If you consider yourself a green or environmentally friendly person, then you may not want to use pesticides in your home to get rid of pests. If you have bed bugs, then you can use some natural solutions to get rid of the infestation. You should know that it may be difficult, but not impossible, to get rid of the insects without chemicals. If you want to try the natural route first, then keep reading to find out about some tips.
Spread Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a lumpy powder that contains bits and pieces of small fossilized remains. The remains are from small water creatures called diatoms. Basically, the earthy substance is made from a variety of hard diatom bones. The skeletal remains are made up of silica. This is the same material that makes up the majority of the sand you see on the beach. However, sand is made up from a crystalline form of silica and so are rocks like quartz and feldspar. Diatom skeletons are made from an amorphous form of silica. This form of the material creates sharp edges and corners as the skeletal matter breaks and crumbles. The edges are extremely hard and are able to break through the exoskeletons of insects like fleas, ticks, and bed bugs.
Once the exoskeleton is punctured, the insect dehydrates and dies. This means that a layer of diatomaceous earth spread throughout your home is a good way to kill bed bugs.
To kill the insects effectively, purchase a large bag of diatomaceous earth. While pool grade products are much cheaper than food grade ones, you should always purchase the food grade diatomaceous earth. Pool grade products are treated differently than food ones, and this can make the powder dangerous when breathed in. For this reason, it should not be used in your home.
Once you have a bag of food grade diatomaceous earth, spread the material in areas where the bugs are likely to live. The bugs can be found in small cracks and holes of your floor, in the seams of your mattress, under your bed, in your couch, and across your carpets. Spread the material in all of these areas, making sure to place a generous amount of the material in corners.
Use Bed Bug Traps
Bed bugs feed on human blood, and the insects are nocturnal. This means that you are most likely to be bitten by a bed bug while you are sleeping. The bugs also gather around your bed so they have easy access to their food source. While some of the bugs may live in the crevices of your mattress, they will also reside underneath your bed. The bugs will then crawl up the bed, bite you, and then crawl back down. You can prevent this sort of thing from occurring by placing bed bug traps underneath your bed.
Bed bug traps are small and shallow plastic holders that contain a small amount of talcum powder. This powder gets attached to the legs and feet of the bugs and prevents them from climbing up to your bed. Once the bugs get stuck in the trap, use the steam from a steam cleaner machine to kill the bugs.
Steam cleaners can also be used across your mattress, carpets, and furniture to kill bed bugs that have not been trapped. If you use a steamer, mix a small amount of tea tree oil into the water. This oil is a powerful insecticide that can help to eradicate the bed bugs in your home. Washing clothes and your bedding with tea tress oil can help as well.
Contact a bedbug exterminator for more help.
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