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Andrey August 7, 2016Specialization: facade finishing, interior finishing, construction of dachas, garages. Experience of an amateur gardener and gardener. We also have experience in repairing cars and motorcycles. Hobbies: playing the guitar and many other things that I don’t have time for :)
Insects in the bathroom are always an unpleasant surprise, because this room must be kept especially clean and hygienic. In addition, their appearance, as a rule, disgusts people, not to mention the fact that many arthropods are far from harmless. Therefore, in this article I will tell you how to get rid of these little “uninvited guests”.
Arthropods in the bathroom are an unattractive sight
Translucent insects - silverfish
Most often, small, almost flat, small bugs can be seen in the bathroom and toilet. This is a common silverfish. They come in white, pearl gray or brownish color. Immediately after molting, they are almost transparent, later becoming darker. The shape resembles an elongated triangle. Long thin antennae protrude from one and the other side of the small body (4-8 mm). The antennae are longer in front, shorter in the back. They crawl out in the dark, move quickly, and can freeze in place for a moment. These insects are harmless, do not bite, and do not pose any other threat, but they have an unpleasant appearance.
You can get rid of them by creating conditions unacceptable for life and reproduction. They thrive at temperatures from +21°C to +27°C and high humidity - above 75%. They feed on substances containing starch and polysaccharides. They usually enter residential premises with paper, napkins and other paper products. In homes they can eat bread, sugar, fabrics, flour, glue, photographs, etc.
One of the most common insects found in the bathroom is silverfish.
These insects will disappear in the bathroom only if they have nothing to eat and the room is dry and light. To reduce humidity, it is recommended to eliminate all leaks, dry all wet places (you can use a hair dryer), carefully seal the joint between the bathtub or shower tray and the wall, fill all the seams between the tiles with grout, fill all joints and cracks with silicone, and organize ventilation by installing a fan if necessary. Having completed these works, thoroughly wipe off the water after any procedures.
By maintaining low humidity in the bathroom, over time you will be able to get rid of these insects. Insect control medications can speed up the process. Regular Dichlorvos, cockroach crayons, and any other means of controlling insects in the apartment, including boric acid, also help. But if you do not eliminate the cause of their appearance - constant high humidity - they will appear again in a month.
Reasons for appearance
Insects appear in the toilet and bathroom for 3 main, most often interrelated, reasons, including:
- Temperature . Most beetles actively reproduce only at +22°C and above. In the bathroom, such conditions are created due to the heat emanating from the pipes and water. The lack of natural ventilation aggravates the situation: air masses cannot cool for a long time after using plumbing items.
- Humidity . Wet floor towels, drops on the walls and ceiling and condensation on pipes create favorable conditions for the appearance of small centipedes, cockroaches and small white insects in the bathroom - silverfish. Humidity from dampness occurs not only due to non-compliance with hygiene standards, but also as a result of breakdowns. If a faucet or pipe is leaking, it will be difficult to achieve dryness.
- Lack of air circulation . This factor supports the rest, helping to create a stable environment for the development of colonies of insects, fungi and bacteria in the bathroom, bathtub and toilet. If the room is not ventilated, residual moisture and heat are not removed from it.
In addition, for the development of families, food sources are needed. Since parasites most often feed on fabric, paper, epithelial particles, etc., this does not pose a problem. The first step is to eliminate the remaining causes of pests in the bathroom, otherwise they will return again in a few months.
Woodlice
Wood lice often appear in the bathroom and toilet. They are mistakenly called insects, although they belong to the class of crustaceans. It’s just that the relatives of crayfish have adapted to life on land, although they look for places with high humidity. They are easy to distinguish by their appearance - they have an oval body, convex at the top, divided into segments and covered with hard plates. The body may be light, with a slight yellowish tint, or dark brown or gray. Another distinctive feature is their behavior: in case of danger, woodlice curl up into a ball.
These insects are frequent guests in the bathroom. They are called wood lice
Woodlice feed on rotting organic matter. Spoiled vegetables, fruits, herbs are from the diet. Fungi that develop in damp areas are also suitable for them to feed on. Therefore, in addition to the bath and toilet, they can be found in the kitchen, and brought in with spoiled food. It also finds them in rooms if apartment dwellers or pets have a habit of leaving food under beds or sofas.
You can get rid of wood lice in the bathroom and toilet only by thoroughly drying the room, removing all possible sources of food. In addition to the measures described above (prevent water from getting on the floor, walls, improve ventilation), it is necessary to carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection. You can use a solution of bleach, Domestos, and other similar products for these purposes.
Conclusion
Insects living in the bathroom and toilet sometimes do not pose much of a threat. Some species (spiders, butterflies) practically do not reproduce and are encountered occasionally.
However, getting rid of the rest can be difficult. If measures are not taken, the size of the colony will increase, insects will hide in cracks and pipes and move to other rooms.
It is important to follow preventive measures and maintain normal temperature and humidity levels, otherwise pest control will be delayed. Create conditions unsuitable for insect life.
Remove food (paper, cloth, trash), eliminate sources of moisture (condensation, towels, leaks) and reduce temperature to +20°C or lower.
How to get rid of small flies
Sometimes small (a couple of millimeters long) black or dark brown flies appear in the bathroom. They have large wings compared to the body. The body and wings are shaggy, which is why the fly sometimes appears larger than its actual size. The name of these flies is butterflies. They start in rooms with high humidity and penetrate into houses and apartments through windows, doors, ventilation ducts, and sewers.
Females lay eggs in water; after two to three weeks, larvae hatch from them, which after some time turn into winged insects. These bathroom bugs will disappear if there is no opportunity to lay eggs in a moist environment. Therefore, we carefully seal all joints and cracks, wipe off the water, and take measures to reduce humidity. In addition, the following methods help:
- Thoroughly treat the floor and all habitats of flies with tar or laundry soap, leave overnight, and wash with water in the morning.
- Wash the floor with a bleach solution, treat bathtub and sink drains. Wipe all surfaces with diluted vinegar.
Butterfly and its larvae (highly enlarged)
Spread out bunches of wormwood and citrus peels help repel insects. But at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that they do not rot, otherwise the population will only increase, and new inhabitants may also appear - wood lice. The easiest way to get rid of them is mechanical destruction. They are small, but usually there are not many of them in an apartment and it is not difficult to squash a few individuals. But if you do not treat all wet areas, after a while they will appear again.
They can also appear in flower pots. In this case, the use of chemicals is unacceptable. Then the following remedy can help: add 15-20 drops of tea tree oil to 500 ml of water. Pour this product into a spray bottle and spray plants, pots, soil, and all surrounding areas. the flies disappear quickly.
Centipedes
These insects are called centipedes, flycatchers, and centipedes. They have a flat body and a large number (up to 40) of long thin legs. Thanks to their flat body, they penetrate even the smallest crevices and can move quickly. The optimal living environment for them is places with high humidity, so they also often appear in bathrooms and toilets, but they can also be found in the kitchen and living rooms.
These insects are hunting in the bathroom
These insects eat flies, cockroaches, silverfish and other small insects and go out hunting at night. In addition to insects, flycatchers can feed on half-rotten plant debris. So the proximity of centipedes helps get rid of other insects in the apartment and this is one of the methods of getting rid of insects in the bathroom. But not everyone is able to put up with such “neighbors” - their appearance is far from the most attractive. Centipedes bite, but their poison is fatal only to insects; it has no effect on humans, although the bites are unpleasant.
Millipedes are rarely poisoned; they are usually caught alone and are simply swatted away. To get rid of them and be sure that they are not in the apartment or house, it is necessary to normalize the humidity (in a private house this is not only the bath and toilet, but also the basement and attic), and eliminate food sources. Then they will leave your home on their own.
Danger and harm to humans
Important! Studies have shown that the nocturnal inhabitants of the bathroom, although unsightly, are not dangerous to people.
The bugs do not bite, do not contaminate food, and do not transmit disease. But if they spread strongly, they can harm people.
Silverfish feed on plant foods rich in protein, sugar and starch, and digest cellulose. They multiply quickly, the female reproduces 70 eggs per clutch, the young individuals, having spread throughout the apartment, settle in the trays of pots of domestic flowers and eat the leaves.
Woodlice eat living and decaying plants, and with frequent watering and constant moist soil, they move into flower pots. Here, crustaceans are capable of destroying an indoor flower in 2 weeks, eating the leaves, burrowing into the soil and damaging the root system.
Preparations for controlling insects in the bathroom
Few people are happy about insects in the bathroom or toilet. I want to get rid of them right away. Even if they are harmless. That’s why many people prefer to treat with chemicals. There are a number of products in stores that can help with this:
- Aerosol against flying and crawling insects - Raid. It smells like lavender and, according to the manufacturers, is harmless to humans, so you can carry out the treatment without leaving the room. Destroys adults, has no effect on larvae or eggs.
- Medilis-Ziper. Suitable for combating most insects that may appear in a house or apartment. This is a concentrate for dilution with water (the proportions are indicated on the package). The solution is poured into a spray bottle and the product is sprayed into the room. It has a strong odor, so it is advisable to wear a respirator during processing, and afterward leave the room for several hours, after which ventilate well.
Some means of controlling insects in a house or apartment - Henkel Combat Aerosol. It has a long thin applicator, thanks to which you can apply the product pointwise to the affected areas - behind pipes, baseboards, in ventilation ducts, etc. It has a rather unpleasant odor, but does not require the mandatory use of protective equipment.
- Remedy for bedbugs and other insects Lambda-Zone. This is a concentrate for dilution in water. The solution is sprayed onto the surface using a spray bottle. When applying, it is advisable to use protective clothing and a respirator; after drying, the resulting film is safe for humans and pets.
- Globol Original gel repels cockroaches, but also helps against woodlice and silverfish. This is a small tube with pasty contents. It is applied precisely in places where insects accumulate and acts quickly. Insects carry it on their legs, infecting the entire population. This product is safe for humans and pets, but insects die quickly.
