Daily Archives: October 27, 2014

Youve probably read or heard about the horror stories associated with the small insects that feed on human blood in the night. They attack when you are sleeping and are quite adaptable in most of the environments catering to humans. This is the life of a bed bug and contrary to popular belief they surround themselves beyond unsanitary and unkempt conditions even striking the ritziest of five-star hotels. While professional extermination is almost always the only way to eliminate the problem, there are a few home remedies associated with the dreaded bed bug.

Waiting until the night to attack their victims, the small nocturnal insect known as the bed bug belongs to the family Cimicidae, which is known to feed on blood. While humans are commonly referred to as the main sufferers of this pest, the bed bug also seeks out other warm-blooded hosts for their meals. With a past that traces back to ancient history, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has learned to successfully adapt to the same living spaces as humans [1].

With a preference to temperate climates, the bed bug is often found in warm temperatures, especially in locales such as Florida and the tropics of West Africa and South America. It is there that various species of the bed bug infest poultry, bats, humans, and other types of birds.

When the bed bug reaches maturity, it is reddish brown in color with a flattened, oval appearance. On their body, microscopic hairs give off a banded appearance. They possess no wings. Some people believe that bed bugs are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. This is not the case, as some adults reach length of 4 to 5 millimeters (which translates into 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch). Their size is comparable to that of an apple seed. Since bed bugs are extremely shy and wary of others, an infestation of the insect is quite hard to pinpoint [2].

When feeding, the bed bug is typically active only at night with the most activity taking place an hour before dawn. Using two hollow tubes, the bed bug pierces the skin of their host and draws blood. One tube injects an anticoagulant into their victim, while the other tube is used for blood extraction. Average feeding times are about five minutes, where the bug then returns to their place of hiding. At the time of the bite, a victim is unaware, although late reactions come minutes to hours later.

In the home, the bed bug seeks many different places to hide during the day, including linens, drapery, headboards, desks, nightstands, artwork frames, mattresses, and clothing [3]. With the use of a flashlight, you may find a bed bug crawling about at night. Additional signs, such as blood spots help detect an infestation.

The best way to detect a bed bug infestation is to call upon a professional, who will complete an inspection of your home. In case you wish to analyze your surroundings before hiring someone out of the Yellow Pages, some of the signs to seek out include:

Even though you may display bed bug bites on your body that occur during the night, this is not a sure sign that a bed bug was the culprit.

Originally posted here:
Effective Home Remedies for Bed Bugs - Grandma's Home Remedies

Get rid of bed bugs and avoid bed bugs bites with home remedies. Getting bed bug bites are every individuals worst nightmare, especially if it is your own bed at home. It can bite at all possible areas in your body, causing itching, rashes and blisters around the affected area. The fear of the thought that the crawling, creepy pests are hiding in your bedroom is good enough to keep you awake throughout the night. So, with an intention to make your sleep peaceful, I would like to provide following remedies for freeing your rooms from bed bug attacks.

Any clothes or items coming in contact with the infected bed like linens, shirts, bed sheets, etc. need to be washed properly with hot water. Bed bugs cannot withstand very hot water and the easiest way to kill them is to use extremely hot water while washing.

Once the fabrics are washed properly, try to vacuum out the dreaded creatures from your computers, tables, wardrobes, cots, mattresses, etc. Bed bugs love hiding in corners or cracks which are generally inaccessible and need to be sucked out with the application of vacuum.

After vacuuming, wipe down all the things and clean properly. Cleaning is the only way to make the room free from the bed bugs. You may use disinfectants like the Lysol, or anything better available in the market to remove last bit of the annoying bugs.

Even if you remove bed bugs using hot water cleaning of the fabrics in your bedroom, you may not be able to kill the eggs laid inside the mattresses. And once, you leave them unattended, they may give life to new bed bugs which will again create nuisance. Therefore, it is better to get rid of the last trace of infection by subjecting the mattresses to hot steam. The eggs cannot survive hot steams and may help you sleep without any nightmare.

Once you have cleaned, hot water washed and steam washed your mattresses, you may take help of encasement as a last option. With proper encasing of mattresses, bed bugs may not be able to find escape routes easily. You might as well encase the pillows to prevent bites on your face and neck areas.

Rubbing alcohols are generally used to disinfect the bitten area of your body. But you can also use it by spraying the alcohol in the areas where the bed bugs thrive. It helps to clean the infected areas.

Tea tree oils help keep the bed bugs away from your bed due to its strong and pungent smell. So, you can spray the oil all around your bed and any other infected areas to prevent the bed bugs from attacking you while you are in deep sleep.

It is said that lavender oils are natural and very effective bed bug repellents. The smell or taste of the herb repels the nasty creature in no time. To apply it most effectively, put dried lavender between two cloth pieces and sew them around the bed perimeter. Lavender oil is also easily available in the health food stores. Its in concentrated liquid form and its fragrance lasts for a few weeks. So, in order to prevent your body from bed bug attacks, all your bed frame and floor can be rubbed with lavender oil to get rid of bed bugs.

See the rest here:
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself Naturally (Home Remedies)