Table of contents:
- Get to know bed bugs more closely
- How bed bugs can get on your mattress
- What are the signs if your bed or sofa has lice?
- The third effect was bitten by bed bugs
- How to get rid of bed bugs
Mosquito bites are an annoying wake-up story for everyone. But what if the itchiness is still there after someone uses mosquito repellent lotion? Or the swelling on the skin turns out to be filled with fluid? It could be bed bugs; a flat-bodied flea who likes to inhabit cotton and wood items!
Get to know bed bugs more closely
Cimex lectularius are fleas that usually inhabit human mattresses or sofas. These fleas drink blood from warm-blooded animals (such as humans) as a source of energy. To be able to live and reproduce properly, these ticks live in habitats with a temperature of 21-26oC. Bed bugs are quite “stubborn” insects ” , because it can still survive if there is no blood, or if it is below 12oC by being more passive in its movement.
Adult fleas can reach 0.5 cm in size and are dark brown in color. In females, they can lay as many as 300 eggs in their lifetime. These white nits will stick to the surface of the bed and are difficult to detect if the surface of the mattress is also light colored.
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How bed bugs can get on your mattress
A dirty environment is not always a sign of bed bugs. They can live in dirty or clean bedding conditions. Head lice also tend to reside in beds that are usually shared alternately, such as beds in hotels.
With their flat and small bodies, they can move quickly from one place to another. For example, they are able to move by hitching a ride on clothes brought by migrants staying at the hotel. Lice that hitch a ride on clothes that humans carry during the holidays will move from hotel beds to home beds after the human returns home.
In addition, when bed bugs live in a room that is not inhabited by humans, they are able to move to another room through a building gap. However, unlike head lice, which are parasites on the human body, bed bugs will not settle on the hairy parts of the human body.
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What are the signs if your bed or sofa has lice?
Flat and small is not a reason for bed bugs to be difficult to detect. On a bed inhabited by these insects, there are usually black spots on the surface of the bed. These black spots are flea dirt that has dried and stuck to the bed. Dry, brownish skin that builds up on a part of the bed is another feature of a mattress inhabited by these tiny insects.
These lice will also bite the exposed skin on humans, it can be on the face, hands, feet, back, and other parts. The basic difference between bites from fleas and mosquitoes is that bed bugs tend to bite in a straight line, whereas mosquitoes tend to be random in feeding on human blood.
Blood spots on the surface of the bed can also indicate live bed bugs. This blood exists because the fleas are crushed by the human body so that the body is crushed and crushed
The pungent odor from the bed is a feature too, but it feels less helpful in tracking. Adult bed bugs will release odors from their bodies. However, that smell can only be smelled by humans in large quantities. Therefore, if your bed has started to smell, instead of just being inhabited by a small colony of bed bugs, maybe now bed bugs in your bed are making a kingdom.
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The third effect was bitten by bed bugs
Although they do not cause serious problems, and although bed bugs are not a host of other diseases, the reaction the body produces when they are bitten is usually a bump. This very itchy bump will also heal quickly within one week after application of an antihistamine cream as an allergy drug. In some cases, there are people who experience reddish patches on the skin, even watery bumps. Another case is the appearance of infection when the bumps are scratched. This more acute case can be cured by administering antibiotics from the medical personnel concerned. Most of those who had been bitten by bed bugs did not cause any allergic reactions.
However, it turns out that bed bugs can slowly reduce a person's quality of life. A person who is bitten by this flea will experience discomfort during sleep, lack of sleep, anxiety, and embarrassment. In addition, according to health experts, the stress caused when bitten by bed bugs can actually have an effect on one's health in controlling emotions, and reduce one's well-being.
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How to get rid of bed bugs
Turning off the room lights in the morning and turning on the room lights at night apparently can't outwit bed bugs. Fleas will adjust their dinner rations to human sleep time. So even though you think these insects nocturnal or just live at night, in fact you are wrong. The use of mosquito repellent lotions is also considered ineffective in treating flea bites.
You can use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the lice and eggs. However, it takes effort that is not instantaneous. The use of a special insecticide for bed bugs is more effective in getting rid of bed bugs. But be careful, overuse of insecticides can make bed bugs more resistant, making it harder to get rid of them in the future. Steaming and freezing can be other effective alternatives to getting rid of these ticks. However, both of these things require tools that are usually owned by insect repellants whose services you need to rent.
Small insects can actually have an effect on larger creatures. After traveling, it is better to wash dry or wash clothes in water with a temperature of 60oC to kill fleas or other insects. Not buying a used mattress is also one way to prevent colony formation from these bed bugs, you know! Stay sensitive to your environment for a cleaner and healthier life.
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