Getting rid of bed bugs with essential oils. Do they really work? How effective are essential oils in eliminating bed bugs? Can essential oils repel bed bugs? Does lavender essential really repel or kill bed bugs? This article will help you understand what essential oils are and their effectiveness in eliminating bed bugs. Read more.
Bed bugs are nasty pest and it can really be hard to sleep in an infested bed. Although bed bugs don’t post any serious health risk to human or pets, their bites are usually itchy and can hurt a lot. Their bites tend to cause rashes all over the body. Some people can develop allergic reactions, blistering and although rarely an anaphylactic reaction.
There are online searches that claim that essential oils are effective in getting rid of bed bugs. Is it true? Do they really work? Let’s find out more in this post.
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the liquid extracts from plants. It is possible to derive essential oil from any part of the plant including the leaves, flowers, stem and bark of the plant or tree.
Getting rid of bed bugs with natural remedies such as essential is admirable. You don’t have to worry the risk of being affected by chemicals. This may be the reason most people would prefer essential to repel bed bugs. But essential oils can be dangerous if not used correctly. In fact, it is advisable to use diluted form of essential not just in repelling the bed bugs but also in other home uses.
Can Essential Oils Kill Bed Bugs?
As mentioned, people tend to prefer natural methods to repel bed bugs over unknown chemicals. Why? For obvious reason, the health safety. You don’t while trying to solve a bed bug problem, you get exposed to the chemicals thus putting your health at risk.
But can essential oils kill bed bugs? Several essential oils have an amazing bed bugs bug repellent properties and area in certain condition able to kill bed bugs.
If you want to kill and repel bed bugs with essential oils, treat the infested area with clove oil, citrus oil, lavender oil, cedarwood oil and peppermint oil.
From research, bed bugs cannot die from essential oil on contact if compared to commercial insecticides. It is obvious that to kill a bed bugs on contact by essential oil it may require efforts and more times of the most effective essential oil than using an insecticide.
Essential Oils can kill bed bugs but as effective as required to solve quickly a bed bug problem. It may take time to eliminate bed bugs compared to the synthetic insecticides.
Can Essential Oils Repel Bed Bugs?
Although there have not been studies if essential oils repel bed bugs. According to a recent study done in 2018 carried by a Journal, which was done to determine the repellency of oregano essential oil on bed bugs, it was found out that oregano essential oil was somehow effective.
In the conclusion, it was stated that oregano essential showed to be more effective in repelling bed bugs compared to insect repellent. It was noted that oregano essential oil was effective in protecting against bed bug biting.
Most essential oils acts as a natural repellent. For instance, peppermint essential oil has a strong smell that can repel bed bugs, mites, ants and other pest.
To get repel bed bugs from your home or bedroom, soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and put neat their entry points or where your highly suspect they are residing. The scent of peppermint essential oil will flash the bed bugs out of their hiding place presenting you a perfect chance of killing them with other methods such using a steam cleaner or vacuum cleaner.
Does Lavender Essential Oil Really Kill or Repel Bed Bugs?
There have been studies that shows that a moderate or severe cases of infestation of bed bugs, essential (lavender) oil don’t often kill bed bugs and their eggs. But as pointed earlier, according to some studies, if there are bed bugs in your home, essential oil may help to repel the bed bugs.
In fact, if you spray lavender oil in your bed and lines once or twice in a week the bed bugs would be repelled. As put, lavender oil doesn’t kill bed bugs, but you may use to repel bed bugs. The strong scent in lavender oil does repel them.
You can combine lavender oil with tea tree oil to make a spray strong to deter bed bugs from your ho me.
Here’s how to make lavender essential bed bug repellent:
- Add 30 drops of lavender oil to 10 drops of tea tree oil
- Add 30ml of water in a spray bottle
- Mix the solution evenly
- Spray on the infested area
- Repeat this procedure twice a week for a couple of weeks until all the bed bugs are completely gone
How to Use Essential Oils to Repel Bed Bugs
Essential oils may work better as bed bug repellent. In this section we are going to discuss how to use essential oils to repel bed bugs. Most users of essential oils recommend using essential oil bed bug sprays to repel bed bugs. You can also combine with alcohol.
List of Essential Oils that Repel Bed Bugs
Here is a list of essential oil that are known to be effective in repelling bed bugs:
- Lemongrass essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Cinnamon essential oil
- Tea tree oil essential oil
- Thyme essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Orange oil
- Peppermint essential oil
Does Peppermint Essential Oil Repel Bed Bugs?
Peppermint oil is a natural bed bug repellent. It has menthol, pulegone and menthone among others as their main active ingredient. Of all these, menthol is the primary active compound that has excellent biocidal properties which makes it effective in repelling bed bugs and other pests.
- Soak cotton balls in peppermint oil
- Put the balls in cracks, crevices and where you suspect bed bugs are hiding
- Repeat the procedure twice or thrice in a week
Alternatively, prepare peppermint oil spray and treat all the possible infested areas to repel the bed bugs. You can purchase peppermint oil online – Buy on Amazon
Clove Essential Oil
To repel bed bugs effectively in your house and specifically in your bedroom, use clove essential oil. It is a natural bed bug and pest repellent. It has eugenol which is the active ingredient that not only repel bed bugs but also effective in eliminating them.
You can also use to repel fleas, wasps, flies, cockroaches and other insect. It has a strong scent that deter bed bugs – Buy on Amazon
Cinnamon Essential Oil
Here is another effective essential oil to repel and get rid of bed bugs at home. Cinnamon oil comprises of an active ingredient called cinnamaldehyde that helps control bed bugs. You can make cinnamon oil bed bug repellent and spray directly on the bed bugs or apply the oil on the infested areas and other places where you suspect the bed bugs are hiding –Buy on Amazon
Cedarwood Essential Oil
Cedarwood essential has been proved to be effective when it comes to repelling bed bugs and other insects. Just a few drops of cedarwood essential oil in infested area and the bed bugs will be gone. Cedarwood can be purchased online – Buy on Amazon
Here is how to use cedarwood oil to repel bed bugs:
- Soak cotton balls in cedarwood oil
- Put the balls in places such as cracks, bedframe, near the legs of the bed and all other places you suspect bed bugs have infested
- Repeat this procedure twice a week for a couple of weeks
Lemongrass Essential Oil
Lemongrass essential oil is also effective in repelling and getting rid of bed bugs. It has high quantity of citronella which is effective in keeping away the bed bugs from your house. Apply lemongrass oil on the bed frames, in crevices and cracks and any other bed bug rising place.
You can also make a spray of lemongrass and apply directly on the bed bugs. Add 20 drops of lemongrass to 30 ml of lemongrass. Put in a spray bottle and spray directly on the bed bugs or on the beddings and linens to repel the bed bugs. Purchase lemongrass online – Buy on Amazon
Tea Tree Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
You cannot ignore the effectiveness of tea tree oil when it comes to getting rid of bed bugs. It works by suffocating the bed bugs killing them. It also effective against ants, fleas, ticks among other several pests.
Here’s how to use tea tree oil to repel bed bugs:
- Add 20 drops to tea tree oil to 30ml of water
- Put the mixture in a spray bottle
- Spray directly on the bed bugs or spray on your bed sheets, bed linen and mattress
You can also add drops of tea tree oil in water while doing you laundry. Purchase tea tree oil online – Buy on Amazon
Conclusion
From the above article, according to studies it has been found out that certain essential oils are good in repelling bed bugs. Others are known to some percentage known to get rid of bed bugs but not as effective as the synthetic products.
To be hones essential oils are one of the best non-toxic and natural methods for repelling bed bugs. They work as natural insecticides. They oils are derived from plants which release a strong scent that tend to deter bed bugs from infesting your home.
For a severe infestation, it is important to combine other methods that work effectively to reduce the infestation fast. But a smaller infestation, just apply the essential oils and have your problem solved.
