5 Honest Pros and Cons of Kerosene for Bed Bugs Remedy


When you come to this article, it means that you have some problems with bed bugs and want to know whether kerosene can be used to treat them or not. Am I correct? Well, if it is so, let us discuss it more because I find some interesting things about kerosene for bed bugs here.

It is a well-known fact that kerosene can be used to treat any kind of insects including bed bugs. You may notice that the people (in any part of the world) decades ago use kerosene to kill bed bugs. At that time, people mix kerosene with other oils or even just use the kerosene itself.

But, nowadays, there are dozens of techniques to treat bed bugs. Also, there are more and more pest exterminator services that grow fast in this century. However, some of them may a bit expensive and you need to find a cheaper yet effective substance to get rid off bed bugs completely.

So, is it worth using kerosene for bed bugs remedy? Let us find out.

The PROS of Kerosene for Bed Bugs Remedy

will kerosene kill bed bugs
Will kerosene kill bed bugs? | illustration of kerosene jerry can

Will Kerosene Kill Bed Bugs?

Will kerosene kill bed bugs? Yes, kerosene kills bed bugs. The use of kerosene to kill bed bugs has been started decades ago. In fact, people on the other part of this world also use kerosene to kill termites, ants, and any other small pests.

According to Potter, during wartime, some oils such as kerosene, benzene, turpentine, and even gasoline were used as bed bugs spray. Those oils were used because of the lack of Pyrethrum that previously was used to remove bed bugs.

So, the application of kerosene for bed bugs can remove adult insects. If you want to use it, make sure you spray thoroughly to make kerosene kills bed bugs more. So, will kerosene kill bed bugs? The answer is yes.

The Effectiveness of Kerosene in Killing Bed Bugs

If you are asking about the effectiveness of kerosene to kill bed bugs, then it is so effective. Kramer and Goff in Doggett state that kerosene is used to control bed bugs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also, people often use a tin filled with kerosene as the place for the legs of beds.

So, it has been a very long period that kerosene had a good reputation for bed bugs remedy. There is no doubt that kerosene can kill bed bugs. There are even people in the past who use it as the prevention for bed bugs to climb the beds. That typical prevention actually can be found also in any other part of the world.

Kerosene Is Relatively Cheaper than Pest Control Service

Using pest control service is a good choice because they are the experts in this field. The problems you have can be solved completely. But, sometimes, the problem is that we do not really have much money. So, we need an alternative way.

A gallon of kerosene can be used for some treatments. It depends on what method you use and which part of your house that you treat. Usually, people use kerosene as a spray to kill the bed bugs that appear and use a tin filled with kerosene to prevent the bed bugs from crawling to the legs of furniture.

Here, as a comparison, a pest control service can cost about $250-$400 which depends on your problems. I also found that there was $900 for a pest control service in a particular state. While a gallon of kerosene is around $2.25. That is a very high gap, right?

However, there are also some disadvantages to using kerosene. Here it is.

The CONS of Kerosene for Bed Bugs Remedy

Kerosene Heater for Bed Bugs Is Not Effective

Using kerosene directly as sprays can eliminate bed bugs effectively, but a kerosene heater is a different story. It is well known that at least you need 113°F to kill adult bed bugs in 90 minutes and bed bugs eggs in 8 hours, and 122°F to kill both adult bed bugs and bed bugs eggs in a shorter time.

But, the kerosene heater does not reach that level because this device is used to warm people. So, the kerosene heater is not enough to kill bed bugs effectively. You have to use a heater to kill bed bugs in your house, especially for bed bugs in electronics.

Also, bed bugs heater can be so expensive and dry out our budget.  In this case, you can try the heat treatment method. This method uses certain tools that are not only effective but also designed, qualified, and tested to kill bed bugs completely. The good news is that this kind of heater can be your long-term investment. Imagine that you can rent your heaters to your neighbors or anyone with bed bug problems. Surely, you will get an extra income.

Kerosene Is Flammable

Even though you can use kerosene to kill bed bugs, you have to realize that kerosene is quite flammable. It is well known that gasoline can be burnt faster than kerosene, but at 38°C or higher it can be burnt too. So, it is not a wise thing to spray your stuff in an indoor room, especially those which are without any ventilation or air circulation in the room.

As an alternative, you need to choose other bed bug sprays that work better and much safer. The spray products sold out there mostly come from insecticides which sometimes can lead us to the another problem. It is because we need to apply it directly to the stuff inside our house that sometimes our kids and pets are in contact with. So, we need to be much more selective in choosing insecticides.

In this case, you can try SayByeBugs spray, a bed bug spray that is not only killing fast but also eco-friendly. It is originally made from natural substances so you can feel safer than flammable kerosene. The other good thing about this spray is that it works super fast. Thus, you can safely kill bed bugs in a short time.

However, in this case, I would like to remind you that bed bug spray is mostly used to kill adult bed bugs. So, you may need some bottles or even liters, depending on your need, because we have to patiently wait until the life cycle of bed bugs completely end. I mean that today we may kill all the adult bed bugs, but the eggs and the nymph may still be there.

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