Which Smells Will Keep Bed Bugs Away From My Salado Home?

There is a growing trend toward natural pest control in the United States. More and more people are turning to plant extracts to deter pests. These extracts are often called essential oils. Perhaps you've heard of them. Lemon eucalyptus, lemongrass, citronella, rosemary, peppermint, basil, lavender, catnip, tea tree, and neem are all examples of extracts used in essential oils. But how effective are these against bed bugs? That's what we're going to look at today.

What Doesn't Work

It is important to explain one important and immutable fact, there is no smell that will keep bed bugs away from your Salado home. We get this question a lot and we have to start by saying that bed bugs don't live outside of your home. These are almost exclusively indoor pests. There are no wild populations of bed bugs anywhere in the world. They prefer to live close to humans. Very close. You can't use oils to keep bed bugs out or drive them out. So they're of no real value as a deterrent in your home. If you manage to keep bed bugs from feeding on you while you sleep, they'll find a way to feed on you while you're watching television or on your computer. A bed bug can feed on you while you're awake.

What Works A Little

If you know what to use and how to use it, you may be able to apply natural oil scents to your luggage, clothing, and even yourself to prevent bed bugs from hitching a ride home with you while on vacation. There are some natural scents that don't smell bad to humans, like lavender and lemon, that can keep bed bugs from exploring your luggage and clothing.

How Essential Oils Stop Bed Bugs

The real way essential oils work to keep you from having a bed bug infestation is by actually eliminating the bugs. When proper doses of natural extracts are applied, they can be toxic to bed bugs. Scientists are currently working on determining the efficacy of these products. It takes a lot more of a natural substance to eliminate bed bugs than it does when synthetic insecticides are used. But, if scientists can figure out the right formulation process, these products might have the ability to be applied to sensitive locations such as mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. Unfortunately, we're not there yet.

What Works And Why

Currently, blood orange oil seems to produce the highest mortality rate in bed bugs when it comes to essential oils. But it is important to keep in mind that blood orange and other essential oils can vary greatly in efficacy depending on the source of the extract and the manufacturer of the product.

When it comes to eliminating bed bugs, silicone and paraffin oils have outperformed essential oils by a considerable margin. Out of 18 essential oils, three silicone-derived oils, and one paraffin oil evaluated in one recent study, none of the essential oils performed as well as silicon and paraffin. This has led researchers to believe that, in the near future, silicone oils and paraffin oil may unlock the answer for natural bed bug control.