Homemade Bedbug Insecticide

Bedbugs get their name because they feed more at night than daytime. Their favorite food is human blood. They don’t necessarily live in beds; they can exist anywhere in the house, and are as likely to be in a sanitary house as a dirty one. During the day they often hide in furniture, walls, floors and other nooks and crannies and are difficult to locate, even though they are visible to the naked eye. Bedbugs can transmit hepatitis and relapsing fever, according to “Encyclopedia of Family Health.”

Bedbugs and their Bites

• Bedbugs are oval, flat, wingless bugs that are reddish in color and about 1/4 inch long. They survive by sucking human blood and they feed on it for about 15 minutes at a time, mostly at night when they can prey at leisure. During the day they spend their time hiding. Their bites leave firm bumps that often appear in a cluster. Children in particular are likely to develop sensitivity to these bites, which cause intense itching that in turn can lead to the formation of blisters. The first remedy against bedbugs is treating the bedroom and the bed.

Cleaning the Bedding and Mattress

• The first line of attack against bedbugs is to thoroughly clean the bedding and the mattress. Launder bedding in water that is 120 degrees or hotter. Heating garments and bedding in a very hot clothes dryer also works. Vacuum the room and all personal items in it thoroughly. Discard the used vacuum bag immediately in a sealed bag. The book “Taking Care of Your Child” recommends exposing bedding and mattresses to fresh air and sunlight for several days to eliminate bedbugs.

Orange Oil Treatment

• Spray or wipe orange oil on crevices, bed springs, door casings, picture frames, in cracks, under furniture upholstery and behind electrical switch plates, all the areas where bedbugs hide. You can use this oil straight from the bottle. Apply it with a brush or a spray bottle. Orange oil is obtained from orange rinds and has the active ingredient d-limonene, a broad-range insecticide that kills bedbugs on contact. Many household pest control products contain this natural chemical due to its effectiveness and low toxicity to mammals.

Essential Oil Spray

• Essential oils are an effective natural way to deter bedbugs. In a fine-mist spray bottle mix 1 cup water, 10 drops lavender essential oil, 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil, 10 drops rosemary essential oil and 3 drops essential oil of clove (optional). Shake well and spray the solution on mattresses, furniture and other items in the bedbug-infested room. Essential oils are highly concentrated in their undiluted form, so take care with their use. Wear gloves when mixing the bedbug solution and remove your pets from the room before you use the spray.