Fleas are dangerous to human health as they transmit diseases, including fatal ones. Therefore, the question of how to get rid of bed fleas is relevant. These insects harm not only people, but also animals, causing severe discomfort from bites, serious skin lesions, and allergic reactions.
There are several ways to fight fleas in the bed - by contacting the sanitary and epidemiological service, using traditional methods, or using chemical reagents. The effectiveness of the chosen method depends on how long ago bed parasites appeared in the house and how many there are.
- Determining the presence of bed fleas
- Symptoms and body sensations
- What do their bites look like?
- The most effective ways to get rid of bed fleas
- Chemicals
- Natural helpers
- Additional measures
- Preventive measures for the future
- Bed linen and mattress care
- Consequences
Determining the presence of bed fleas
Most often, fleas appear in a mattress in the warm season - mainly in summer and early autumn. There are several reasons why parasites appear in an apartment. Knowing what linen fleas look like and having determined the presence of this parasite in the house, you should begin to fight it.
What factors influence the appearance of insects:
- Unsanitary conditions in the basement of the house.
- Excessive dampness in the premises.
- Unclean neighbors in a multi-storey building.
Parasites can be picked up by a pet that goes outside for a walk. If you suspect an insect in your apartment, you should determine what bed fleas look like. They move very quickly, which is why they cannot always be immediately distinguished from other types of pests.
How to recognize the presence of fleas in an apartment
You can often hear the question of whether a child can itch from linen fleas. Indeed, this can happen; itching at the site of the bites is one of the main signs that bloodsuckers have settled in the house. Fleas, unlike bedbugs, are active around the clock and bite people constantly, mainly on the legs. If we compare them with linen lice, the latter usually attack those parts of the body where hair is present.
In addition to the characteristic bites that irritate with their itching, fleas leave traces of their vital activity in the form of excrement. The appearance of fine black sand on the sheets is a sure sign of insects.
You can also try to see the parasites themselves. To do this, you need to put a sheet of plain white paper on the bed. The black dots that suddenly appear and disappear on it are adult fleas.
Symptoms and body sensations
The presence of parasites in a home can be detected by the presence of bites on the body of a person or animal. It can be difficult to see because it is small in size, but some characteristic symptoms can help you determine if your pet has parasites: They do not have wings.
- They are small in size - from 0.1 to 1 cm, usually 3 mm.
- Long hind legs.
The insects are brown in color and have a round body. They are protected by chitin, which makes it difficult to kill the insect with your finger. Fleas can lay eggs on the fur of animals, as well as in secluded places in the apartment - the larvae look like grains of rice and are white.
How to get rid of lice and ticks using folk remedies
If ticks appear in your home, you can use one of the effective folk methods to get rid of them. According to the recipe, you need to mix a spoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 0.5 liters of water, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Then the mattress and bed are treated with this mixture. Moreover, the liquid should be sprayed onto the bed and other objects, and not poured in drops.
Another popular method:
You can get rid of a parasite (ticks, fleas) by freezing it out, that is, taking the mattress or bed out to the cold. It is always important to know what pests look like or whether you can be treated for the wrong thing, and at that time. when the parasites bite further.
When lice are identified that bite a person, then, if possible, it is better to cut off the hair. But even if there is no desire, you should rub in geranium oil, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, vinegar with salt, a mixture of kerosene with any vegetable oil (1:10). Burdock, lavender, and eucalyptus oils will also help get rid of the parasite. If the lice continue to bite, you can use mercury ointment; it is toxic, but effective. As in any case, you need to know what lice look like or the treatment may be incorrect, since it may turn out to be a bug, and it is removed differently.
What do their bites look like?
Even knowing what bed fleas look like, you cannot always notice the insect itself; more often you can detect bites. To identify the presence of this particular parasite in the house, it is important to know how fleas bite. Residents often mistake skin lesions for mosquito bites, however, bed fleas bite more painfully. If black dots appear on your pets' bedding or in secluded places in your apartment, you can talk about parasites infesting your home.
Features of insect bites:
- Most often they bite through the skin where it is thinner - under the armpits, under the knee, in the abdomen, neck.
- The bite site is itchy.
- Swelling appears.
- The skin around the bite is red.
- The wounds are small.
- You can notice a small line of bites - each of them is at a distance of 2 cm from each other.
The itching and painful sensations themselves do not pose a danger to humans and animals, but parasites are carriers of diseases that can lead to complications and even death.
One of the pathologies that occurs after contact with bed parasites is an allergic reaction. It is undesirable to scratch wounds, as it can introduce infection into the body. Bites from bed fleas should be washed with water and treated with an antiseptic. To help pets get rid of insects, you should take a special collar, drops or other products that are sold in specialized stores.
Where do bed fleas come from?
An apartment, house, and, consequently, a bed can be infested with fleas as follows:
- 1. Introduced with pets - this parasite enters the home this way in the vast majority of cases;
- 2. From basements - if these premises are inhabited by cats and rodents, then in hot, dry weather fleas multiply quickly and in search of food through the ventilation, any cracks can rise even to the upper floors of a multi-story building;
- 3. With things purchased or obtained in another way, usually second-hand, for example, in carpets, where the parasite likes to hide;
- 4. From neighbors - if the flea’s place of residence is a neighboring apartment or house, then in search of a source of food they can enter any room or building nearby.
What do bed fleas look like?
Without a microscope, all fleas that enter a person’s bed look similar - they are a small insect, 1-3 mm long, brown in color. Juveniles may be black. This is what adults look like all over the world. In addition, this pest has such forms as egg, larva, cocoon, pupa - from which adult fleas emerge. If an apartment or house is inhabited by this insect, then the fact of its presence will be confirmed not by how they look, but by their jumping ability. This parasite is capable of disappearing unnoticed by the human eye; any other insect that penetrates a person’s bed cannot repeat it. Fleas look like lice (the sizes are the same), but the latter live in the hair, while the former do not try to get there.
How to detect bed fleas
Even knowing what fleas look like, it is not always possible to visually detect them, but the fact that such a parasite has appeared in the home is evidenced by the following signs:
1. The presence of excrement in animal fur, these dark particles are also clearly visible if the bed is white;
2. Constantly appearing bites on the legs. Moreover, there is no single bite - if the parasite is not detected and driven away, it will leave 3-4 characteristic marks on the human body (a red spot with a dark dot inside). Moreover, the parasite that has entered the house hunts around the clock;
3. Disturbance of pets - in most cases, fleas bite them and this is usually the first evidence that the apartment or house is inhabited by them and that it is time to get rid of such a pest;
4. Larvae - under baseboards, in the trash, in other secluded places that always abound in an apartment or house, you can find a sedentary translucent small caterpillar. These are insect larvae. Which jump great when they have legs.
A bed can become a pest's home only if washing, cleaning, airing of linen and other things, the room in general, and a large amount of garbage are not carried out for a long time.
How to get rid of bed fleas?
When fleas bite a person, it’s time to get rid of them, for which you need to do the following:
1. Treat insects on the body of animals - this can be done using shampoos Mr.Bruno, Beaphar, Celandine, sprays Hartz, Bars, Blokhnet, drops on the withers Stronghold, Frontline;
2. Put an anti-flea collar on the animal - since the apartment or house may still be infected with a parasite of this type, this precaution will help protect the cat or dog from re-infection;
3. Perform general cleaning - including shaking out, washing, and airing substrates in areas where animals are kept, carpets, and bedspreads. All linen and bedding must be washed, and debris must be removed from the crevices of sofas and beds.
If the apartment or house was only slightly affected, then most likely it will be possible to get rid of the pest using the indicated measures. If the fleas continue to bite, and the bites look like a red spot with a dark dot inside, then the fight must continue.
An apartment or house can be protected using traditional methods, for example, the parasite does not like the smells of tansy, wormwood, and orange. Plants or citrus peels should be placed in areas where insects may potentially live, under mattresses, animal bedding areas, and human beds. But you need to know that property is thus not protected reliably enough. If you cannot get rid of the pest using this method, you will need to use a chemical agent.
Get rid of bed fleas at home
The most effective way to get rid of pests that bite is poison, such a drug could be Tetris, Cucaracha, Cifox, Get.
You can poison the insect with the help of specialists or yourself. In the latter case, you need to understand that the poisons are quite toxic and, when processing occurs, the apartment or house must be cleared of animals and uninvolved people. The use of protective equipment is mandatory (respirators, thick clothing, glasses) - this is the main condition for the use of chemicals. To successfully get rid of an insect, you need to dilute any specified product with water, pour it into a spray bottle and spray it in places where the pest hides. The parasite can live behind baseboards, other similar shelters, in carpets, etc.
To be sure to get rid of such an insect in the room, windows and doors must be closed for several hours. If a person knows what the pests that bite look like and are sure that they are fleas, and they live locally, for example, in a chair or sofa, then he can be treated with aerosols (Raptor, Combat). In addition, any given product has a more pleasant smell than the professional poisons mentioned above. Beds and other similar things cannot be sprayed with such preparations.
The most effective ways to get rid of bed fleas
When fighting insects, you should not only decide how to treat the bed, but also other surfaces in the house. Bed fleas live not only on a person’s mattress, they settle there to find food. At other times, they can be in any secluded places - cracks in furniture, where there is a lot of dust, heaps of garbage, if there are any in the house, as well as on pets’ bedding.
You can get rid of parasites at home on your own only if the problem has appeared relatively recently and has not become widespread. If there are already a lot of individuals, you will need to use chemical reagents or call a special disinfestation service.
Precautions when getting rid of fleas
When dealing with domestic parasites, it is necessary to strictly adhere to precautionary measures. This will help optimize work and reduce the risks of negative consequences. By ignoring strict rules, you can cause enormous harm to your body, as well as expose your loved ones, especially children and pets, to the risk of infection.
Personal safety measures
If you are planning independent actions to combat insects, you need to pay attention to the following aspects:
- take care of protective clothing. This is especially true for chemical control methods. It is necessary to have gloves, a respirator, shoes and clothing made of thick fabrics or polyethylene;
- provide for the presence of a vacuum cleaner, broom, iron, brush, rag, bags, etc. This is necessary so that during the work everything is at hand, since leaving the room or searching for the right thing will be inconvenient;
- make sure there is adequate ventilation. This is especially necessary after chemical treatment. You should immediately check how easily the windows and doors open.
- Chemical processing agents are highly flammable. It is recommended to keep this in mind and avoid open flames. When using electrical appliances, it is necessary to check the serviceability of sockets and wires to avoid sparks.
General safety measures when there are children and animals
Particular attention should be paid to the points below if you have children and pets. Elderly people also need help and need to be taken care of:
- Decide on the choice of means. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the necessary information and instructions for use. It is recommended to pay attention to the timing of the procedure and assess the situation. You will have to leave the premises for some time, so you should take care in advance about who will be there and where. You may have to set up a crib and pet house in another room, since chemical disinfection takes a long time.
- At the end of processing and keeping for a certain time, it is necessary to thoroughly ventilate the room. Even if there is a slight odor, the return to the premises should be cancelled. Children's bodies and animals' bodies are particularly sensitive to toxic substances.
- Thoroughly treat with a soapy solution and soda those places that the child will come into contact with or that the animal can reach.
- When using the powder, you must make sure that neither a child nor a pet can get it.
- If there are any unspent funds left for disinfestation, they must be hidden in places inaccessible to children and animals.
Video: flea trap
Chemicals
The most popular option for getting rid of insects is the use of chemicals. When carrying out pest control yourself, you should use a special respirator and rubber gloves. Such precautions will help avoid inhalation of harmful substances and skin contact with the chemical.
To combat bed fleas, almost any substance that is designed to exterminate crawling insects is suitable. The most popular is Dichlorvos. But there are other drugs that differ in cost, toxicity, and application features.
What remedies will help you get rid of harmful parasites:
- Delta Zone - active ingredient - Deltamethrin. Allows you to get rid of not only fleas, but also cockroaches, flies, bedbugs, mosquitoes, and ants.
- Xulate Micro - active ingredients of the drug - PPB, Tetramethrin, Cypermethrin. Used in the fight against fleas, bedbugs, cockroaches.
- GET – active substance – Chlorpyrifos. Fights fleas, as well as cockroaches, bedbugs, ants and flies.
- Adamant – active substances – Malathion, Cypermethrin. Allows you to get rid of wingless insects such as fleas, bed bugs, ants.
Treatment with toxic drugs should be carried out in the absence of children and animals. It is better to put food products in the refrigerator or tightly closed cabinet so that the substance does not get on them.
Beds are treated with the selected preparation, especially in joints and crevices. You need to spray the product on the baseboards, cabinets, and clothes. The drug must be distributed, moving towards the exit. You should pay attention to the bathroom during the spraying process, as insects accumulate in damp rooms. The apartment must be left with the windows and doors closed for several hours.
After carrying out the treatment, after some time it is recommended to repeat the procedure - new fleas may hatch from the eggs that were previously laid by insects, then the previously carried out action will not bring results. It is better to postpone cleaning for several days; there is no need to wash the treated walls and floors of chemicals, this way the treatment will be more effective. It is recommended to wash bed linen, pet beds, and mattress covers at high temperatures.
If necessary, you can contact special SES services. They carry out disinfestation using special equipment; after the event, there is less chance that parasites will reappear.
Systematics and history of insects
Scientists have described, studied and systematized more than 2000 species of these parasites. Fleas that bother humans belong to the family Pulicidae - common fleas. Entomologists divide this family into species according to the type of host on which the insect feeds:
- Pulex irritans – human flea;
- Ctenocephalides felis – cat flea;
- Ctenocephalides canis – dog flea;
- Spilopsyllus cuniculi – rabbit flea;
- Xenopsylla cheopis is a rat flea.
Fleas
But this classification is conditional, since fleas, with a few exceptions, are not selective in choosing a host. They are attracted to the blood of warm-blooded animals, but whether it moves on two or four legs is of little interest to the flea.
Therefore, when asked where bed fleas come from, we can say with complete confidence that they come from everywhere. Any parasites that have occupied a bed in order to safely and comfortably feed on the blood of a sleeping person can be considered bed parasites. Without some natural science experience and knowledge, as well as a magnifying glass, it is very difficult to distinguish one representative of the flea family from another.
Interesting!
Nature has created an insect ideally suited for ectoparasitism. The appearance of the flea has not changed since the Cretaceous period. The photos taken by Chinese scientists while studying fossils from this period show that the prehistoric “pseudo-flea” is not much different from the modern one. Having lost their wings and decreased in size, these bloodsuckers continue to parasitize objects that are smaller than dinosaurs.
Prehistoric fleas
The functions of individual organs in fleas have also changed. Scientists believe that the long hind limbs were used by pseudopulex jurassicus and pseudopulex magnus to stay firmly on the thick skin of dinosaurs. This is what the claws on the bottom of the paw were used for.
Natural helpers
Folk remedies for insect control without the use of chemicals are relevant if prevention of the appearance of bed fleas is required. When cleaning walls and floors, you can add eucalyptus infusion to the water. Wormwood can be placed in secluded places in the apartment; the smell of the plant repels insects.
Another way to control insects is by freezing. This method is relevant in the cold season. At low temperatures, parasites die. You should consider in advance whether this method can harm communications and surface coatings in the house.
How to remove bed fleas
Bed fleas, although not common in our time, are still capable of making the residents of every house where they are found sweat. Below we will talk directly about the fight against these insects: chemical and folk remedies, as well as preventive measures.
Chemicals
Main types:
- Sprays and aerosols are means that deliver the active substance through the air. They are characterized by high speed of action and average efficiency.
- Crayons. Based on the name, these are products that are made in the form of crayons. Most often used for application in places where insect routes lie. They have good safety and are often used in cases where the bulk of the insect population has been destroyed.
- Powder form. The main advantage of the powder form is that it can be used while still living in the apartment, since in the absence of direct contact with the powder, poisoning is impossible. You can simply leave the powder somewhere under the bed and not be afraid of poisoning, but it is better to relocate pets for a few days. As a rule, powders remain effective for several days. The main disadvantage is the inability to apply to vertical surfaces.
- Liquid form. A flea poison concentrate is supplied in liquid form, which must be diluted in water before use, according to the instructions. Typically the most effective, but also dangerous.
How popular are representatives of these species:
Sinuzan.
Canister with product
Sinuzan is a drug with the active ingredient chlorpyrifos, which has a contact-intestinal principle of action. When affecting a flea, chlorpyrifos leads to paralysis of the insect. The product also acts on egg laying, which makes it one of the most effective among its analogues.
The main advantages of Sinuzan are long-lasting action (up to four months), low price, and strong effect. The product is also well suited for treating large rooms, which makes this product popular for disinfestation among large companies.
The main disadvantages of the product are in many ways similar to the advantages. The fact is that the duration and strength of action become a problem for those who cannot leave their apartment for a long time. In addition, the smell from the product can penetrate clothing and upholstered furniture for a long time, and therefore (ideally) almost empty rooms should be treated and left as such for a long time.
Varan.
Spray Varan
Monitor lizard is a classic representative of insect sprays. It is odorless, does not need to be prepared, is easy to use, reaches insects in hard-to-reach places, leaves no traces, and is not addictive to insects.
The active ingredients of Varan are dimethyl dichlorovinyl phosphate, tetramethrin and cypermethrin. The first has a detrimental effect on the insect’s neural system; the second and third ones paralyze insects.
Chalk Mashenka.
Chalk and packaging
The active ingredients of the chalk are zeta-cypermethrin and deltamethrin. These two insecticides have a similar mechanism of action and complement each other. They act on the nervous system, suppressing the transmission of nerve impulses.
Folk remedies
- Pyrethrum.
Pyrethrum is made from chamomile flowers to control insects. It cannot be fully classified as a folk remedy, but even less so as a conventionally chemical one. The main advantage of pyrethrum is its complete harmlessness to humans and environmental friendliness. Pyrethrum packet - Tar soap. You just need to dilute a finely crushed piece of soap in water and use it for wet cleaning.
Regular tar soap - Boric acid. Boric acid is deadly to fleas and can therefore be used as a poison.
Boric acid sachets - Soda with salt. Mix baking soda and salt to create a mixture that you can sprinkle on areas where fleas are most common. It is necessary to keep this mixture for ten to twelve hours, and therefore vacuum it.
Pest control
Disinsection is a procedure for controlling insect parasites using special means. It is better to entrust disinfestation to professionals who have access to high-quality and expensive personal protective equipment, as well as treatments. In addition, professional exterminators can safely use more serious insect control agents.
Exterminator in protective suit
Flea treatment is usually carried out throughout the entire apartment, and not just where these insects were found. The fact is that there may still be multiple clutches of eggs in the room, which also need to be destroyed.
Additional measures
The greatest effect in the fight against bed fleas can be obtained if additional cleaning is carried out some time after treatment. Insects can lay eggs in upholstered furniture and deep-pile carpets - all these surfaces need to be vacuumed.
If you have a pet in the house, you need to treat it for bed fleas. To do this, use special drops, flea shampoo, and a collar - the products are sold at a veterinary pharmacy. It is recommended to wash all items and remove dust and debris from the premises.
Causes and ways of occurrence of bed fleas at home
This paragraph of the article is named so cumbersome for a reason. The fact is that most apartments these days are clean enough to leave no chance for fleas to appear, but just one relatively dirty apartment can cause disaster for the entire house at once. It is noteworthy that insects can find, for example, water in one apartment, and food in another, a third, and so on.
Ways of appearance of fleas
The first way is pets. Perhaps the most vulnerable to flea infestations are owners of cats and dogs who let their pets go for a walk for a long time. Yes, there are means for treating animals, but their effectiveness is relatively low.
The second way is rodents. Here the situation is similar to that which occurs in the case of pets, only much more dangerous. Rodents can not only bring fleas into an apartment, but create good living conditions for them by deciding to build a nest somewhere in the far corner of a closet or under the bed.
The third way is from another room. It could be the entrance or neighbors' apartment, but this is not so important. Much more important is the fact that somewhere within the house something has caused a mass migration of insects. This could be work in the basement or overpopulation of the bedbug population in one of the neighboring apartments. In this case, the fight may be ineffective, since the insects will constantly arrive.
Causes of fleas
The main reason is dampness in the house. Fleas, being extremely tenacious insects, cannot tolerate a simple lack of water. Thus, the most pleasant places for fleas to live are basements and sanitary facilities. This is why it is important to prevent water pipes from leaking in your apartment. Unfortunately, with pipes in the basement everything is much more complicated.
Mess. Fleas are excellent at finding food where there seems to be none. A crumb of bread or a piece of skin invisible to the eye - something that makes up a considerable percentage of dust - will become good food not only for fleas, but also for cockroaches.
Preventive measures for the future
Fleas enter human homes in different ways, however, they often enter through domestic animals, which often walk outside and come into contact with other animals. However, knowing how to treat a bed and how to prevent fleas from appearing on an animal, the problem can be avoided.
What basic measures need to be taken:
- Regularly wear a special flea collar on your pet if it comes into contact with other animals.
- Keep the house clean - regularly remove dust, vacuum, wet clean, clean furniture and other soft surfaces.
- If you suspect the appearance of parasites, start fighting them as early as possible.
Fleas enter homes through attics and basements, where eggs have already been laid and adults have emerged. Then it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive disinfestation.
Types of fleas, photos and names
Zoologists have identified up to 27 families of fleas; we will describe the most interesting of them.
human flea
It is the most common among fleas and lives everywhere. It is brown in color and 1.6-3.2 mm long. Moreover, this flea is capable of jumping to a height of up to 30 cm and half a meter in length. Unlike other fleas, it does not have thoracic or head teeth. It can parasitize various animals, including humans (hence its name). In addition to humans, it is often found in animals that have close contact with humans: primarily in cats, dogs and
horses. It is very dangerous, as it can carry the plague pathogen and cause pulicolosis - an itchy skin lesion.
Cat flea
Despite the name, this flea lives not only on cats, but also on dogs, rodents, and many other animals, sometimes even on humans. The cat flea has a short proboscis and a flat forehead, the body length is 0.75-5 mm.
Dog flea
This flea is a close relative of the cat flea, and can also live on dogs, cats and other animals, including humans. In appearance and size it is similar to a cat flea, the only difference is in life expectancy, if a cat flea lives up to 2 years, then a dog flea lives no more than 1.5 years.
Southern rat flea
This type of flea is especially dangerous because it carries plague, mouse and rat tapeworms. It lives everywhere, but to a large extent these fleas are common in areas with warm tropical climates. Females range from 1.8 to 2.7 mm in length, males are slightly smaller: 1.4 to 2 mm. They may be light or dark brown in color. Most often they parasitize rats and other rodents, living in their burrows or nearby.
Penetrating flea
She is also the sand flea or the Brazilian ground flea. Originally from Brazil and Haiti, this flea was eventually introduced to Africa, India and Pakistan, where it successfully took root. It has an oval-shaped body and a red-brown color with a white spot in the middle. The average body length of this flea species is 1 mm, and it is capable of jumping to heights of up to 30 mm. Usually lives in the grass, from where it jumps on animals, birds and humans. Penetrates under the skin of animals' feet. A person can penetrate under the nails of his toes and fingers, and lead to inflammation, tetanus, and in especially difficult cases, gangrene and amputation of limbs.
Bed linen and mattress care
To reduce the risk of parasite reproduction, special attention should be paid to the sleeping area - there is a large accumulation of bed fleas due to the availability of food. It is important to periodically clean the mattress cover, vacuum the bed, and change bed linen regularly.
If disinsection has been carried out previously, all laundry must be washed at high temperatures. There may have been flea excrement, larvae, or dead adults in the laundry. Washing is necessary to prevent bed fleas or allergic reactions.
Consequences
The least damage caused by insects is red dots, swelling, and discomfort resulting from parasite bites. If the wounds are not treated and combed, there is a risk of infection; the scratched areas may fester.
There is a risk of inflammation of the lymph nodes, allergies, and anaphylactic shock. If negative symptoms appear, it is recommended to consult a doctor. The most serious danger from fleas is that they carry diseases:
- Anthrax.
- Typhus.
- Trypanosomiasis.
- Tularemia.
- Salmonellosis.
- Listeriosis.
- Encephalitis.
- Plague.
To avoid the occurrence of life-threatening infections, it is necessary to carry out sanitary treatment if harmful bed parasites appear in the house.
Knowing how to get rid of bed fleas, you can prevent their reproduction in a short time and protect yourself from existing fleas. Carrying out measures to get rid of insects will avoid negative consequences.
How to get rid of it at home
Bed fleas can enter a living space in a variety of ways; most often, the carriers are animals with access to the street. There are a lot of means by which you can completely destroy uninvited guests, but before using any of them, it is important to carry out a number of certain measures.
Ignoring this rule will lead to a rapid restoration of the insect population.
So, before turning to insecticides that will help get rid of bed fleas, you must:
- Wash thoroughly with laundry soap, then boil the bed linen. If possible, it is advisable to dry it in the open air.
- Carry out a thorough cleaning of the room, also using laundry soap.
- If fleas are found in winter, it is advisable to completely freeze the room. To do this, open the windows and doors and leave the room like that for at least two to three hours. Turn off the heating first.
- If you have pets, you should treat them with flea repellents, and also put a special collar on your pet.
In order to completely get rid of linen fleas, you can treat the room with insecticides only after carrying out the procedures described above.
Traditional methods
It is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of bed fleas at home using traditional methods. However, grandmother's advice may well help protect your home from uninvited guests.
In order for flea larvae, as well as adult fleas, to avoid the home, it is recommended to hide small bouquets consisting of tansy, lavender branches, and common wormwood in secluded corners.
To prevent the appearance of insects on carpets or, for example, on a woolen sofa, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the surface using a brush lightly moistened with any essential oil, for example, orange, eucalyptus, pine needles.
A few fresh branches of pine needles in the house will not be superfluous, which it is also advisable to place in secluded places.
Chemical treatment of the apartment
But the most pressing question for anyone who is faced with such an unpleasant problem is the question of how to remove bed fleas using insecticides. The modern market offers the consumer a wide range of drugs that will help cope with any insects.
The most effective are:
- Preparations intended for the preparation of solutions: cucaracha, tsifox, cypermethrin.
- Aerosol agents: raid, battalion commander.
According to the instructions on the packaging of the insecticide, prepare an aqueous solution and then place it in a spray bottle. With an aerosol, everything is much simpler - just remove the lid. Next, carefully treat the entire room with the chosen product.
It is especially important to touch even the most secluded corners, since flea parasites are very small and may well be hidden, for example, in the cracks between baseboards, walls, and wallpaper joints.
After completing the treatment process, you should leave the apartment for at least five hours, after which everything should be thoroughly ventilated. In order to protect your own health, after treatment you should repeat wet cleaning using laundry soap.
Video
How to get rid of fleas in an apartment