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It can be a really scary experience when your house is infested with bed bugs. Complete eradication of the parasite is extremely difficult and in some cases the bugs infest the entire house and you need to seek a professional pest control service to get out of this situation.
Here are some wonderful home remedies that can be employed as soon as you see bed bugs in your house. This will help control the breeding and take care of the situation before things get out of hand.
Vacuum cleaning is one of the best ways by which most of the bugs can be removed in a swish. Vacuuming will trap all the bugs into the suction air and the bugs can be removed or destroyed after this procedure. Vacuuming must be done several times and for several days to be effective.
It is also important not to use the areas where you are doing the vacuum treatment during these days. This will help the bugs to starve and die. Avoid using the area for at least a month to ensure that they are destroyed completely.
Another safe and simple way to kill the bugs is to sprinkle talcum powder generously on the area so that the bugs will be suffocated to death. This too would require patience and you might have to do the treatment several times for taking care of all the bugs. At this time, you must also ensure that you avoid sleeping in these areas. Baby powder is the best for killing bugs.
This naturally occurring powder which is made from water plants that are fossilized, diatomaceous earth contains particles that have very sharp edges and help in killing the bugs and other insects when they come into contact with them. As this powder can be dangerous for your lungs, ensure that you wear a dust mask while you use it. This powder is very effective in controlling as well as treating many insects and pests.
The antimicrobial properties of neem will help in eradicating bed bugs effectively. Take a handful of neem leaves and crush them gently. Sprinkle these leaves in areas, which are infected with bed bugs. Spread fresh neem leaves once they turn dry.
Neem water can be prepared by adding neem leaves to water and boiling the water for ten minutes. This water can be used for taking bath and treating the infected area of the skin. Neem water is also good for taking bath before you are off to sleep as the smell will repel the bed bugs.
Bed bugs cannot thrive in hot environments. Thus, treating all the upholstery and affected areas with very hot water is beneficial in killing the bugs. Clothes that have been treated with hot water can be ironed as well in high temperature for killing the bugs. Upholstery and furniture can be left under the hot sun to kill the bed bugs and discourage them from further infestation.
Just like heat treatment, steam too can kill bed bugs as they cannot tolerate the hot moisture and intense steam. For this, a steam vacuum cleaner can be used. Steaming has to be done several times in order to kill all the bed bugs.
Steaming may not be very effective if the bed bug infestation is very intense and has gone deeper than half an inch under your mattress. In such cases, you may try a combination treatment like hot and steam treatment and leaving the affected clothes, upholstery, and furniture under the sun as well.
Another way to treat bed bug infestation is to use alcohol on the affected areas. Alcohol has a dehydrating reaction on the eggs of the bugs and destroys them. Sprinkling alcohol on the bugs will kill them instantly. However, the effect of alcohol will remain only when you spray them and not after that.
A solution of 70-90% isopropyl can however have a residual effect as well and is better preferred than others. Use a spray bottle for spraying the alcohol on the bed bugs and eggs. This can be a painstaking task, but a very effective one.
Bed bugs can also be killed by treating them with extreme cold. During winter season, this becomes an easy task as all the upholstery and furniture can be left outside under the harsh winter climate. Clothes and other smaller items can be left in the freezer for killing the bugs. You can also wash your clothes in very cold water or leave them in water along with ice cubes for killing the bugs.
Sprinkling boric acid on areas where there is bed bug infestation is another effective way to kill the bed bugs. However, after the treatment, care has to be taken to ensure that the boric acid powder is thoroughly cleaned from the areas where you reside. It is not recommended to sprinkle boric acid on your upholstery and bed as it will be difficult to remove them completely after the treatment.
Thyme oil and smoking thyme are known to repel insects and bed bugs effectively. Thyme sticks can be tied to cotton cloths and burnt near the infected areas of your house and surroundings to repel and expel these insects.
However, thyme is only a repellant and does not actually kill the bed bugs. So it has to be used in conjunction with other home remedies or to just bring the bed bugs out from their hiding places and kill them using alcohol or other methods mentioned above.
Black walnut too is known to be an effective repellant and insecticide against bed bugs. The dried tea can be used for sprinkling in areas that are infested with the bugs like the closet areas, interior areas and creases of beds etc. This will effectively kill and bring out the bed bugs from their hiding places. Once they are out in the open, it becomes easy to remove them from the areas.
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This article is ridiculously irresponsible - do some research, most of these "remedies" are ineffective i.e. alcohol has no residual effect (it evaporates) and won't kill the eggs, cold has to be VERY cold and for extended periods of time (i.e. several days near 0), boric acid has no effect, etc
It only takes a whopping 5 minutes of Googling to debunk most of this nonsense
Then how about you help us with an "HONEST" solution to remedy the BB problem because people that actually are infested have a serious life altering problem and need a real solution NOW and not search for weeks or months for failed solutions.This is why I hate the internet..
Bed Bugs are a serious issue and wreck lives and homes.My friend shot himself because he couldn't handle the everyday struggle so how about HELPING instead of debunking huh?
I bought some furniture from a person and it had bed bugs...Had in my home for 2 or 3 days My son( home from college) was bitten all over his arms, back,side, and neck from sleeping on the couch....I used an it itch cream, spray and for the itch : benadryl.... I received some remedies from my friend who had them...1.) Hot Shot (Purple bottle) is VERY VERY GOOD 2.) FABRIC softener (they hate that), I put some under my sheets 3.) Traps (by Harris - don't buy any of their other products but the bates), come 4 to a pack 3.) Dry pillows, cover, clothes etc in the dryer for 90 mins (High Heat) 5.) Vacuum and dump contents in bag outside of the house 6.) I'm trying the baby powder/talcum powder ( will keep you posted)
I have killed 5 and that was from Nov. 24 and today is Dec 14,...I think I caught it before they got out of hand.. Be patient and only take advice from others who have had to deal with it... I suggest spraying the Hot Shot Bed Bug and Flea spray everyday.... I did the whole bed, night stands,dressers, etc.....I'm praying for everyone who is or have dealt with this nighmare...God Bless!!!!!
please suggest only and don't criticize other's opinions, at least they are helping.. maybe you have something to say?
ok HERE is a REAL solution to help get rid of BED BUGS...
CO2 BOMBS WORK AWSOME!!!! Luke warm water,sugar and fast acting yeast
Check out videos on youtube on how to actually make them because THEY WORK!
I am so PROUD to give you all this REAL ANSWER to RIDDING of these life changing SOB'S!!
This article is extremely irresponsible! Talcum powder does Not kill BBs! Alcohol only works when sprayed directly on the BBs but has no residual effect at all! If you are infested, hire a professional if you can afford to. if you cannot afford to there are some things you can do. Vacuuming is important and you need to do it daily. As far as starving the bed bugs after a few weeks this is completely a myth. Adult bed bugs can survive 5 to 9 months without feeding! Cimexa Dust is much better than boric acid. it is much more effective and last longer. Cimexa is effective for up to 10 years when left undisturbed. Boric acid is effective for 30 to 60 days but not as effective as Cimexa. It's important to do some research, use common sense approach. It takes multiple steps as well. I fought these suckers for 5 months and it really irritates me when people put myths like this on the internet. Shame on you!
Use whole walnuts. Spiders hate the smell of it assuming bed bugs also hate it