So why back? We have created an environment for them to flourish! Many people travel the globe more than any generation before us. Detection and prevention are critical you must know what to look for. You can't fight an enemy you don't even know is lurking about. Here are a few guidelines and home remedies that could help in the battle with these pesky pests.
 
Are they Dangerous?            

• Feed on our blood
• Inflammation
• Itchiness
• Infection
• Mental health aspect (if in your home make you crazy)
• No evidence of transmitting disease?  (This is according to doctors, but they do carry 24 different pathogens. I wonder?)

Prevention:

• Like clutter and crevices
• Vacuum often
• Hot water to clean clothes (heat and freezing kills)
• Dry clothes in the dryer (again, heat kills)
• Sheets that cover mattress completely (you can get plastic covers that cover entire mattress and pillows)
• When traveling be careful where you put your suitcase, best to put in the closet

Detection:

• Blood Stains (from bites, itching)
  
• Black spots that look almost like mold on mattress, sheets, or furniture
• Bites patterns of three (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) can be mistaken for mosquito bites
• Look like lentil or apple seeds reddish brown (very close to an jalapeño seed in size)
• Prefer humans (but will take any mammal typically mice or birds)
• They do have electronic monitoring devices and trapping devices available now.
• 5 different stages of molting (go to www.epa.gov/pesticides/bedbugs/index.html to view the different stages)

Elimination: To eliminate bed bugs you can use heat or freeze methods. You can find many companies that use these methods. To eliminate by heat they bring in huge heaters seal up the house and basically cook the inside of your home. The freeze method uses Cryonite this is liquid carbon dioxide, in minus degrees. This is food safe no chemicals!!  The EPA warns against companies using pesticides that are not to be used indoors. Of course we don't ever want to use toxic chemicals. Bed bugs are attracted to the smell of carbon dioxide (that is what we breathe out, and larger amounts while sleeping). Here are some herbs that repel bed bugs: Black Walnut, Eucalyptus, Garlic, Lavender, Black Cohosh, Cayenne, Mint, Lavender, Guyabano, Thyme, Neem.

Herbal Sachet: (use cut herbs) this not only has bed bug repelling herbs, but will be pleasantly aromatic - 3 parts Black Walnut, 3 parts Thyme, 2 parts Sweet Flag, 1 part Lavender, 1 part Mint.

Makes about 1½ cups

• ½ C olive oil
• ½ C tamari
• 2 T sesame oil (not toasted) (both optional)
• juice of ½ an orange (4 T) or 3 drops orange essential oil (optional)
• ¼ C agave or honey
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• ½" piece ginger, minced
• 1 toothpick dip ginger essential oil
  

Directions:
Combine everything (if you use the optional untoasted sesame oil, decrease the olive oil amount by 2 T). Pour over cut up veggies. Use any combination. Broccoli and Tomatoes is one of my favorite combinations. This is also good over whole mushrooms and asparagus, together or alone.

• The School of Natural Healing
• Christopher Publications

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