Bed bugs are small blood-sucking pests that are known to infest mattresses and other places where their food, humans and other animals, sleep. They can bite humans and other animals to suck their blood, causing discomfort to them. Bed bugs or lice can infest your home undetected, and you just notice them days after they originally infest your home. You might not also feel anything when they bite you, but you may experience symptoms like skin irritation. Bed bugs are usually active at night and are commonly found in beds, headboards, mattresses, luggage, and walls.
If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation, it is best to remove them as quickly as possible because although they cannot spread diseases or bacteria, they can cause an annoying itch that won’t allow you to sleep. A professional pest control in Phoenix, Arizona will be a great help in eliminating these itchy pests. Once you get rid of them, it is best to take certain actions to prevent them from coming back. When dealing with pests, on top of our heads, we think of repellents. There are numerous known repellents for bed bugs. But today, we will talk about which ones among these bed bug repellents work and which ones do not.
Bed Bug Repellents That Work
Essential Oils
When you search for a bed bug repellent, essential oil bed bug repellent will usually appear in your searches. It is the most common and popular bed bug repellent that you can use to kill and prevent bed bugs. Before, there was not enough evidence to prove that essential oils could repel bed bugs. But now, an entomologist and his student found out in their study that essential oils alone are lethal to bed bugs, and when combined with pyrethroids, they will become even more lethal to kill bed bugs.
Heat Chamber
One way to eliminate and prevent a severe bed bug infestation is by washing your things. However, there are things in your house that are not advisable to be washed. In order to clean them, you can use heat as an excellent bed bug killer. When exposed to a dangerous temperature of heat, like 113°F, bed bugs, and their eggs will be killed.
SteamÂ
Steam is another option to put heat onto the bed bugs. Steam releases heat, and if you use the right amount of heat lethal enough for bed bugs, it will also kill them. A temperature of 212°F is said to kill bugs immediately. Steam out certain household furniture, like sofas, bed frames, and mattresses, where bed bugs usually hide. Steam them out every few days to completely prevent bed bug infestation.
Freezer
On the other side of the scale, a lower temperature can also kill bed bugs. It is said that if you leave your items in a freezer whose temperature is around 0°F or below for four days, it will kill the bed bugs present in the items. The reason for leaving the items for four days is that the bed bugs must be exposed to low temperatures long enough to kill them.
Traps
Traps are available commercially, or you can create your own. Traps detect bed bug infestation because they capture bed bugs. You can buy bed bug traps or use tape, cloth, and hot water and place it under your furniture legs. If the legs aren’t visible, place the traps beside the furniture. Then, try checking it every now and then to see if your house is indeed infested with bed bugs.
Bed Bug Repellents That Don’t Work
Consumer Pesticides/Insecticides Products
You can easily find pesticides and insecticide products readily available for you at your local market. You can find bed bug sprays, bed bug repellent plugs, or electronic bed bug repellent. However, none of these products are effective enough to kill bed bugs. An example of which is ultrasonic repellent. Ultrasonic repellent is an electronic bed bug repellent that you need to plug into your electric socket to emit a high-frequency sound that is deemed to repel pests. However, there is not enough evidence and research that these products work. Another example of a pesticide is moth balls. These types of pesticides look like a small ball or a piece of medicine that you can store in a tightly closed container. However, this, too, does not repel bed bugs. In fact, they are too dangerous to leave lying around your house as they can be digested by other animals or kids, resulting in choking and being poisoned.
Dryer Sheets
Some may put dryer sheets on their furniture; however, many sources have claimed that this method is not effective enough to kill bed bugs. In fact, there isn’t any study that can prove that tucking a dryer sheet in your furniture can repel pests like bed bugs.
Foggers
According to an entomology department in one of the states in America, over-the-counter foggers have little to no effect in eliminating bed bugs. Even if you use direct exposure for hours, foggers are not just effective enough, especially if applied incorrectly.
Rubbing Alcohol
Besides essential oils, rubbing alcohol is another bed bug repellent you will often see when you search for one. However, rubbing alcohol is not as effective as essential oils. In fact, it can only kill little to no bed bugs at all. Additionally, it is flammable and dangerous to use to repel bed bugs.
Now that you know what bed bug repellents work and what don’t, still, the best bed bug repellent is to get pest control services. Hiring a bed bug removal company is the best solution to eliminate and prevent bed bug infestations because they can get to the root cause of the infestation. They know what methods to use and where to use them, providing maximum efficacy of elimination and prevention.
