Unpopular autumn guests These home remedies help against bed bugs
October 9, 2023, 7:37 pm Listen to the article
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Fortunately, bedbugs are not yet a problem in Germany. Bedbugs often enter homes or apartments in the fall. They are not dangerous, but they are annoying. It is better not to kill the animals.
With the arrival of autumn, nature begins to prepare for the cold season. This also includes finding suitable winter accommodation. Among other things, bed bugs try to nest in our warm homes or apartments when it gets colder. Dozens of them sit on the walls of houses and crawl inside through open windows. There they can really scare residents: when they buzz, the animals sing very loudly. Bed bugs are completely harmless to your health, but they can live up to their name. How to get rid of bugs and which home remedies help?
Bed bugs are color changers. In spring and summer they are bright green, but in autumn the color fades or changes. The green stink bug reacts to the drop in temperature with a red dye, causing the animals to have a brownish winter coat. Bedbugs grow up to 15 millimeters in length and have the broad dorsal shield typical of bedbugs. Their life expectancy is twelve to 14 months. However, they reproduce quickly: one female can lay up to 450 eggs – so it is better to quickly drive them out of the apartment.
How do you get rid of bed bugs in the house?
If you find a single bed bug in your house or apartment, you should not kill or crush it. As a defense, it spreads an unpleasant-smelling secretion. If it gets stuck in fabrics, it smells really bad. The vacuum cleaner should also not be used. Instead, it’s best to carefully capture the small animals with a cup or hand broom and release them back into the wild.
The best thing to do is to make sure bed bugs don’t get into your home. A vinegar mixture can help: just mix water, vinegar and liquid detergent in a 4:2:1 ratio and spray on window and door frames. You can also spray the animals directly with the solution – it doesn’t harm them, but it deters them. Animals also don’t like to smell other strong-smelling essences – such as clove oil, salmiac or ammonia.
Keep bed bugs away
If you receive regular visits from bed bugs, consider installing mosquito nets or screens on your windows. They also keep other pests away. It may also help to turn off lights during ventilation. Like other insects, bed bugs are attracted to heat and light.
Bed bugs also like to get lost in the kitchen – preferably in fruit baskets. Because animals feed exclusively on plant sap. Therefore, cover fruit baskets even in autumn.
By the way: the increase in the occurrence of bed bugs is also a consequence of climate change. The hot, dry summers of recent years have provided the animals with the perfect conditions to continue breeding.