has anyone used diatomaceous earth to kill bed bugs and did it work?

in Bedbug Questions



Question by Kisha:
has anyone used diatomaceous earth to kill bed bugs and did it work?

Best answer:

Answer by Shawna b
I personaly havem’t used it, but when i was researching ways to get rid of cat fleas I came across diatomaceous earth several times. Apparently it’s small enough to cut up tiny insects like fleas and they dehydrate and die, but its too small to cut humans up. my guess is it might work, you may want to find out if it will make the bed itchy, cause any kind of allergy, or cause problems if it is inhaled alot. A matress is a very expensive investment if you cant sleep on it. Good luck. Oh and you may want to look into some kind of steam system, not sure if it would get deep enough but if you steamed the bed several times you may be able to cut the population of bugs down to a more tolerable level.

What do you think? Answer below.


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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Olivia Parker April 6, 2011 at 5:11 pm

I personally haven’t used it either but it should do some help! I’m not sure if the power of it will surely kill all of them just because I haven’t tried. I mean, I know professional pest control services use it, and they wouldn’t be wasting their supplies on nothing. They must be using it because it helps on something, right? I think you should just go for it. Maybe you could use a bed bug spray AND the diatomaceous earth! I’ll give you the links to pages you might find convenient!

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Lar April 6, 2011 at 5:46 pm

it can be an aid in long term pest control, but it takes too long to be a viable way to end an infestation of any insect

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Jeff G April 6, 2011 at 6:40 pm

It does work, it’s just not perfect. Use a duster (can and face mask) and apply a thin layer. If it is applied in a thick layer, the bed bugs may avoid dusted areas. Apply to cracks and even inside walls if undergoing new construction.

It you already have bed bugs, it is the last step in the treatment process to provide some layer of long term protection against late hatching bed bugs. If you live in an apartment, it can provide some protection regarding bed bugs coming from other units.

If you have a confirmed case of bed bugs in another unit that is over, under or next to yours, then consider something stronger such as a spray that has a good 2 to 3 week residual effect.

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