Black walnut tea may help eliminate bed bugs. Simply place dried leaves or oil where you suspect the insects to be hiding, such as around furniture.
Rusty or red stains on your bedding or furniture are telltale signs of bed bug infestation, often made up of blood and excrement from these annoying critters.
Baking Soda
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an affordable household product used as an inexpensive cleaner, and many have heard that it can also kill bed bugs by absorbing moisture from their bodies and dehydrating them, eventually killing them off.
Baking soda cannot reach bed bug hiding places such as cracks in walls and furniture legs; additionally, its abrasive qualities prevent it from penetrating their tough exoskeletons to directly kill the insects.
Baking soda may be useful as an anti-fungal, and deodorizing rooms, but there is no evidence to show its efficacy against bed bugs. Instead, diatomaceous earth provides an effective natural treatment made from crushed sedimentary rock; its powder contains microscopic shards which cut through insects quickly while remaining non-toxic for humans and pets alike.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is both safe for humans and effective at eliminating bed bugs. When consumed or inhaled, diatomaceous earth eats away at the outer wax layer of their exoskeleton and dehydrates and weakens them until they die of dehydration or weakening, which then kills them off.
Food grade DE is recommended over pool/garden grade DE, as its heat treatment produces dangerous crystalline silica crystals that could potentially pose health hazards. You should wear gloves and a face mask as an extra safeguard from its rough texture.
Sprinkle DE around your box spring (since most bed bugs live beneath mattresses) and at the feet of the bed; also apply DE to cracks and crevices where bed bugs might hide; it works best to spread DE in choke points so they have to pass through it when searching for you to bite; keep vacuuming and reapplying every few days as this method can become messy!
Tea Tree Oil
Melaleuca alternifolia, commonly referred to as tea tree oil, can provide powerful insecticidal benefits against bed bugs and their eggs as well as suffocating them.
For maximum effectiveness, mix a 1:1 solution of water and tea tree oil in a spray bottle and apply directly onto areas where bed bugs may be hiding, such as cracks and crevices where they tend to congregate. Vacuum any obscure places before spraying and apply additional applications if necessary.
Baking soda may be more effective at eliminating bugs than this natural remedy, but this natural solution still proves successful. By sucking moisture out of their carapaces and dehydrating them, it works effectively against bug invasion. When combined with traps or other preventive measures it becomes even more effective.
Diatomaceous earth can be found at most hardware stores and online retailers, and is made from naturally occurring sedimentary rock crushed into fine particles. Use it similarly to diatomaceous earth in your home by spreading it around in layers. Vacuum regularly to eliminate bugs.
Talcum Powder
As with baking soda, talcum powder dehydrates bed bugs and makes escape more difficult for them. Apply it liberally around bed bug hotspots such as under bedroom furniture. Or create traps using it by placing a bowl underneath your mattress covered with the powder so the bugs will fall into it and are unable to escape!
Tea tree oil contains antifungal, antiseptic, and insecticidal properties which make it effective against bed bugs. Diatomaceous earth also dries them out – just be sure to buy food or pool grade DE as breathing in its powder could be dangerous.
Heat and cold traps can also help combat bed bugs. Place any affected clothing or linens into the dryer on high temperature setting to kill the insects, and cover your mattress and box spring with protective covers to protect it against future infestation. Any items that you cannot wash and dry should be sealed in plastic bags and frozen to kill off future bed bug outbreaks.