Sometimes, bed bug infestations can make you feel defeated. You’ll consider many natural products like essential oils. But does Baby Powder Kill Bed Bugs?
- The short answer is, NO, baby powder can’t kill bed bugs. Baby powder will only irritate bed bugs or will only musk the scent from the bugs.
- However, the powder may kill the bed bugs only by trapping them. Related: Pictures of Bed Bugs.
Does Baby Powder Kill Bed Bugs? DIY Bed Bug Treatment
Myth 1: Baby powder will dry the bed bug’s skin – Well, homeowners wrongly claim that baby powder will work like diatomaceous earth – that it’ll dry the bug’s skin.
You’d need to sprinkle the baby powder on floors, furniture, and mattress.
- If it were true, the powder would dry out the bed bug’s exoskeleton and thus dehydrate them – including baby bed bugs.
Myth 2: Locking bed bugs in containers with baby powder will kill them. This is partly true, but the bugs won’t die from any poisoning from the bed bugs.
However, you’ll need to put the bed bugs and baby powder together in a bowl or cup – creating something like a trap. The talc will be chemically dangerous to the bugs.
The bed bug trap will ensure that the bugs can’t escape – the bowl or cup has a slippery surface on the inside, and thus the bloodsuckers can’t climb over and escape.
Therefore, bugs will quickly climb into the trap but can’t escape – they’ll die from hunger.
What about Dual-Purpose Baby Powder?
Bed bugs will escape any evidence of baby powder that you’ll have poured around the floors, furniture, carpets, and mattress encasements.
- However, the powder will work when used as a bed bug trap.
It’s important to remind you that baby powder talk isn’t hazardous to bed bugs, and thus, using it as a trap won’t help in the long term to exterminate the bloodsuckers.
The baby powder may only reduce the bed bug odor’s strength or irritate the bug’s exoskeleton. Thus, even the dual-purpose baby powder won’t be effective.
An Effective Bed Bug Trap – Baby Powder?
As noted above, a bed bug trap will work well if created using baby powder having talcum – particularly when combined with some other ingredients.
Dr. Changlu Wang put down this bed bug trap research from Rutgers University. Below are the retirements as outlined by the researcher:
- Masking tape, Gloves, Talcum baby powder, A cotton ball, and dry ice cubes
- Thermos flask, flat-bottomed pet dish, and fabric that’ll fully cover the pet dish’s outer surface.
So, let’s dive into how actually to assemble this bed bug trap to achieve top effectiveness.
- Cover the out surface of the pet dish using the fabrics plus the glue from the masking tape. This enables the bed bugs to climb onto the pet dish.
- Next, place the baby powder with talcum on a cotton ball and dust it into the side of your pet dish. Now, put on some gloves and get the dry ice bag and place them inside your thermos.
- Now, put the pet dish upside-down while also placing the thermos on top of it. So, set the pet dish trap in an area where bed bugs may frequent.
- Carbon dioxide is produced – when the dry ice starts melting – will attract the bed bugs.
- The talcum in the baby powder will make the bloodsuckers slide and thus won’t escape.
- So, place the bed bugs trap near areas where bed bugs hide – including upholstery, couches, cushions, crevices, and cracks.
Alternatives to Kills Bed Bugs?
Exterminators and professional pest control may be outside the budget, or you might not have time for them.
- Consider both non-chemical approaches and chemical approaches.
Besides using baby powder, below are the other methods we can use to control bed bugs. Check this guide to check where bed bugs hide.
1. Bed Bug Aerosol Spray
2. Boric Acid for Bed Bugs
Boric acid is also an excellent solution to get rid of roaches, but it’s also suitable for bed bugs. However, bed bugs must ingest the boric acid.
But is critical to note that bed bugs feed on human blood – and thus, it won’t be primarily attracted to feed on anything else even with boric acid.
3. Heat to kill Bed Bugs
Heat is the ultimate option for killing bed bugs. For a dryer to kill bed bugs, you’ll need between 39o C to 51o C – it’ll kill all the bed bug stages.
- Luckily, heat treatment is non-toxic, safe, & equally effective – however, it’s critical to take care of how long you’ll heat treat the bed bugs.
You’ll need to sustain the high temperature for 90 minutes.
4. Cold Treatment for Bed Bugs
When we consider baby powder for its use in killing bed bugs, there are two myths that we’ll need to debunk. So, let’s get started!
Conclusion
I know other products, including sprays, steamers, rubbing alcohol (91 %), do Lavender. So, baby powder is readily accessible and cheap too. But does baby powder kill bed bugs?