Everyone who has encountered a bed bug infestation knows what a nuisance these pesky little insects can be. They are not only annoying but excessive bed bug bites can also take a toll on your health. Perhaps the worst thing about bed bugs is that they are extremely good at hiding. While they love to hide in your bed, mattress, and couches, they are not confined to these places. In fact, bed bugs will happily reside in about every crack and crevice that they can find, eventually taking over your house. This means these bugs are not only resilient and hard to kill but also hard to find.
They huddle in groups and hide during the day only to come out at night to feed on the blood of anyone who is unfortunate enough to be sleeping in the infected areas. Keep in mind that bed bugs spare no one. While they love to feed on human blood, they can even bite your pets.
Surely, no one likes to wake up with itchy welts in the morning. This makes it important to put an end to a bed bug infestation as soon as possible. However, since it is not easy to get rid of bed bugs once they have infiltrated your house, trying to get rid of them can easily take a toll on your wallet as well. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that most people are always looking for inexpensive and effective remedies to drive these annoying insects out of their house once and for all.
A quick search on the internet will show you a number of remedies that claim to kill bed bugs. However, the real question is do they work. Well, while some remedies are highly effective, others may fail to produce desired results. One such remedy is to use borax to kill bed bugs. However, the mystery remains – does borax kill bed bugs? Can you use boric powder for bed bugs instead? Can these substances effectively destroy bed bugs eggs? Is it a good option?
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
Before you worry about the effectiveness of borax or boric powder as a bed bug killer, it is important to make sure that you are really dealing with a bed bug infestation. It is essential to be sure in order to choose the right insect killer to ward off these pesky annoying insects out of your house. For example, it is easy to confuse a bed bug infestation with fleas. Or maybe what you think are the itchy bed bug bites are only mosquitoes biting you throughout the night.
Remember, once your house is infested, it is hard to miss the common signs of an infestation. However, identifying the infestation is another story. Therefore, before you chose the insect killer, make sure you know what you are dealing with. Scroll down to read some telltale signs of a bed bug infestation and know for yourself if you have a bed bug problem. Here’s a list of some of the most common signs of a bed bug infestation. If you notice them in your house, know that it’s time to get ready to reclaim your house and get rid of the annoying bed bugs.
- Waking up with itchy areas or welts. Keep in mind that unlike flea bites, bed bug bites are not limited to the areas around the ankles. Also, they don’t have a red circle at the center.
- Finding blood stains on the bedding and pillowcase in the morning.
- Noticing a foul smell in the house or around the bed. The smell is produced from the insects’ scent glands.
- Finding eggshells shed skin, and fecal spots on the bed, wall, or carpet.
Does Borax Kill Bed Bugs?
Borax, as well as boric powder, is a strong and toxic substance that works effectively to kill a number of insects like ants and cockroaches. So, is borax for bed bugs an effective method to use? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Using borax or boric powder is not a good option when it comes to killing bed bugs.
The reason behind the inefficacy of borax and boric powder as a bed bug killer is that these substances do not work on contact. In other words, borax or boric powder will kill bed bugs only when it is ingested. This poses certain problems as bed bugs survive on blood and will not ingest borax. Therefore, borax, as well as boric powder, is ineffective for killing bed bugs. Similarly, none of these substances work to destroy bed bugs’ eggs.
What Insects will Borax Kill?
Borax may not be suitable to kill bed bugs. However, it is still a strong and toxic substance that can be used to ward off a number of other unwanted insects from your house. Here’s a list of some insects that borax will kill or at least drive out of your house.
- Ants
- Cockroaches
- Mites
- Spiders
- Aphids
- Ticks
Apart from insects, borax can also be used to kill algae, molds, and fungi. Keep in mind that since it is a highly toxic substance, it is advisable to always be extra cautious while using it. When storing it in the house, keep it out of the reach of children. Similarly, when using it to treat the house for insects, make sure you keep the children and pets out of the treated areas until the borax or boric powder has been removed or vacuumed.
No need to be disheartened! You may not be able to use boric powder for bed bugs but there are a number of other ways that are very effective and will help you put an end to a bed bug infestation in just a few days.
Sleep tight – Don’t let the bed bugs bite!