Bed bugs are hitchhiking pests that can invade your home travelling on luggage, backpacks, clothing, and second-hand items. Once they enter your home, anything will hardly stop them from nesting and spreading around.
Anyway, there are plenty of things that bed bugs viciously dislike, and it wouldn’t do any harm if you prepared a thoughtful prevention strategy to stay on the safe side. Below, you will find a list of things bed bugs are proven to hate.
Light
Bed bugs spend the day hiding and wait for the night to go out hunting for fresh human blood. Generally speaking, the light keeps them alert and won’t let them unveil at their full potential. Anyway, it will neither kill them nor make them go away for good. Only professional bed bug treatment will do the magic with no exceptions.
Heat
High temperatures are deadly for bed bugs, and that’s why bed bug heat treatment is so effective at the end of the day. We are not discussing summer heat here, but specialised high-temperature washing, hot water extraction, or steam. These usually are accessible in the service catalogues of any bed bug exterminators around.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is a nightmare for many pests, bed bugs, including. This unique powder made from fossilised algae can kill the intruders by causing severe dehydration upon contact. Also, the diatomaceous earth’s smell is sharp and intense – something bed bugs dislike in general.
Smells and odours
You can also use basic and essential oils to create an unwelcoming environment for your undesired inmates. Some of the scents that bed bugs seriously despise include:
- Lavender oil;
- Tea tree oil;
- Paraffin oil;
- Spearmint or Peppermint oil;
- Blood orange oil;
- Silicone oil;
- Neem oil.
Each of these alternatives had revealed some decent results in clinical testing, and anyway: they only produce limited effects and are inefficient for when a widespread bed bug infestation is present.
Other herbs, fruits, and spices
Other well-known herbs, fruits, and spices that repulse bed bugs incorporate:
- Cinnamon;
- Powdered pepper;
- Lemons and other citruses;
- Rubbing alcohol.
In fact, bed bugs are also repelled by pheromones secreted by the bed bug nymphs, or baby bed bugs. This is yet only true for male bed bugs, so it is not an effective method of battling an infestation in the long run.
Professional bed bug exterminators
Okay, so this is indeed one thing that bed bugs genuinely hate. Professional bed bug control is the only proven way to get rid of bed bug colonies for good. It comprises bed bug heat treatment, bed bug spray treatment, or a combination of both.
Each professional exterminator will determine their course of action depending on the location and severity of the problem. All you need to do is reach out and let the licensed specialists do what they’re best at making your life easier and healthier.
