If double-tailed insects appear in the house, should you worry? Is this insect dangerous, or does its presence pose no threat to people? Are the frightening stories about him true, and how to get rid of an unwanted neighbor?
What is a double tail?
Double-tailed - this is how the insect was popularly called because of the strong chitinous outgrowths instead of a tail, called cerci. The correct term is earwig or forktail. It has an oblong segmented body of brown-red color with six legs. There are no eyes, and long antennae are located in front, reaching half of the insect's body.
It also has small wings, but the forktail rarely uses them and flies only short distances. Usually its size is modest: 2 or 3 cm, but there are also larger individuals that grow up to 7 cm. The cerci of all varieties are different: in medium-sized specimens they are small and relatively thin. The large ones have hard, powerful, claw-like claws, with which the two-tailed fish hunt springtails and small soil mites.
The doubletail settles in damp and cool places; it loves holes with humus. Two-tailed ducks are extremely agile and dexterous, move very quickly, hunt at night, not one at a time, but in flocks. Their diet is varied, the predator looks for larvae of small insects, microscopic mites and centipedes. He will not refuse shoots and inflorescences of plants, fruits, vegetables, and will not disdain bread crumbs.
Penetrating into a living space, it hides in damp nooks, crevices between baseboards, boards, cracks in walls, and in the basements of houses. In apartments it hides in bathtubs and rooms with poor ventilation. Her presence in the house is not always immediately noticeable, because she goes out hunting at night and hides during the day.
Are double-tails dangerous?
Insects look quite unpleasant, so their appearance frightens many, thanks to this, myths arose about a dangerous poison, the ability to sneak into people’s brains through the ears and eat it.
In fact, it does not pose any particular danger to humans: the cerci, also called stingers, are designed to capture prey. They clamp the victim as if in a vice, bending like a scorpion’s tail to make it more comfortable for the insect to eat food. She also uses them in moments of danger, exploring escape routes on the move, when she backs away if she doesn’t have time to turn around.
But proximity to these insects in an apartment is extremely undesirable:
- being in a living room, they begin to manage things in an impudent manner, eat almost all foods, are very fond of vegetables, indoor plants, and wallpaper paste;
- in search of food, forktails are able to climb even into a bread bin or refrigerator:
- how any insects carry various infections on their legs;
- at night, while a person is sleeping, they can climb on it, penetrate into the ear, lay larvae there or damage the eardrums, hence their another nickname - earwigs;
- hiding in the cracks of the walls, they contribute to their destruction;
- if you accidentally touch them, then in defense, the two-tailed one pinches the cerci quite noticeably;
- small wounds form, which then itch and itch unpleasantly;
- if an allergic reaction occurs, watery blisters appear, they subsequently burst, and the ulcers then take a long time to heal, causing concern.
You won’t be able to get rid of insects just like that, and sealing up the cracks is not enough; they need to be poisoned and kicked out of the house, every single one.
Insecticides
Chemical means allow you to get rid of double-tailed insects; they are quite effective and can destroy colonies of unpleasant neighbors.
- An old proven remedy - "Dichlorvos" - is a recognized fighter against insects in the house, but its disadvantage is a strong odor and high toxicity to humans. When spraying an aerosol, you must use respiratory protection, leave the room for several hours, and then ventilate well.
- Raptor is also an aerosol, although its smell is more pleasant compared to the previous drug, this does not make it less toxic, so protective measures should not be excluded either. Sprayed in close proximity to places where insects live.
- The Anti-Bug solution is designed for wooden surfaces; it is an ideal option for the veranda of a private house; it can also be used to treat baseboards in an apartment. Available in the form of liquids that are applied by brush or spray.
- Chalks are effective in the fight against any domestic insects; it is enough to draw stripes in the path of the two-east and they will die. This insecticide is inexpensive and relatively harmless to animals and humans.
- Some people use fly repellent tablets, inserting them into the fumigator; their effect also extends to the two-tailed fumigator.
- An effective remedy is Tiuram powder, it crumbles in small quantities, after tasting it, the two-tailed worm dies.
However, in the fight against double-tailed insects, any drug created to kill insects is suitable; here it is important to strictly follow the instructions and protect yourself from poisons entering the body.
Traditional methods
For various reasons, not everyone can afford to use toxic products from the chemical industry at home, so it is worth considering traditional methods of destroying and expelling two-worts from the house: Earwigs do not like strong odors, they scare them away and force them to leave their homes. People have long noticed this feature and developed methods of struggle.
- Onions and garlic are ground into a paste and diluted with boiling water, then the solution is left in a dark place for a day. It is necessary to treat all secret places where insects can hide with a “fragrant” product. After a week, the smell will disappear and the procedure must be repeated.
- An infusion of herbs with a strong smell will have the same effect; wormwood, oregano, and yarrow are suitable. A little more detergent or powder is diluted in it and also applied to joints, cracks, and baseboards. To ensure the quality of the result, repeat the treatment several times.
- “Bourne balls” are an attractive food for two-easts, but when they eat such a delicacy, they die very quickly. The secret is boric acid, although it is dangerous for any insects; they are attracted to the egg yolk mixed with it. The resulting pulp is rolled into balls, dried a little and laid out in places where their presence is likely. When preparing the composition, you should not worry about your own safety: you should wear rubber gloves on your hands.
- Another method of destroying two-easted birds, it is based on their love of dampness.Where they are supposed to live, you need to lay out crumpled wet rags or rags. After checking the trap after a while, you can find an insect hiding under it. You can destroy it by pouring boiling water over the fabric or by shaking the insect outside.
If a spider has taken up residence in a secluded corner of the bathroom, you should not rush to destroy the web; it will help reduce the number of forktails, since you won’t mind feasting on them at all.
Preventing the appearance of double tails in the house
So that the earwig forever forgets the way to the house and does not appear again:
- you need to find and destroy its nests, you should look under the floor, in cracks in the walls, insulation, under baseboards, in a word, in all the cracks where moisture can accumulate;
- the oviposition must be destroyed, and the affected materials must be replaced with new ones.
- since the insect lives in places of high humidity, it is necessary to eliminate the possibility of the formation of a favorable environment for its habitat in the home;
- carry out repair work to eliminate dampness in residential premises: thermal insulation and waterproofing of walls and basements;
- regular ventilation of premises;
- during cool periods, thoroughly heat the home;
- It is better to dry clothes outside or use electric dryers;
- do not leave taps open;
- prevent pipe leaks;
- Moisture absorbers will help cope with high humidity;
- do not leave leftover food, take out the trash regularly;
- In summer, put a net on the windows.
If all the methods and methods turned out to be insufficiently productive, then high-quality repairs will help get rid of the two-way, and the sanitary and epidemiological station will carry out a thorough treatment.
