Bed bugs: am I concerned ?

True or false? Bed bugs live only in dilapidated houses…

It’s not true! When we think of an invasion of bed bugs, many believe that it is due to personal hygiene, a somewhat dubious hotel or a poorly maintained house… This is not the case! Clean or not, bed bugs are attracted to humans, not dirt! Let’s find out together why everyone is concerned by bed bugs…

Bed bugs… What does it look like ?

The bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is an insect visible to the naked eye whose morphology allows it to go almost anywhere. Hematophagous, it feeds on blood at night and during the day hides behind skirting boards, frames, furniture, wallpaper or in bedding, away from light. Its bite can cause edema and unpleasant itching.  (1)

They measure between 4 and 7 mm when adults. The bed bug has no wings and therefore cannot fly or jump. It moves quickly by walking on walls, floors or thanks to the electrical network or ventilation. Their body is oval and flattened.

Very small and tolerant to temperature variations, bed bugs are difficult to eradicate: they can move, travel, and therefore spread quickly.

What are they attracted to and where are they ?

Bed bugs love warm and humid places like your bed for example, but they can infest any place in which we spend a lot of time such as:

• Houses and apartments,
• The car
• Hotels, hostels…,
• Public transport: train, plane, bus, metro…,
• Office buildings,
• Hospitals,
• Schools,
• Retirement homes,
• The cinemas…

Passing through an infested place, the bug can cling to your clothes or enter your luggage … At the end of the day, you go home and offer a whole new playground to the parasite.

If many believe that bedbugs are attracted to unhygienic environments, attracted to rot and dirt, this is totally false. For the simple reason that bed bugs feed on human blood and not on decaying matter like other parasites. What will attract bed bugs is the smell of humans, so clean house or dirty house… No matter for the bed bug, your blood will always taste the same for it (2) !

Cleanliness or not… The bed bug will be happy to live in your home !

Now that we have set the record straight… We are then all concerned! Certainly keeping your house clean will not prevent bed bugs from settling … But cleaning regularly will make it easier for you to spot the beginning of an infestation!

We recently gave you our advice to  keep a house clean and therefore be able to spot bedbugs as soon as possible that have decided to take up residence at home, but in case here is a small catch-up session (3):

• Do not store potentially infested items under your bed,
• Avoid leaving clothes lying on the floor,
• Vacuum regularly,
• Be careful when you travel: check bedding, luggage…

You can also get a head start with the GREENFIRST® solution  developed by BREYNER.® Plant-inspired, it fights not only against bed bugs but also against mites and mosquitoes. Formulated from an active substance: Geraniol, GREENFIRST® treatments combine proven efficacy with environmental and toxicological qualities. They are not classified as skin sensitizers and do not contain chemical fixatives. They can be used for all types of textile articles: fabric (cotton, polycotton, polyester), feather and down, fibers, wool and foam, etc., and in many fields: bedding, furniture, outdoor, clothing, communities, etc. (4)

Now, you will no longer say that bed bugs are due to dirt and above all you know that we are all concerned!

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Before any use, make sure that it is essential, especially in places frequented by the general public. Whenever possible, preference should be given to alternative methods and products presenting the lowest risk to human and animal health and the environment. This product is a TP18 insecticide.

Sources:

• (1)  https://www.sentiweb.fr/document/5008
• (2)  https://www.gouvernement.fr/actualite/un-dispositif-d-information-contre-les-punaises-de-lit
• (3) https://breyner.fr/2022/09/16/comment-se-premunir-des-punaises-de-lit-quelques-conseils-de-prevention-contre-les-punaises-de-lit/
• (4) https://breyner.fr/lutter-contre-les-nuisibles/