Do you sleep poorly, toss and turn restlessly and are constantly in a state of drowsiness? And the next morning your skin itches, itches, and strange red spots appear on it ? Be sure that unexpected guests settled in your apartment - bed bugs. The phenomenon is unpleasant, but, fortunately, can be eliminated. What leaves the bedbug bites (photo)? How to get rid of trouble and cure a rash that has appeared? You will learn all this from the article below.
What is this insect?
A bug is a little vampire. The body shape of the blood-sucking insect is oval, the body length is about 8 millimeters. Usually, the value depends on the degree of saturation of the insect. The same factor affects its color. But, as a rule, the color scheme of an adult varies from light brown to brown. After a hearty dinner, the bug can become burgundy or even black. The average life span of insects is one and a half years, during which they feed not only on the blood of people, but also on animals and birds.
A bite of a bed bug, a photo of which can be found in any medical encyclopedia, can appear in any person. No one is safe from the unpleasant neighborhood. Indeed, in our days the myth that insects can live only in unsanitary conditions has long been debunked. This is far from the case. In addition, the relationship between insect bites and the ingestion of various infections in the body has not been officially proven. Despite this, bedbugs coolly poison our lives, interfering with normal sleep. As a result, performance is disturbed, there is severe anxiety, anxiety and even depression.
Biting process
Vital activity of parasites is supported solely by the blood of others. It is not surprising that they settle near a food source, that is, in a person’s home, trying to stay near a bed or directly in bedding. Insects lead a nocturnal lifestyle: during the day they hide in their favorite shelters: in the cracks of the sofa, behind the wallpaper, under the baseboards. Closer to 2 o’clock in the morning the bugs go hunting. To attack a victim in the daytime, parasites can push only a very strong feeling of hunger. Usually, such a phenomenon is observed in heavily infected rooms: here the population of insects is so huge that at night not all individuals manage to get enough.
Even during deep sleep, you can feel the bite of a bed bug: the symptoms are frequent waking up, restlessness, and even nightmares. All this is waiting for you at first. While you sleep, insects dine peacefully on your body. With their proboscis they pierce the skin, reaching the small capillaries. When the epidermis is punctured, the insects inject a secret that has an analgesic effect, so you do not feel the bite. Painful sensations arise only when young people “manage” the skin, in the saliva of which there is no anesthetic substance.
What does a bite look like?
To get enough, an insect needs to take several bites. Usually there are three of them, so doctors jokingly call them "breakfast, lunch and dinner." What does a bed bug bite look like? Photos presented in any specialized literature demonstrate that this is a slight reddening, in the center of which there is a pronounced scarlet dot. Spots form the so-called track, the distance between them can reach as much as 2 centimeters. Bites are very itchy, itchy. It seems to a person that mosquitoes have bitten him. To exclude the presence of buzzing and flying insects, inspect the ceiling. If there are no mosquitoes on it, then this is the work of the hands (or, more precisely, proboscis) of bed bugs.
Spots should never be combed, even if you are completely unbearable. The fact is that during this process you injure the skin: microscopic wounds form. They are not visible to you, but the bugs, thanks to their excellent scent, perfectly feel the proximity of blood. Therefore, they begin to attack your body even more actively.
Symptoms
How to distinguish a bite of a bed bug? Symptoms of the fact that these insects bit you are the following:
- The appearance of spots in the morning with their complete absence in the evening on the eve of falling asleep.
- The multiplicity of bites, the trajectory of which is located in one line.
- The presence of wounds in open areas of the skin: face, neck, shoulders, legs and arms. Sometimes insects crawl under their pajamas, then their trace remains on the stomach and back.
- The spots that appear have a round shape, they are slightly swollen.
Traces on the skin after a bite are the body's reaction to the saliva that the insect secretes. Because of this, the spots stay on the skin longer than after any other parasite. Different people will have very different degrees of itching and swelling that accompany a bed bug bite - the symptoms manifest individually, depending on the characteristics of the body. In some, these are huge bumps, in others - slightly noticeable pale marks on the skin. Someone finds them the next morning after the "attack", someone finds out about bedbugs only after several months of an unpleasant neighborhood.
Other symptoms
How do you know if a colony of bloodthirsty insects has settled in your bedroom? Firstly, having suspected something was wrong, carefully inspect the bedding in the morning. Usually, after a raid and a meal of insects on the sheets, pale streaks of blood remain. Secondly, move the sofa or bed from the wall and examine the baseboard. Bed bugs, if they wound up indoors, leave traces of life activity after them: their droppings look like black dots on the surface. No, this is not dirt. All breasts are almost the same size and shape.
A few more features has a bite of a bed bug. A photo of a bloodthirsty insect in an enlarged format indicates the presence of holes on the chest and abdomen of a bug. These are the outputs of the so-called odorous glands that emit a specific smell. Some people who are in trouble say that raspberry amber is spreading around the room. Others claim that it smells like cognac, while others feel almond notes.
The difference between a bug bite and an allergy
These two phenomena manifest themselves in different ways. Traces of bedbug bites differ from allergic reactions primarily in their static nature. The former retain their shape and color for a very long time; the external signs of others often change rapidly. In addition, an allergy rash usually spreads over the entire surface of the body, without clear contours and faces. Instead, bug bites are located only in open areas of the skin in a straight line in the form of a path. Another difference is the state of the epidermis of other family members. If a spouse who sleeps nearby does not have a single mark on the skin, you are most likely allergic.
As for the bites of other insects, it is a little more difficult to distinguish from them the trace of a bug. Again, it is worth paying attention to the shape of the spots: after bed bloodsuckers they are clearly outlined, are located in one line. Instead, flea bites are chaotic, usually appearing in the lower legs. After contact with the midge, the pain is much stronger, the wound itself is less, in the middle of it is visible clotted blood. Mosquito bites are unevenly located, in their center there is a small formation in the form of a pimple.
Who bites the bugs in the first place?
These insects have favorite victims. Bed bugs are usually parasitic on small, fragile and delicate creatures: bites in children and young women are observed much more often than in men and representatives of the older generation. There is a rational explanation for this phenomenon. The fact is that insects, being bloodsuckers, are guided by the smell of blood, feeling it with their first-class scent. The thinner the skin, the stronger they feel the aroma emanating from a person. Due to age-related changes in the body and its physiological characteristics, it is precisely the babies and the fairer sex that have the most subtle epidermis.
Adult men and elderly people are less likely to attack bloodsuckers. They are also less sensitive to bites, so they do not immediately notice that they have become a victim of insects. But rumors that bugs love people with a specific blood group do not correspond to reality. They bite everyone, only spots appear on the skin in different ways.
Treatment
You need to take action as soon as you find the problem. The treatment of bedbug bites involves primarily the use of such medical devices:
- Taking antihistamines. For example, Claritin, Telfast, Zirtek are very effective. They protect you from a severe allergic reaction that may occur after a bite. Some people even experience anaphylactic shock, so it’s better to protect yourself from the consequences. Moreover, these drugs are third-generation drugs, so they can be used for a long period without any side effects.
- An ointment should be applied to the site of the bite, which will reduce swelling and relieve itching. Usually, the doctor prescribes an agent with anesthetic effect: “Akriderm”, “Afloderm” or “Psilo-balm”.
- You can stick a medical pharmacy patch containing painkillers in place of the bite.
All these methods will help you get rid of the discomfort that gluttonous bugs have left on your skin.
Folk remedies
In addition to traditional medicines, there are other means to help reduce the negative effects of insects, which are bed bugs. Bites ... How to get rid of them with the help of traditional medicine? Everything is very simple. For these purposes you need to use:
- Garlic: it is rubbed and applied to the wound.
- Pink lotion: it dries bites.
- Potatoes. It is also crushed and evenly distributed on the affected area of ​​the skin.
- Aloe juice, a decoction of chamomile and hypericum. Saturate cotton wool with these liquids and apply a compress.
From the bites of bedbugs, plantain leaves and a solution of baking soda also help. They are also applied to the spots that remained after the bloodsuckers. In addition, be sure to attach a piece of ice to the wound - it will relieve swelling and swelling. Treat it with alcohol, it will dry the bite and will contribute to its rapid healing. All of the above methods of traditional medicine will relieve the symptoms of itching and scabies within one, maximum two days.
How to protect yourself?
As you can see, a bite of a bed bug is not such a disaster for a person. Symptoms can very easily be removed with the help of improvised means. It is much harder to protect yourself from new raids of a bloodthirsty colony. To drive insects out of the apartment, you can go in two ways:
- Invite a special pest control service to your home. It is expensive but effective. Specialists spray the room with insecticides, treating every corner and even the smallest crack.
- Carry out full processing yourself. This is a cheap way, requiring maximum effort and time. You need to purchase insecticides in the store and spray them with an apartment in accordance with the instructions.
Remember that household preparations are sold in any form. The most effective and convenient to use are concentrated emulsions. They are diluted with water in the required proportions and applied to the surface using a spray bottle or brush. Also, chemicals are released in the form of aerosols and in the form of powders.
If the bugs bit on vacation ...
Such cases are not uncommon. The ideal option is to move to a new apartment. If this is not possible, you need to scare the bugs off the bed. To get started, shake all the bedding well. Treat sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers with a steam iron. Pour boiling water into the crevice of the sofa, then vinegar. In the same way, treat the skirting near the bed. Move the bed as far away from the wall as possible. To prevent the onslaught of parasites that are hiding at the other end of the room, place bowls filled with sunflower oil under the legs of the sofa. Or wrap them with special adhesive tape. Insects cannot jump, so these objects will become insurmountable obstacles for them.
So that you are not tormented by new bites after bed bugs, get tansy or wormwood. The smell of plants repels bloodsuckers. Returning from vacation, shake out all the things and bags. After they are washed, ironed or treated with a steam generator. These simple procedures will destroy those parasites that have climbed into your luggage. Accordingly, you will protect the apartment from being infected by malicious bugs.
What is the danger?
The most terrible consequences of a bed bug bite are severe allergic reactions that cause anaphylactic shock. In the history of medicine there are many such cases. In addition, close contact with insects sometimes provokes the development of skin infections, causes nausea, fainting and hyperemia - overflow of capillaries in the bite area. Victims may complain of difficulty breathing, muscle cramps in the bronchi and severe edema. But these cases, as a rule, are isolated.
Basically, bug bites are no more scary than mosquitoes. Insects are not carriers of dangerous infections, so they cannot infect you. The only nuisance from such a neighborhood is an ever-itchy rash. In addition, people who are bitten by bedbugs at night do not sleep well. As a result, they have low labor productivity, at the same time - increased nervousness and irritability. Sometimes the bite festers - in that case, you should immediately consult a doctor.