Question by pointskelly:
How to get rid of bed bugs?
Me and my fiance recently found out we have a major infestation of bed bugs. We called the local exterminator. They we giving us an estimate of around $ 1,000. There is no way we can afford that on our pay. Is there anything we can buy at Home Depot, or other stores that can help us get rid of the little bastards? Also what could I do in case they made their way into my computer?
Oh, by the way, I do have 2 cats. So I need something that will not harm them.
Best answer:
Answer by The Sadistic Botanist
There is a great DIY trap that is shown to be as effective, if not more, than the leading extermination stuff. http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/bugs.shtml I hope this helps! remember, bed bugs cannot crawl up metal, so you might want to invest in a high metal frame for your bed, instead of wood. Another way to help repel them is through using essential oils. Citronella, rosemary, sage, mint, neem, and lemon are all good repellents, and smell good. dilute with water and sprinkle on your mattress, and linens. (caution, some oils can stain). Although, if you want to play nasty, i recommend diatomacious earth. It is the crushed shells of diatoms, small silicon shelled creatures, so tiny that they do not cut or harm humans or pets, but one swipe against a bugs exoskeleton and they will dehydrate and die. sprinkle it around the edges of the room on the carpet, and especially around your bed. this will also kill spiders, roaches, and every creepy crawly that steps foot onto it.
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Oh no! Bedbugs are THE absolute most vile, foul and loathsome parasites on the face of the planet, I’m certain. I had a small bedbug problem at one point and diatomaceous earth seemed to fix it completely. It’s not harmful to humans or animals, but will kill insects by cutting through their exoskeletons and basically dehydrating them to death. Though your infestation is major, this could certainly help. As for the computer, I would doubt they’re in there… but if they are, they’ll eventually come out to feed *shudder* and then the diatomaceous earth will get them! Also, if you have a laptop, and are worried that they’ll get in, I’d suggest wrapping it in plastic before bed every night. Check out the links below (I got my earth from that dirtworks site, I think I got the larger bag, which wound up being too much for me to use as a little goes a long way), and if you need more general info about diatomaceous earth, any Internet searches for it should be informative. 🙂 good luck!