00:00A man living in England bought a sofa for his new home.
00:05Without knowing that this furniture would be a threat to his health, or even to his life.
00:10How was this possible?
00:12Two days after this purchase, Andrew Wolf noticed the appearance of red marks all over his body.
00:19Every time he lay down on his sofa to rest, his condition worsened.
00:23He quickly discovered that this new sofa was infested with fleas or bed bugs.
00:28Although Andrew received a significant reduction, only half of the initial price,
00:34his desire to save played a bad trick on him.
00:37He had to commit significant costs to eradicate parasites,
00:41get rid of several furniture, and go through one of the most frustrating experiences.
00:46The company that sold him the sofa agreed to reimburse him while refusing his compensation request,
00:52on the pretext that he was informed that the item had been returned after having already been used.
00:57If you have already felt a strange itch while relaxing on your sofa,
01:01it is possible that you are cohabiting with undesirable parasites.
01:04They are often invisible to the naked eye, and unfortunately, their ability to reproduce is impressive.
01:10Why do they come to your sofa, precisely?
01:13Because it is a comfortable refuge.
01:16Moreover, if you are used to nibbling on snacks such as chips or popcorn while lying on your sofa,
01:22and let's be honest, who doesn't?
01:24You offer them an inexhaustible feast.
01:26By removing the cushions from the sofa and vacuuming all the interstices,
01:30you could manage to solve the problem.
01:33However, if your sofa is old and particularly dirty,
01:37a simple cleaning will not be enough.
01:40The bed bugs, which are essentially active at night,
01:43are likely to bite you during your sleep.
01:45They feed for about ten minutes, until they are completely exhausted.
01:50The bites vary depending on the individual, and can cause serious reactions.
01:55Keep in mind that these small, robust creatures can survive several months without feeding.
02:00If you plan to store your furniture in a garage for a long time,
02:04make sure to clean and vacuum your sofa well
02:07before hermetically covering it with a cover equipped with a light closure.
02:11Even if some bugs remain hidden inside,
02:14they will eventually die of inanition and will no longer be able to reproduce.
02:18Bugs spend most of their time grouped together in the cracks in the walls of your home.
02:24Did you know that they date back to the time of the dinosaurs?
02:27They have existed for at least 165 million years.
02:30At that time, they measured 1 to 2 cm,
02:33compared to their 2 mm today,
02:35and had much more developed mucous membranes to pierce the skin of dinosaurs.
02:40When they sting, the fleas mainly target the legs and ankles.
02:44The traces left by their misdeeds can remain painful
02:48and cause disfigurement for a whole week.
02:51You will not see them bounce from one crack to another,
02:54but their disfigurement is often visible around the feet of your sofa or under it.
02:58If you spot them, you can try to eliminate them by sprinkling salt for a few days
03:04or call a professional.
03:06Bugs generally prefer to choose a home in the kitchen,
03:09but if you transform your living room into a buffet at will,
03:12they will willingly make an exception.
03:14Their presence is so widespread that some studies estimate
03:18that they inhabit up to 98% of urban homes,
03:22most of the time without being detected.
03:25These insects are particularly active at night,
03:27and if you manage to spot them, you can set a trap for them.
03:30Take an empty glass bottle,
03:32soak the bottom with maple syrup
03:34and apply a thin layer of cooking oil on the neck.
03:37This device will act like a real magnet,
03:40attracting the cockroaches that will remain trapped inside.
03:43You can then decide what will happen to your trap filled with insects.
03:47Mites are remarkably discreet.
03:50They will not walk on your sofa,
03:52but their presence can be betrayed by small strange movements.
03:56They swallow wool and natural fibers,
03:59but even if your sofa is synthetic,
04:01they will settle there if there is any food left in it.
04:04If you spot holes in the fabric,
04:06webs around the feet or the frame of a sofa,
04:09or mites larvae,
04:11it is a sign that they have chosen a home in your home.
04:14There are about 160,000 species of mites in the world,
04:18but only 150 of them can bite.
04:21At an adult, they cannot really bite,
04:24because their mouth turns into a long and robust orifice.
04:28On the other hand,
04:29larvae that do not have this characteristic
04:31can cause a lot of discomfort.
04:33Imagine this nightmarish scenario.
04:36You lie down,
04:37and a mite of sofa crawls into your ear.
04:40It happened to a man in the United States
04:42who became famous on the Internet.
04:44By feeling the insect near his ear,
04:47he tried to move it away,
04:49but the mite got stuck inside.
04:51His friends used pliers to extract it.
04:54Finally, the butterfly,
04:56measuring 2 to 3 cm,
04:58was still in perfect health.
05:00This time,
05:01the mite and its unfortunate host came out unscathed.
05:04But experts strongly advise
05:07to use objects to extract an insect from the ear.
05:10It is preferable to tilt your head
05:12to let gravity act,
05:13and to attract the mite outside
05:15with a light source.
05:17In addition,
05:18keep your furniture clean
05:20is essential to avoid attracting these facetious creatures.
05:23The holes in your textiles are already problematic,
05:26but having to throw away all the food from your pantry
05:29is a real disaster.
05:31Food mites swarm dry foods
05:33such as cereals, flour, rice and grains.
05:36They can penetrate your cupboards
05:38through food supplies,
05:40animal feed or bird seeds already contaminated.
05:43Once they hatch,
05:44the larvae spread easily to other foods.
05:47The female of this insect
05:49can lay up to 400 eggs after mating,
05:52making it a real infestation plant.
05:55At hatching,
05:56the larvae feed on your food
05:58while weaving sticky webs.
06:00They are even able to pierce thin cardboard packaging
06:03or plastic bags,
06:04making sealed containers sometimes ineffective.
06:07You can spot their excrements,
06:09their web
06:10or even small holes in your packaging,
06:12as many signs of an invasion.
06:14Although food mites do not pose a danger to humans,
06:17they spoil food
06:19and quickly become annoying.
06:21However,
06:22some species,
06:23such as the mite droplet,
06:25are toxic
06:26and display bright red and black colors
06:28to dissuade predators.
06:30If you think that mites could infest your cupboards,
06:33take a moment to pause the video
06:35and inspect them carefully.
06:37Have you spotted an intruder?
06:39To avoid any bad surprise,
06:41keep your flour,
06:42your pastry mix,
06:43your oatmeal
06:44and your nuts in the freezer
06:46or at least freeze them for three days
06:48before storing them in your cupboards.
06:50This cold treatment
06:51will effectively eliminate all larvae
06:53that could have entered your food supplies
06:55during your shopping.
06:57To reinforce your efforts,
06:59try a simple,
07:00tested
07:01and approved solution
07:02based on white vinegar and hot water.
07:04Mix these two ingredients in equal proportions
07:07and then clean your pantry
07:09thoroughly.
07:10Stores,
07:11corners,
07:12shelves,
07:13floors
07:14and even storage containers.
07:16Mites will quickly leave the place.
07:18Finally,
07:19for additional protection,
07:20hang flyswatter paper
07:22in your cupboards.
07:23A small touch of fish oil
07:25will attract the last intruders,
07:27unable to resist this temptation.
07:29Here's a riddle.
07:31What is tiny?
07:32It has up to 177 pairs of legs
07:35and can terrify a 40-year-old man
07:37more than a horror movie.
07:39Yes,
07:40it's a 1,000-legged scooter in your living room.
07:42But before grabbing your slipper
07:44to crush it,
07:45remember that it is actually
07:47a precious ally.
07:48Although it is unable to bite,
07:501,000 legs rarely do so.
07:52They build neither nests nor webs,
07:54do not transmit any disease
07:56and do not cause any damage to your home
07:58or your valuables.
08:00On the contrary,
08:01they are free to hunt for you
08:03cockroaches,
08:04flies,
08:05termites,
08:06mites and other silver fish.
08:08Instead of killing them,
08:09take the time to move them outside.
08:11There,
08:12they will continue their cleaning work
08:14without scaring you.
08:16If you don't want them to come back,
08:18glue all the cracks and gaps
08:20in the foundations,
08:21door frames
08:22and windows.
08:23Repair water leaks
08:25and remove all stagnant water.
08:27Finally,
08:28remove the piles of wood or leaves from your house.
08:30It takes a little effort,
08:32but the result is worth it.
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