Summary of how to get rid of bed bugs and how to prevent them from bringing them into your home
Bed bugs have been talked about a lot in recent years,
Bed Bugs- What You've Been Told is Totally False - YouTube
◆About bed bug blood sucking
Mr. Rover visited the laboratory of Changlu Wang , who studies bed bugs at Rutgers University, in order to investigate the ecology of bed bugs and effective extermination methods.
First, Mr. Rover holds out his arm to observe how bed bugs suck blood.
If you place a bed bug on your arm, it will immediately start sucking blood.
It took about 9 minutes to suck blood until the body became flattened.
Mr. Rover did not have an allergic reaction on his arm, but some people may have an allergic reaction as shown in the photo below. The characteristic of ``no allergic reaction in some people'' has led to a situation where bed bugs can go undetected for a long time and breed. Additionally, because bedbugs do not transmit diseases, government-led extermination operations are rare.
◆Verifying the effectiveness of bed bug prevention goods
Ultrasonic devices are sold as bed bug prevention goods, and there is also information that baking soda and essential oils are effective against bed bugs. Therefore, Mr. Rover decided to conduct an experiment to see if ultrasonic devices and baking soda are really effective against bed bugs.
The experimental equipment looks like this. Place a group of bed bugs in the center of a square container, and place a circular container without countermeasures and a circular container with countermeasures installed in the corners. After leaving it in this state for a while, we will count the number of bed bugs in the circular container to check the effectiveness of the countermeasure product.
The circular container has a groove on the rim and an attractant placed in the center. When bed bugs are guided by the attractant and head toward the center of the container, they are stopped by the grooves on the edge.
Let it sit for a while and then count the number of bed bugs.
As a result of counting the number of bed bugs, there were 120 bed bugs in the container where the ultrasonic device was installed and 101 bed bugs in the container without it. In other words, ultrasound devices are completely ineffective.
In the experimental setup equipped with countermeasures such as dryer sheets, insect repellent, baking soda, and essential oils, an average of 4 bedbugs gathered in the circular containers with the countermeasures installed, and an average of 26 bed bugs in the circular containers without the countermeasures. So, dryer sheets, insect repellent, baking soda, and essential oils appear to be effective in repelling bed bugs.
Next, we will also examine the effectiveness of insecticides sold as 'specific for bed bugs.'
Insecticides were successful in killing 12% of bed bugs. However, the 12% figure was the same when water was applied instead of insecticide. According to Wang, bed bugs acquire resistance to insecticides through alternation of generations.
On the other hand, when diatomaceous earth powder was applied to bed bugs, it was able to kill 90% of them.
When you sprinkle diatomaceous earth powder on bed bugs, the diatomaceous earth absorbs water, causing dehydration and causing the bed bugs to die.
According to Mr. Wang, in addition to applying diatomaceous earth powder, it is also effective to apply steam at a temperature of 50 degrees or higher to exterminate bed bugs.
You can get rid of bed bugs by applying steam to your clothes and bed like this.
How to avoid bringing bed bugs into your home
The most common way bed bugs are brought into your home is when you get bed bugs on your clothes while traveling, such as at a hotel, and then bring them with you when you return home.
To prevent bed bugs from being brought in, it is effective to first remove the bed sheets and check for bed bugs as soon as you arrive at the hotel.
Furthermore, we recommend placing your luggage on the baggage rack instead of leaving it on the floor.
If you can't use a baggage rack for some reason, it's also effective to leave it in the bathtub.
You can also prevent bed bugs from attaching to your clothes by hanging your clothes on hangers instead of leaving them on the bed.
◆How to prevent bed bugs from occurring at home
If you find bed bugs in your home, it is recommended that you cover your mattress with
We also recommend putting your clothes in the dryer at high temperatures.
You should also keep the area around your bed simple, with no plants or extra cushions.
Moving your bed away from walls can also help limit bed bugs to the bed legs.
◆How to get rid of bed bugs if they occur at home
To proactively get rid of bed bugs, start by thoroughly vacuuming the area around your bed.
Additionally, prepare diatomaceous earth powder and apply it to the bed and wall crevices.
It is OK to use diatomaceous earth powder in an amount that is barely visible. If you pile up the powder as shown below, bed bugs will avoid the powder.
Finally, heating your sheets and clothes in a steamer will kill most bed bugs. If you cannot get rid of it even with this, you will need to hire a contractor at a cost of several hundred thousand yen.
A forum related to this article has been set up on the GIGAZINE official Discord server. Anyone can write freely, so please feel free to comment!
• Discord | 'Have you ever had bed bugs around you?' | GIGAZINE
https://discord.com/channels/1037961069903216680/1158705220864454686
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