Which natural bedbug pesticides really work revealed in new study

Thursday, February 11, 2016 by: PF Louis
Tags: bedbugs, natural pesticides, home remedies

---

(NaturalNews) Not so long ago, the idea of bedbugs contaminating middle-class homes, decent hotel or motel rooms and even cruise ship passenger cabins was far-fetched. But bedbugs have become more ubiquitous than ever before, appearing in locations that you wouldn't normally think would be infested with bedbugs.

So it's wise to know how to control them naturally, without chemicals that harm you yet with enough clout to rid yourself of these parasitic pests.

Bedbugs are small, brown, wingless insects around the size of apple seeds. Like ticks and mosquitoes, they feed exclusively on mammalian blood. After they dine, they may turn a reddish color. They run about very quickly and know how to hide in bedding, wait until nightfall, and feed on sleeping humans and animals.

Some don't notice the bites at first. Others become very annoyed with the itchiness from their bites and can't sleep. Some may experience clusters of five or so bites that create welts, and there are those isolated incidents of extreme allergic reactions as well.

If no immediate extreme harm or discomfort is experienced, be assured that bedbug bites disappear within a week or two. Simple washing can help relieve itching.

Using human- and pet-friendly commercially sold pesticides against bedbug infestation

Rutgers University researchers recently tested 11 non-synthetic chemical insecticide products for their effectiveness against bedbugs and published their results in the Journal of Economic Entomology. Nine were commercially sold essential-oil-based natural bug pesticides, and two were natural detergents which claim that they're effective for insect control.

Of all 11 products, they found only two that were over 90 percent effective at eliminating bedbugs and their eggs. Those two were EcoRaider and Bed Bug Patrol. The researchers warned that their best results were from direct spraying, but the ability of bedbugs to hide in tiny crevices makes direct spraying difficult.

DIY home methods for spotting and combating bed bugs

These little pests emit an odor to communicate with each other. If you have a keen sense of smell, you may be able to "sniff them out." They may also leave a few of their own dead bodies around in the form of exoskeletons, their brown outer shells.

And they may leave their poop around that shows up as tiny black specks. Then there are those little white eggs in cracks and crevasses or bedding folds. Here is a video that explains how to make your own low-cost bedbug traps, an integral aspect of the war on bedbugs.

Another aspect is heat: Try heavy steam cleaning of the room that's infested and running the bedding through the wash with hot water, then drying it in high heat for at least a half-hour.

While waiting for the dryer to finish, place the bed over those traps you made as instructed in the video. And here are some suggestions for inexpensive, non-synthetic chemical safeguards.

Pyrethrum is a special dried flower extract from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium and C. coccineum plants. It acts like an insecticide without harming humans or animals.

Beauveria bassiana is a fungus that grows in soil and can be purchased as a spray or powder that's deadly to bedbugs but friendly to humans and animals.

Essential oils such as tea tree, oregano and manuka oils can be sprayed on bedding and in its immediate area with no concerns of poisoning anyone or anyone's pets. They have demonstrated effectiveness for eliminating bedbugs and can also be used to treat their bites.

Food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE) is an inexpensive dry, white powder easily ordered online in large bags.

Strategically placed or inserted, this powder will stick to the bugs, and the silica fragments will create enough havoc with those exoskeleton shells to force death upon the pests. Food-grade DE is also ingested by humans and animals to eliminate parasites.

Sources for this article include:

http://entomologytoday.org

http://www.naturalnews.com

https://www.youtube.com

http://www.naturalnews.com