Even before the appearance of man, the world is filled with various living organisms. We began to build shelters, but this does not save. Often we find living in rooms, pantries and bathrooms insects that scare. Almost all of them are disgusting. In the article we will analyze some species living in wet rooms and find out which of them are hazardous to health and which are simply annoying. We will also analyze methods of dealing with uninvited guests.
Reasons for the presence of insects
It is no secret that often we are the culprits of the appearance and reproduction of "bad neighbors" in our house. Even if the bathroom is kept perfectly clean, you are not safe from encountering insects.
First you need to understand the reasons that contribute to these facts:
- The first and perhaps most important is the high humidity in the room.
- Ask yourself how often after a normal shower, the floor remains wet. Indeed, now under the feet in the bathroom are special floor mats that you do not constantly raise.
- The lower floor, when the basement is below, facilitates the penetration of "bugs".
- Some species love water, so insects in the bathroom take root if there are any leaks from you or your neighbors.
- Daylight affects them adversely, but in this room it is not.
- There are practically no domestic animals that can harm them.
- Lack of treatment with disinfectants.
Of course, any living organism can accidentally wander towards you. But if you are not meeting him for the first time, then it's time to start taking action. The following are descriptions with photos of insects that are often found in the bathroom.
Woodlice
Interestingly, this species belongs to the crustacean family, although people classify them as white insects. In the bathroom, they appear most often and reach a size of 3 cm. They are easily recognizable by the oval convex shape of the body.
Sometimes the chitinous shell has a brown color. It protects wood lice from physical influences. You may notice that in danger they curl up like hedgehogs. Their presence in the apartment may indicate a malfunction in the water supply or sewage system. Insects can only breathe with moist air, and in its absence they simply suffocate.
Beware of the appearance of such "residents" in the house is more necessary for those who have many indoor plants. Their death will be inevitable. Organic residues and various garbage are also consumed.
Silverfish
If you notice a creeping dark silver creature with 3 antennae on the tail and 2 on the head, then know that the “neighbor” is called silverfish. After molting, it changes color and becomes lighter. Silver insects crawl in the bathroom, which have a length of not more than 1 cm, and the body is triangular in shape, it is they.
They feed more on sugar and starch, which is available in wallpaper glue, mold and toilet paper. It should be noted that without food, silverfish can survive for almost 10 months. Large colonies are not going to. Usually inhabit 2-3 pcs. It can get into the house both during migration and when opening boxes with purchases, as it can easily breed in damp storage rooms.
The biggest harm they can do is spoil the repair, put the books in an unsightly appearance.
Cockroaches
Rather, they will settle in the kitchen, where there is open access to food and garbage in bins. But they can devour leather goods, book binding, and do not shun feces. In the photo, insects in the bathroom feed on mold, which the owners did not clean on time.
This mustachioed species is found in apartments not only because of unsanitary conditions. They often move from their neighbors, crawling towards us through the ventilation shafts. This is usually a black or red (Prusak) cockroach. It is known that some are brought from other countries and settled in warm, heated rooms. There are cases when they found American cockroaches in their apartments.
Propagation often occurs at lightning speed, so the fight must begin immediately.
Mosquitoes
Some notice the presence of eating insects in apartments even in the cold season, when they can no longer be found on the street. As you know, mosquitoes breed in rainy times, and at home in the bathroom with insects we create a similar atmosphere when water drips and stagnates somewhere or we just forgot it in any container for a long period of time.
If you notice a furry mosquito, then do not be alarmed, it will not bite. This is the so-called butterfly butterfly. Usually there can be 2 or 3 pieces, since they do not fly in packs. The wingspan is only 2 mm, they are easy to see on the walls and ceiling. They try to lay eggs in the rotting waste, and got another name - "sewer midges".
Centipede
There are two types of these insects in the bathroom. Let’s take a look at the photos and names:
- Kislyak. A caterpillar with many short legs is very similar to a worm. They may emit an unpleasant odor when coiled in danger.
- Flycatcher. She differs from her relative in that she is not attached to a wet room and her legs are quite long, which makes her look like spiders. A fairly quick movement allows you to hide from a person.
Both species prefer to hunt other insects: spiders, cockroaches, mosquitoes, silverfish, etc.
Spiders
Oddly enough, but in the bathroom, insects from the arachnid family also take root, but there are so few species that you can rarely find a cobweb.
They will not do anything harmful and bad. On the one hand, they are even beneficial, since they catch other small and harmful animals on their nets. But if you do not touch them, then you can completely overgrow in the web.
Insect hazard
It should be noted that not all insects in the bathroom are dangerous to human health. So, for example, silverfish and spider do not do any harm, but this does not mean that you should not fight them.
Here is what these "inhabitants" of the dark corners can bear:
- quite often on the paws of insects are eggs of roundworm, which can get on products or parts of the body, and if personal hygiene is not observed, and in the human body;
- being on dirty surfaces, and then moving around, they spread various viral infections;
- they contribute to the spread of many bacteria and fungi.
Do not be afraid of bites of almost all insects, except mosquitoes. Their jaws are developed except for chewing food.
Ways to fight
You have to carry out a whole range of measures for the complete destruction of insects living in the bathroom or completely in the apartment. Begin by checking the humidity. If it is increased, then check the water supply, sewage for leaks. Also, this factor is strongly influenced by the ventilation system, which has not been cleaned in old buildings for a long time, and in the private sector it may even be absent.
The next step is to make a preliminary general cleaning:
- remove all rubbish;
- disinfect;
- remove excess furniture and old shower mats.
The third stage will be an examination of cracks and chips of sealants that do not allow water to get on the floor.
Now we will analyze the options for the destruction of harmful insects:
- The physical way. Perhaps the most ineffective, it helps not reliably and only if the "bugs" did not have time to breed. Of course, you can try to beat them with a slipper, but you may not have enough strength for everyone, and they will hide in hard-to-reach places.
You can try to collect the pests with a vacuum cleaner, and then neutralize in a bag. Also, many try to lure them by pouring boiling water into the holes where they sit. All this will not give a special result.
- Set special traps. Now in household chemical stores they sell such devices in abundance. The specifics of their work is such that the most active insects crawl inside and eat the poisoned bait. Then, clinging to the paws microparticles of poison, crawl into their lair, destroying their "brothers." This method will bring more benefits, but is often used as a prophylactic.
- Chemicals This is the surest step to resort to. On the shelves you will find with an excess of substances, which include chlorine, copper or iron sulfate. On the labels or from the seller, find out which spray or aerosol helps to destroy insects in apartments. But there are drawbacks - a sharp unpleasant odor and the need to leave the room during processing. Before use, carefully read the instructions so as not to harm your health.
Fumigators are sold, but they are better used if you are confident in the wiring and checked the humidity in the bathroom. You can buy crayons, gels, which contain a very strong poison. It is applied to places inaccessible to children.
There is another way that we will talk about separately.
Folk methods of exterminating insects
For a long time, people began to fight harmful insects in the bathroom. Various methods have appeared, some of which we still use.
- For example, boric acid is not dangerous to humans, but it is very detrimental to pests. To achieve the result, it is enough to mix 1 tsp. this poison with the same amount of something sweet and dilute in a glass of water. To process surfaces in a shower and toilet. The composition will corrode unwanted guests from the inside.
- Also, this acid is mixed with boiled yolk, roll small balls and scatter in the corners.
- It is also believed that the solution of a small spoon of vinegar with a bucket of water and the treatment of walls and floors expels insects from the house.
- Few people know that ordinary baking soda also adversely affects harmful organisms living in a humid environment.
In any case, the way to fix the problem is your choice.
Preventative measures
If you think in advance all the factors that affect the appearance and reproduction of pests, then you do not have to decide how to get rid of it. You will never see white insects in the bathroom if:
- monitor the condition of water sewer pipes in the room;
- you have high-quality waterproofing of the joints between the sink, sink, bathroom and wall;
- room humidity does not exceed the norm, and ventilation works well (it is better when there is an electric extractor in such rooms);
- all joints and holes in the floor are closed, especially for apartments on the ground floor;
- at least once a month do spring cleaning with disinfectants and dry out places with difficult air access;
- For preventive purposes, set and change traps under the bathtub, sink and toilet.
Creating discomfort for living in a bathtub of insects will significantly help you to postpone the meeting with them in the long drawer. But be careful, as some drugs may fall into the hands of young children and harm them.