Natural Treatment for Bed Bug Bite

Bed bugs have plagued humankind for many centuries. The flea like bug feeds exclusively on blood. Curiously, it is not a disease vector despite being a candidate for transferring disease. However, some schools of thought believe that Chagas disease and Hepatitis can spread by bed bug bites.

The first step is to understand whether the bite marks have been actually caused by a bed bug, or other insects like mosquitoes. Since all the bites look the same, there are no obvious marks, which will distinguish between the two. In order to figure out, the bed sheets and garments should be observed for reddish spots in a row, which are indications of the bug moving along the skin to bite a new area. Also, check for eggs or skins, which might be stranded over from the process of molting. The best places to look for these are crevices or other dark corners where bed bugs generally take refuge. Once you are sure that the infestation is of bed bugs, you can start with the process of eliminating bed bugs. The first step is to keep all animals, birds and bats away from the vicinity of the house. A primary reason for this is that the nest’s of these birds act as the home for bed bugs. There is a possibility that the bed bugs might have been transferred into your house due to these birds or animals.

To prevent bed bugs, next step is to clean the house from top to bottom and have all the clutter removed so that there is no hiding place for the bed bugs. All pieces of clothing should be inspected carefully for any traces of eggs or the like and sprayed with insecticide if found. All the items of clothing or bed sheets that could have been infested should be soaked in warm water to kill the remaining chances of bed bugs. An alternative to this method is to dry them in the direct sun for a couple of days. The same can be done with furniture if they have been infested. The process takes a bit longer if the infestation is found in winter. To deal with the bite itself, you could apply some aloe vera, which has mild anti-inflammatory properties. Orally, you could also take ginger, feverfew, or turmeric. Turmeric could actually be applied to the site of a bite to reduce the inflammation, which is an allergic reaction to the saliva of the bed bug.