What herb helps against bedbugs in an apartment, why don’t bedbugs like it?

Insecticidal preparations for the destruction of parasites in homes began to be actively used in everyday life relatively recently. Just a few decades ago, exclusively folk remedies were used to expel blood-sucking insects, mainly various plants with a pronounced aroma.

It is possible and necessary to use herbs against bedbugs; they act extremely gently, preventing the appearance of parasites in the house and forcing them to leave the home.

They are completely safe for children, adults, pets, and can be used in residential premises for any purpose.

To find out which herbs bedbugs are afraid of and which of them help against parasites in the apartment, it is recommended that you read the following article.

How do bedbugs perceive odors?

Bedbugs do not have the respiratory organs and lungs we are accustomed to. They need a small amount of oxygen to live. Their respiratory system consists of tracheas that extend out into the abdomen. That is, bedbugs do not have a nose as such, and the oral apparatus is not associated with breathing. Bed bugs sense scents through their olfactory sensilla, which are very small hairs on their heads. These hairs sense aromatic molecules and send a signal to the brain, which the brain interprets. Bed bugs pick up scents from up to a meter away. They are especially attracted by the human scent that lingers on bedding and clothing. There is an opinion that bedbugs are attracted not so much by the smell, but by the heat and carbon dioxide emitted by humans.

14) Computer system unit

It is difficult to call household appliances any habitat for bedbugs. Much more it attracts other unpleasant neighbors of humans from among insects - cockroaches. However, there are many cases where parasites were found inside various household equipment. Most often, in such a situation we are talking about either a microwave oven or a computer system unit.

These types of household appliances heat up during operation; there are quite a few dark places inside the structure; in addition, the devices are constantly used by humans, who emit carbon dioxide during breathing, which bedbugs really like. The result of all these factors is that the parasite chooses a system unit or a microwave oven as a hiding place.

What smells do bedbugs dislike?

Odorous substances from the class of aldehydes (alcohols), ketones, and some other groups of organic compounds are repulsive to bed bugs. These are, for example, octanal, nonanal, decanal sulcatone and others. These aldehydes are present in plant essential oils, which is why plants are most often used to repel parasites.

Bed bugs cannot tolerate very concentrated odors. The easiest way to apply a very strong aroma against these insects is to use essential oils, as well as those parts of plants that contain these same oils.

Bedbug repellent odors:

1. Cinnamon. It combines benzyl benzoate, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol, which are unpleasant to insects. They are found in oil, cinnamon sticks, and dried flowers. You can place cinnamon sticks or flowers, as well as oil-soaked sachets or cotton pads in different places, including near the bed. People, as a rule, are calm about the aroma of cinnamon, but bedbugs cannot stand it.
2. Carnation. But not everyone likes the aroma of cloves; many consider it heavy. Cloves, as well as other plants of their myrtle family, contain large quantities of eugenol, from which house bugs keep their distance.
3. Lemongrass. The combination of limonene and citronellol, on the other hand, is liked by many people and seems refreshing. It repels bedbugs. Limonene is also found in citrus fruits, such as orange, which can also be used in the fight against bed bugs.
4. Ylang-ylang. This tree is also known as fragrant cananga. It contains the aldehyde heptanal, which repels bedbugs.
5. Lavender. The aroma of lavender is calming and can even improve sleep. Dry lavender sprigs or essential oil in a sachet can often be found in the bedroom. Lavender also effectively fights insects: moths, mosquitoes, bedbugs.
6. Mint. The aroma of mint is pleasant to people and is also enjoyed by cats and other pets. Peppermint contains menthol and terpenes, which keep bedbugs at bay.
7. Oregano (oregano), thyme (thyme), wild bergamot are similar subtle aromas, very light and pleasant for humans. But they contain thymol and carvacrol, which in high concentrations can repel bed bugs.
8. Tea tree. One of the most famous and widespread essential oils with a pungent odor that repels parasites. This happens thanks to terpinene, which is part of this oil. To make the bedbug-repellent smell more intense, tea tree oil is mixed with water and a little 9% vinegar is added.
9. Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus oil, which contains menthoglycol, has a pungent odor that literally knocks bedbugs off their feet. This aroma makes insects lose their ability to navigate.
10. Neem tree. It contains azadirachtin and several other components that can not only repel insects with their aroma, but can also destroy them.

It is worth noting that natural oils act against bedbugs. Essential oils are also synthetic, but their effects have not been proven in laboratory tests. Perhaps they also repel bedbugs, but they do it less intensely than natural ones.

Marsh wild rosemary

Advice! Dalmatian chamomile contains especially a lot of natural insecticide. There is much less of this substance in pharmaceutical chamomile.

• collect recently blossomed flower baskets;
• dry the collected raw materials at a temperature of 35-40 degrees;
• grind dried flowers into powder, you can simply grind the raw materials using a coffee grinder or blender;
• the resulting powder should be used as dust. That is, the powder is sprinkled inside bedroom furniture, under the mattress, in pillowcases and other places where bedbugs can live.

In these cases, folk methods based on the special properties and odors of individual plants and liquids come to the fore. But you should understand that fighting bedbugs at home with folk remedies is a long and not always effective way of getting rid of them.

Are bedbugs afraid of alcohol?

Alcohols can kill bedbugs if you pour this odorous liquid into a nest of pests. Alcohol literally dissolves the chitinous shell of young insects if it gets directly onto the body. The smell of alcohol is unpleasant for bedbugs, but not so unpleasant that they will leave. Ethyl and isopropyl alcohols erode quickly, so they need to be renewed very often, for example, by wiping the surfaces every few hours or spraying them with a spray bottle. Ammonia is more persistent and odorous, and is often used to repel insects.

Vinegar

Found in any housewife's kitchen. Apple and wine vinegar have a characteristic odor, but practice shows that ordinary table vinegar with a concentration of 6-9% helps get rid of bed bugs the fastest.

Having prepared the solution, it is sprayed on the bed and other places that are potentially suitable for the construction of a nest by bed bugs. The liquid is transparent, so it does not leave stains on wooden, metal, plastic surfaces, fabrics (with rare exceptions).

After finishing the treatment, you need to leave the room for at least a few hours, tightly closing the doors and windows. It is convenient to do it, for example, before leaving for work. Upon return, the room is well ventilated.

The procedure is repeated daily for a week and a half. A constant unpleasant, pungent odor forces bed bugs to go in search of a more comfortable habitat.

How to use scents to control bedbugs

There are several ways to use scented substances to repel insects. The easiest way to make an aromatic spray is to fill a spray bottle with water and add 20 drops of essential oil to it. This amount is enough for 0.5 liters of water. Shake the solution and spray it onto surfaces and objects where bedbugs may be present.

Essential oils can be mixed, such as lavender and tea tree, eucalyptus and lemongrass. Or you can even create your own mixture by combining a variety of fragrant ingredients. You can add essential oils not only to water, but also to vodka or alcohol.

Important: before spraying, make sure that you and all family members like the smell or at least does not irritate it. Some materials absorb odors and continue to smell for a very long time, for example, this applies to the upholstery of sofas or armchairs. If you apply a mixture to them that causes headaches or is simply unpleasant to someone in the household, it will be very difficult to get rid of the smell.

You can apply undiluted oil to the surface, but this must be done carefully. Oil can damage some facing materials and change their color or texture. Do not coat objects that are constantly visible with oil. This method is more suitable for the back walls and internal compartments of cabinet and upholstered furniture, baseboards, cracks in walls, legs of beds, sofas, armchairs, tables and other invisible places.

A very convenient and simple way is to drip oil onto cotton pads and place them in different parts of the apartment. If you place such an oil disk on a hot battery, the smell from it will emanate more intensely. But the battery needs to be updated with discs and oil more often. If the smell becomes too strong or begins to irritate you, you can simply remove the discs.

Instead of oil drops, you can use incense sticks soaked in oil - one or a composition. Such sticks are simply placed in small vases, placed in cabinets or set on fire on a special rack. When ignited, smoke begins to smoke with a rather intense aroma. But you need to be careful: some incense is too heavy for humans.

You can also use liquid oils in aroma lamps. A lit lamp with oil can be left in a closed and unventilated room, and then ventilate the room. Be careful because the lamp contains a flame that can cause a fire. Instead of a traditional aroma lamp, you can use an air humidifier with simultaneous aromatization. Some humidifier models have a compartment where essential oils drip. During operation, the device not only humidifies the air in the apartment, but also gives it aroma.

Chamomile against bloodsuckers

Not all plants called chamomile contain this substance. For example, medicinal chamomile contains fewer natural insecticides, and the results from its use are not impressive. Dalmatian chamomile, also called tansy cinerarialis, effectively destroys bloodsuckers. It is cultivated for the production of pyrethrins and as an ornamental plant.

Pyrethrum powder is made from dried Dalmatian chamomile, which in ancient times was called Dalmatian or Persian. Before the advent of insecticides, it was successfully used to combat bedbugs, ticks and even helminths. It retains its effect after use for one to two days.

Insecticidal substances are contained throughout the plant, but their greatest concentration is concentrated in the inflorescences. Dalmatian chamomile is collected during the flowering period. Dry in a dry, ventilated area, protecting from sunlight. You can dry chamomile in the oven or electric dryer. Dried inflorescences are stored in a dark and cool place.

How to use plants against bedbugs

The most ancient way is to lay out or hang bunches of fresh or dried herbs in different parts of the apartment. Decorative sachet pillows filled with dried herbs and flowers look very beautiful. If you have the opportunity to collect or buy, you can use thyme, cloves, mint, and lavender to repel bedbugs. By the way, the same lavender or mint can be planted in a pot; they grow well as house plants in an apartment on the windowsill.

What plants repel bedbugs:

• sagebrush;
• tansy;
• wild rosemary;
• lavender;
• pharmaceutical camomile;
• calamus - it is sold dried in the pharmacy;
• garlic - cloves or garlic pulp are placed inside the furniture, but this remedy is weak, and besides, not all people like the smell of garlic in the house.

From the herbs listed above, you can prepare a concentrated decoction or infusion and spray it around the apartment using spray equipment.

9) Wardrobes

Cabinet furniture rarely attracts bedbugs and is rarely used as daytime shelter. But it is necessary to take into account the possibility that the parasite gets inside the closet along with bedding or clothing. Another common option in which the parasite chooses this type of furniture for permanent residence is if the closet is located in close proximity to the bed or sofa used by residents for sleeping.

In addition, do not forget that as the number of bedbugs increases, they can be found almost everywhere. This equally applies to cabinet furniture in the form of wardrobes, sets or separate cabinets. Especially often, insects hide in the joints of individual parts or on the back surface of the cabinet, facing the wall.

Be careful!

When working with any sharp and concentrated odors, remember that they can cause headaches or nausea, malaise, allergic reactions, weakness, and dizziness. Moreover, such a deterioration in well-being can occur in everyone, especially in elderly relatives, children, and people with chronic diseases. Domestic cats and dogs may also react poorly to strong odors. If anyone shows signs of illness, immediately stop using aromatic products and ventilate the apartment.

Is it possible to kill bedbugs with odors?

Bedbugs do not like strong odors; they prefer to stay away from objects and rooms that smell of substances that are unpleasant to them. But bedbugs are not afraid of them enough to retreat completely. If bedbugs are already infested in your apartment, you won’t be able to get rid of them using odorous products alone. Not a single folk remedy will help destroy pests. If the bug senses that there is a victim nearby, that is, a person, then not a single smell will stop it.

If you don't want to use chemicals for some reason, you can try physical methods. Insects do not tolerate heat well and are afraid of bugs and frost. So you can freeze out a house, but it’s more difficult to do this with an apartment in an apartment building. But you can treat all things and surfaces in the apartment with a steam generator. At temperatures above 60 degrees, both bedbugs and their eggs die.

Bed bugs are also afraid of bright light, but when the light is turned on, they simply run away and hide in linen, furniture, cracks, peeling wallpaper, etc. And when darkness falls, they will come back. It will not be possible to remove bedbugs with light, as well as with almost all other folk methods.

Temperature difference

Most of all, bedbugs are afraid of temperature changes. The favorable temperature for their habitat is above zero, reaching 20-30 °C. Lowering it by 10-15 degrees has a bad effect on their reproduction. If they are poisoned in this way for a long time, the bloodsuckers will leave and find other owners where they will feel comfortable. In winter, you can open the windows in your apartment for 2-3 days so that bedbugs leave your home. Temporary ventilation will not help.

The methods listed above repel bloodsuckers, but will not help get rid of them forever. Therefore, the best option is to contact special services that will carry out disinfestation, or purchase effective means for killing bedbugs.

What products are effective against bedbugs?

All odorous substances only repel insects and keep them at a distance for some time. Pests adapt over time and stop paying attention to odors. You can use aromatic herbs, plants, essential oils, and also wipe surfaces with odorous substances - vinegar, ammonia or even turpentine - as an additional preventive measure, and this is when the bedbugs have already been destroyed with special chemicals. Substances with a strong odor can briefly prevent bedbugs from migrating into your apartment from your neighbors. But they will not be able to destroy pests that have already entered your home. They will also not be able to protect against bites.

If bedbugs actually appear and are bothering you, you need to take immediate action. Treat things and the entire premises yourself or call exterminators. For self-disinfestation, you can use Medilis-Ziper. If you follow the manufacturer's recommendations and follow safety precautions, you can fight bedbugs effectively, quickly and inexpensively. Having prepared the working solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it is necessary to treat the habitats and possible settlement of bedbugs. The residual effect of the product on insects is 1.5-3 months. If you rely on folk remedies, you may miss the time during which bedbugs will significantly increase their numbers, and the fight against them will become much more difficult.

Advantages and disadvantages

The use of medicinal herbs as an antiparasitic agent has a wide range of advantages, but some disadvantages can be identified.

The main advantages of using herbs are:

• For preventive treatment of the room, you can use chamomile and lavender. The strong smell of these plants will help repel bedbugs, while being very pleasant to humans. The presence of such herbs will help give the room a particularly pleasant atmosphere.
• Natural components act especially gently, without having an aggressive negative effect on the human condition, such as, for example, various insecticidal agents, which are based on chemical toxic substances. You can use natural raw materials even in a house where small children live.
• Before processing the room, there is no need for lengthy preparatory measures; it is enough to just carry out wet cleaning and wash the floor.
• Most insecticides are expensive, but using natural raw materials will help avoid significant material costs.

As for the disadvantages, these include the low effectiveness of herbs; most of them only repel parasites without having a harmful effect on them.

In addition, when treating a room, you can only get rid of adult insects; unpleasant odors do not have any effect on the eggs.

The disadvantages also include some danger posed by certain types of plants, for example, wild rosemary and tansy. Inhalation of vapors from fresh inflorescences by a person can cause severe intoxication of the body, suffocation, coughing, and acute headache.

Persons with children or pets should use such products with particular caution.