A To Z Blogging Challenge: B is For Bed Bugs

That's right, I said Bed Bugs. I know it's not something most people want to read about or talk about but if you watch the news reports or read articles about it, then you know it's getting really bad and they are sprouting up in more places than just Hotels and Motels.

After hearing all the doom and gloom on the subject I started reading around the internet about how many people were getting ripped off big time by having pest control companies come out and spray. The thing is, they have to keep coming back and spraying because one time doesn't get them all. That's where they get you in the pocket book. They charge you for each time they come out and spray. I'm talking into the thousands of dollars.

So I read and searched and came across a few forums where people were talking about getting rid of the little buggers yourself and it not costing an arm and a leg. I figure I want to be proactive and either make sure I know how to get rid of them if I get them because they seem to be everywhere, or at the very least prevent the little beasts from taking up residence if one or two happen to hitch a ride on a shoe or pant leg. *This stuff is scary*

I started reading people saying they got rid of bad infestations by using Fresh Step Crystals Kitty Litter. It sounds crazy but according to them it will kill most insects because it dries them out from the inside out...it's a desiccant and dries their little ugly buggy butts out.

Save your money for things that work and don't give money to pest control companies that use chemicals that don't work. Bed bugs are immune to so many of the chemicals that are used by pest control but they keep using them and charging you hundreds of dollars.

Using Kitty Litter or diatomaceous earth which is a desiccant and dries bed bugs out, some tape and vaseline...you can rid your house of these pests yourself, but you have to be vigilant and get the kitty litter into all the little spots in your home. It really does work and it's easy and cheap, what do you have to lose before you spend hundred's or even thousands of dollars on a pest control company?

I got a bag of the Fresh Step Crystals and a coffee grinder. I ground up some of the crystals and sprinkled it around where I usually get ants and crickets coming in along my living room wall. It killed the ants and they stopped coming in. I didn't have half as many crickets as I'd had the year before and...now get this, I actually found dead bugs in the kitty litter lines along my walls. Bugs like beetles, water bugs and rolly polly's. Did you know that bed bugs even attack pets? I didn't either so here's how to get rid of them.

I also read on some forums that if you spread vaseline on the feet of your beds and furniture, you can prevent a lot of bugs from getting on them because they get stuck in it and can't walk through it, makes sense to me.

I now buy bags of diatomaceous earth because it's already in a powder form and easier to use than grinding up the kitty litter and it gets rid of all the bugs. I just sprinkle it everywhere, along the walls, in the cabinets, along the window sills, under my bed, in the closets..everywhere. Then every 6 months I vacuum it up and sprinkle some more. I find dead bugs in the powder, ants, beetles ect. You will need to sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on your hanging pictures, drapes, inside of electrical outlets, inside all cabinets, and on all furniture. Turn furniture over and sprinkle the underside as well. Then check each week to see if there are any bed bugs on the furniture.

If you already have bed bugs you may need to throw away some of your furniture because they can hide in the small areas that you can't get to. On your bed take strips of duct tape, place it on the bed and pull it off, Any bed bugs that are there will be ripped up with the duct tape. After doing that, sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on your bed and rub it in. Then replace your sheets with new clean ones. Rub vaseline all over the feet of your bed so that more bugs can't climb up the feet. You can kill bed bugs on your clothes by putting your clothes in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.

You'll have to check your bed, couch, chairs ect for bed bugs and use the duct tape to get them off if you see them. A mixture of 2 parts rubbing alcohol 1 part water if sprayed on them will also kill them.

It can take up to 6 months to totally irradiate them.