Each of us sooner or later encounters insect pests in the house. The problem is very unpleasant and requires an immediate solution.
Description of the pest
The ground beetle is a small insect, approximately 1.4-1.6 cm in size, with an oval shape. These beetles have many species, but the most common is the grain 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 cause damage to crops in the fields. But more and more often they are found in ordinary apartments. Moreover, both adults and larvae cause harm. The grain 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:
- an adult, oval in shape, 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 bronze or brown;
- larvae have a light body color, headbrown;
- Adult ground beetles have visible antennae.
What are the dangers of ground beetles in an apartment
Bread beetle is more of a nocturnal insect. During the day, it hides under stones, tree roots, and if this is the case in an apartment, then under furniture in dark places where they are unlikely to be able to reach it. Usually beetles live near the fields. They are especially fond of crops of wheat, barley and rye, although sometimes they do not disdain oats and corn. In some cases, if there are no crops, then they eat leeks.
The grain beetle crawls into the apartment only if it 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, at nightfall it goes to look for food. Crumbs, food left on the table, cereals can serve as food for him. Ground beetles interfere with sleep, rustle, fall from the ceiling onto the bed or straight at you. And if they have found food, then the next step will be their reproduction. Therefore, if a grain beetle appeared in an apartment, “how to get rid of it” should be a priority question.
Why do they appear
There are not so many reasons for the appearance of these beetles in an ordinary apartment. Usually they are simply accidentally brought in as larvae along with street dirt or old furniture. But there are also often cases when ground beetles settle in the house on their own.
Usually they are attracted by the light that burns in the windows in the evening, and if the windows are not equipped with a mosquito net, thennothing prevents them from looking at you at the light. Also attractive to ground beetles is old wood, including old wooden furniture, window sills, frames, etc.
If there are pets in the house that 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 the animals' homes from food debris and other contaminants.
And the leftover food left on the table or the rare cleaning of the premises is a guarantee of the appearance of various pests.
Prevention
Prevention measures directly depend on the reasons for the appearance of these pests in the house. After all, it is much better to look for an answer to the question of how to prevent the appearance of a ground beetle in a home than to think about the problem: “Bread beetle in an 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 wooden items into the apartment, they will have to be inspected and treated with special insecticides in advance. 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 inspected after purchase. It is best to sort and wash potatoes and cereals, and sift the flour and seal it tightly.
Given that the grain beetle most often enters the house through open windows, it is worthConsider installing mosquito nets. In addition, they will protect not only from annoying bugs, but also from other unpleasant insects.
Pest control
If black beetles are still found in the apartment and you are sure that this is a grain beetle, "how to get rid of it" is a simple question. First of all, you need to determine the place where the beetles are the most. This requires a general cleaning. All leftover food, crumbs, garbage must be collected and thrown away.
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 it with water, and treat areas where insects accumulate. All food stored outside the refrigerator must be sealed.
By following these simple rules, you can be sure that there will be no uninvited guests in your house.
