EcoRaider™ and Bed Bug Patrol™ received top ratings compared to other over the counter sprays in a Rutgers University study. Pyrethroid sprays are among the stronger and longer-lasting pesticides, but most bed bugs are resistant to these sprays to some degree.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests.
Encase mattresses and box springs in protective plastic covers. Vacuum frequently, especially in areas near where you sleep. Cut down on clutter in your home, which will eliminate some hiding places for bed bugs. If you live in an apartment or other shared housing, try to close off your unit.
Essential oils. While essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and peppermint are popularly recommended for DIY bed bug treatments due to their strong scents and supposed insect-repellent properties, there is not much scientific evidence to support their effectiveness in eradicating bed bug infestations.
If bed bugs have one weakness, it's that they're intolerant of extremely high or low temperatures. Washing clothes and bedding at the highest possible setting followed by drying for at least 30 minutes at high heat should do the trick. You can also freeze clothing or other objects you suspect of being infested.
Peppermint
One of the most researched solutions for keeping bed bugs away is peppermint. This plant can provide a smell which bed bugs and other pests hate. The scent will drive any pest which will keep your home pest-free and fresh at the same time.
Beans and Legumes. Beans and lentils are rich in vitamin B1, commonly known as thiamine. Thiamine has a distinctive yeast-like smell that insects supposedly hate, so eating dishes consisting of lentils, beans and other thiamine-rich foods is believed to turn your skin into a no-biting zone for bugs.
While some people believe that the strong smell of VapoRub might repel bed bugs, there is no reliable data to support this claim.
Lower your risk of getting bedbug bites by wearing long-sleeved pajamas with pants while sleeping. But be mindful that bedbugs can find their way to your skin under loose clothing. So wear pajamas that are more fitted around your ankles and wrists to give you the best protection.
Heat is non-toxic, and can kill all bed bug life stages including bed bug eggs.
While it hasn't been scientifically proven, Irish Spring soap could be an effective DIY pest-repellent hack." The most recommended and popular way of using soap for insect repellent is by grating a bar and scattering the shavings in any area where the bugs tend to swarm.
In 2009, EPA and CDC collaborated on a joint statement to highlight the public health impacts of bed bugs . Myth: Bed bugs won't come out if the room is brightly lit. Reality: While bed bugs prefer darkness, keeping the light on at night won't deter these pests from biting you.
Bed bugs are easy to kill using heat. Their thermal death point is reported to be 114-115° F. Putting infested clothing in a hot dryer is an excellent way of killing bed bugs and their eggs. Heat can also be used to kill bed bugs and their eggs in furniture and carpeting.
Wiping down furniture and other infested items with dryer sheets will not eliminate or repel bed bugs. Sure, you can buy ultrasonic bed bug repellers on Amazon and in brick-and-mortar stores but that doesn't mean you should. In fact, don't. There is zero evidence to suggest these devices will eliminate bed bugs.
Pyrethroid products are often mixed with other types of insecticides; some of these mixtures can be effective against bed bugs. Look for products containing pyrethroids plus piperonyl butoxide, imidicloprid, acetamiprid, or dinetofuran.
Currently there are no insect repellents registered for use against bed bugs that can be applied to human skin. The Pesticide Specialist also explained that using outdoor products indoors is not only against the law, it may cause the bed bugs to spread out from one or two hiding places to several.
Rubbing Alcohol.
Many web pages recommend using rubbing alcohol for bed bug control. The rubbing alcohol products available usually contain 70% or 91% isopropyl alcohol.
Using Vaseline For Bed Bugs
While this could stop the bed bugs from traveling up the bed, it won't kill them. Bed bugs will find another way to a food source. They have been known to climb up walls and drop from the ceiling, and they can also jump, so they can probably jump right past the vaseline.
Tea tree oil, renowned for its antibacterial properties, is like a natural bug repellent that bed bugs can't stand. Peppermint oil, with its invigorating minty freshness, overwhelms their acute senses. And eucalyptus oil, known for its refreshing aroma, is a formidable deterrent against these tiny intruders.
Bedbugs die at 120 degrees, so one of the steps I took to fight bedbugs was laundry control. Keep clothes/fabrics off the floor, when washing use hottest water (with Borax) and then dry in dryer, being sure to dry extra 20 minutes to kill all bugs/eggs/nymphs.
Does peppermint oil repel bed bugs? Peppermint oil can repel and may also kill bed bugs if the oil is sprayed directly on the bugs. In other words, peppermint oil is a natural bed bug contact insecticide, but as time goes by items previously sprayed with peppermint oil do not impact the bed bugs.
Courtesy of its insecticidal properties, tea tree oil is an effective natural remedy to kill bed bugs instantly. You can spray the tea tree oil on furniture joints, headboards, cracks, and corners.