The Chilling Scenario: Boomsheeka Jones went to bed looking forward to her workout the next morning. But when she woke up at the cackle of dawn, her skin was itchy and red. After a quick inspection, she discovered she had been attacked by bed bugs. Boomsheeka stressed out and missed her workout. Then she stressed out some more and called YOU (yes, you) for a shoulder to cry on. Next thing you know, the both of you are stressed out and eating Sasquatch burgers with a side of triple-fried armadillo skins from the fast food joint down the street. And just like that….BOOM! You both just gained 15 pounds.
Ya see that. This “how to kill bed bugs” situation is totally fitness related.
A few years back, after learning that bed bug attacks were on the rise, I started to pay close attention to the reports. You already know the classic scenario: bedbugs at hotels. But bedbugs are also showing up in movie theaters, office buildings and retail stores, as well as college dorms. Holy crap!
But it doesn’t stop there. Pest control companies have recently reported an increase in bed bugs infestations at hospitals, too. When I first hired our pest control guy to slay the nuisance spiders and occasional ants creeping in dark corners, I drilled him on the bed bug situation that I’d been hearing about.
The pest control guy gave me 3 important tips that we can learn from:
- Bedbugs are very hard to kill. Professional heat treatment is one of the few ways to slay them dead. Pest companies use special heaters to heat your home above 122 degrees and circulate the air though your house.This is a process that takes hours to complete and is extremely costly. A cheap DIY alternative is to use steam heating in every crack & crevice of your home. Although DIY is not guaranteed, I saw a family on TV that resorted to DIY steam heating with good results.
- When at a hotel, inspect the room, including under the mattress, and keep your suitcase in a plastic bag. When you get back home, keep the suitcase out of the house until you vacuum it The clothes in your case (both clean and dirty) should be washed and dried immediately, or dry cleaned.
- He also told me his company had just finished a contract for killing bed bugs at a local gym. YIKES!!! His advice was to never put your gym bag in a gym locker. According to him, bed bugs like to hang out in lockers and hitch a ride back to your house.
And then there’s DIATOMACEOUS EARTH. You need to know about this.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE), also called silica, is derived from the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. It is a fine powder that resembles talc. Food grade DE is non-toxic to humans and animals, but deadly to bed bugs, ants, cockroaches, beetles, fleas, ticks, lice, etc. Under a microscope DE has the appearance of shards of glass. It’s these microscopic shards that pierce and deteriorate the exoskeleton of the bug, while cutting its innards and causing it to dehydrate. Bugs have no defense against DE. Those critters can NOT develop a resistance.
Food grade Diatomaceous Earth can also be ingested by humans and animals. Just be careful not to inhale it, as it may cause respiratory irritation. Farmers mix DE with stored grains to prevent bugs from eating their supplies. And since DE also kills parasites and worms, farmers feed it to their livestock.
I read a report of a man who used Diatomaceous Earth after suspecting he had parasites. And indeed he did. A worm bored OUT of the man’s hand in response to his ingestion of DE. Food grade Diatomaceous Earth as a supplement is also good for tapeworms and pinworms, and can be used as a detox to remove heavy metals from the body. Now don’t you feel better?
RESOURCES
- Nature’s Wisdom Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
: This is the brand that I purchased to combat beetles. It’s recommended and super affordable (no wonder pest control people don’t tell us about it!). Read the consumer reviews
- Interesting bed bug pictures: Don’t be scared of it. Just take a looksie. Yes, you’ll be freaked out, but you really should know how to identify a bed bug. Shouldn’t you?
- Bed Bug Registry: A user-submitted database of bed bug incidents in North America (US and Canada) hotels. Find out if the hotel you plan to visit has reports/complaints of bed bugs.
The Happy Ending: You read this post and told Boomsheeka the good news about Diatomaceous Earth. She is now bed bug free, thanks to you. And since you and both made a pact to swear off large quantities of Sasquatch burgers and armadillo skins, you have each lost 15 pounds and morphed into specimens of pure sexy. Congratulations.
Nadine says
May 2, 2013 at 6:54 amEwwwww bed bugs, have never had any experiences with them (that I know about) but heard stories like your friends, not good! Great to know that Silica is the real deal against these little pests!
Barbara says
May 2, 2013 at 7:18 amSo, should we start adding this to our smoothies? 🙂
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Yum Yucky says
May 2, 2013 at 7:20 amAre you pulling my leg, Barbi? Because now I’m about to add some to my oatmeal.
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Marc says
May 2, 2013 at 8:52 amDefinitely Yucky!
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Kim says
May 2, 2013 at 10:48 amYikes – bed bugs are one of the few types of bugs that freak me out. Now that I know they are more than just “bed” bugs – yuck!!!
Geosomin says
May 2, 2013 at 10:54 amI am so creeped out about bed bugs…get nervous whenever I have to stay in a hotel.
gibbly gibbly
DE works well for ants as well…I personally wouldn’t eat that stuff tho. My innards are peachy keen at the moment so I have no intention of changing that 🙂
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mimi says
May 2, 2013 at 12:08 pmDE is something i’ve been recommending and using for years. With as many cats as we have, fleas are inevitable. Thanks for the link to a better supplier than i had!
@somerskys says
May 2, 2013 at 12:55 pmJosie gasp gulp! this is YUCKAROONI those bedbugs i mean the dirt stuff link sounds good to get rid of them but i’m sew with Geosomin i am NOT about to ingest this stuff my innards are finally getting back to normal after the brain surgery attack sooas i am not about to mess with them BUT THANKS FOR THE POST ON HOW TO GET RID OF THOSE NASTY BEDBUGS. see ya girl
Jody - Fit at 55 says
May 2, 2013 at 3:36 pmUGH, I hate all the bed bug stories BUT so important t know as it is rampant out there – THX Josie!!!!
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Cindy says
May 2, 2013 at 4:59 pmI had bed bugs after a trip to Mexico. I put my suitcase on the bed as their was no table, Doh! First defense if you get them and you will know because the bites are bad, vacuum your bed. They will go and stay in the places you are, as your lunch for them. If you are quick. That alone will take care of the problem.
Diatomaceous earth works I used it but, it is hard to clean up. It is like talcum powder and the vacuum will not get it all. So of course you put the mop on the fine dusting that is left. Big mistake! Now you have mud swirls all over the floor. I have hardwood so all the earth in any dents in the floor made mud and it takes a lot of scrubbing to get it all.
I also put down double sided carpet tape to prevent the bugs from crawling into the rest of the house.
Anyway, I am pretty sure I got them with the vacuum on the first day.
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444 says
May 2, 2013 at 5:48 pmAre you sure this is the best way to deal with bed begs? I have different methods.
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444 says
May 3, 2013 at 6:45 pmget it… GET IT??? You made a typo in your post title. Whoosh – a joke went over your head!
Give me points for my dirty joke.
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yumyucky says
May 3, 2013 at 6:58 pmHmmm….I had a feeling you were dirty-joking. So it when HALF way over my head.
Matt G says
May 3, 2013 at 3:30 amThanks for this. Always looking for natural ways over chemicals to clean my house. Appreciated!
Joi @ Rx Fitness Lady says
May 3, 2013 at 8:53 amThese are so gross and annoying to have to look out for. There were 2 ladies on Shark Tank that created a preventive product that’s gone on to be the most profitable product to come out of the shark tank!
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yumyucky says
May 3, 2013 at 6:39 pmI’m remember that episode! Wish I had come up with idea.
Jenny says
May 3, 2013 at 2:58 pmBeing from Illinois, I know bed bugs have been a major problem in Chicago the past few years. You would hope they’d use something natural like this, but probably not. Chemicals, chemicals and more chemicals seem to be everyone’s answer these days. I did find it particularly um…..frightening, that one guy had a worm come out of his hand after using it…reminds me of that show “Monsters Inside Me”…Yikes!
Kristin says
May 3, 2013 at 9:19 pmBugs freak me out! Yuck!!
Stacy Dalton says
June 5, 2014 at 11:35 pmI put the diatomaceous earth in my juicing juice and coffee. It cleans me out! I love it. For real.
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yumyucky says
June 6, 2014 at 9:07 amHi Stacy. Thanks for the great tips. I’m gonna try it!
Randolph Hoover says
June 29, 2015 at 2:51 amHello Josie! The the Dalamaceous Earth suggestion piques my interest and I plan to buy it as soon as possible. It’s been 3 weeks now since I’m being bothered by bed bugs. I’ve been considering replacing my 5 month old mattress (which is a bummer) or try alternatives. I’ll definitely try this first before replacing thanks!
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wankpuffin says
June 4, 2016 at 3:55 pmWankpuffin – And, of course, follow my training, and
you will not only become an expert, but a top earner in the industry.
Given the circumstances of the time and elections, this can either be helpful
or affect Trump’s campaign negatively. Conspiracy theorists
the world over will never ever be satisfied or that was
the gist of President Obama’s speech when he made his own announcement about the death of
Osama Bin Laden and why he considered the showing of
photographs too gruesome. wankpuffin
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Christina says
December 12, 2016 at 3:14 pmHopefully, that hand story is an exaggeration. Either way, the rumor could be scaring off more than a few people who could use the treatment.
Christina says
December 12, 2016 at 3:33 pmThe bed bug registry sounds like a scary website. Altogether, the resources can be very informative.
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