Killing a bed bug can be unpleasant and annoying, as many methods will result in the release of an extremely pungent odor. Using soap and water is one of the best methods, but there are also chemical and organic pesticides. You can also exterminate insects using more direct methods. Here's what you should know to get rid of a bedbug.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Water and Soap in a Jar
Step 1. Fill a jar with water and dish detergent
Add enough liquid dish soap to cover the bottom of the jar. Fill half of the jar with hot water and mix.
- Any liquid soap will work, regardless of how light it is or what chemical additives it contains.
- The right size for the container will depend on how many insects you want to catch. A small jar of jam is enough if you plan on killing just a few bugs, but you'll need a larger container if you want to get rid of an infestation all at once.
Step 2. Push the bug into the jar
When you find one, toss it with a popsicle stick and drop it into the jar.
- Try to be quick. Some species can fly and may escape if you don't act quickly.
- Bedbugs should drown in 20-40 seconds. Insects breathe through pores under their exoskeleton; when the soap closes them, the insect will choke.
- You could also wear disposable gloves and pick up bed bugs with your hands. Similarly, you can pick them up with tweezers. Taking them directly ensures that they won't be able to escape, but they may release their scent if you aren't quick.
Step 3. Download the dead bugs
After collecting bedbugs in the jar, pour the contents into the toilet to get rid of them.
Wait until you have collected a few bugs instead of removing them one at a time, this will save water
Method 2 of 5: Water and Soap Spray
Step 1. Fill a spray bottle with soap and water
Combine one liter of warm water with 180ml of liquid soap.
- As in the previous case, any liquid detergent will work regardless of concentration or additives.
- Shake the bottle well to make sure the soap and water mix.
Step 2. Spray the solution on the bugs and along the cracks
Wet any bedbugs you can't catch with the spray and apply the solution to areas that may be frequented by the bedbugs.
- While this method won't work as fast as drowning the bugs, the soap will react with the waxy coating of the bug's exterior, breaking it down and dehydrating the bug.
- Bedbugs sneak into cracks, under doors and windows, and ventilation ducts. Spray a generous veil of this solution on those areas so that the bedbugs that pass over them will die.
Method 3 of 5: Traditional Pesticides
Step 1. Know the risks
While traditional insecticides can kill bedbugs, there are health risks and other potential negative consequences.
- Insecticides are poisonous to humans and animals as well as to bedbugs. Keep them out of the reach of small children and pets, and carefully follow the application instructions on the label.
- Residual powder treatments can kill many bedbugs, but the insects may die in hard-to-reach locations as a result of the delayed effect. Cockroaches and other insects may invade your home to feed on bedbugs.
- Spray insecticides will kill the bedbugs, but the effect will only last for a limited time, and any bedbugs that enter the area after the room has been aired will not be eliminated.
- Use only specific insecticides against bedbugs. Otherwise you will risk choosing an insecticide that does not fight these insects.
Step 2. Spray insecticide on a bed bug when you see it
Use a contact-killing spray to combat any bedbugs you see.
Understand that "on contact" does not mean instantaneously. These chemicals begin to attack the bedbug's nervous system after they dry out, which may take several hours after the initial contact for the bedbug to die
Step 3. Apply residual insecticide
Following the instructions on the label, sprinkle or spray the product in all areas that represent possible hiding places for bedbugs.
- Spray residue tends to work best when sprayed along crevices in windows, doors, and baseboards.
- Residual powders work best when used in attics, cavities or inside walls.
Step 4. Use an insecticide on the outer perimeter
Spray a residual outdoor pesticide into the soil around the foundation.
Bedbugs invade your home from the outside, so bedbugs entering your home will be killed
Step 5. Use a nicotine solution
Dip a pack of crumbled cigarettes in 4 liters of warm water. Filter the solution and mix in 30ml of dish soap.
- Fill a spray bottle with the solution and wet the bug.
- The liquid dish detergent will allow the solution to adhere better to the insect, and the nicotine will poison the bedbug.
- Wear disposable gloves when preparing the nicotine solution to avoid accidentally absorbing the poison through your skin.
Method 4 of 5: Household Products
Step 1. Paralyze bedbugs with hair spray
Attach any bedbugs with hairspray when you see them to keep them from moving.
- Lacquer alone will not be enough to kill the bedbug, but it will immobilize it, favoring the application of a chemical that kills it.
- Make sure you use the stickiest spray you have. Fortunately, cheap brands are usually stickier than more expensive ones.
Step 2. Kill bedbugs with alcohol, ammonia or bleach
Fill a jar halfway with one of these substances and drop the bug into the jar when you find one.
- Do not mix these substances for any reason. Combining these substances can produce lethal fumes for humans.
- Throw the bug into the solution with a glacier stick or gloved hand, or pick it up with tweezers.
- You can also dilute the alcohol in water in a 1: 3 solution and put it in a spray bottle. Attack bedbugs with this solution when you see them. Alcohol will degrade the outside of the insect, drying it out and leading to its death.
Step 3. Use a wart remover to kill these insects
Buy a bottle and spray the product directly on the insect. The bug will freeze instantly and all you have to do is just throw it down the toilet.
Step 4. Use the hot sauce
Fill a sprinkle with hot sauce or liquefied chillies. Spray a bed bug with the spicy insecticide when you see one.
- Chillies can burn men's skin and eyes, and likewise can burn the waxy exterior of the bedbug, destroying it.
- Wash your hands after handling chillies or hot sauce and avoid touching your eyes.
Step 5. Use a wax remover on the bedbug
Drop a single drop on the back of a bedbug. The insect should die in a minute or two.
- You may be able to apply the product to the bed bug without catching it, but be careful not to accidentally spill it on carpets or other surfaces where you would leave a stain. For best results, immobilize the insect with hairspray or trap it inside a glass jar before applying the product.
- The wax remover will remove the waxy coating on the outside of the bedbug's exoskeleton, destroying the internal membranes.
Step 6. Use white vinegar
Put a tablespoon of white vinegar in a container; the container does not need to be too large.
- Catch the bedbug with a pair of tweezers or with gloves;
- Put the insect in the vinegar. It will die instantly without having time to release its scent.
- Finally, throw the bug in the toilet and flush the toilet.
Method 5 of 5: Physical Elimination
Step 1. Use the vacuum cleaner
When you see one or more bedbugs, vacuum them using a vacuum cleaner with a bag.
- The bedbug will release its smell inside the vacuum cleaner and the machine will stink for several weeks. Spray a strong deodorant inside to minimize the effect.
- Avoid using a bagless vacuum cleaner. Discard the bag after you've vacuumed the bugs.
- Alternatively, wrap a sock around the mouth of the vacuum cleaner hose and secure it with a rubber band. Squeeze the rest of the sock into the tube and suck in the bugs as you normally would. This is to prevent insects from passing through the filter.
Step 2. Use an insect electrocution system
Place an electric trap in a dark attic or closet.
- Like many insects, bedbugs are also attracted to light sources. By placing the device in a dark room, the light it will produce will be more inviting for bedbugs. When they get close to the light they will die instantly without the ability to release their smell.
- Be sure to discard or vacuum the dead bedbugs when they have built up.
Step 3. Place sticky traps
Place fly paper or other sticky traps near windows, doors, ducts, and cracks.
- Bedbugs will be caught by the trap when they cross it. Without being able to eat, the insects will starve.
- Throw the trap after you catch some bedbugs.
- Be careful - bedbugs may release their scent when trapped.
Step 4. Freeze the bugs
Trap the bedbugs in a plastic freezer bag. Put the bag in the freezer for several days to kill them.
Make sure the bag seal doesn't let any air through. Otherwise you risk contaminating the contents of your freezer
Step 5. Put a glass on one of these insects and leave it there until the substance released by the bug kills it
Quickly remove the glass and throw the dead bug in the trash.
