11 Best Essential Oils for Bed Bugs | How to Use them against Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs are blood-sucking insects that dwell in beds. They feed on human blood and their bites are so severe that it can result in a number of health problems such as skin rashes, allergy, and in worse cases, psychological effects!
It is difficult to detect any bed bug infestation at an initial stage as they are extremely small in size and their bites are often confused with bites from other pests.
Use of Essential Oils for Bed Bugs
For many generations, oils from various plants have been used to repel and kill bed bugs and various other pests as it is a natural way to get rid of pests. Unlike chemicals, essential oils are safe for use around children and don’t pose any risk to one’s health.
List of 11 Best Essential Oils for Bed Bugs
You can get rid of Bed Bugs with the help of the following Essential Oils available in the market:
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Thyme Essential Oil
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Orange Blood Essential Oil
- Cedarwood Essential Oil
- Citronella Essential Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Cinnamon Essential Oil
- Clove Essential Oil
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Do Essential Oils really work for Bed bugs?
Essential oils are natural insecticides in the form of oil prepared from various types of plants. To produce any essential oil, the bark, leaves, flowers, stem, and roots of the particular plant are used as they are passed through different procedures to get the desired essential oil.
Essential Oils are known to work effectively against bed bugs and various other pests as it lowers their activities and repels them. They work in different ways and help you sleep through the night without having to worry about any bug bites.
However, like any other method to get rid of bed bugs, essential oils too have some limits. Even though they are natural, they can be highly concentrated at the same time and might harm your skin if used without any care.
You can’t solely rely on them in case of severe infestation as they require more time as compared to heat and foggers to show effective results.
Also, it is important to remember that the quality of the oils differs from manufacturer to manufacturer which results in certain oils being more or less effective as compared to others.
Top 11 Best Essential Oils to get rid of Bed Bugs and How to Use them
1. Lavender Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
The lavender essential oil is useful in repelling bed bugs from the skin as it has a strong scent that is hated by bed bugs but adored by almost everyone.
Lavender Essential Oil not only resists bed bugs and their eggs but scorpions as well and can be utilized during and after an active infestation as well to avoid future invasion. Additionally, lavender oil can also soothe you through its lovely aroma.
How to Use Lavender Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You need to adequately mix the oil with a similar amount of water and then spray it on your pillows and sheets to keep bed bugs at bay.
2. Thyme Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Thyme has been used for decades as a significant bed bug and flea repellant due to its insecticidal property that not only kills bed bugs but prevents future infestation as well.
If sprayed directly upon bed bugs, thyme essential oil kills the pest along with their eggs, thereby reducing their community and preventing reproduction.
However, Thyme essential oil should be diluted before you use it in the presence of kids and/or pregnant women since it may not be safe for them.
How to Use Thyme Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You need to dilute the essential oil with the same amount of water as that of oil and then spray it on or near the regions you intend to protect.
3. Tea Tree Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Tea tree essential oil has a strong smell that drives bed bugs away in no time and both of its anti-bacterial and anti-microbial features help in getting rid of their eggs as well.
Additionally, tea tree oil is used to effectively get rid of lice, treat acne, and quickly heal wounds, due to which it is one of the active ingredients in the majority of beauty and hair care products.
How to Use Tea Tree Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to mix the oil with water and spread it all over your room including on your mats, bedsheets, curtains, etc. To get rid of bed bugs with this essential oil, you may need to spray it directly on them in an unmixed form. However, tea tree oil may not be safe for you in unmixed form and you should think twice before spreading it in your room.
4. Lemongrass Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Lemongrass has a strong smell that helps in repelling various insects such as bed bugs. Once you use the oil, it shows effective results in days by preventing bed bugs from coming closer.
If the lemongrass essential oil is sprayed directly on them, it may even help in preventing the bed bug eggs from incubating.
How to Use Lemongrass Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: Since lemongrass essential oil is too powerful to applied directly on the skin, you may need to dilute it with virgin olive oil or water and then spray in on and near all the regions you intend to protect from bed bugs.
5. Orange Blood Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Orange blood is one of the many essential oils that help in repelling bed bugs. It has an intense juicy fresh, zesty citrus scent that helps to ease nervous tension and promotes a happy and energetic mood. It also helps in reducing inflammation as well as aches and pains.
How to Use Orange Blood Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to add several drops of the essential oil to the diffuser and leave it overnight. Or, you can mix a few drops of essential oil with water in a spray container and then apply the spray to the areas where bed bugs are likely to appear.
Orange blood is an energy booster essential oil and can be toxic, therefore, it should be kept away from the reach of children and pets.
6. Cedarwood Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Cedarwood is a natural insect repellent as it is used in several different manners to effectively eliminate home and garden pests such as bed bugs. Additionally, cedarwood is also used in many skincare and beauty products as it helps to relax the body by reducing stress and easing tension.
How to Use Cedarwood Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to add a few drops of Cedarwood essential oil into the diffuser or you can directly spray it near the affected areas. However, it should be kept away from the reach of children and house pets.
7. Citronella Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Citronella has a floral-grassy scent that not only repels bed bugs but other flying insects as well. It is one of the best essential oils to get rid of pests and their eggs quickly as it attacks directly on their acidic condition. It also helps in preventing the spread of harmful airborne germs.
Citronella is also known to reduce muscle spasms, ease headaches, and act as an energy booster. It also uplifts negative moods and relaxes the body and mind.
How to Use Citronella Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to mix Citronella essential oil with water and spray it near the areas where bed bugs are known to appear the most.
8. Peppermint Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
The smell of peppermint essential oil is helpful in getting rid of bed bugs as it contains high mental content which repels bed bugs.
Peppermint provides relief from itching, muscle pain, headaches, and is also used as a treatment for many medical difficulties such as common cold, nausea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and other digestive issues as well.
Additionally, it also helps in reducing nervous tension, energy booster, along with balancing hormones that enhance mental focus. It also helps to calm down the spasms that cause muscle cramps.
How to Use Peppermint Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to add a few drops of peppermint essential oil and leave it overnight to get the appropriate results, or you can make a mixture of oil and water and use it as a spray.
9. Cinnamon Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Cinnamon stimulates circulation, reduces stress, improves digestion, reduces infections, and provides protection against insects. It is also reputed to calm dry skin, rashes, acne, and revive the skin tone.
The strong scent of Cinnamon essential oil is also used as a repellent for bed bugs as it eliminates them in no time.
How to Use Cinnamon Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to add a few drops of the cinnamon essential oil into the diffuser or you can use it as a spray.
10. Clove Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Clove oil is an essential oil derived from clove trees and is well known for its insect repelling properties as it has a pungent smell and high acidic pH levels.
Clove oil serves many benefits like making your immunity stronger, fighting infection, sore throat, cough and cold, easing stress and headaches, eliminating toxins from the blood, and finally, acting like bed bug repellent.
How to Use Clove Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to mix a teaspoon of clove essential oil with a cup of water and pour it into a spray bottle. You can then spray it near the places where bed bugs are seen frequently.
11. Eucalyptus Essential Oil for Bed Bugs
Eucalyptus essential oil is used as a cure for a variety of common diseases like nasal congestion, asthma, etc. and its smell is used to keep the bed bugs away, control blood sugar, and ease joint pain and cold sores.
How to Use Eucalyptus Essential Oil for Bed Bugs: You just need to mix the oil with water and transfer the mixture into a spray bottle. You can spray it on the bed and affected areas before sleeping.
Conclusion
Since the majority of the essential oils have various benefits, they are widely used for skin care, beauty, and medical purposes. Along with this, they serve as bed bug repellent as well. Although the oils are made up of natural ingredients, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be toxic, and therefore, should be kept away from the reach of children and pets.
