Lemongrass is an effective home remedy used for keeping bed bugs at bay. The compounds in lemongrass will not only repel bed bugs, but also kills them off by increasing the acidic condition inside the insects. Spray lemongrass in affected areas until your bed bug problem is no more.
How it works: Rubbing alcohol can kill bed bugs on contact and may help in killing eggs. Application: Mix equal parts of rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on bed bugs and their eggs. However, be cautious as alcohol is flammable. Certain essential oils have insecticidal properties.
Baking soda works by basically drying out the bed bugs, as it sucks the moisture from them and ultimately kills them. Spread a light layer of it throughout all affected rooms in the home, layering it from every wall to the doorways and corners -- wherever you think bed bugs may have infested.
Here are some options: DEET: Products containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) are effective at repelling a variety of insects, including bedbugs. Look for a concentration of 20-30% for effective protection. Picaridin: This is another effective repellent that can be used against bedbugs.
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.
Sleep in long-sleeved clothing
These sneaky creatures will feast on exposed areas of your skin, but they can't bite through fabric. 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.
Tea Tree Oil
Once they smell it, they will instantly run away. The essential oil not only makes an annoying odor for them, but it can also affect their exoskeleton. If you have tea tree oil at home, you can spray it liberally where bed bugs are actively infesting.
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.
While some people believe that the strong smell of VapoRub might repel bed bugs, there is no reliable data to support this claim.
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.
Fill an old coffee cup with ten tablespoons (150 grams) of sugar, two tablespoons (30 grams) of yeast, and one and a half quarts (one and a half liters) of water, and put it in the middle of an upturned dog bowl. Voila! You have just made a bedbug detector that beats others on the market and is much cheaper.
Here's how to use it to kill bed bugs instantly: Take 2 parts of 90% rubbing alcohol and mix it with 1 part water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
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.
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.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is a known insect repellent that effectively destroys all bed bugs and their eggs. It is one of the best natural remedies for these persistent pests as they hate its taste, smell, and aroma.
Tea Tree Oil Spray
This miraculous essential oil has anti-parasitic properties, making it an effective natural insecticide in fighting bed bugs. For a quick and easy bed bug solution, mix two teaspoons of tea tree oil with 50 ml of water and pour it into a spray bottle.
Bed bugs are not known to spread pathogens through their bites. Bed bug bites can be itchy and stressful. Do not squish a bed bug as it will release the blood and any pathogens it may be carrying.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests. Pyrethrins are botanical insecticides derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins.
One of the most effective ways to kill bed bugs is by exposing them to high temperatures. You can use a professional heat treatment service or do it yourself by placing infested items in a clothes dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
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.
Although it sounds like a grim choice, it is best to continue sleeping in the infested area using the population reduction methods described above, until the bed bugs are eliminated.
Answer: “Hitchhiking” from an infested location or item to a previously non-infested location or item are the main causes of bed bugs.