How to fight bedbugs. Natural treatments.

In August 2017, the city of Marseille decided to equip with protective equipment its agents in charge of the collection of bulky items, as the number of mattresses infested with bedbugs deposited in the street multiplied.Last September, the emergencies of the Nantes University Hospital faced an infestation such for a week, that patients had to sleep under tents in front of the establishment.On September 19, 2017, two buildings of a Nice student residence had to be evacuated for the same reason.The RIVP, the second largest real estate lessor in Paris, estimates that 20% of its thousand buildings are affected.The examples of this type are multiplying.If the phenomenon is expanding, our cohabitation with these little animals is not new.

Aristotle was already talking about it over 2000 years ago

Scientists believe that the bed bug is probably over 35,000 years old.Originally, the bug lived in the caves with the bats of which she sucked the blood to feed.When the men, in the ice age, came to live in the caves with them, the bedbugs found a good source of food.When the men left the caves, the bedbugs followed them and spread with them on the surface of the earth.Lesgrecs named her Coris (which means to sting), Aristotle devoted some writings to it, and the Roman legions which fought and rearraged to swarm it all over Europe, called him Cimexlectularius (bed bug).

From step by step to your home

In the 1940s, a synthetic insecticide, the DDT, almost also eradicated the bed bug in the West.But the DDT also established a poison for humans and its ban, combined with the great international mobility of the last 30 years, have enabled a retouren forced bedbugs."Today, the scourge is global," said Pascal Delaunay, entomologist at the parasitology department of the Nice University Hospital.

Bugs discreetly propagate the clothes of a child in Unauter at the daycare, in school records, on the seats of autobus, in the metro, in taxis, they sometimes besiege civil or ambulances!They are found in buildings today.They haunt certain hotels, motelset workplaces.And of course, they travel with you in yourvalise, in your bag or in the lining of your coat.

The bed bug: an almost invisible enemy settles in your home

You will find descriptions of bedbugs, photos, bites, everything is accessible everywhere.But keep in mind that this little little little one more than a pinch, slips everywhere, settles behind the plinths, in the furniture, in latuiteries, the electric sheaths, in the linen and, above all,The lower possible of his pantry: you!

The bed bug is reproduced at lightning speed and if you are a single female in your home, know that she can lay more than 5 eggs per day.From there, it is a colony that you will soon have in your house.

No one dares to talk about it, and especially not the hoteliers

It is true that we dare not admit to our neighbors that we are infested with beds.It's a bit like lice.It’s the shame of having them! Very often, people associate these parasites with hygiene problems.If you have bedbugs it is that you are dirty.But it's nothing!

There are bedbugs everywhere, even in 4 -star hotels.At the hotel Marriott de Singapore, the staff were trained in the detection of these parasites.Hoteliers know the problem well, and they have their establishment with chemicals without saying an unmot to customers to avoid infamy.As for the hotels of Marne-la-Vallée near Eurodisney, who welcome thousands of American tourists per month, they are engaged in a permanent misinfestation after the passage of their hosts: reading comments on certain booking sites are cold inthe back.

You may not come across Delit bedbugs during your stay at the hotel or in a bed and breakfast, in an ouen youth hostel campsite, but sometimes do not be surprised at the eye-irritation, incomprehensible allergies orreactionsdermatological in certain accommodation places.What do you understand?

Chemical insecticides, a poison ... for you

Treatments can temporarily eradicate bedbugs, but their consequences on our environment and our organizations are not to be taken lightly.Before starting with chemical insecticide treatment, keep in mind that their effectiveness is variable.Their environmental effects are disastrous and their smell is such that you will, besides leaving your accommodation for treatment, ventilate your home for several days or even weeks.Cesproduits have harmful effects on health and in particular on the wayspiratory tracts, they can cause allergies and are carcinogenic. Finally, and to top it all, these insecticides are effective on the colonies, but not on the eggs.Suffice to say that it does not serve as they are.

The B-Ba of the Bug Hunter

When you travel, inspect your bed, mattress seams and sheets before setting up.The bedbugs leave traces of excrement and traces of blood easily identifiable.Wash your clothes, backpack or suitcase if you have a doubt.

Bugs love neither high temperatures nor bass.Freeze clothes or sheets that seem suspect or wash them with 60 ° and use a steam cleaner on large objects (armchairs, mattresses).

The bedbug cannot easily climb polished metal or lessurfas, even less flying or jumping, so that the bedroom feet will keep it at a distance.Coat the feet of the bed with double -sided adhesive paper for carpet or petroleum jelly.You can also place the feet of the bed in glass jars or metal boxes.

If you are in an infested place, notify the owner and lesvoisins.Bedbugs can cross somewhat old walls too much trouble.In a short time, a whole building or a whole one that can be invaded.

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Watch out for all recovery furniture.They can transport parasites with them.Inspect them conscientiously before you are at home.

Essential oils to protect the body

Insects are very sensitive to smells, the oils will therefore be very efficient to repel bedbugs. Certaines act on the nervous system and can kill insects.

Essential oils will be used in 3 different uses:

1. Spray répulsifEn voyage, on peut se fabriquer unmélange d’huiles essentielles, additionnées d’eau de source ou d’eaudistillée. Ce mélange sera pulvérisé autour du lit où vous devez dormiret, avant votre départ, dans vos sacs et valises.Je vous proposela recette du mélange utilisé par Helen Whitehurst, spécialiste destraitements alternatifs aux Etats Unis, lorsqu’elle voyage. - 10 gouttes de lavande (Lavandula latifolia) - 6 gouttes de citronnelle (Cymbopogon winterianus) - 6 gouttes d’arbre à thé (Melaleuca alternifolia)- 10 gouttes de thym (Thymus Vulgaris)
2. Pour le corpsPour une application sur le corps quipermet de se protéger des piqûres, la même recette peut être utilisée,additionnée cette fois d’un demi-verre à moutarde d’huile (amande douce,jojoba, pépin de raisin).
3. En diffuseur- 3 gouttes HE lavande (Lavandula latifolia) - 3 gouttes HE menthe (Mentha piperita) - 6 gouttes HE citronnelle (Cymbopogon winterianus). - Fermer les fenêtres et diffuser pendant 10 mn maximum. Vous pouvez procéder à 2 ou 3 diffusions quotidiennes.

Read also aromatherapy with my essential oil diffuser, from Karin Parramore (ed. The beach)

Neem oil to treat the house

NEEM (or Margousier /Azadirachta Indica) oil is another depulsif and pesticide, produced by the seeds and the leaves of Neem.Although it is not toxic to Sangchaud animals, it makes it possible to fight against more than 400 species of insectors, some of which are even resistant to chemical pesticides.

One of its active ingredients has ovicidal and larvicides properties, which allow it to interfere on the laying of females, as well as on moult and growth of larvae.Even if its action on bedbugs is not 100%guaranteed, it can perfectly go into laconfection of an effective repellent.Be careful however, neemtache oil the tissues.It will therefore be reserved for the treatment of floors, walls and furniture.For the bed and the fabrics we will prefer the mother dye.

A lire sur Plantes & Santé : Le neem rempart contre les parasites

Adults and young people are especially active at night and flee all light, whether day or artificial;Which does not facilitate their discovery.Their places of rest, laying and copulation are generally difficult to access: mattress cord, bed structure, wooden slit, table frame, curtain rod ... on this difficult highlighting will depend on the success of the struggle.

This insect is gregarious at all stages of development. The life cycle is initially long enough to set up, but after a few weeks it generates significant descendants. It was during this period, the first month of contamination in general, that the nuisances are little or not perceived by the inhabitants. When the link is made between the bites during sleep and insects finally identified, the infesation can already be very important. For low infestations, this distance is barely a few meters between the underside of the mattress and the top of the Mattress, between the dul structure and the top of the bed, between the clothes closet and the bed ... for strong infestations, the walls or communication routes between apartments (dilation of heating radiators for example) can be invaded after several weeks. After the blood meal, the bug returns to an identical or new rest place, to digest the blood meal, change stadium or lay. A new hiding place becomes a newlieu of infestation (hem of the pajamas, luggage, linen at the foot of the bed, frame of a table, chest of drawers, etc.).

This behavior explains the second propagation mode: passive transport.It is the man who will carry, in a fortuitous way, the insect to a new place of life located a few kilometers or thousands of kilometers, during a trip, a move, the introduction in his homeOld furniture, books or second-hand objects ... The greater the number of people hosted, the greater the risk of a bug.Hotels, night trains, retirement homes, youth hostels, accommodation homes, prisons ... are places at high risk of contamination by bedbugs.A high social level is not a guarantee of non-contamination.

Dermatological involvement

The most typical skin lesion is in the form of an erythematosus and maculo-spaping pruritus of 5 mm to 2 cm in diameter with a central hemorrhagic point or a vesicle similar to any arthropod bite.The pruritus is generally expressed in the morning with a slight improvement in the evening.Some attacks can assimilate hives.

On the discovery parts of the skin, the lesions sometimes appear in line with 4 to 5 bites fairly characteristic of this insect.Flea bite can also present this online aspect, but lesions are mainly located on the legs.

Infectious risks

Like any arthropod bite, bacterial infection, especially by scratching should not be overlooked.This is probably what happened to Mary Stoner, a 96 -year -old American woman who died in February 2017 in Pensylvania after an infestation from the reception house where she lived.By its exterior surface, a bed bug can transport many microbial agents including for example golden staphylococci [24].

On the other hand, it has never been shown that bedbugs were vectors of bacteria, parasites, fungi or viruses.More than 45 pathogens have been mentioned, with in some cases research to test the vector competence in the laboratory of Cimex Lectilarius vis-à-vis the pathogenic agent studied and vector capacity in nature.On the ground, the bed bug has never demonstrated any capacity to transmit infectious agents.However, the vector risk of the bed bug for Chagas disease due to Trypanosoma Cruzi is to be monitored.Indeed, the mouse transmission of this parasite has recently been demonstrated in the laboratory.

Psychological effects

People who reside in an infested bedroom place quickly associate moments (sleep, television, reading) with bites.These people are then tired, irascible and in a state of stress that it is important to take into account at the same time as the struggle.Listening to the person, associated with simple and concrete proposals, are key elements for the success of the struggle.

The traps

Attractive heating trap bed bug is attracted to heat. This natural behavior is used as a attractive trap. The trap has either a single -use heater or heating resistance. The attracted bug is then glued by glu or killed by an insecticide. These traps lose their effectiveness when arranged in a busy room. The human body being more attractive (caloric mass and significant CO clearance). The thermal attractive trap is less efficient than the CO -Co -free clearance trap with carbon dioxide the bed bug is attracted to carbon dioxide. This natural behavior is used as a attractive trap. These traps also lose their effectiveness when they are arranged in a occupied room, the human body being more attractive. Attractive pheromones with specific pheromones they are certainly the future of the fight against bedbugs. However, their development remains perfectible. In progress research is promising.

Mechanical struggle

Aspiration Avec l’embout fin de l’aspirateur, aspirer les œufs, jeunes et adultes mis en évidence. L’aspirateur ne tue pas vraiment l’insecte qui pourrait ressortir quelques heures plus tard. Le conduit d’aspirateur devra être nettoyé et le sac obturé ou emballé dans un sac plastique et jeté dans une poubelle exté- rieure pour éviter toute contamination d’autres sites. Aspirer de l’insecticide en poudre peut être une méthode de décontamination de l’aspirateur. Aspirateur éteint et débranché, une pulvérisation d’insecticide dans le conduit peut être également pratiquée ou bien si le tuyau est démontable, l’imerger dans de l’eau chaude >60°C.Congélation à -20°C Elle doit durer 72 h pour être efficace [35]. Elle est très intéressante pour certains vêtements délicats ( lingeries, pulls…)

Steam cleaning at 110 ° C, or better 180 ° CIL destroys all stages of bedbugs in the corners or furnishings.

Freezing and steam cleaning are, according to users, the most effective ways to fight against bedbugs. However, it is not always possible. Heating at 60 ° CLA Punish dies in a few minutes at 60 ° C but it is important to ensure that the object that is heated at this temperature reaches 60 ° C in all its corners. Machine washing at 60 ° C for all the laundry which tolerates this temperature. Heating furniture for any object which can withstand a temperature equal to or greater than 60 ° C in its heart. Some companies have the ovens being up to these temperatures and sufficient size to receive any type of furniture. Heating techniques of all accommodation are offered by certain companies. These techniques require a fairly long preparation of the site to prevent the bedbugs from escaping on neighboring accommodation. The cost is felt. STRAY TO THE DRYER BROSSE BROSS or with a surface cleaner Certain corners or fabrics is a very effective gesture for removing eggs and young people, difficult to highlight. Be careful, brushing does not kill, associate the vacuum cleaner or a large ground cleaning. Restoration of places the detachments of wallpaper, painting, plaster, plinths, carpet, slots in the walls are sites of rest and reproduction. The restoration of the habitat and the joint of the plinths or the doors with the removal of all these sites. USEUPRESSE of the furniture is far too often offered as a miracle solution. It must be exceptional, thoughtful and organized so as not to contaminate other sites. Too often, mattresses or furniture are placed in the street or sold in garage sales. This behavior which moves the invasion of bedbugs on other sites is to be avoided. It must be ensured that the equipment will go directly to the discharge without risk of being recovered or stored before total destruction. High pressure -tighting in extreme invasion situations, the conduits (ventilation or vacuum) can be cleaned. DEDTOMELA DIAMITOME Earth is a natural product made from fossilized microscopic algae. These algae have a naturally siliceous skeleton and the porous rock - is therefore a silicate. This rock is finely crushed. The result is a white powder with abrasive properties.

The insecticide effect is not chemical but physical/mechanical because sharp particles act like microscopic razors.Arranged on the passage of insects, the earth of diatom will be fixed on the cuticle of the bugs and will cause lesions leading to the death of bedbugs by dehydration.The earth of diatom will be spread around the bed in a very small quantity, one can also put them in jar covers in which the feet of the bed that we want to protect from attacks will be placed.The double -sided adhesive tape on which diatomite is applied will also be an excellent barrier against parasites

The land of non -calcined diatom would not be toxic by ingestion for living beings.However, diatom's land contains an average of 1% crystalline diatomite.It is therefore advisable to handle it with precautions by avoiding inhaling your dust (wearing a mask).In order to limit the risks of inhalation, commercial products offer diatom's land associated with a matrix that fixes it (paintings, gels).This type of product is to be favored with powdered formulations whose absence of long -term toxicity is not really known.

This powdered land should not be inhaled by humans or pet.The performances of diatomé's land seem to be good, killing juveniles faster than adults.The speed of action is dependent on the dose used;High doses kill in 5 days, low doses in 15 days.This slowness of action can be an element favorable to the efficiency of the product.

Infestation, for a traveler on his return

On the return from a stay, the traveler who was stung by bedbugs must protect himself from an infestation from his home.To do this, when they arrive, the luggage is to be placed in the bathroom.

The traveler takes a shower and washes his clothes at 60 ° C or at the "pressing", washes his suitcase in the bathroom, brushing the zipper in the bathtub.

For people often going to sites infested by bedbugs (social workers, nurses, disintectisters, etc.), staying in motion on the site decreases the risk of infestation (the bedbugs are activated when the "target" isrest).

Do not place the clothes or bags on fabric furnishings.Place them on the entrance or kitchen tiles.If there is a need to write, it is advisable to settle on a table and a chair in hard or in the kitchen.