Each of us sooner or later encounters insect pests in the house. The problem is very unpleasant and needs to be addressed immediately.
Pest Description
Ground beetle is a small insect measuring approximately 1.4-1.6 cm in oval shape. These beetles have many species, but the most common is ground beetle. Every year their number increases. Most species do not fly very well or do not fly at all. They have hard wings.
Pests of this species usually damage crops in the fields. But increasingly, they are found in ordinary apartments. Moreover, both adults and larvae do harm. Ground beetle loves a temperate climate. The most favorable conditions for it are observed on the territory of Moldova, Ukraine, Russia.
Bread ground beetle and its main features:
- adult oval, approximately 1.5 cm long;
- larvae are usually longer, up to 2.5 cm;
- adult beetles are dark in color, usually with a metallic sheen, but sometimes they are bronze or brown;
- larvae have a light body color, brown head;
- in adult ground beetles, antennae are noticeable.
What are the dangerous ground beetles in the apartment
Ground beetle is more a nocturnal insect. During the day it hides under stones, tree roots, and if the situation is in an apartment, then under furniture in dark places where they are unlikely to be able to reach it. Usually bugs live near the fields. They especially love the crops of wheat, barley and rye, although sometimes they do not disdain oats and corn. In some cases, if there are no crops, then leeks will also eat.
The bread ground beetle creeps into the apartment only if she likes the living conditions. Still, more often this insect prefers fields with various crops of cereal crops. As soon as the insect enters the house, when it gets dark, it goes to seek food. As food for him can serve crumbs, food left on the table, cereals. Ground beetles interfere with sleep, rustle, fall from the ceiling to the bed or directly to you. And if they found food, then the next step will be their reproduction. Therefore, if bread ground beetle appeared in the apartment, "how to get rid" - the question should be a priority.
Why they appear
The reasons for the appearance of these bugs in an ordinary apartment are not so many. Usually they are just accidentally introduced by larvae along with street dirt or with old furniture. But there are also often cases when ground beetles independently settle in the house.
Usually they are attracted by the light that burns in the windows in the evening, and if a mosquito net is not installed on the windows, then nothing prevents them from looking at your light. Old wood is also attractive to ground beetles, including old wooden furniture, window sills, frames, etc.
If there are pets in the house who are fed various cereals and other foods, this is also an increased risk of ground beetles in the apartment. It is best to keep all food in well-closed packages and always regularly clean animal dwellings from food debris and other contaminants.
And the leftover food left on the table or a rare cleaning in the premises is the key to the appearance of various pests.
Prevention
Prevention measures directly depend on the causes of the appearance of these pests in the house. After all, it is much better to look for the answer to the question of how to prevent the appearance of ground beetles in the home than to think about the problem: “Bread ground beetle in the apartment, how to get rid of it?”
Regular cleaning of the apartment is a guarantee that various uninvited guests will not appear in it. If it is planned to bring old furniture or other objects made of wood into the apartment, they will have to be examined and treated in advance with special means - insecticides. If there are none in the arsenal, then you can use ordinary baking soda or vinegar.
Cereals, potatoes, flour - this is a place of increased danger. They should be carefully examined after purchase. It is best to sort and wash potatoes and cereals, and sift the flour and seal it tightly.
Given that the bread ground beetle most often enters the house through open windows, it is worth considering installing mosquito nets. In addition, they will protect not only from annoying bugs, but also from other unpleasant insects.
Pest Control
If black bugs are still found in the apartment and you are sure that it is a ground beetle, “how to get rid of it” is a simple question. First of all, you need to determine the place where the bugs are most. For this, it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning. All leftover food, crumbs, garbage must be collected and discarded.
Surfaces should be treated with insecticides, which can be found in any hardware store (Dichlorvos, Karbofos), or other available means. For example, you can use baking soda or a bite, dilute them with water and treat the places of accumulation of insects. All food that is stored outside the refrigerator must be sealed tightly.
Observing such simple rules, you can be sure that there will be no uninvited guests in your house.