Neem oil is a pretty affordable and effective solution if your house is having issues with insects, fungi, and mites, and in this case, bed bugs. Neem oil is great for getting rid of bed bugs.
Also, neem oil is often recommended because of its environmentally friendly properties, making it the favorite among organic gardeners. Various insecticides aerosols can harm the plants, your pets, and even humans, but a neem oil spray is 100% safe for yourself, your kids, your pets and plants. Neem oil as an insecticide can target specific pests without producing any unwanted side effects.
In this guide, we will mainly discuss how neem oil can be an effective solution to treat bed bugs, but first, let us have a brief discussion about the bed bugs.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius), are a small and often elusive insect that is both parasitic and blood-sucking (hematophagous). Its preferred habitat, as the name suggests, are beds and other areas in the house where people may sleep. Bedbugs are mainly active at night—but not always— and so they often feed unnoticed when the humans are sleeping.
It's important to know that bed bugs don't solely prey on humans, but also on your pets and other animals. They are mainly attracted by carbon dioxide emissions from humans and animals and also from body heats and chemicals.
With that being said, neem oil has been used by many people for thousands of years to protect themselves from many types of insects—including bed bugs—. In a nutshell, neem oil works by interrupting the reproductive cycle of insects (including bed bugs) to prevent infestations.
Here are some facts you might need to know about bed bugs:
Adult bed bugs are around 4 to 5 millimeters in size and they are brown in color. Nymphs (baby bed bugs) might be translucent in color, mostly active at night, and often feed right before dawn. They cannot jump or fly, so they always crawl. Indoor pests, so can be found all year and don't depend on seasons. Can survive up to a year without food, so simply isolating the infested room won't be effective they will feed on your pets (dogs and cats), but generally, they prefer humans as their "prey". Bed bugs can easily infest a totally clean house as well as dirty ones, hygiene is often not an important factor causing the infestation they can stow away in luggage and clothing, furniture, or even library bugs. Bed bugs often occupy many public spaces including public transports, restaurants, and movie theaters.
Now, let's move on into the neem oil, and why it is effective in treating bed bugs and other insects/mites.
Neem oil, as the name might suggest, is produced from neem trees, more specifically by pressing out the seeds. The neem tree, Azadirachta indica, belongs to the mahogany family and is native to India and nearby areas. Adult neem trees commonly are 50 to 60 feet tall.
The neem trees are often considered to be sacred by the people of India, regarded as the symbol of health and protection. The neem tree is a natural pesticide and fertilizer and was used in India to protect grains. It has been known as a natural insect repellent. and can repel bugs and insects for those sitting under its leaves. With its various benefits and usefulness compared to other trees, the Neem tree has been and still is an essential aspect of Indian life and a very important part of Indian civilization.
Here are some important benefits of neem oil:
Neem oil is 100% natural and organic, biodegradable, non-toxic. Safe to use around pets, plants, and humans (including children)Will not affect beneficial insects (bees, butterflies, ladybugs, etc.) and worms, can control the reproductive cycle of hundreds of insects within all stages of their development (eggs, larvae, and adult insects) including bed bugs, spider mites, scale insects, leafhoppers, caterpillars, mosquitoes, and fungus gnats, among others. Safe on indoor plants and safe to use in the greenhouseVersatile, you can use neem oil as a fungicide, bactericide, and insecticide
Bonide 3-in-1 Neem Oil is ready to use (RTU) a neem oil that is mainly designated for organic gardening insecticide. Although it's not particularly designed for bed bugs, the product is effective in treating bed bugs with several benefits:
Neem oil is safe to use around people and pets, approved for organic gardening ready to use in spray form, simply spray it over our beds and our rooms and you are good to go, c effectively kill all stages of bed bugs: eggs, larvae, and adult bed bugs. Also, neem oil can prevent fungal attacks on your beds which is important since the spray might briefly increase the humidity of your bedroom. It can also deal with other mites, flies, mildews, and more. The water-based formula reduces the risk of staining on your beds is compact-sized, easy to carry around. We can, for example, carry this product during travel to treat bed bugs at hotels. Also effective as a fungicide, can control various fungal diseases like downy mildew, leaf spot, scab, powdery mildew, anthracnose, rust and so on.
It's important to know that Biionide's 3-in-1 Neem Oil doesn't kill the bed bugs by poisoning them. Instead, the neem oil contains limonoids that than disrupt the bed bugs' growth, reproduction and repel them from their habitat (in this case, your bed).
These limonoids are chemically similar to insect's hormones. And when the bed bugs ingested it, it can mess up their bodies' reproductive and metamorphosis processes, preventing larva and pups from maturing, and also preventing adults from reproducing. As a result of this process, the bed bugs colony will disappear from your bed and your bedroom.
Neem oil, however, can kill soft-bodied bed bugs when it is sprayed directly on them (while being 100% safe for humans including your kids). The coating in the spray can prevent respiration, and cause the bed bugs to suffocate.
The Bionide's 3-in-1 RTU Neem Oil is effective not only for bed bugs in this case but also in treating mites, scale insects, mealybugs, beetles, leafhoppers, lace bugs, and other chewing insects. Also, it's effective in handling rid of fungi and mildews due to its antibacterial properties.
Prepare your bedroom before you attack the bugs with the Bionide's Neem Oil 3-in-1 RTU by following these steps:
Vacuum your mattress and the entire room thoroughly and treat your beds with high heat. Bed bugs die at 115F, so the idea is to increase the temperature of your bed above 115F for at least four hours so the heat can properly penetrate into all of their hiding areas. Clean your bed frame thoroughly, and consider replacing your bed frame if it doesn't have four legs. Move your bed away from any furniture and walls, and the idea is to eliminate any clutter around the bed. Keep your room as clutter-free as possible If you return home form a trip, don't bring the luggage into the bedroom. Unpack in your garage (or outdoor area) when possible. As mentioned, bedbugs are often transported into your home via your luggage.
We can use Bionide's 3-in-1 RTU Neem Oil to treat bed bugs as an insecticide or miticide. In general, spray this product in areas where you've seen the bed bug infestation and also the surrounding areas. Repeat spraying the areas every week or couple of weeks, but for heavy infestations, spray every 5-7 days.
Store the Bionide's Neem Oil in a cool and dry place, and use the original container.
As we've established, neem oil products are 100% safe for humans, pet animals, and plants in an aerosol form, keep in mind that it's not safe to ingest. If for one reason or another, it's ingested, neem oil can cause drowsiness and might cause you to vomit. So, keep in mind not to ingest it at all costs, and keep it safe from children.
Store the neem oil far enough from your cat's reach. While various studies have suggested that neem oil can help treat fleas in cats, but neem oil can also cause cats to grow ill and can even cause death.
If your cats are exposed to the neem oil spray, check whether they show these symptoms:
Difficulty Moving, Trembling, Excess salivation, Convulsions, Sluggishness
Remove the neem oil from their bodies as best as you can, and take them to the veterinarian as soon as possible if necessary.
Neem oil is safe for dogs and there haven't been any cases of concerning side effects to dogs. However, be cautious when exposing your dogs to neem oil or to take your dogs to the bed treated with the neem oil product. Ask your veterinarian if necessary.
Check for the following symptoms if your dog is exposed to neem oil.
Difficulty breathing, Tremors, Skin irritation, Excess Salivation, Gagging or retching, Trouble standing, or walking Eye irritations
Here are some common signs to check whether your home is infested with bed bugs:
If you see an actual bed bug. This one is fairly obvious but in lighter infestations, it can be very difficult to find one. Also, check for discarded insect shells. If you do find one, identify it carefully since other insects and mites might look very similar to bed bugs. Small itchy red spots or even welts on your skin, often forming a line pattern on the skin. Bed bug bites do not have a red dot at the center. Small brown or red stains (resembling a grain of sand) of insect blood/feces. Bed bug eggs are white and around 1mm in size, might be discovered on the bed, and the crevices. Unpleasant smell resembling rotten raspberries especially in larger infestations. You can purchase bed bug indicator traps that can confirm bed bug infestations effectively
A very common misconception is to think that horticultural oil is a type of oil (like neem oil), but actually "horticultural oil" is an umbrella term for all types of oils made from petroleum products, which, includes neem oil.
So, we can think that neem oil is actually similar to horticultural oil (at least, one kind of horticultural oil). Horticultural oils, including neem oil, can be infused with various plant essences.
Organocide is actually a brand of pesticide and insecticide that can be effective in treating bed bugs. It works differently than neem oil in a way that organocide actually poisons the insects and mites rather than disrupting their reproductive system (line neem oil does). Also, the active ingredient is 92% refined fish oil instead of plant-based oil.
Both neem oil and tea tree oil are plant-based oil that is effective as insecticides.
Neem oil is pressed from the seeds of the neem tree, while tea tree oil (TTO) is extracted from the Australian-native paperback tree.
Both oils are now very popular as the natural solutions to control bed bugs, but in general, TTP is more effective as an anti-fungal and bactericide solution. In most cases, neem oil is the more effective and safer option as an insecticide to control bed bugs.
The Bionide's 3-in-1 Neem Oil is an effective and easy to use solution for bed bug infestations. It comes in a Ready To Use (RTU) spray package so you can spray the mattress and bedroom right away, and it is also very safe for children, pets, and plants.
For best results, repeat the application of the product every 7 to 14 days for lighter infestation, and spray every 5 days for heavier bed bug populations.
We'd definitely recommend the Bionide's 3-in-1 Neem Oil as an effective solution for your bed bug infestation issues, as well as a fungicide for your organic gardening needs.
