Now I don't know what to do: you can't take it apart, you can't replace the filling either - there are still spring blocks inside. I can't buy a new one, as this model is expensive and of high quality. Grandma does not sleep on the bed now, moved to the couch, but it's small, narrow - uncomfortable to lie down. I also think what to do now. We should probably take her home with us for a while since we need to treat bed bugs. We will try to do the treatment ourselves. But we need to understand when there are bed bugs in the mattress, what to do, how to combat them. I would be grateful for professional advice. Anna
The author of the portal answers the question:
In my material below, you will learn how to fight bed bugs in your mattress.
Where did the bed bugs come from in the mattress. Where is the source of the infestation
The bed, where a person sleeps every night, is the main place in the apartment, where they tend to get bedbugs. But the target is not the construction itself, but the source of food - blood.
The bed and mattress are the epicenter of the infected apartment.
If parasites become more numerous, they will disperse into other areas, gradually making nests in other furniture. However, the infestation of the object starts from this place.
Causes of hitting insects apartment:
- it became necessary to increase the infestation area (for example, if the number of the colony increased many times), then some of the insects get to the neighbors;
- The parasites don't have enough food where the colony has grown, so they rush to new territories;
- bedbugs bring guests along with their belongings (clothes, in a bag);
- they come with furniture, appliances, inside suitcases;
- there is a small risk of infecting a private home through an animal's hair.
There are bed bugs in your mattress - how to find them. What do they look like to recognize the parasite. Close-up photos of adults and larvae
Before you start treating the mattress and the entire room, you should make sure that the cause bites determined correctly. It is necessary to check the mattress, and the inspection is done from all sides, for which it will be more convenient to take it off, put it near the wall.
Check the seams, here insects settle more often than on a flat surface.
There is a risk of intrusion insects inside the product. But the parasites do not damage the upholstery themselves, their mouth apparatus is not designed for this (no gnawing function). Insects get inside under the upholstery if there are holes on the surface. This is the greatest danger, because it is difficult to detect the pests until there are too many of them and the surface around the entrance hole shows signs of life bedbugs. Pay attention to the signs:
- feces (spots of black color of small diameter);
- empty egg shells, shells;
- adults and juveniles (accumulate in one or more areas);
- there is a specific smell in the apartment (somewhat reminiscent of old cognac).
Looking young and mature individuals in a similar way:
- oval body, posterior end narrower;
- 3 pairs of limbs;
- 1 pair of tendrils;
- chitinous covers are moderately transparent, which contributes to their color change after eating: the body of bed bugs takes on a red-burgundy hue.
In adults. individuals there are pronounced bands on the back. They divide the body of the insect into segments. Adults Insects reach 6-8 mm, young specimens after emergence from eggs are several times smaller, but gradually develop (increase by 0.5-1 mm every week). Their coloration is also different - the chitinous shell is milky in color.
In adults, the color of the outer covers is dark brown.
Bites of mattress bugs
If marks appear on the skin in the morning and no new spots are found during the day, then it is assumed that it is the mattresses that attack bedbugs. The bites form a line-like pattern - you can see several spots located close to each other. Signs of attack bedbugs:
- Strong itching immediately after the bite (larvae attacked) or some time later (adult);
- The average size of a hyperemic spot is 5 mm to 5 cm, sometimes smaller or larger, depending on the body's reaction;
- swelling;
- painfulness of the skin puncture site.
How and what to treat a mattress against bed bugs
To take out pests from the object, they use a variety of means, including those characterized by an aggressive effect. But these methods are not suitable for all cases. You need to find out if there is a safer option to control the insects and how to get rid of bed bugs in the mattress, without harming the person.
Physical and some of the chemical means are considered for this purpose.
Step-by-step instructions for removing parasites
It is necessary to find traces of insect habitation. This will allow you to determine the treatment area. However, bed bug eggs may be attached to other areas of the upholstery. They are light in color and small in size. They often blend in with the woven material in color, so there is a high risk that such formations will go unnoticed.
It is recommended to treat the entire product, without skipping any area.
Step 1: Preparing the bed for treatment
The linens are removed. Then it is treated by temperature exposure.
Pillows, blankets are also removed. Polyethylene bags are used to carry them to the place of cleaning. The product is inspected externally. It is set near the wall. And it is better to place at a slight angle, this will open access to all surfaces. But it is important to install the mattress so that it will not fall, otherwise parasites will scatter.
When bed bugs are infested in the mattress, after inspection, the upholstery is cleaned - the insects are collected in a polyethylene airtight bag to be burned later. This method of extermination is chosen because the chitinous shell of the pests is too dense and it is difficult to crush them when they are hungry.
Step 2: Physical treatment of the mattress
Mattress parasites die exposed to extremely high (+55°C) and low (-20°C) temperatures. It is possible to take the mattress outside (if fighting in winter) for frost. But during transportation, some of the insects will escape. You need to find out how to handle mattress from bed bugs by other physical means:
- the use of boiling water, the disadvantage of this option is getting the upholstery wet;
- Impact ferry - This method is suitable for cases where a person has a steam generator at his disposal.
If you take the mattress outdoors and leave it in the sun, there is no guarantee that all the parasites inside will die, since this provides uneven exposure to the surface.
It is important to know how output bed bugs from the mattress in the case when a hole has formed on the surface of the upholstery. In this case, the woven material will need to be cut open. It is carefully cut open to allow access to the internal springs or porous/fibrous layers. Treat the product with a steam generator.
When all the steps are completed, it is necessary to neatly and as securely as possible join the edges of the upholstery in this area, for which a hand stitch is made. But this is done in the last step, when the processing will be done chemical preparations. Otherwise parasites can start up in the old mattress again.
Step 3: Chemical treatment
If there are bedbugs in the mattress, you can destroy them yourself. To do this, consider the means:
- aerosols;
- concentrated preparations.
The second of the options should be applied in diluted form (mixed with water according to the manufacturer's recommendations). The ready product is sprayed over the mattress with a spray gun. After application insecticide preparations leave the product near the wall for some time (from 30 minutes to several hours). Then the room is ventilated.
Final events
The mattress is not recommended for the next 3-4 days. During this time the parasites die. In addition, the poisonous substance will partially or completely be removed. When the bed has been treated and cleaned, the mattress can be returned to its place. It is advisable to check whether the seam in the area where the upholstery was cut is of good quality.
If there are leaks, they are repaired so that in case of reinfestation the parasites do not get in.
How to kill bed bugs from an orthopedic mattress
Such products are more complex than their counterparts with coconut, foam layer, spring blocks. In this case the parasites can be in any of the hidden areas. To treat them through the upholstery is difficult - it is quite dense, moreover, there is an internal additional layer under this covering. When treating externally with insecticides or hot steam will not kill bed bugs inside.
A non-disassembled product will have to be thrown away.
Breaking its integrity can lead to the loss of properties of the structure. It will no longer perform its functions. Otherwise, you can get to the inner layers to get rid of the mattress parasites that live inside. In doing so, the above instructions for eradication of insects in an ordinary mattress.