Do DIY home remedies for Bed Bugs always work?
Bed bugs are a nuisance but there are several home remedies that can help eliminate them to a certain extent. These home remedies may need to be combined with other pest control techniques to achieve a desired result. While home remedies for bed bugs have shown promising results, in most case, it has been noted that bed bugs have reappeared soon after. This is mostly due to the fact that home remedies, although mostly effective, rarely removes these pests 100%. The desired 100% result is achieved only when you hire a professional to do this job. Professionals know how to remove pests from all corners and crevices of the house. Besides non professionals may misuse over the counter chemicals and end up causing more harm than good as many chemical products pose health risks if not used as per the instructions.
So, our advice to you is to save time and stay safe by hiring a professional pest control company to do the job for you. But for those of you who are confident about managing the situation on their own, here are a few bed bug home remedies that you could look into.
Home remedies for bed bug elimination
Vacuuming- Vacuuming is a great way to catch those bed bugs that are on the surface of your sofas, carpets, floors and on mattresses. But please note, some bed bugs may still be hiding away in places your vacuum may not be able to reach. So, while you may have got rid of a majority of these pests by vacuuming your entire house, some of them, along with their eggs may resurface a couple of months later.
Steam or Heat treatment- Heat treatment is known to kill bed bugs. So, you can use either steam cleaning or heat treatment to exterminate bed bugs. As explained earlier, you may need to combine a couple of methods to get rid of bed bugs completely. The stubborn ones may not be easy to get rid of.
Washing- Clothes and linens can easily be bed bug free if washed properly and then dried in a drier on high heat setting. This method along with others may help get rid of bed bugs to a good extent. If you choose to send your clothes out to a laundry, please keep in mind that this may lead to spread of bed bugs from your clothes to others in the laundromat.
Space decluttering- by decluttering, you will be giving the bed bugs less place to hide under or behind. This is a great way to constrict the bed bugs to specific locations but please remember that decluttering does not eliminate bugs. Bed bugs will find new locations to hide. So, once you have a decluttered space, kill the bugs using any or all of the above home remedies.
Encasements- Many people, specially who have bugs in their mattresses, make use of encasements. Encasements trap the bed bugs inside and may thereby give you a good night’s sleep if all bed bugs have been trapped. Use clean sheets and duvets and voila! You will have a good night’s sleep.
Essential oils- Some essential oils like peppermint, lavender, tea tree or eucalyptus oil have insecticidal properties that can repel and even kill bed bugs. Make a mixture of any of these oils with water, put in a spray bottle and spray it all over, specially in areas where you found bed bugs. These are sure to do their magic and make these pesky creatures run away.
OTC pesticides- Get those safe-to-use OTC pesticides and kill the bed bugs as per the instructions. As advised earlier, make sure to follow label instructions provided on the product, else you could end up with health issues resulting from improper use of chemicals.
Before we conclude, here are some fun facts about bed bugs.
1. Bed Bugs Are Unbelievably Ancient
Bed bugs have been around for over 100 million years! Fossil evidence suggests that they coexisted with dinosaurs, which means they have managed to adapt to the environment and survive this long!
2. Bed Bugs – not so hungry!
Bed bugs are resilient and can survive without a blood meal for months. Depending on the environment, some bed bugs are known to survive even up to a year. They turn on their hibernation mode if they do not find food.
3. Bed bugs Can Detect Carbon Dioxide
Humans breath out more carbon dioxide in a concentrated area, like a bed, which makes them easy targets. Bed bugs locate their hosts (humans in this instance) at night through carbon dioxide they breath out when asleep.
4. Fast Crawlers for Their Size
Bed bugs can crawl 4 feet per minute, which is quite fast given their size.
5. They’re Not Just Found in Beds
Bed bugs are found in sofas, curtains, behind picture frames, electrical outlets, and even in the seams of luggage. Basically, any small, dark crevice which is close to a food source can be their home.
6. Bed Bugs Are Masters of Hiding
Bed bugs can fit into the tiniest spaces! This is one of the reasons why they are so difficult to find and why infestations often go unnoticed until they become severe.
7. They Can’t Jump or Fly
Funny but true, bed bugs cannot jump or fly. They simply crawl and hitchhike to go from one place to another.
8. Their Bites Don’t Always Hurt
Bed bugs have an anesthetic in their saliva which numbs the area. This is why most people do not feel the bite in real-time. But you may feel it later, once the effect of their anesthetic wears off.
10. Bed bugs are Found Everywhere
Bed bugs don’t discriminate. You can find them in 5-star hotels, airports, movie theaters, and even high-end retail stores. They are only concerned about food, regardless of where they get it from.
Conclusion
While these fun facts made them sound interesting, the truth is you still do not want them around.
Home remedies for bed bug control may be aplenty, but it may or may not work for you. Pest control issues are best handled by experts in the field. Only professional pest control companies that have been issued a license to work in this field can be trusted to do this job best.
Golden Falcon happens to be one of the top trusted names in the pest control Dubai industry. For those of you trying to get rid of bed bugs, do call them and hire them for this or any other kind pf pest control service. These guys never disappoint. Contact Golden Falcon today, either for assessment or pest control.