Natural Ways to Kill Parasitic Bugs in the Home

Parasitic Bugs

• Parasitic bugs rarely invade your home on purpose. Usually, fleas and ticks hitch a ride on a person or a pet and are accidentally brought inside. When they finish feeding, they drop off and crawl away. If the bug is a pregnant female, she will lay eggs inside your home, and soon you have a whole new generation of insects feeding on your family. When fleas and ticks move in, you can get rid of them using natural killers.

Natural Killers

• To get rid of fleas, use citrus oil. It contains a compound called d-limonene which acts both as a repellent and an insect killer. Citrus oil is available for purchase at aromatherapy shops or health food stores. Make your own by chopping up three medium-sized lemons. Put them in a large glass bowl, then pour 3 cups of boiling water over them. After the water cools, pour it and a couple of the lemon chunks into a spray bottle, and you have a citrus-oil infused solution ready to use. If you are dealing with ticks, purchase diatomaceous earth. This naturally occurring powdery soil is a dehydrating agent that kills ticks on contact.

Use

• Wash floors with the citrus-oil infused solution to kill any fleas and to keep others away. Spritz carpeting and furniture where you’ve seen fleas to kill them where they hide. After using the spray, wait 15 minutes for the citrus oil to kill the fleas and for the carpet to dry, then vacuum the area well and dispose of the bag or contents of the canister outdoors. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in the corners of rooms to catch ticks where they hide and eliminate them. Let the powder sit for 20 minutes, then vacuum it and any dead ticks up. Dispose of them outdoors as well.

Considerations

• When working to kill parasitic bugs in your home, wear white pants tucked into white socks. You won’t be fashionable, but you will be able to spot any ticks or fleas crawling up your legs. Vacuum them off your legs and get rid of the bag or empty the canister outdoors. Diatomaceous earth can also be used outdoors to create a protective barrier around your home. It can cause respiratory irritation if you breathe it in, so wear a mask while applying it and keep children and pets out of the way.