Recognizing and combating bed bugs: tips from the experts | Life & Knowledge

2023-10-13 16:08:22

They attract each other with odors and therefore usually appear in large concentrations. Odorants are also used as soon as danger lurks. The release of a sweet “alarm pheromone” causes them to disperse in all directions at lightning speed.

Detect and combat bed bug infestations

Dr. Jürgen Deckert works on Museum of Natural History in Berlin and has published several books on the subject of bedbugs. He knows: “The animals are nocturnal and hide behind furniture or under mattresses during the day.” The small animals are usually only discovered when it itches and burns. Most people refer to these as “bites,” but they are actually stings. The parasites’ small sucking mouthparts are rammed into the skin, leaving small reddish puncture marks that are often noticeably evenly arranged in a row.

But of course there are other signs than bites that you can look out for: “An infestation can be recognized by the coffee crumb-like feces crumbs.”

The appearance of bed bugs has nothing to do with a particularly unhygienic environment; rather, they are accidentally introduced into the household or to the holiday accommodation infiltrated and can thus distribute their stitches unhindered. “The bed bugs cannot fly and are transported via clothing, suitcases or seats in means of transport.”

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The arduous fight against bed bugs usually requires an exterminator to come: “Bugs can be insensitive to poisons, which makes fighting them difficult.”

It is not easy to get rid of the parasites without professional help. According to Deckert, the following things can help with a mild infestation:

Freeze infested clothing at at least -16 degrees Celsius for several days. Wash bed linen at at least 50 degrees or put it in the dryer – and repeat this at regular intervals. Place plastic traps (or commercially available glue traps with bedbug bait) under the bed so that the animals cannot escape can escape. The caught animals can then be killed with hot water. Make sure that there are few hiding places for the parasites around the bed. Anything that cannot be washed, frozen or sealed with hot water should be treated with hot steam from a steam cleaner.

Bed bugs: are the bites dangerous for pets?

Many pet owners wonder whether the little animals can also become painful companions for their four-legged friends. Here Dr. Jürgen Deckert gives the all-clear: “Transmission between pets and humans does not play a significant role; in exceptional cases, dogs and cats can be infested with bed bugs.”