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Bed bug allergy: how to recognize them as an allergy?
Bedbugs had disappeared in France in the 1950s, but in recent years, they have recolonized our homes. These small parasites bite and are difficult to hunt. How to recognize them and get rid of them?
What is a bed bug?
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that live in the dark in dark spaces. They are visible to the naked eye and are usually brown. They do not jump or fly and have a lifespan of almost 6 months.
It is sometimes possible to spot them thanks to their droppings, small black spots on the mattress, slats or slits in the bed base, the wood of the bed, baseboards, or even the corners of the walls. Bed bugs also leave tiny blood stains on the mattress when they bite. Another clue: they cannot stand the light and avoid it.
What are the causes ?
Bed bugs bite for food, but can survive for several months without eating. By biting the human, they inject an anticoagulant, as well as an anesthetic that makes the bite painless.
How to recognize a bedbug bite?
According to Edouard Sève, allergist, “bed bug bites are quite recognizable: they are small red dots, most often in groups of 3 or 4, linear and itchy. They are usually found on exposed areas such as the feet, hands, or what goes beyond the pajamas ”. The allergist specifies that bedbugs are not vectors of disease and do not cause allergic reactions. “Some skin will be more sensitive than others, as is the case with mosquitoes”.
How are bed bugs spread?
Travel treats, bed bugs readily hide in hotel suitcases, for example. They also cling to humans who carry them in the beds they visit.
What are the treatments ?
Usually, no drug treatment is needed for bed bug bites. However, “if the itching is difficult to bear, it is possible to take antihistamines” advises Edouard Sève.
How to avoid bedbugs?
Here is the government’s advice on how to avoid these little pests.
To avoid bedbugs at home:
Avoid cluttering spaces, to reduce the number of places where bedbugs can hide;
Wash second-hand clothes at over 60 ° C, place them in the dryer on the hottest cycle for at least 30 minutes, or freeze them;
Use a dry heat appliance to clean the furniture collected from the street or bought in second-hand goods before bringing them into your home.
To avoid bedbugs at home in a hotel:
Do not put your luggage on the floor or on the bed: store it on a luggage rack inspected beforehand;
Do not put your clothes on the bed or in the cupboards before having examined them scrupulously;
Check the bed: mattress, zippers, seams, padding, padding, behind and around the headboard;
Check furniture and walls: furniture frames and upholstery, using something with a hard corner such as a credit card.
To avoid bedbugs when returning from a trip:
Make sure that there are no bedbugs in the luggage, never put them on the beds or armchairs or near them;
Take out clothes and examine personal effects;
Wash clothes and fabric articles in hot water (if possible at 60 °), whether they have been worn or not;
Heat non-washable fabric items in the dryer on the highest possible temperature for 30 minutes;
Vacuum the suitcases. Immediately discard the vacuum cleaner bag in a tightly closed plastic bag.
Get rid of bed bugs
Actions to follow
The larger the infestation, the more bed bugs move to other rooms in the home and to other homes. So how do you get rid of bed bugs? Here are the actions to follow:
Machine wash over 60 ° C, removing adults and eggs. The clothes thus washed must be kept in sealed plastic bags until the end of the infestation.
Tumble dry (hot mode at least 30 minutes).
Steam cleaning at high temperature, at 120 ° C, destroys all stages of bedbugs in corners or in upholstery.
Freezing laundry or small items at -20 ° C, 72 hours minimum.
Aspiration (with the fine nozzle of the vacuum cleaner) of eggs, young and adults. Be careful, the vacuum cleaner does not kill the insect, which could come out of the bag later. You must then close the bag, wrap it in a plastic bag and throw it in an outside garbage can. Remember to clean the vacuum cleaner duct with soapy water or a household cleaning product.
Calling for professionals
If you still cannot get rid of the bedbugs, you can contact professionals. Check that the company has been in possession of the Certibiocide certificate issued by the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition for less than 5 years.
If you have any questions or need help getting rid of bedbugs, please feel free to call 0806 706 806, a number mobilized by the government, at the cost of a local call.