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DIATOMACEOUS EARTH BED BUGS

June 28, 2015

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Diatomaceous Earth Bed Bugs

Remember to be patient when using diatomaceous earth to treat bed bugs. Bed bug infestations are considered by many to be the most difficult infestation to deal with. This is due to a couple different reasons. First, bed bugs are nocturnal, which makes it difficult to monitor where they nest. Second, bed bugs need to come into contact with diatomaceous earth to be effective. You'll need to sprinkle DE close to their nest. However, bed bugs are tricky to spot, so you have to be very thorough when treating your bedroom. Scoping and inspecting the room is necessary in order to find their hiding place. Take a look at our 7 easy steps to treat bed bugs using diatomaceous earth.

Here is a link to our other Natural Pesticide how-to articles

How-To Instructions

Grab Everything You Need

Make sure you have all the right equipment for the job. You can select from our diatomaceous earth products below. There is no wrong way to apply diatomaceous earth. It just needs to come in contact with the bed bug to work.

Dismantle Your Bed

To really be thorough, you need access to all of the joints and crevices where the bed bugs are probably hiding. You also need full access to both sides of your mattress pad along all of the folds and edges. These are the areas where bed bugs flourish.

Pull Out Your Vacuum

Vacuum the frame, joints, crevices, the place where the rungs go, and the entire mattress and box spring. During this process you want to get as many adults and eggs as you can. Once you complete this step it's probably a good idea to throw out or empty the vacuum bag.

Grab Your Applicator

Lightly dust every crook and cranny on the bed frame and mattress. You should dust the baseboards of the room and also behind any picture frames or furniture that are close to the bed. These little guys will travel, so they could be anywhere in the room. You can use a spice shaker as your applicator.

Use a Brush

Work DE into the hard-to-reach areas such as the frame and mattress. Remember, the idea is to get the diatomaceous earth into locations where the bed bug will come into contact with it. The brush will allow you to get it into smaller spaces.

Put Your Bed Back Together

It may take a couple days for the bed bugs to come into contact with the diatomaceous earth, and it may take a couple more for them to die. Once they're gone, the remaining diatomaceous earth prevents future bed bug outbreaks.

Repeat as Needed

Diatomaceous earth will continue working for months so long as it stays dry. You can leave a protective coat of DE to prevent future outbreaks of bed bugs. Should you encounter any more, simply repeat these steps to restore a comfortable night's sleep.

Helpful Tips and Warnings

You'll need to take the bed apart if you want to eliminate them completely. Hitting those hard to reach areas is a must.
Just a light dusting of diatomaceous earth will suffice.
You can make the bed and sleep on it after it's treated. If you have breathing problems like asthma you may want to use a dust mask when spreading diatomaceous earth dry.
If your infestation is too difficult to treat yourself, you may want to call a professional.