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Wheel Bug Control – Bite Treatment & Home Remedies
Have you seen pests trying to harm your crops in your garden or yard? Do you sit holding your heads seeing such a sight? If you happen to see such things, what planning do you make to gain control over the pest? The very first thing that comes into your mind must be of using insecticides that may kill those pests but have you ever thought of getting rid of these pests naturally? Yes, you can rid of them using natural methods and not only by natural processes but by natural insects. Yes, we are talking about wheel bugs, or you may even know them as assassin bugs. Wheel bugs are one of the largest bugs that are found in different parts of America. These wheel bugs are also known as Arilus Cristatus and belong to the hemipteran order which includes other insects such as stinkbugs, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, etc.
Wheel bugs belong to the assassin bug family and reproduce during the autumn season, and the female bugs lay their eggs on trees and shrubs in the form of clusters. If you carefully observe these clusters of the eggs, it will seem like a honeycomb but are actually the eggs stuck together in a group. Wheel bugs are usually found in meadows and gardens and are natural predators with a stout beak. The most distinguishing feature of these bugs is that they have a wheel-shaped spinning wheel on their back which made them acquire this name of a ‘wheel bug.’ They are of length 28mm to 36mm and comes in various colours like brown, red, black, grey, etc. These bugs have a dangerous appearance, but wheel bugs are harmless until and unless they fear danger from your side. A wheel bug bite can be really painful and demands proper medical assistance if you get bitten by a wheel bug.
How to Get Rid of Wheel Bugs?
As told earlier these wheel bugs are useful predators which can save your gardens and farms from pests. But if in any case, you fear these bugs trying to gain a place in your house and you are thinking of ways of how to get rid of wheel bugs? Then it is better that you get rid of them using natural methods and prevent them from entering your residence rather than killing them. If you are thinking about ways to get rid of wheel bugs, then here is a step by step guide of few ways to get rid of wheel bugs.
Home Remedies to Control Wheel Bugs
If you are searching out for a home remedy to control wheel bugs, then you search ends here. One of the best home remedies is by preparing lemon eucalyptus insect repellent which can easily be done at home. For this, you will require lemon eucalyptus oil, organic sunflower oil which you can easily get from the market. Now you need to have a glass bottle with a spray top attached to it which you can use for spraying this solution. Preparation of this solution is very simple; firstly you need to fill organic sunflower oil in the spray bottle and then slowly add few drops of lemon eucalyptus oil to it approximately 15-30 drops. If you talk about the proportion, you can add ten drops to every 8oz of essential sunflower oil. If you want to make this solution as a whole, then you can accordingly increase the number of drops of lemon eucalyptus oil according to the proportion of sunflower oil that you are adding. The proportion of lemon eucalyptus and sunflower oil should almost be in the ratio of 1:10. Once you have mixed the solution, then you can close the bottle and shake the solution well so that it gets appropriately blended. Once this spray is ready, you can use it as a spray to repel these wheel bugs from your vicinity. For storage purpose of this spray make sure that you are storing this solution in a cool and dark place and not somewhere in a place where you get ample amount of sunlight. Sunlight is not good for this solution and may degrade the effectiveness of the spray so keep it away from sunlight. Another thing to keep in mind is to keep this solution away from the reach of children and whenever you are using it, use it under adult supervision because the lemon eucalyptus oil that is present in the spray can cause itchy and burning sensation if not used with proper care.
Damages Made by Wheel Bugs to Garden
We must be well aware of the fact by now that these are natural predators and help you to clear your garden from pests but at the same time there also few Damages made by wheel bugs to garden though small in number. Wheel bugs apart from freeing your garden from pests can also nibble down on your strawberries, roses and other flowers and fruits in your garden making them bad guests for your garden. Apart from this if you are roaming around in your garden and accidentally happen to disturb these bugs, then you are sure to be stung by them. In routine practice, they don’t sting humans until and unless they are disturbed or sense any type of danger or insecurity from our side. But if they bite you, then it can be really painful, in fact, more painful than a snake bite. These are the few things in which these wheel bugs can be a threat to your garden.
How to Control Wheel Bugs in Garden?
Wheel bugs are attracted towards your yards and garden due to the pests that they may think of dining for a good meal. Apart from the insects that these wheel bugs feed on they are also attracted towards fallen trees, debris, compost piles, leaves, dung and other dead and decaying matter. As mentioned earlier these wheel bugs have a ferocious look and can sting you if disturbed, but they are considered as good guys for your garden. These wheel bugs are good for your garden because they are natural predators and help you to keep a check on the pests that may be having a gala time in destroying the crops of your garden. But if you are thinking of how to control wheel bugs in the garden, then here are few ways that can help you out to get your garden free from these wheel bugs.
1. Bifen Granules
You can use bifen granules in your garden at least once a month to knock these tiny beasts out of your garden and yards.
2. Fipro Foaming Aerosol
Just in case a group of wheel bugs find a place to enter your home and try to trouble you then you can also use FiPro Foaming aerosol which has the capacity of killing these bugs. You can apply this spray at places where you find these bugs finding a pathway, or you can also spray it directly on them when you spot one.
3. Cynora RTS
Once you have laid bifen granules in your garden, you can use CYNORA RTS to spray it on top of the granules. The same should be done once in a month which will limit the wheel bugs from entering your yard. If you spot wheel bugs nearby your home, then make sure that you are spraying it in the boundaries of your home as well so that these tiny monsters don’t dare to enter your house. These insecticides are very effective and are capable of repelling these insects from your home. Continue this process for two to three months spraying it on a monthly basis, and you will get a garden free of these wheel bugs.
4. PT- Phantom Aerosol
Another thing that you can use in your garden and home to keep these wheel bugs away and to apply wheel bug control/bite treatment, you can use Phantom aerosol which is odourless and dries up quickly. This aerosol can also be used at home because it dries up and does not leave any smell or odor and doesn’t turn out to be a messy affair. If by chance you happen to spot any crack and services in your house, then probably it can be an entry door for the wheel bugs so make sure that you spray this aerosol solution at such places as a method to wheel bug control/bite treatment and for prevention of such unwanted entry to your residence. The wheel bugs are habitual in invading a house in groups, and this phantom aerosol spray can work well to drive off these bugs from your home in a collective form. But another thing to keep in mind is that this solution does not kill the bugs at one shot and may take about four to five days or even a week to get completely rid of these wheel bugs.
Home Remedies to Deal with Wheel Bug Bite
If you accidentally happen to be bitten by a wheel bug, then proper medical assistance is something that you should opt for to get control/bite treatment. Apart from the medical assistance, there are few Home remedies to deal with wheel bug bite at the very first instant when you get bitten by a wheel bug. Few of them are listed below:
Using Aloe Vera is also one of the best Home remedies to deal wheel bug bite treatment. You can take out refrigerated aloe Vera leaves and mash it up into a perfect paste and apply it on the wounded area. Aloe Vera will help in relieving the burning sensation due to its anti-inflammatory property and will also lessen down the intensity of pain.
Ice cubes are another thing that you can get at home easily when you are thinking of how to relieve wheel bug bite by yourself? An ice pack will not cure the wound completely but will help in giving you relief from the pain that is caused by the wheel bug bite. You can use an ice pack over the injury which will help in constricting the blood vessels and will prevent any further allergies.
Green tea also possesses anti-inflammatory property which helps in curing the wound and lets it shrink at a speedy process. You should always keep some green tea bags in your fridge and use it whenever you are stung by a wheel bung and need Wheel bug bite treatment.
Basil leaves are another good thing that you can use when you are trying to avoid medical assistance and thinking about How to cure wheel bug bite naturally. These leaves have medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties which help in getting relief from pain and cut downs the swelling on the stung area.
There are many types of oil that you can use for curing wound which we have discussed above, in the same line there is another oil that you can use for wheel bug bite treatment, and that is ‘lavender oil.’ You can mix this lavender oil with few drops of coconut oil and then directly apply it on the wound to get effective results.
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