I’m often asked if any repellants for bed bugs actually work. I believe there’s a variety of repellants that can possibly keep bed bugs away from you and your possessions. If you are worried you might bring bed bugs home, consider wearing cedar oil.

From my own experiences, I’ve found that cedar oil in spray forms, works great. I apply cedar oil on my clothing and skin when I’m doing visual bed bug inspections. -That’s right cedar oil, from you know, cedar trees. People have been using cedar chests for hundreds, if not thousands of years to keep bugs out. Cedar oil in liquid form is basically the same thing, bugs hate it! It will kill bed bugs on contact; however it doesn’t leave much, if any residual effect. So, if you decide to wear cedar oil, you should apply it at least every day. Actually, I use cedar oil for mosquitoes as well, at campfires, or summer nights in general, I will spray some around the perimeter of our activity.

Even though I think cedar oil works great as a repellent, it will not be sufficient to rid a residence of bed bugs. Residual pesticides are needed to kill any bed bug you cannot find. Bed bugs are nocturnal, so if you spray the bugs you find during the day, there are probably hundreds that you didn’t get. If you think you can get rid of bed bugs without using professional help, good luck! Make sure you use residual chemicals on mattress, other furniture, baseboards, and outlet covers with a residual killer, so any bug that contacts that place later will die. Then call us to make sure that all the bed bugs are dead.

I cannot personally elaborate much on other repellents, but I hear that “OFF Deepwoods, 44x Bedbug Repellent, and Rest Easy Bed Bug Repellent Spray can work as well. I’ve heard individuals say good things about these products, but see mixed reviews online. I know, in Columbus at least some Pest Control companies sell cedar oil. Or you can buy a variety of different cedar oil brands online. (Just do a google search) Like anything online, be careful of what brand you choose and where you but it from. I’m not going to endorse any brand in particular, I’ve tried several brands and they all seem to be the same.

If you think anything works better than plain ‘ol cedar oil, let me know.