Bloodsucking insects: mosquitoes, gadflies, flies, ticks, fleas, lice, midges. Remedies

In the article presented to your attention, we will speak about ectoparasites. The blood of warm-blooded animals is a natural food for the designated representatives of wildlife.

Bloodsucking insects are arranged in such a way that, depending on the conditions of existence, they are looking for an object to attack by the smell of cutaneous secretions, by body temperature or by appearance.

We meet insect-bloodsuckers both outside the house and on the street: in the forest we are attacked by gnus - mosquitoes, midges, ticks, gadflies and flies, and at home - bedbugs, lice and fleas.

In this material, we tried to detail and detail the means of protection from bloodsucking insects, tell about the danger to which our health is exposed, if we ignore dangerous parasites or demonstrate resistance to their bites.

Itching, which causes bites of blood-sucking insects, is explained by the presence in their saliva of specific enzymes that dilute blood and do not allow it to clot. In some people, it provokes allergic reactions, up to a lethal outcome. Most often, the place of the bite swells and itches, that is it itches.

Bloodsucking insects often become carriers of dangerous diseases - plague, encephalitis, typhoid fever, malaria and others.

Protection from bloodsuckers in nature

Going in the summer to the forest or to the lake, it is necessary to always carry a bottle of the means repelling the bastard. The genus is a general term for all Diptera bloodsucking insects that inhabit the grass, trees and shrubs.

Pharmacies offer a wide range of the most diverse and effective insecticides and repellents that repel blood-sucking insects, for example, the long-established and well-proven DETA, Repekul, Benzftalat, Taiga, Benzimin, Solarol and others. They are available in the form of aerosols, ointments, emulsions and lotions. However, the effect of all drugs is short. Approximately in an hour, depending on various factors, the smell weakens, and insects again start attacking. The difference between insecticides and repellents is that the first destroy insects and are extremely toxic, while the latter only scare the bastard.

Despite the fact that chemical agents are very convenient and effective, not all of them are equally safe - most of them contain the poison dimethyl phthalate. To small children and pregnant women this substance is categorically contraindicated. This category of people is better to use natural oils of cloves, camphor, anise or lavender.

The smell of vanilla against the nemesis

The sweet and delicate aroma of vanilla is pleasant to our sense of smell, but completely unbearable by a gnat. Prepare the vanilla solution and pour it into the spray bottle. From time to time, spray the liquid on yourself and on the baby, and no Diptera will attack you.

Suitable even synthetic vanillin, sold in grocery stores in the departments of spices for baking. One packet is dissolved in hot water and poured into a bottle. It's very simple and convenient.

You can make a solution from natural vanilla. To do this, cut the pod and scrape the seeds together with the inner flesh. Then place the seeds with pulp in boiling water and put in a water bath. After half an hour, remove from heat and put to insist in a warm place. After two hours, the solution will be ready for use. A glass of water requires 6-8 pods. The disadvantage of this tool is its color - it is very dark and leaves traces on clothes. It is recommended this infusion to be added to the bath while bathing the baby. A kid smelling of vanilla can safely sleep in a stroller on the balcony or in the garden - mosquitoes, and other bloodsucking insects, even fly up to it will not, not what to bite.

The slimy

These tiny vampires are carriers of tularemia, Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever and filariasis. The mackerel is the smallest (from 1 to 4 mm) of blood-sucking insects that occur in the Russian latitudes. Especially a lot of them in the taiga forests and tundra. There have been occasions when small moths have eaten up a slightly tipsy man amongst the trees.

Blood warm-blooded is food for mature females. Since all phases of development of slimyets are carried out in the water, the greatest likelihood of becoming a victim of their bites in those who are near fresh water reservoirs with standing water.

Repellents and vegetable oils with strong and sharp aroma scare midges very effectively. Choosing a victim, the slimy people are guided by the smell of skin discharge.

The bite of these bloodsucking representatives is quite painful, since the midges do not pierce the skin, as do mosquitoes with long proboscis, but bite through jaws that look like two sharp stilettos.

Mosquito

Mosquitoes at all stages of development, except imago, pass in fresh water of lakes, ponds and marshes. In wet forests and tundra, they have no other salvation than repellents and protective mosquito nets. Interestingly, it feeds on the blood of a human mosquito, and not a male mosquito. The mosquito, that is, the female, drinks blood for the purpose of reproductive function, the male receives food only from the juice of plants.

Essential oils of a carnation, an anise and camphor scare off all bloodsucking, including mosquitoes. You can prepare a mixture of several different oils. Get a wonderful and safe protection from mosquitoes and other bloodsucking, hunting nearby.

Going to nature, do not forget to take the vial of the mixture with you to use several times. As we said above, after an hour or less the smell on the skin is weakened, and the flying blood-sucking insects again attack.

Female mosquitoes produce a characteristic subtle sound. When there are a lot of mosquitoes, an unceasing buzz is heard in the air. Especially they lyutuyut in hot weather before the rain. Bites quickly inflame, and the skin swells. No matter how itchy wound, it can not be combed - it will only scratch even more, and blood infection may occur. Pharmacies "Psilo-balm", "Fenistil" and butadion ointment, as well as an aqueous solution of baking soda, help quickly to remove irritation.

Mosquitoes are active mainly from May to October, but it happens that the mosquito family settles in the warm and damp cellars of residential buildings. Then from their squeaks and bites there is no escape in winter.

If the midge lives no longer than three dozen days, the mosquitoes born at the end of summer, after 1-2 months, with the onset of cold weather, fall into a diapause, from which they exit with the onset of heat.

With regard to diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, these are some types of encephalitis, malaria, dengue, yellow fever and lymphatic filariasis. The most dangerous in this respect are females that have suffered diapause.

Long-term protection from mosquitoes is, first of all, the elimination of breeding grounds located near human habitation. Such measures include dehumidification of small stagnant reservoirs and marshes, observance of cleanliness and hygiene in basements, active use of insecticides.

Fighting bloodsucking insects is also possible with environmentally friendly methods, in particular, the colonization of fish by mosquito fish, feeding on mosquito larvae, planting eucalyptus trees along the banks of the eucalyptus trees, and cultivating certain types of gram-positive spore-forming soil bacteria that are the insecticidal food of the larvae of mosquitoes, midges and mosquitoes.

Sledge-eye and gadfly

Measures to protect against the flies and gadflies are the same as against any gnat. The same repellents, the same ointments and fragrances.

The sting's bite is very painful and allergenic. Quickly remove the swelling and itching with an aqueous solution of baking soda.

Another good remedy for the effects of bites is a talker made of glycerin, alcoholic iodine and ammonia. It is necessary to mix 40 g of iodine and alcohol, add 60 g of glycerin and shake. When the mixture is discolored, the drug that removes swelling and itching is ready. He will not scare off the insect, but will alleviate the condition of the bitten and neutralize the effect of the anticoagulant injected into the wound. Before application, the vial should be shaken, since glycerin tends to peel off and sink to the bottom.

Gadflies, in contrast to the flies, do not drink blood, but lay eggs under the skin of warm-blooded animals. Having bitten a small hole, the female lays eggs into it, from which larvae feed on the blood and tissues of the mammal. Fortunately, on the territory of our country, the gadgets that attack a person are not so often met. Our gadflies are more dangerous for cattle - sheep, goats, cows, etc. A well-fed and healthy animal is rarely bitten. As a rule, gadflies attack weak and sick individuals, when they descend to the pond to drink water, or sleep in the open air.

Leaflets infect animals with tularemia and anthrax, and the gadflies infect miases.

Gadflies and horns do not tolerate the smell of birch tar, black elder, anise, cloves and kerosene.

The deer fly

A deer fly, it's a moose fly, a fly-fly, a deer tick, an elk louse and an elk tick. The population of this bloodsucker is directly related to the number of deer and moose, although it parasitizes not only them, but also smaller animals - foxes, badgers, dogs and others, even birds. It does not disregard the blood of a person. In our country the fly-fly prefers the European regions to the Urals. She is the bearer of such a dangerous disease of cattle as anthrax.

Choose the prey deer flies, focusing on movement. They attack only adults. Small children can not be afraid of them. The hunting season is autumn, and only when there is dry and windless weather.

The bloodsucker remains a fly until he grabs his victim's thorns with his prickly paws. Immediately after this, it drops its wings and becomes like a tick. It is very difficult to tear it from the body, but it is necessary to do this, as one representative of the opposite sex flies in order to settle on the victim and lay eggs. The first 30-60 minutes of bloodsucking insects creep, looking for the most secluded place with close blood vessels, and only after that they start eating.

The bites of the fly-flies are invisible, but they are sharp and painful, and the itching appears only on the second day. At the same time, a small hard papule appears on the affected area, which lasts for two to three weeks.

The best protection against flies is the bloodsucker - special clothes with a headdress, as well as the corresponding repellents.

Mite

Forest ixodids are especially dangerous for residents of most regions of Russia . Although their bites are not painful, they are carriers of a mass of serious ailments - Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever and borreliosis.

The activity of insects is sharply increased from the end of spring to the beginning of hot summer days and in the autumn to frosts.

Ticks hide in tall grass and jump on clothes. They move from the bottom up, looking for open areas of the body, so trousers should be tucked into socks, and the shirt - for the belt. Long sleeves and a collar should be fastened, and on the head - a kerchief or a hood, or both.

It is not easy to notice the tick. It is very small - up to 2 mm, but on light clothing it is clearly visible as a black speck.

Going to the forest, it is necessary to treat the skin and clothing with a special repellent against the ticks, and after about an hour, repeat the procedure.

Returning home, it is advisable to examine yourself immediately. Favorite places of insects - behind the ears, in the groin, under the arms and on the back of the head.

If a tick is found, it is required to remove it as soon as possible without tearing off the head. It is in the salivary glands that bacteria are the causative agents of disease.

Pull the mite with a special tweezers or thread loop.

At the present time, forests and places of popular rest are treated with special means against ticks before the summer season, so when going to nature, try to stay close to places equipped for tourists' rest, and do not walk far from paved paths.

Ticks plague not only people, but also animals. After each walk carefully examine your pets for the presence of ticks. Against the attack of bloodsucking animals on the withers and along the spine, several drops of the universal "Bars" drug are applied. From fleas and ticks it is considered one of the best.

Popular folk remedies for home bloodsuckers

In residential buildings, the following representatives of bloodsucking insects are found: Bedbugs , lice and fleas. Note that it is quite difficult to get rid of these parasites.

Firstly, because they are most active at night and attack invisibly, most often when a person is sleeping.

Secondly, because they are very small in size and have a protective coating.

Thirdly, they are arranged by nature in such a way that without the person or his warm-blooded pet (cats, dogs, wavy parrots, etc.) can not exist - the instinct of procreation pushes them to the human dwelling.

Fourthly, some of them can live in basements and attics, penetrating into the apartment only to drink blood, and then get out of the house.

Hence the conclusion - to defeat bedbugs, fleas and lice is extremely difficult. It's simpler and more correct to prevent their appearance in the apartment in general. How to do it?

From time immemorial, our ancestors used various herbs that repel insects. The smell of wild rosemary, wormwood, tansy, chamomile, lavender is hateful to parasites, so under the sheets and mattresses they advised laying flowers, leaves and branches of these plants.

Hygiene housing was supported by adding to the water for dusting natural or synthetic vinegar, salt, herbal decoctions.

It was practiced even to talk about the home and other witchcraft rituals, for example, they collected harmful insects that had settled in the house, and threw them into the coffin to the deceased or to the ice during the freeze-up. It was believed that, after the brethren, the house was abandoned and the rest of the household blood-sucking insects.

Bed bug

With regard to the spread of any disease, bed bugs are beyond suspicion. However, they should be feared because of the great discomfort that they create for people living in their chosen territory. Adult bugs and their larvae feed on human blood. They do not encroach on animals, since thick hair prevents them from getting to the skin. In the risk group most often are young children, if there are any in the house. If they are not, then all the rest. Everything depends on the population of bugs and their appetite.

During the night, the bug feeds repeatedly. He crawls along the body of a person, leaving characteristic trails of bites. After the anticoagulant injected ceases to function, the wounds begin to itch.

With the onset of the morning, the bug hides in the juncture of furniture details, in bed linens, books, crevices of electric appliances and other hard-to-reach places.

If you do not know what the bugs look like, you can not even notice them. These insects are like flat peas of brown color. The picture shows how the bugs look, but this is a strong increase. Their present size is up to 4 mm. To understand that this insect, and not just a dirty spot, is very difficult. Neither his head nor his paws are visible. Blood-soaked bedbug greatly increases in size.

Getting rid of bedbugs is difficult. Even leaving the apartment for a long time is unlikely to help, since these bloodsuckers can fall into suspended animation for several months and wake up with the return of the owners.

Natural enemies of bedbugs are home cockroaches, but here you yourself decide - to wind them or not.

To ensure that bed bugs do not settle in the apartment, it is necessary to observe the strict hygiene of the dwelling - to regularly hold wet cleaning, vacuuming, boiling and ironing bed linens, since bedbugs like to lay eggs in folds of sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases and mattresses. In cabinets and beds it is desirable each year to lay out fresh herbs - rosemary, wormwood, tansy, ayr, grass roots and chamomile-feverfew. If you find at least one bug, you should treat all items in the room as soon as possible, with ammonia, vinegar, turpentine, kerosene, acetone or methylated spirit. Home bloodsucking insects can not stand these smells. Also, they do not tolerate sunlight, so try to often take out on the balcony pillows and mattresses more often. If there is at least one bug, then during such an assault, he will not stay in your house, let alone leave offspring, and seek another, calmer refuge.

Bedbugs fall into apartments with furniture, books, things brought from vacation, etc. If there were bedbugs in the hotel, then chances are that they will climb into suitcases and bags. In addition, bedbugs penetrate the apartment and through the ventilation holes.

Vsh

You can catch lice in any public place - on a bus, on a train, at work, in a hotel, etc. However, getting rid of these bloodsuckers is not as difficult as bugs or fleas.

Three kinds of ectoparasites - head, pubic (carpenter) and louse, can not live without a man and without his blood. A few days of hunger are enough, and adult individuals die. Another thing is their larvae, nits. They may not go into the adult stage within a month, but under favorable conditions they become adults in 5 days.

Lice, or pediculosis, is a disease of the poor, the so-called social disease. The reason is that lice is the result of non-observance of the rules of personal hygiene. Dirty clothes, worn without a shift, an unclean body are two factors that contribute to the development of pediculosis. Epidemics of typhus and recurrent typhus are due precisely to lice, which transferred infected blood from infected people to healthy ones.

Adult lice (the photo in front of you) does not exceed 4 mm. The nit is 4 times smaller. The nits are attached to the hair or fibers of the tissue.

Lice and their larvae do not tolerate temperatures below -22 degrees Celsius and above +44, so they are removed from clothing by boiling or ironing with a hot iron.

With hair lice are removed as folk, and pharmacy. For young children from the age of 4, Spinosad is recommended, while adults are shown Ivermectin and Permethrin. The latter two destroy not only lice, but also other ectoparasites, including fleas.

The parasitizing pubic, clothing and head lice (photos of hair infected with nits, presented in our article) do not contact home and wild animals and can not hide as skillfully as a bedbug. In isolation from a person, she quickly dies, therefore, getting rid of a pediculosis is quite easy.

Folk remedies include: wrapping a head with a mixture of kerosene and any oil in a 1: 1 ratio; Cranberry juice that kills lice and dissolves the nits; Tar soap; Juice of garlic; Tincture of the helper; Vinegar and others. The remedy should be kept on the hair for at least half an hour, and after washing off and rinsing the hair with vinegar (50 ml per 1 liter of water). Then it is necessary to comb out the nits with a frequent comb. After a week, repeat the procedure.

Against infection with pediculosis, lavender and tea tree oils (blood-sucking insects do not tolerate their smell). It is enough to put a few drops on the skin behind the ears, and lice do not want to drink your blood.

Flea

Fleas can infect us with more than 20 diseases, including plague, tularemia, typhoid and hepatitis. Carriers of pathogens are primarily rats. Also dangerous are the domestic dogs and cats that bring fleas from the street. If birds live in the attic of the house, then they can become sources of infection.

The flea is difficult to notice: it is very small (1-2 mm) and has the ability to jump instantly and far away.

Get rid of fleas can be, limiting their penetration into the house. If the dog or cat goes outside, then it should be worn special anti-flea collar. Bars is also effective. From the fleas of your pet, and, consequently, you will be protected by a few drops applied to the withers of an animal.

Chemicals against insects-bloodsuckers

At present, insecticides are sold in pharmacies, successfully destroying bedbugs, fleas and lice - Chlorophos, Dichlophos, Metafos, Carbophos, Raptor, Delta ... or Lambda Zone, Combat , "Executioner", "Sinuzan" and others. They are sprayed or fumigated all the room. Free air should be blocked during treatment. People in the room should not be for at least a couple of days, because all of these drugs are very toxic.

If it is impossible to destroy the sprouting parasites on their own, it is recommended to use the help of specialists from sanepid stations, which are in every city.