Herbs for Bed Bugs

Garlic

• This herb has a pungent aroma and strong flavor. Create a garlic bed bug repellent by mincing 10 cloves of garlic and combining that with 1 pint water and 1 tbsp. of liquid soap. Store this mixture in a glass jar, then combine 1 to 2 tbsp. of the mixture with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture anywhere you wish to repel bed bugs. Remember that this garlic-infused mixture smells strongly of garlic, so be prepared for your home and furniture to smell like garlic if you use it.

Mint

• Mint repels bed bugs along with mice, fleas, ants, flies and mites. Steep mint leaves in 2 to 3 cups boiling water for 30 minutes, then strain the mixture and spray it onto any surfaces from which you wish to repel bed bugs. Sprinkling dried mint leaves into crevices in baseboards or between mattresses keeps bed bugs at bay.

Pepper

• Spicy peppers such as cayenne contain capsaicin, a substance known to repel pests such as bed bugs. The scent of cayenne along with its unpleasant burning sensation deters pests from areas in your home. Sprinkle cayenne between mattresses or into baseboards, closets, cabinets and crevices. Or create a pepper spray by combining 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper with 3 cups water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto any surface where you wish to repel bed bugs. Use cation when working with a pepper spray, it burns skin and eyes if sprayed directly onto or into them. This mixture may not be the most ideal for use in households with small children or pets due to the burning discomfort it causes.

Lavender

• This herb often used in tea also makes a bed bug repellent. Steep 10 to 12 lavender flowers in 3 to 4 cups boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the mixture and pour into a spray bottle. This mixture, sprayed onto furniture, walls and flooring, keeps bed bugs away from those areas of your home. This mixture has a more pleasant aroma than that of pepper spray or garlic spray, and may even act as a natural deodorizer and air freshener in your home.

Dill

• Like cayenne and other spicy peppers, dill contains pest-repelling capsaicin. Make a dill "tea" spray by steeping 1/2 cup dill (dried or fresh) in 2 to 3 cups boiling water for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture with cheesecloth or a strainer and pour into a spray bottle. Spray onto infested surfaces to repel bed bugs. Dill leaves a less pleasant fragrance than lavender or mint sprays, but is equally effective.