After the discovery of a bed bug infestation in your home, you might be wondering if natural remedies such as tea tree oil work for bed bugs. While no research supports the effectiveness of tea tree oil as a bed bug pesticide, homeowners can try using it to reduce the itching of bed bug bites.
At the very least, tea tree oil fills your home with a pleasant aroma. In the best case scenario, it might be able to reduce the number of bed bugs until you can schedule a pest exterminator to treat the bed bugs in your home.
Does Tea Tree Oil Kill Bed Bugs?
While no research exists to support tea tree oil’s effectiveness in killing bed bugs, tea tree oil is sometimes tried as a home remedy by people who want to avoid chemicals and are desperate to kill these blood-suckers ASAP. Tea tree oil, an eco-friendly antibacterial agent, is extracted from Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.
In most cases, homeowners attempt to use tea tree oil as a contact insecticide or repellent while they wait for a pest control appointment. However, it is not known if tea tree oil has any impact on bed bugs, negative or otherwise.
Here’s what you need to know about tea tree oil as a bed bug insecticide:
- Pros: It’s aromatic and chemical free, so homeowners who want a natural bed bug killer sometimes try using tea tree oil as an eco-friendly treatment method. It’s also generally recognized as safe when used appropriately, especially for households with children or pets. (Note: In general, keep children and pets away from infested rooms until these areas can be professionally treated.)
- Cons: The first problem is that tea tree oil is unproven as a contact pesticide because there isn’t much research available on tea tree oil as a bed bug treatment. Because of the lack of proof of tea tree oil’s effectiveness as a bed bug pesticide, it’s not guaranteed that it will have any effect on the bed bugs in your home.
Even if tea tree oil does impact your bed bug infestation, you will still need to hire a licensed pest control pro. Natural home remedies can’t completely solve a bed bug problem. A professional is needed for that.
How to Use Tea Tree Oil for Bed Bugs
If you want to give tea tree oil a try, a spray solution is the most common way to apply essential oils to an insect infestation. Once you make a tea tree oil spray, you can squirt it onto trouble spots or onto any live bed bugs you find. Here’s how to make a homemade tea tree oil solution and where to apply it.
How to Make a Tea Tree Oil Repellent
First, you’ll need a spray bottle. It is necessary to dilute the tea tree oil before usage, but making the mixture is easy. To create a tea tree oil spray for bed bugs, follow these simple steps:
- Fill a spray bottle with water.
- Add 20 drops of tea tree oil.
- Put the spray bottle lid on.
- Shake the mixture.
Once you’ve completed the steps, you now have a tea tree oil spray ready for use. To apply it, simply spray the mixture on any bed bug hot spots. You can also apply the homemade bed bug spray directly onto any visible bed bugs or eggs.
Keep the tea tree oil solution properly stored out of reach of children and pets. The substance is generally recognized as safe but can be dangerous if ingested.
Where to Apply Tea Tree Oil
For a tea tree oil mixture to be effective, it is necessary to apply it once every day until the bug infestation is gone. Know where to check for bed bugs, including:
- Baseboards
- Bedding
- Box springs
- Clothing
- Cracks and crevices
- Flooring
- Furniture
- Headboard
- Mattresses
- Pillows
- Stuffed animals
- Window coverings
Research has shown that bed bugs are most likely to make their home near your bed, but they can be found in other places too. Bed bugs slip into any nook or cranny that is big enough for them to hide.
In addition to your house, you might want to spritz the tea tree oil in your car as well. Sometimes bed bugs get in your car, and they can be transported from your car to your room.
Tea Tree Oil for Bed Bug Bites
There isn’t any research exploring how tea tree oil affects bed bugs, but this essential oil does help reduce itching from bug bites. Although it may not repel bed bugs or stop them from biting you, tea tree oil can be used to soothe itching from a bed bug bite.
Warning: Don’t rub concentrated tea tree oil on your skin; it can be dangerous. Applying undiluted tea tree oil directly to your skin can cause an allergic reaction or a rash.
To create a safe tea tree oil solution, you must dilute the tea tree oil with a carrier oil first to make it safe for use. To do that, simply add a few drops of tea tree oil to a carrier oil such as almond oil, coconut oil, or olive oil.
Other Natural Remedies for Bed Bugs
Although tea tree oil is unproven in the battle against bed bugs, other essential oil-based pesticide products have shown good control over adult bed bugs and their eggs. Here are some effective products that homeowners can use to treat their house for bed bugs:
For complete control, you still need to hire a professional bed bug control company. But essential oil sprays may act as a temporary solution to help reduce the population of bed bugs in your home.
Aside from using essential oils for bed bugs, diatomaceous earth is another effective bed bug killer. Made from fossilized aquatic organisms, diatomaceous earth has sharp edges that slice through a bug’s skin. This makes it lethal for many types of insects, including bed bugs.
Check out our article “Natural Home Remedies for Bed Bugs” for other ways to defeat these pests.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Tea tree oil will not be able to eliminate an entire infestation, if it has any impact at all. So homeowners will need to choose other bed bug treatments to get rid of the bed bug problem in their home. Here are the typical bed bug treatments available:
- Insecticidal dusts
- Freezing
- Heat treatment
- Steam treatment
- Glue traps (for monitoring)
Always rely on a licensed pest control professional. DIY bed bug control is not recommended since a failure to treat a bed bug problem properly means that bed bugs will persist in your home. Additionally, bed bug exterminators already have all the equipment they need to eradicate a bed bug population.
FAQ About Tea Tree Oil and Bed Bugs
How Do I Identify Bed Bugs?
Although they are very small, about 1/4 inch long in size, adult bed bugs are detectable with the naked eye. They are a reddish brown color with a flat back. Bed bugs look like an apple seed.
Here are some signs that you have a bed bug problem in your home:
- You wake up covered in itchy red welts.
- You find blood stains or black spots on your sheets.
- There are discarded bed bug skins or bed bug eggs in your room.
- A musty, unpleasant odor permeates the air.
How Do You Keep Bed Bugs Off You?
Until pest control can get rid of the bed bugs in your home, there are a few things you can do to keep bed bugs off of you when you sleep:
- Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when you sleep.
- Place bed bug interceptors around your bed and furniture.
- Vacuum your rooms and furniture.
- Wash and dry clothing and bedding on high heat.
- Put a mattress cover on your mattress.
Although the cleanliness of your home doesn’t determine whether you will have an infestation, maintaining a clean household can help eliminate bed bugs. In addition, decluttering your house and regular vacuuming are some of the ways to prevent bed bugs in the future.
Can I Sleep in a Room With Bed Bugs?
Yes, it’s possible to sleep in a room with bed bugs while you’re waiting on your pest control appointment. Bed bug bites are a pain to deal with, but bed bugs aren’t disease-carrying insects, so don’t panic if you find bed bugs in your house.
It is recommended that you continue sleeping in the same room even after you discover a bed bug infestation. Otherwise, the bed bug problem will spread to other rooms since bed bugs will travel to wherever there is a host.
Instead of sleeping in another room, vacuum your bed and the room thoroughly and put a mattress cover around your mattress and box spring to protect yourself while you sleep. Carefully transport bedding to the laundry room in sealed plastic bags. Wash and dry on high heat. This should help control the problem until a pest control pro arrives.
Treat Your Bed Bug Problem Today
Tea tree oil might fill your home with a pleasant fragrance, but its effectiveness against bed bugs is unproven. To eradicate a bed bug infestation completely, you will need to get a professional bed bug treatment.
If you’re steeped in a bed bug problem, we can help. Don’t wait another moment to find a local bed bug exterminator today.
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