If you’ve ever woken up in the morning covered in red, itchy bites, you may be hosting small, vicious intruders commonly known as “bed bugs”. These tiny, wingless insects often settle into your mattress and wait for you to arrive. When you do, it’s feeding time!

Common myths surrounding bed bugs include such claims that they are attracted to dirty places. However, that isn’t the case. Bed bugs only want to find warm areas, meaning that they can be found even in the most sanitary of places, from five star hotels to even hospital beds. So, how do you know if you are infested with bed bugs or have just gotten a bad case of poison ivy? Thankfully, there are easy ways to know if you have bed bugs.

How To Tell if You Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are most active in the middle of the night (conveniently when you’re sleeping!) and may be hard to spot during the day. If you wake up with bites that you didn’t go to bed with, it may be a good indication that you have bed bugs. However, you can also inspect your matress and linens. Typically, when bed bugs are present you’ll be able to see red or dark brown fecal stains that the little critters have left behind. Also, bed bugs typically shed leaving their “shells” in linens.

Unfortunately, bed bugs are so small that they can be hard to spot with the naked eye. Even worse, they are small enough to fit in the tiny of crevices and can be transproted in furniture from home to home. Unfortunately, bed bugs can have many negative effects ranging from damge to furniture and bedding, to severe health effects for those that are extremely sensitive to bed bug bites.

Natural Remedies for Bed Bugs

Thankfully, there are natural remedies that can help rid you of these horrible creatures.

Boric Acid:

Although boric acid should never be placed directly on a matress or box spring, you can place it in places where you know that bed bugs frequent to help prevent migration.

The Dryer:

Some believe that placing sheets in a dryer on high heat for over 20 minutes can help kill bed bugs. Of course, this probably wouldn’t be a long term solution if you have bed bugs manfisted in other places in your home.

Black Walnut:

According to sources such as the National Park Service, black walnut can be a natural insecticide against bed bugs.

Herbs:

For those that believe in herbal approaches, there are several possible uses to defend against bed bugs. Some suggest using thyme, eucalyptus, and lavender on linens and clothes to help get rid of bed bugs.

Steam Treatment:

To destroy bed bugs in matresses, even pest control professionals will use steam treatments. Individuals can also purchase a small steam cleaner to help kill bed bugs.

Heat

If you live somwhere hot, you can use it to your advantage. Natural heat can kill bed bugs, leaving you free of the nasty insects.