Bedbug Control: Effective Folk Remedies for Getting Rid of Pests

Bed bugs and linen bugs can appear even in a clean and comfortable home. These warm-blooded insects live near people and feed on their blood. These tiny parasites are difficult to spot, but once they appear, they quickly infest your home: a single female can lay about five eggs per day. Bed bug bites are painful. The situation is further complicated by the fact that these insects carry dangerous infectious diseases and can trigger allergies.

Recommendations for fighting bed bugs

During the long and tedious battle with bedbugs, many remedies have been discovered that can get rid of these insects. Today, there is a huge selection of folk remedies if you decide to fight parasites without using household chemicals.

Before choosing a specific remedy, you should know a few rules. It's important to begin effective bedbug control immediately: choosing the wrong method and one that doesn't produce visible results will not only fail to get rid of them, but will also waste time that could otherwise be used to address the problem.

If insects appear in the house:

1. Take an objective look at the situation: folk remedies are effective if there are few parasites in the apartment and their exact location is known.
2. Don't delay in starting the fight: as soon as you discover bedbugs in your home, look for a remedy against them.

Before dealing with bed bugs, remove pets from the house. It's best to dry clean bedding, but first, expose it to low or high temperatures. If the problem is discovered in winter, freeze the entire apartment by opening windows and balconies for 5-6 hours. Insects are afraid of frost and die from it.

If you decide to fight the infestation without using any additional means, then in addition to cold, boiling water will also help. If you've found a bedbug infestation (in mattresses, pillows, or sofas), apply heat, soak, and wash the area. Repeat this process a week later.

Bedbugs most often form their colonies in the sleeping mattress.

Healthy recipes

There are several simple recipes that are most often used when faced with the problem of these parasites:

1. Mix soap, kerosene, and water in a ratio of 7:20:10. Spray the mixture onto all rooms and furniture (except clothing, dishes, and personal hygiene items).
2. Take a bar of laundry soap and grate it. Mix the resulting shavings with carbon disulfide, then add kerosene. Next, pour the entire mixture through a funnel into a suitable-sized plastic bottle. Then mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio and treat all rooms in the house. Repeat the procedure after a week.
3. Mix ammonia and turpentine in a 5:1 ratio. Treat all rooms in the house or apartment.

Note: The methods described are effective until the peak infestation occurs, that is, while there are only a few bed bugs in the apartment. In advanced cases, resorting to powerful chemical control agents is inevitable.

Folk remedies

Parasites are afraid of temperature changes, strong odors, and mechanical actions (for example, an insect can be easily killed with a running vacuum cleaner or the classic way - by crushing it with house slippers).

Throughout the history of the fight against bedbugs, humanity has discovered many ways to get rid of them.

Vinegar

Regular table vinegar is effective in killing bedbugs. Its advantage is that it's safe for humans and pets and inexpensive. However, in most cases, it only acts as a repellent, not a killer.

The secret to using vinegar is simple: the stronger the solution, the more effective the solution. When treating, apply the solution to all areas of the apartment, including furniture and surrounding objects. Pay special attention to hard-to-reach places: cracks under window sills, ventilation grilles, and baseboards. Remember that bed bugs live not only in pillows and mattresses.

The most famous recipes using acetic acid solution can be highlighted:

• Vinegar + wormwood decoction. A good remedy whose pungent smell helps repel insects. It's good for smearing areas where bedbugs enter the house.
• Naphthalene + vinegar + 90% alcohol solution. Mix the components in equal parts, and spray the insects with the solution.

Boric acid

If you have children in the house, boric acid is your best bet for bedbug control. It's non-toxic and completely safe for children and pets. When it comes into contact with the insect, the acid corrodes and dries it out, and also affects the bedbug's digestive system.

The product is often used as bait for bed bugs. However, these insects don't respond to liquid traps, so the acid should be purchased in powder form. This is sprinkled onto the areas where bed bugs are present.

When boric acid powder gets on the bedbug's body, it first causes itching and then drying out.

Herbs (tansy, wormwood, chamomile, lavender, mint, wild rosemary, etc.)

Herbs, flowers, and plants have a pungent odor that is unpleasant to insects. They are most effective when harvested in August and September.

Fresh bunches of wormwood or tansy flowers are placed in areas where bedbugs are likely to appear to repel them. An infusion of these herbs is applied to children's bodies before bed to prevent bedbug bites. This remedy can cause paralysis in the insects.

Valerian infusion has an interesting effect on parasites. It works not by repelling the insects, but by attracting them: when they emerge from their hiding places to the bait, other control methods can be used that can cope with larger numbers of bedbugs.

Wild rosemary, commonly known as bedbug tea, has a distinct aroma and is classified as a poisonous plant. To destroy parasites that feed on human blood, wild rosemary must be collected between August and October. During these months, the plant contains a significant amount of essential oils. It is used in crushed form and also burned (in this case, the bed bugs are affected by fumigation).

For pest control, celandine is best harvested from May to July during rainless weather. An infusion of this plant is used to treat rooms. For the most concentrated solution, steep the celandine in water for two weeks, using a ratio of 1.5 cups of powder per 10 liters of water.

Chamomile, harmless to humans, is poisonous to bedbugs. It contains pyrethrin, which kills the parasites. Freshly picked flowers are crushed and scattered in areas where insects are found or appearing.

Bedbugs also cannot stand the smell of calamus and bay leaves, mint and lavender.

It's important to remember: When using plants, first ensure that you and your children are not allergic to the herbs or infusions in question. The same applies to the effects of essential oils.

Photo Gallery: Plants in the Fight Against Pests

Kerosene and denatured alcohol

Kerosene and denatured alcohol have both advantages and disadvantages in bed bug control. It is important to remember that these substances can be harmful to human health, are flammable and emit a strong odor.

It's best to use a respirator and be sure to do this when no one is present, including pets, in the room. The main advantage of kerosene and denatured alcohol is their affordability. Their low price makes them readily available, and finding one won't take long.

Kerosene affects bedbugs as follows: when inhaled, it suffocates the insect by blocking its air supply. Theoretically, the parasite should die. But in reality, this only happens if it's completely doused with the substance. Another problem is that even spraying kerosene directly on the insects won't reach and kill them all—a significant number will remain in the room. Another major drawback of this product is that it is unable to kill the parasite's eggs.

Kerosene is used both in its pure form and as part of solutions based on it.

The substance is applied to areas where bedbugs appear or congregate. It's useful for repelling the parasites and is also suitable as an extermination method—for example, when it's necessary to destroy insect nests in sofas and mattresses.

It is important to remember safety precautions when using kerosene, as it is highly flammable.

Tar and laundry soap

If bedbugs appear in your apartment, bedding should be washed exclusively with tar soap or laundry soap. Their distinctive scent repels the insects, and their antibacterial properties help maintain cleanliness.

Laundry soap is a commonly used ingredient in various bedbug control recipes.

Tar soap has an antibacterial and antiseptic effect: it is used to prevent the appearance of bedbugs and to repel them.

Alabaster with vanilla

An old and proven method used to attract bedbugs and then exterminate them is alabaster mixed with vanillin. The mixture is sprinkled on sofas and mattresses. It repels the blood-sucking insects.

Vanillin is also mixed with baking soda and this safe powder is sprinkled on contaminated furniture, household items, and pet fur. This method is harmless, but the results are obvious.

Copper sulfate

Copper sulfate (copper sulfate) is diluted with water and sprayed on areas where parasites accumulate.

When renovating, the substance can be mixed with wallpaper glue—this will repel bedbugs in the future and ensure a mold-free home. This method is safe for both humans and animals.

To get rid of parasites, the area where they live is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.

Essential oils

Many rich and aromatic essential oils have a strong odor, which has a detrimental effect on bed bugs.

Concentrates of clove, geranium, tea tree, rosemary, and eucalyptus are effective in combating parasites. These oils are sprayed or applied directly to the skin. Aromatherapy lamps, which can repel insects, are also used.

Bay leaf

Bay leaves have an aroma that bedbugs cannot stand (the fresher the plant, the stronger it is).

An infusion made from this plant is effective for wet cleaning and treating carpets, after which they are air-dried. Floors and furniture in the home are also treated with a concentrated solution. To kill bedbugs, bay leaves are used twice a day for a week. The method is safe for people and pets.

Bay leaves used in cooking have a specific aroma that is unpleasant for bedbugs.

Mustard

Bedbugs also can't stand the smell of regular mustard. Mustard powder is used to get rid of the parasites. It is sprinkled under baseboards, on wooden bed frames, and in all recesses of furniture. The powder should be refreshed regularly, as the smell of fresh mustard is unbearable for bedbugs—they flee from areas where the powder is sprinkled.

When doing repairs, dry mustard is added to the glue for additional insect repellent and prevention.

Buckwheat powder is great because it's natural and safe for all household members—it doesn't cause allergies or other respiratory problems. This bedbug-killing remedy can be used regularly.

Mustard powder is scattered throughout the room or used as an additive to wallpaper glue.

Technical and ammonia alcohol

The premises are treated with industrial alcohol to completely eliminate bedbugs. Afterwards, all rooms in the house are thoroughly ventilated. The home is cleaned again after five days. Wear a respirator during this procedure. It's best to leave the apartment and remove pets if the smell of ammonia persists.

Bedbugs cannot stand the smell of ammonia. If it's constantly present in the apartment, the parasites may escape. An effective method is to place alcohol infusions in narrow bottles in hidden and inaccessible places.

You can pour denatured alcohol on bedbugs and insect larvae - it kills them.

Resin and turpentine

Turpentine is a resin found in coniferous trees. When processed, it becomes turpentine. Its toxic and pungent odor can kill bedbugs, so this compound is used to treat rooms.

Using the product may affect people's well-being, so it's best to leave the home for at least 24 hours after treating the rooms. A repeat treatment should be performed after five days.

Cedar oil, resin, and pine essential oils are all things that bedbugs don't like, and the strong smell of pine needles and resin can repel insects.

Video: Effective Home Remedies for Bed Bugs

Reviews

I had the same problem about three years ago. I started getting pimples on my arms and legs. I thought I had an allergy, but it turns out I'd been devoured by these bastards for about a month. They were discovered in the sofa upholstery during a general cleaning; it was a terrible sight. Then, during a search, they also found them under the wallpaper, baseboards, in electrical outlets, and other crevices. The problem was solved by pouring poison into the cracks—I don't remember what kind—and within a week they were gone. We didn't boil the clothes or sell anything, but the sofa upholstery had to be thoroughly cleaned. Good luck in the war. It's either you or them.

Not long ago, I read about a folk remedy for bedbugs. Bring a common forest bug in from outside, and your pets disappear. My son had bedbugs in his rented apartment in St. Petersburg. When he told me about them, I told him about this method. Luckily, it was early fall, and he found a forest bug and said the bedbugs in the apartment were gone. It's a shame it's winter now, so you won't be able to try this method. These bugs can only be killed with malathion, but the smell is terrible, and it takes years to go away.

You should smear your furniture with kerosene; the smell will drive away not only bedbugs, but even your neighbors! It really does work! In the old days, when bedbugs appeared in a house, they would freeze it out, i.e., open all the windows and doors wide and go visit neighbors or relatives for three days. But this was only necessary in severe frost.

Folk remedies are effective if bed bugs have just appeared in an apartment or if only a small number are detected. Large infestations are best addressed through a team effort, coordinating with neighbors who are also bothered by these blood-sucking insects. In such cases, chemicals are used or specialized teams are called in.