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What Are Mites, and Do They Bother Humans?
Mites are arthropods, not insects, and are close cousins with spiders and ticks. (1) Most types of mites feed on other insects or on dead plant and animal material. (Dust mites, for example, feed mostly on dead skin cells.)
But there are a few types that bite or affect people: (2,3)
- Chiggers
- Scabies
- Rat mites
- Bird mites
- Northern fowl mites
Despite what you may have heard or read online, home mite infestations are fairly rare and tend to be much less of an issue than people assume, says Mike Merchant, PhD, a former professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in Dallas. “A lot of the mite stuff on the internet makes it sound like [a mite infestation is] the end of the world, but it’s not,” he says.
Can Mites Be Harmful to Your Health?
Mite bites can cause skin lumps and rashes and, occasionally, more serious reactions, Dr.
Merchant says.
Among outdoor mites, the only type that frequently bites people is the chigger. The word “chigger” applies to a particular species of mite that bites during its larval stage of development, and their bite produces an intensely itchy red welt, Merchant explains. “There are not too many other mite problems outdoors,” he adds.
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When it comes to indoor mites that bite or cause health issues, Merchant says most spring from animal nests. “Some mites will infest the nests of birds and rats and mice, and when they become abundant, they’ll leave that site and sometimes wander into the house and bite people,” he explains. In most cases, the bites of these mites cause an itchy skin rash, which may feature small lumps or pimples.
“The skin might be very itchy or red for a few days, but then that will taper off,” Merchant says of mite bites. Ice and anti-itch creams like hydrocortisone can help control the swelling and itching.
But those symptoms should resolve within a week, he says. (Nearly all species of biting house mites cannot live on human beings, and so they don’t “infest people,” he adds.)
There is one outlier: scabies. These mites infest a person’s skin in order to lay eggs and feed, and are usually only passed by direct person-to-person contact. (4) Like other mites, scabies tend to cause an itchy, pimply red rash. But unlike other mites, those rashes will continue to appear unless the person gets medical treatment, usually a prescription-only skin cream or lotion designed to kill scabies.
Dust mites can cause allergies in some people, but these tend to be of the mild, seasonal allergy variety — stuff like a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes. (5) Over-the-counter and prescription allergy meds can help quell dust mite allergies.
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How to Get Rid of Mites in Your Household
You don’t need a crazy whole-house treatment or fumigation.
You just need to remove the animals and animal nests that are bringing mites into your home, Merchant says. “Everybody always wants a spray to solve these types of mite problems, but the real solution is getting rid of any animals nesting in your home, and animal-proofing your home,” he says. Basically, call in a home pest pro.
The exception here, again, is the scabies mite; in addition to getting medical treatment, you can take steps to eliminate the mites from your household. Scabies mites don’t survive very long when they’re not on human skin. Vacuum your home the day you start treatment and decontaminate your bedding, clothing, and towels by washing these items in hot water and drying on high heat. You can also dry-clean or seal these articles in a plastic bag for at least 72 hours.
When it comes to dust mites, on the other hand, it’s almost impossible to get rid of them all. But frequent home cleaning and dusting, installing HEPA air filters, and buying bedding that can be washed in hot water and that resists dust accumulation can limit allergic reactions.
What Are Fleas, and What Do Flea Bites Look Like?
Fleas are blood-sucking insects that live on mammals — often dogs, cats, or other furry pets. (6) Fleas are brown and wingless. And while they’re small, usually around an eighth of an inch, they’re big enough to see or even feel with your hand, Merchant says.
While they prefer animals to humans, fleas can migrate off pets and onto their owner’s skin. “Usually flea bites are on the lower legs because the fleas get into the carpet and then jump up as we’re walking past,” Merchant explains.
What does a flea bite look like? Like many other types of insect bites, flea bites produce small red bumps that may be itchy and that tend to appear in groups of three or more. Again, ice and hydrocortisone can help relieve symptoms, which tend to be short-lived — a week or less.
More Serious Health Complications Can Arise if You Have Mites or Fleas
Like all biting or stinging insects, mites and fleas can occasionally cause serious allergic reactions, including problems breathing or a swollen limb or throat.
Those symptoms warrant a trip to the emergency room.
Also, anything that causes itchy skin or open sores can allow in bacteria, which could lead to a secondary infection. (7) If you notice swelling, pain, or a mite or flea bite that seems to be getting worse after a day or two, or if you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, talk to a doctor. Those could all be signs of a bacterial infection.
Finally, both fleas and mites can transmit some potentially serious diseases to humans — namely types of typhus and spotted fever — though these transmissions are very rare. Symptoms include headaches, fever, rashes, and delirium. (8)
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What Do Bedbug Bites Look Like?
Bedbugs, which are parasites known by the scientific names of Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus, have been on the rise in the United States in the past decade or so. (1)
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As the name suggests, bedbugs bite at night when you’re asleep in bed, usually about an hour before dawn.
(2) If you wake up with a bite, though, don’t immediately assume bedbugs are to blame. The bites look very similar to other insect bites. Here’s what to know to confidently identify bedbug bites and how to go about treating them.
The bites can appear on any part of the body that’s exposed while you sleep — places like the back of your neck, shoulders, arms, and legs are common, says Steve Durham, president of EnviroCon Termite & Pest in Tomball, Texas.
For most people, bedbug bites result in itchy bumps where the bite occurred, within a day of being bitten. (4) The bites usually look like mosquito bites and will appear as a somewhat swollen red spot that might itch. (1)
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But the bites will look different from person to person, and some people won’t develop any reaction whatsoever. “The same bedbug could bite two different people and one could have no reaction at all and the other can have an extreme reaction with a swollen arm or itchy rash,” says Eric Braun, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager for the national pest control company Rentokil.
Some people end up developing a rash that looks like eczema. (5)
It’s also possible that you won’t see a reaction the first time a bedbug bites since it sometimes can take the body a while to react. (6) Some people will have an immediate reaction, while for others it could take two weeks to emerge. Your body will likely become more sensitive to bedbug bites over time, and if you get bitten repeatedly, it could be only a matter of seconds before your body shows a response.
You may notice a single bite, while other times several bites will appear in a line. (1) “In most cases, they occur in clusters or zigzags of flat, itchy bites,” Durham says. “One bedbug will usually take more than one bite, so the severity of your infestation can have a big impact on the severity of your physical reaction to the bites.”
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Bedbug bites differ from other bites in a few ways:
- They can appear anywhere on the skin that’s exposed while you’re sleeping.
Flea or chigger bites, on the other hand, usually only appear around your ankles, Durham says. - They sometimes bite in a zigzag pattern. (6)
- Bedbug bites don’t normally have a red dot in the center, while flea bites usually do.
Flea or chigger bites, on the other hand, usually only appear around your ankles, Durham says.Bedbug bites tend to stick around longer than mosquito bites, though they look very similar.
Most of the Time Bedbug Bites Themselves Don’t Require Medical Attention
Bedbug bites don’t normally require treatment by a doctor, though there are a few precautions you should take at home. (8) Start by cleaning the area with soap and water to lower your risk of infection and to relieve itchiness. If the bites are itchy, pick up a corticosteroid cream at your local drugstore and apply it to the area. The bites generally will heal within a couple of weeks. (9)
Some people develop allergic reactions to bedbug bites, which can include a fever, difficulty breathing, hives, or a swollen tongue. Others may develop an infection where the bite starts oozing pus.
If you experience either of these reactions or you develop blisters where the bites occurred, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dermatologist.
To treat an allergic reaction, the doctor may prescribe an antihistamine, corticosteroid, or epinephrine injection. If the area is infected, he or she might prescribe an antibiotic or recommend an over-the-counter antiseptic. Finally, if it’s severe itchiness that you’re dealing with, applying corticosteroid or taking an antihistamine in pill or liquid form may be able to help.
In most cases, the only way to say for sure whether it was a bedbug that bit you is to search for evidence of bedbugs living in your home. “Once you start to notice the itchy bites, the second giveaway is the presence of small blood spots on your sheets or mattress, usually resembling patches of rust,” Durham says. Those spots are left behind after a bedbug has been smashed.
You’ll likely only see them in their hiding spots or crawling across the floor since, unlike other insects, bedbugs cannot fly or jump.
Durham says to check along the edges of your mattress. You may see the exoskeletons that bedbugs have shed as they matured, or you may notice a musty smell, both of which indicate there could be bedbugs in the area. It can also be helpful to check your bed with a flashlight during the middle of the night (since these crawlers tend to be more active at night.)
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how they look on the human body with a photo and how to treat them
Bedbugs are quite tenacious and dangerous insects. Scientists have long proven that these blood-sucking parasites can be carriers of various infections, including brucellosis, tularemia, Chagas disease and even hepatitis 1 .
Also, approximately 80% of people have allergic reactions to bug bites 1 .
During the bite, the bug secretes an enzyme that prevents blood clotting, but you may not even feel the bite itself. This is due to the physiology of the creature: otherwise the bug runs the risk of being “caught”.
There is a strong opinion that bed bugs, including bed bugs, can appear in conditions of uncleanliness, among numerous dirty and unwashed things, and this is partly true. One of the common reasons for the appearance of these harmful insects is migration from already infected apartments. Bedbugs (or their larvae) can come to your house on neighbors, on their clothes, books, household items and animal hair (for example, street). So, if you find a bed bug in your house, this does not necessarily mean that you do not care enough about the order in the house. 9Bed bugs we breed
What bedbug bites look like on the human body?
Almost immediately after a bug bite, blisters, redness and swelling appear on the skin, which are accompanied by itching, irritation, swelling.
Most often, bites can be found on the legs, shoulders, back, neck – they look like dense red dots up to 1 mm in diameter, which form a “track” 3 .
Photo: shutterstock.com
If scratched, bites can turn into large bright red and sometimes bleeding spots 3 . Also, traces of blood may remain on a person’s bed linen and clothing, coinciding with bite sites.
Bed bug bites. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org, Oliver Arend
How to treat bedbug bites
According to disinfectologist Nikolai Dubinin , bedbug bites are dangerous and painful, and also cause severe itching. To get rid of discomfort, you can apply something cold to the bite site, for example, ice. A compress with a solution of soda (about half a teaspoon per glass of water) is also suitable, or treat the bite site with an antihistamine cream or ointment, a special balm after bites 3 .
What are the consequences of bed bug bites?
Transmission of pathogens by bedbug bites is possible in theory in foci of infectious diseases, but in practice this has not yet been proven.
Bed bug bites can be life-threatening and cause severe allergic reactions. After the bite, papules form, painful blisters that appear either immediately after the bite, or after 10-40 minutes. The severity of edema may increase, accompanied by severe itching and hyperemia.
Popular questions and answers
Sanitary doctor, epidemiologist, disinfectologist, pest control expert Nikolai Dubinin answers the most popular questions about bedbug bites.
Who is most often bitten by bed bugs?
– Period of parasite activity – night time. Most often, bed bugs bite people in bed, and turning on the light will not help to avoid bites. When given a choice, bed bugs choose tender skin that is easier to bite through, such as women and children 2 . However, this does not mean at all that bedbugs do not bite men. Bedbugs bite all people, regardless of gender and age.
Bed bugs also prefer drunk people. The fact is that under the influence of alcohol, the human body releases more sweat and hormones that attract attention and whet the appetite of insects.
How many times does a bug bite a night?
– Bed bug bites are often called “breakfast, lunch and dinner” because they bite exactly three times. But there is more. If there is only one bite, most likely it was not an adult that bit, but a larva, which needs a smaller amount of blood to saturate.
Who doesn’t get bitten by bed bugs?
– Bed bugs choose a host with thinner and smoother skin, however, they bite absolutely all warm-blooded.
How to treat bed bug bites?
– Treatment after bedbug bites is prescribed depending on the clinical condition of the patient. Local allergic reactions can be treated on an outpatient basis, with the appointment of local or general therapy. The bite site is cooled, topical glucocorticosteroid agents are used, including combined ones, which contain an antibiotic and an antifungal agent. Such drugs help reduce itching, increase swelling and prevent the spread of infection.
How to protect yourself from bedbug bites?
– If you are a victim of bed bugs in your home, the best option to get rid of them once and for all is to have the entire room professionally disinfected.
You need to disinfect the house, even if you find only one insect, because they multiply quite quickly. In addition, essential oils will help scare away bedbugs (they can be applied to the body before going to bed), perfume lotions with a pronounced aroma.
To prevent your home from becoming attractive to small parasites, it is recommended to regularly check furniture, mattresses, things for the presence of insects, monitor the condition of pets (especially those who are most often on the street), carry out regular wet cleaning in the house, be sure to move furniture, because you may not know about the presence of bedbug nests.
In addition, bedbugs do not like high temperatures (over 60°C), so upholstered furniture can be steamed regularly.
Sources:
- Roslavtseva SA Modern distribution of bed bugs in the world (literature review) // Hygiene and sanitation. 2020. №3. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sovremennoe-rasprostranenie-postelnyh-klopov-v-mire-obzor-literatury
- Bed bugs. What to do if there are bed bugs in the apartment? Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Article dated 12/24/2020.
https://sesufa.ru/novosti/postelnye-klopy-chto-delat-esli-poyavilis-klopy-v-kvartire/?sphrase_id=19055 - Bed bug bites. Zarechnaya S.N. Dobrolov, article dated 18.07. 2021.
https://dobrolov.com/info/news/ukusy-postelnykh-klopov/
What to do if there are bed bugs in the apartment? Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Article dated 12/24/2020. How to get rid of bedbugs and their bites: all means
Bedbugs in the house are an unpleasant phenomenon, but it is quite possible to deal with it. How to detect bedbugs in the house, what their bites look like, what means will definitely help get rid of bedbugs – RBC-Real Estate understands together with an expert
Photo: Shutterstock
Bed bugs are not a thing of the past. These parasites can appear in any apartment, and its social status is completely unimportant for bloodsuckers.
- How to understand that there are bugs at home
- How to detect bed bugs
- How to get rid of bed bugs
Experts in this article
- Maria Boyko, MD, gastroenterologist, therapist of the Semeynaya clinic network
- Petr Fisenko, Disinfector Specialist, Dez_Hunter Disinfection Service
adv.
rbc.ru
How to understand that there are bed bugs at home
Bed bug is a blood-sucking insect. About 0.5 cm in size, dark yellow or brown. The body is flattened – this shape helps in most cases not to be crushed, for example, when a person turns in a dream. A well-fed parasite is less mobile and more rounded. This nocturnal insect attacks during sleep, when the victim is as relaxed and defenseless as possible.
Manifestation of a bug bite – a blister of about 2-5 mm
(Photo: Casey Nye/Flickr.com)
They can appear for a variety of reasons. Cleanliness and constant hygiene of the premises, of course, reduce the risk of infection, but also not a panacea. An insect can be brought on shoes, building materials, from any crowded places.
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What bedbug bites look like
One of the first signs that bedbugs live in the house is the appearance of bites on the body.
Since the insect moves along the body in the process of saturation, the wounds are located nearby, most often in a chain. One bloodsucker can put about three to five wounds.
Insect bites can cause a severe allergic reaction: they become inflamed and enlarged, and sometimes the temperature may rise. However, in some people they do not appear at all. This does not mean that the bugs bite selectively, it’s just that the body does not always give out a reaction.
Maria Boyko, Candidate of Medical Sciences, gastroenterologist, therapist of the Semeynaya clinic chain:
— Bed bugs painlessly bite exposed skin at night and are rarely noticed by victims. Bites usually occur on the face, neck, and hands. Some people do not react, and the only sign of a bite is a small dot. It has been observed that they are less common in older people.
The classic manifestation of a bug bite is a blister about 2-5 mm, which is most often accompanied by itching.
Some patients have asymptomatic purplish spots at the bite sites, which may also present as hives.
Skin reactions may occur on waking or a few days after bites. Usually bites disappear after a week.
If the bites become infected, see a doctor immediately. Treatment of such complications can take several weeks.
The causative agents of some diseases, such as hepatitis B virus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and others, have been found in bedbugs, but no clinical transmission of these diseases to humans has been identified.
It is believed that in an apartment infested with bed bugs, there is a smell that is compared with the aroma of nutmeg or cheap cognac. But with a small accumulation of these insects, it may not smell like anything.
How to detect bed bugs
- Check your bedding carefully. Bedbugs leave excrement – small black dots. You can also see tiny traces of blood after bites.
- Since these insects are active at night, they can be seen around four or five in the morning if the lights are turned on. It is during this period that they crawl out.
- Be sure to check the possible habitat of parasites. The bloodsucker tries to stay closer to the power source, so it most often hides in the seams of the mattress, sofa, upholstery – not far from the bed. But they can also hide in places where they are unlikely to be disturbed: in baseboards, cracks or behind pieces of peeled wallpaper, paintings, carpets.
- Even if the insects themselves are not visible, discarded chitin shells remain in their habitats.
It is during this period that they crawl out.Discarded chitin shells remain in their habitats
(Photo: Shutterstock)
How to get rid of bed bugs
The ideal temperature for bed bugs is +20–30 °С. Therefore, its significant change can kill them. But they are quite tenacious and in uncomfortable conditions are able to slow down life processes – fall into a state resembling suspended animation, without needing food for months.
1. Apply heat
A mark on the thermometer over 45 °C is fatal for bed bugs and their larvae [1]. Therefore, boiling or washing clothes at a high temperature for at least 30 minutes will help get rid of them. The higher the temperature, the sooner and more likely the insect will die.
Other items should be carefully treated with a steamer or iron. Heat guns will also help in cleansing the house of parasites.
In summer, you can pack your things in black bags and take them out into the sun.
But the death of bedbugs will come only in direct contact with heat, if during processing they hide deeper from the heat source, then the temperature increase will be non-fatal for him.
Ultraviolet rays are also harmful to these insects. Therefore, drying household items in the sun will also help.
2. Exposure to cold
Bed bugs can survive temperatures as low as -10°C for about three weeks [2]. To quickly destroy them, you need to lower the temperature: larvae and adult insects die at -16 ˚C in 82, and at -24 ˚C – in 24 hours.
Things can be placed in the freezer or taken outside if it’s cold outside.
A significant change in temperature can kill bed bugs
(Photo: Shutterstock)
3. Use popular bedbug products
- Vinegar. He can help, but only if they flood the nest itself. It is mainly used for scaring. In the manufacture of home remedies for bedbugs, vinegar is mixed with ethyl alcohol and naphthalene.
- Turpentine. It can only be used on hard surfaces away from fire, as it is flammable. The smell of the substance is unpleasant and weathered for a long time. The product may leave stains.
- Ammonia diluted in water. Spray on surfaces. This should only be done with the windows open.
- Kerosene can also help control bed bugs. Paper or cloth moistened with a substance is placed on all points of the possible habitat of insects.
- Boric acid. The powder is scattered in places where parasites are located.
- If these methods did not help, then chemistry is indispensable. Bed bug aerosols and powders are available in almost all stores. The result from their use is about the same.
4. Disinfect from bedbugs
The most effective way is to contact a specialist. Before the arrival of the disinfector, prepare the apartment.
It is necessary to do a thorough wet cleaning, curtains, bed linen and clothes should be washed at a high temperature (at least 60 degrees). You also need to move the furniture away from the walls and cover all the equipment (so that the solution does not damage). You will also have to de-energize the wiring in order to be able to process the sockets. Remove dishes and food in advance.
To make a bed bug solution, you will need water, so you must not block access to it.
Petr Fisenko, Dez_Hunter Disinfection Specialist:
— Bed bugs can appear anywhere.
They live next to people. When there are a lot of them, part of the population remains to live where it was, and the rest go to neighbors through communications, ventilation holes, cracks.
Do I need to apply to the management company? According to SanPiN, management companies must carry out disinfestation of basements and garbage chambers. But the apartment is the area of responsibility of the residents.
Many, having noticed bedbugs in the house, begin to fight with their own methods. For example, use lavender. But if we take into account the fact that resistance (the so-called immunity) to professional chemicals is growing in parasites every year, then, alas, the smell of lavender will not destroy them. But you can try to protect your home from migration from neighboring premises, since the smell of lavender has some deterrent effect for these parasites. For example, you can lay out bags of lavender in linen drawers and in baseboards along the walls adjacent to “suspicious” neighbors.
I also don’t recommend getting rid of bed bugs with products bought in ordinary stores. They do not act on the entire part of the population, because the active substances are diluted there in very small quantities. Only a specialist can maintain the correct concentration of the substance in order to kill all the bugs.
Folk methods, it seems to me, are completely irrelevant and do not help. If you notice bites, you need to contact a specialist.
Bedbugs are one of the most difficult parasitic insects to breed. First, they are not immediately visible to the naked eye. Secondly, they multiply very quickly and for a long time (more than a year) they can do without food (blood). Thirdly, they adapt very well to insecticides (chemical preparations). Several active ingredients have to be used.
If the apartment is heavily infested, spot disinfection is carried out. After two to three weeks, the procedure is repeated for prevention and can be carried out two to three times.