoor plants will not tolerate freezing.
- In the course of numerous studies, it has been established that the deadly temperature for adults is frost of about 20 degrees Celsius. Moreover, the impact should be at least 1 day. To create such conditions indoors, the temperature outside the window should be about 30 degrees below zero. Only then can the desired result be expected.
- In addition, the natural instinct for self-preservation should be taken into account. At the sight of danger, bedbugs will hide in different crevices, where the frost cannot reach them. When all this stops, insects will crawl out of the shelter.
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Warming up
This method of dealing with bedbugs is considered more effective. But it also has its drawbacks:
- Bed bugs die almost instantly at a temperature of +90 degrees. It will not be possible to create such conditions indoors. The limit is considered to be 60 degrees above zero. The exposure time is increased to 30 minutes.
- They force the boiler to work at full power, heating devices. In this case, there is a high risk of damage to the boiler, heating system, household appliances.
- There is no guarantee that all parasites will die.
Thus, applying such methods of dealing with bedbugs is currently not the best option.
How to destroy parasites without chemistry
The killing of parasites by steam has very good results. If bed bugs are found on the couch, you can use a steam iron. They work well on the soft surface of furniture. Carefully pass along bends, seams, folds. The procedure will take a long time, but with the right approach, you can achieve 100% of the result.
The second option is the use of a steam generator. Special equipment that generates steam. It is necessary to act on each surface area for 2-3 minutes at temperatures up to 60 degrees. Steam heated up to +90 kills parasites in a few seconds. The procedure is slow, but the results are impressive. From exposure to steam, adults, larvae of different generations, even eggs, die. The most effective expensive insecticidal agent does not give such a result. The steam generator is the only device that destroys the embryos under the hard shell of the egg. The downside is the high cost of equipment. One part of the population does not have enough funds to buy it, others see no reason to spend so much on parasites. In addition, it is advisable to use the steam generator if the bugs are wound up on a surface that can be easily processed - a bed, a sofa. When parasites are found behind wallpaper, in wall crevices, furniture joints, and other similar places, steam is not able to penetrate deeper.
Do not store your personal belongings under the bed.
Bed bugs do not live only on the bed. They like everything soft, dark and warm, like carpets. Therefore, if you have to stay for the night in a third-rate hotel, it is better to close your suitcase or duffel bag tightly and raise it higher and away from sleeping places. Make this a habit for every business traveler who needs to spend the night away from home.
The best, 100% guaranteed way to bring bedbugs home from the hotel, if any, is to leave an open suitcase under the bed.
Bedbugs, crawling along the bottom of the bed frame at night, will definitely attack the suitcase and they will most likely like it there. Hiding in its folds, the bug will come home, get into the rest of the things and slowly move closer to the sleeping place. If it was a fertilized female, then the first bites will begin in one and a half to two weeks.
Professional destruction based on the temperature method
Sanitary and Epidemiological Services use two methods - hot, cold fog treatment. The effect of temperatures is combined with insecticidal agents. The methods give 100% results, are considered the most effective.
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Hot mist treatment
Air is pumped into special equipment - a fog generator. An insecticidal substance is also served there.In the process, the poison comes out along with the hot air in the form of tiny droplets. A cloud of fog is created in the room, which lasts for 10 hours. During this time, hot particles of the insecticidal agent penetrate into all the cracks of the room. When cooled, they settle on the surface, thereby creating a layer of poison. Professional processing gives 100% result. However, it is recommended to enter the premises in a day. Otherwise, you can get poisoned yourself. Hot air slightly increases the humidity in the room, which is one of the advantages of the method.
Cold fog treatment
The principle of operation is similar. Only hot air comes out, but cold air. The molecules of the insecticidal agent are much larger, so they settle faster. The fog cloud lasts only 4 hours. During this time, the poison spreads throughout the room. The main task is performed by an insecticide. It is he who gradually poisons the entire generation of bedbugs. This method significantly increases the humidity in the room, household appliances may suffer. Before processing, you need to worry about its safety.
The method of generating steam differs from the usual disinsection with an insecticidal agent in the ability to evenly distribute the poison over all surfaces. When using a spray, this is almost impossible to do. It is necessary to follow all the recommendations of specialists, not to enter the room ahead of time. In developed countries, after disinsection, an apartment is not allowed to enter it for about a week. Which is very correct from a security point of view.
Dangerous temperature for bedbugs - summing up
Bed bugs are highly resistant to high, low temperatures.
- Adults, nymphs of the last stage of development, withstand -18 degrees Celsius during the day. For this reason, the freezing procedure is ineffective.
- Killing a generation of bedbugs in a few hours can be as low as -20 degrees Celsius.
- Bedbug eggs have a very strong shell that protects the embryos from toxic substances, temperature changes. To destroy eggs, it is necessary to affect them with temperatures below 30 degrees. At minus 7 degrees, eggs will remain viable for 6 months. With the onset of favorable conditions, embryos will continue to develop.
- A temperature of +50 degrees kills insects during the day. The method of killing parasites is being questioned when bedding is taken outside on a hot day. At the same time, folk craftsmen get out of the situation as follows. They put a car in the sun, things infected with bedbugs are placed in it. At a temperature outside the window of +35 degrees, the car will have everything +45, which with prolonged exposure is a lethal indicator for insects. It is necessary to keep things inside a hot car for at least 30 minutes.
The most correct method of dealing with bed bugs is a combined one. When combined with steam, frost and insecticides. That is why the professional disinsection of the SES always gives a better result than an independent fight using the same poisonous means. Bedding is cleaned before pest control. They are washed at high temperature, boiled, ironed with steam.