Bed bugs, how to get rid of them?
MIL OSI Translation. Region: France and French Territories –
Source: Republic of France in French
Credits: © sementsova321 – Fotolia.com
Since the 1990s, there has been a worldwide resurgence of bed bug infestations. Hotel rooms, youth hostels, mountain lodges, collective housing, special habitats, shelters, retirement homes, prisons, hospitals, night trains, cruise ships … and no big city seems to be spared.
Bedbugs feed at night with human blood. They are attracted by the vibrations, the heat, the smells and the carbon dioxide released by the individuals. They are found mostly in bedrooms (mattresses, box springs and bed frames) but they also live in other dark and quiet places (sofas, cracks in walls and floors, backs of paintings, curtains). They can also invest the washing machine if they have been brought in with contaminated linen and if the washing is always done with warm water.
How to get rid of it?
if contamination occurred during a trip, place your baggage on a hard surface away from areas where bedbugs might nest; wash at least 60o your clothes immediately. Also wash the bag at the same temperature; put the non-washable items in the dryer and cycle for at least 30 minutes at the highest possible temperature; where possible, put the objects in the freezer at -20o minimum for 48 hours; do not dispose of infested furniture (mattresses, chair, etc.) without being treated, as they may contaminate others; put the end of your vacuum cleaner on your mattress, bed and surrounding objects (bedside table, curtains, books, etc.). Pack the bag tightly and throw it in an outdoor bin, then clean your vacuum cleaner; to treat nooks and upholstery, use 120o steam cleaning which destroys insects; seal cracks and crevices on walls, behind skirting boards and wooden bed frames; remove or re-glue the peeling wallpaper; if necessary, reattach the switch plates.
Do not hesitate to contact a specialist in pest control or hygiene services at your town hall.
Warning :
Avoid improvising a chemical treatment that could disperse bedbugs, aggravate the problem and promote the appearance of resistance of the parasites to treatment.
How to identify them?
These insects are visible to the naked eye, they measure 4 to 7 mm in adulthood. Their bodies are flat, oval in shape (like an apple seed) and brown in color (reddish after a meal). They are wingless and do not jump but move very fast.
How to detect the infestation?
The contamination is mainly observed by the presence:
skin lesions due to pitting, in the form of raised red spots of 5 mm to 2 cm with a hemorrhagic red spot or a vesicle of clear fluid in the center. They are responsible for more itching in the morning than in the evening. They are generally located on the parts of the body discovered during the night: arms, legs, back, neck; small black spots of 1 to 3 mm on the sheets, the mattress, the box spring and / or the walls of the room corresponding to the droppings of insects; streaks of blood on the sheets following the crushing of the bedbugs during the sleep of the person.
What to do in case of bites?
Bed bugs do not present any risk of transmission of infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.). The affected person can wash normally but must avoid scratching. The bites can disappear spontaneously after 10 days. However, they sometimes cause dermatological or allergic disorders requiring a medical consultation.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and / or sentence structure not be perfect.