Two-tailed birds (another name is forktails) mainly live in gardens and vegetable gardens, but if suitable conditions are available, they willingly settle in houses near people. If you have ever seen these insects in your bathroom or kitchen, you probably experienced terrible disgust and a desire to immediately get rid of the two-tailed insects.
These arthropods got their name from the characteristic double chitinous outgrowths (cerci, stings), reminiscent of a claw or fork, on the back of the body
With the help of such a grasping device, the two-tailed fish clamps food. She is not picky about food - she eats vegetables and fruits, inflorescences and young shoots of plants, other insects and crumbs from your table. The body of the two-tailed fish is reddish-brown, oblong and segmented with six legs, there are no eyes on the head, but there are long antennae. The size of adult individuals is generally 0.5-2 cm, but can reach up to 6 cm. These insects are mobile, run fast, and are predominantly nocturnal.
Two-easted birds are often confused with the very similar earwigs.
The differences between them are insignificant - earwigs belong to the order Leatheroptera, accordingly, they have small, tightly fitting wings, which they use rarely and little by little; in addition, they have eyes.
It doesn’t matter how much you understand entomology and correctly classify insects at first glance when it comes to the need to get rid of double-easts in a house or apartment. Whether forktails or earwigs, the same methods and means of control are used. We'll talk about them later, but first let's figure out where they come from and how they get into human habitation.
What they look like
The insect has several names: earwig, forktail.
The insect belongs to the class Leatheroptera. The two-tailed fish has a dense body with an oblong shape. The size of adult individuals is from 2 to 7 cm. The brown body of the insect consists of tightly fused plates. They give the body strength and flexibility. The tail of earwigs resembles tongs, like a fork with two prongs.
Because of this feature, the insect was nicknamed the forktail. When she senses danger, she arches her body and points her tongs towards the enemy. The tail extensions serve not only to scare away enemies. With their help, the insect grabs food and brings it to its mouth. The older the individuals, the more powerful their forceps. A feature of insects is the absence of eyes. It navigates in space with the help of long sensitive whiskers.
Why is it dangerous for humans?
The double-tail itself, located in an apartment or house, is not dangerous. However, its appearance suggests that from a hygiene point of view, not all is well. Of course, you can remove pests using modern means, but, as a rule, you first need to eliminate the causes.
That is, restore order, reduce humidity, wipe walls and corners. Otherwise, after a short period of time they will appear again.
There is a myth that the two-tailed earwig is the same as the earwig, which supposedly can penetrate through the ear of a sleeping person into the brain. Scientists say such claims are groundless. There is not a single fact that would confirm this fiction. In addition, they belong to different classes in the classification. Their similarity is limited to 2 tail-like cerci.
Lifestyle
Insects love to hide in homes under baseboards and in cracks. Their favorite habitats are garages, basements and sheds.
There is no need to look for double-east in places located near heating devices. They love cool weather. In apartments they can be found in kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. In nature, insects hide in tree crevices, fallen leaves, rocks and piles of branches.
Insects are nocturnal. In search of food, they come out of their hiding places and begin to crawl around the house. Some people are not even aware of the proximity of insects, since during the daytime they practically do not protrude from their crevices.
A special feature of the bivost is its rapid reproduction. In one day, the female can lay up to 50 eggs.
Insects are not picky about food. They are omnivores. Due to their ability to eat small insects, larvae and eggs, they are classified as scavengers. In nature, they can feed on algae, moss and pollen. Insects never touch whole fruits and berries, but they willingly feast on the remains of human food. Their omnivorous nature allows them to eat wallpaper paste and even clothing.
Prevention
To forget about the problem, you need to eliminate the cause of its occurrence. First, you need to find out how the two-tailed bug got into the house. Since most often it crawls from garden plots and cellars, it is best to disinfect the basements. To stop insects from crawling out of the underground, all cracks in the walls and floor need to be sealed.
It is necessary to begin prevention during the construction of the house. If it is made of wood, all parts must be soaked in insect repellent liquids. They will prevent pests from getting inside. In spring, autumn and winter, the house must be heated daily to keep it warm and dry. The more light that comes through the windows, the better.
To prevent earwigs from appearing in the house again, it is important to avoid excessive moisture in damp places in the house. Napkins, sponges, rags should be dried, taps should be closed well
If liquid spills on the floor, it must be wiped up immediately. You can purchase a special moisture absorber. A good preventive measure is the installation of electric ventilation of premises. It will dry the rooms and prevent pipes from leaking.
To prevent harmful insects from entering your home, all cracks must be sealed.
It is advisable to constantly ventilate the premises in the house. In hard-to-reach places - pipes, ventilation, baseboards - you need to regularly disinfect them. You can install a mesh on the hood and windows - it will make it difficult for pests to enter the house.
To prevent the two-tail from starting, you should not dry things at home. It is better to do this in air or in dryers. It is also undesirable to store dirty clothes for a long time.
Insects rarely live in areas that are perfectly clean. It is enough to adhere to basic hygiene rules. Excessive humidity should not be allowed in the kitchen. It is better to wash dishes immediately. Leftover food should be thrown away regularly and not left overnight.
For prevention purposes, you can apply gels or crayons where insects were previously noticed. “Mashenka” is valid for up to two months, during which time the two-tailed couples will find new housing.
To create a food shortage for two-tailed birds, you can start eliminating aphids from their favorite food. Lack of food will cause insects to leave.
If all else fails, and the number of double-worts is only growing, you can always call a disinfection service. Specialists will quickly and efficiently help you get rid of double tails in your dacha.
Reasons for appearing in the home
You can meet the insect not only in private houses, but also in multi-storey buildings.
They live on the lower floors and in basements. The main reason for the appearance of insects is high indoor humidity. The likelihood of two-wests appearing in a private home is greater where there are bodies of water or swampy areas near buildings.
Sometimes the insect enters the house along with vegetables and fruits. It can be found in bunches of grapes, cabbage leaves and bunches of greens.
Insects are caused by:
- leaking water pipes;
- excessive watering of plants;
- presence of wet rags;
- cracks in the floor.
Life cycle of the cat fluke
Together with the feces of the definitive hosts (for example, foxes), invasive helminth eggs enter water bodies and are ingested by mollusks, in whose body the larva develops within two months and turns into a cercaria, the active larval form.
Leaving the body of the mollusk, the cercaria moves freely in the water in search of a new intermediate host: fish from the carp family. The larvae of the cat fluke actively invade the body of the fish and are localized in the muscles and subcutaneous layer of fat, where they form cysts. When eating infected fish, the larvae enter the human body and emerge from protective capsules (cysts), which dissolve in the gastrointestinal tract. Through the bile ducts, the larvae penetrate into the gallbladder and liver, where they reach sexual maturity and begin actively producing eggs (up to 4000 per day).
Harm and danger
Insects are not poisonous. They never attack a person unless they feel threatened by him. Insect bites are not dangerous, but they are unpleasant. They do not pose any serious consequences for human health. Redness may occur at the site of the bite. The main danger is the possibility of spreading infection.
In hot, dry summers, earwigs spoil ripe fruits of apples and pears that have fallen to the ground from trees, and eat up the pulp of strawberries. They also feed on the sap of flower plants.
Ways to fight
Dealing with insects is not difficult. The easiest way to deal with them is to set traps. Double-tailed animals are afraid of the smell of vinegar. For prevention, it is enough to periodically treat possible habitats of earwigs with a vinegar solution. They are also afraid of the smell of garlic, wormwood, tansy and laundry soap. Forktails can also be exterminated using chemicals. Insecticides are used for these purposes.
"Phosbecide"
A powerful Swiss insecticide used to exterminate a number of insects. The drug can only be used to combat insects in nature. The product has class 2 toxicity.
When treating premises with Fosbecid, there is a risk of human poisoning. The product does not evaporate well. The product is available in ampoules.
Before use, 1 ampoule is diluted with 0.5 liters of water. When fighting insects in nature, the solution is sprayed on the soil. This should be done in dry and windless weather. The best time to till the soil is morning or evening 20 days before harvest.
Advantages:
- quick effect;
- long period of validity.
Flaws:
- harmful to bees and fish;
- cannot be used indoors;
- When working, precautions must be taken.
Review
| Elena Yu. |
| I bred forktails in a greenhouse. Everything worked out the first time. |
"Karbofos"
A powerful insecticide is effective in combating adult insects and their larvae, but is useless for destroying eggs laid by insects. The main component of the drug is malathion.
This is a very toxic substance that can cause human poisoning. The drug has been known since Soviet times and is available in the form of powder, liquid and aerosol. The volatility of the drug increases with increasing air temperature.
It is better to use aerosols for treating rooms. Work is carried out with windows and doors closed. You can enter rooms after treating them with karbofos only after thoroughly ventilating them.
Karbofos powder is poorly soluble in water. To dissolve it, use organic solvents or soap solutions. They are used to water insect-infested soil.
Advantages:
- high efficiency;
- affordable price;
- speed of action.
Flaw:
- high degree of toxicity.
Review
| Igor K. |
| When I noticed a forktail in the house there was nothing at hand except karbofos. I treated the baseboards with it. This was enough to get rid of the unpleasant insects. |
"Tarax"
An effective drug with increased toxicity. Available in the form of a concentrate. Can be used to control cockroaches and other insects. When sprayed, the product forms a film that covers the surface to be treated. When insects fall on it, they die.
After treating the premises, you can enter them only after thorough ventilation and wet cleaning. Prepare a working solution from 200 ml of water and 1 g of substance. Spray it with a spray bottle only in those places where the two-tails are supposed to be located.
Advantages:
- fast action;
- high efficiency;
- availability.
The main disadvantage is the high degree of toxicity, which poses a danger to humans and animals.
Review
| Stepan G. |
| A strong remedy, but very poisonous. After treating the premises, it is impossible to enter them without ventilation. |
"Anti-bug"
The drug is intended to combat wood-boring beetles, but can also be used to combat double-tailed beetles. The product can be used indoors and outdoors.
Manufacturers produce the drug in the form of ready-to-use liquid and powder. The latter is used to bait insects in the form of a solution, which is applied to surfaces using a sprayer. Prepare a solution from the drug with water in a ratio of 1:4.
Advantages:
- versatility;
- efficiency;
- affordable price;
- environmental Safety.
Disadvantage : precautions must be taken when spraying the drug.
Review
| Fedor Ch. |
| The drug is good, but does not cope with eggs laid by insects. You have to re-process it. |
"Raptor"
A universal product designed to combat various types of insects. Available in aerosol form. Acts as a barrier. After spraying, it creates a halo, under which insects die. Convenient for fighting insects living in hard-to-reach places (behind cabinets, under baseboards).
Advantages:
- versatility of use;
- convenient release form;
- efficiency;
- low cost.
Flaw:
- the need to take precautions when spraying the drug.
Review
| Valentin H. |
| I always keep the Raptor on hand at the dacha. It copes with double-tails “excellently”. |
How to get rid of double-east in a private house using improvised means
Double-tail can be removed without the help of chemistry
Previously, pest control was carried out without the use of insecticides. They simply weren't in stores. There were other ways to get rid of double-easts. They easily fall into traps. To prepare such a device, it is worth creating favorable conditions for the double-tail. To do this, you need to lay out wet rags or paper on the floor. It won't take long for the insect to arrive.
Double-tail trap made from damp newspaper
You can roll up old newspapers and wet them. In a few hours, pests will come running to them. They will begin to crawl into the cracks formed between the wet leaves. After trapping, scald with boiling water and discard.
Two-tailed grass does not tolerate the strong aroma of wormwood.
Of course, such a measure will not be long-term. However, it will give some results. It is worth noting that the parasite does not tolerate strong odors. Infusions of aromatic herbs become an excellent remedy for bivostok. We are talking about wormwood, mint, basil, lavender, tansy and yarrow. They should be filled with boiled water. The mixture is infused and then filtered. It should be used to spray all surfaces where pests have been noticed. If you add washing powder to the infusion, the smell will intensify even more.
An infusion of onion and garlic can improve the situation. Its unpleasant smell will quickly drive parasites out of the house. It is not difficult to prepare such a mixture. It is necessary to peel a large onion and a head of garlic. Then they should be crushed and filled with hot water. The product should be infused in a dark room for 24 hours. Afterwards, a cloth is soaked in it, which should be used to wipe the baseboards and cracks. This procedure must be repeated regularly. After all, the smell tends to dissipate.
There are remedies for bivostok, the results of which last for a longer time. However, before using boric acid, it is worth considering that it may pose some danger to humans. The fact is that it is a poisonous substance. Due to boric acid, the activity of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. Moreover, it is dangerous for kidney function. It should not be allowed to enter the body or onto mucous membranes. In addition, boric acid has a destructive effect on the condition of nerve cells in the brain. It is very dangerous for women and children.
The preparation of the drug should be carried out as carefully as possible. Its use is permissible if there are no children or pets in the home, who could accidentally mistake the product for food.
To make balls, you need to mix the powder and boiled egg yolk. They should be placed in secluded places, under the bathtub, sinks and in other places where humidity is high. They act over a long period of time.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pHV7QreePmE
Folk methods of struggle
What means do you use to combat double-tails?
FolkChemical
The most common and widely used folk remedies are herbal infusions. They are prepared from 1 tablespoon of dry herbs and 1 liter. boiling water To combat double-tailed insects, it is better to brew tansy or wormwood. The finished product is applied with a brush to the surfaces of possible insect habitats or sprayed with a spray bottle.
An infusion of onion and garlic effectively repels earwigs from their homes. This product must be left to steep for at least 12 hours before use.
Expert opinion
Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna
The traditional means of control is any product based on boric acid. Most often, at home, boric acid is mixed with hard-boiled chicken yolk. The product prepared in this way is shaped into balls, after which they are laid out in problem areas.
Are there any benefits to earwigs?
As often happens in nature, it cannot be said that two-tailed insects are exclusively harmful insects. For example, these insects eat aphids, spider mites and other small pests.
However, one cannot say that this help is too noticeable. It is much easier to destroy both of these pests yourself, rather than breeding earwigs to eat aphids, and then fight with two-tailed insects.
