What Scent Keeps Bed Bugs Away?

Like most insect species, the bed bug is drawn to and deterred to different scents and aromas. Depending on the situation, you may want to draw bed bugs out of their hiding places or deter them from accessing your luggage. Well, it does not take a genius to accomplish either of these tasks. In fact, it is believed that the only thing needed to draw bed bugs to a specific area is carbon dioxide. Heat also offers the same benefit as CO2. Now, when it comes to deterring bed bugs from entering your home or hopping onboard your persons, you only need an essential oil. Experts believe there are two primary essential oils that may act as bed bug deterrence. These include tea oil and peppermint. Lavender may also offer the same benefit. There is not enough evidence available to back up these theories. We suggest conducting a DIY essential oil study to determine which of the 90 very commonly utilized scents work as a bed bug deterrence. A unique scent that deters the adult male bed bug is a pheromone emitted by the larvae. The pheromone is a safety mechanism to discourage the male from trying to mate with the young larvae. Essential oils have also been shown to be effective bed bug toxins. Two such essential oils are paraffin and silicone. A study conducted by the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University was published in the Journal of Economic Entomology In February 2018 revealed paraffin and silicone oils contained properties that could be toxic to bed bugs. Many San Francisco residents are turning to essential oils because they are safe, effective, and accessible. If you discover these products do not work, do not hesitate to reach out to our local extermination team. Our bed bug pest control is efficient across the industry.