Herbs for dust mites???

I've never heard of any, but surely dust mites must find some herbs objectionable... Any ideas, please? Thank you. Happy 2011

Cedar maybe

Thanks,TheOld...

I have cedar shavings from Aust red cedar... No other cedar here... but I do have Cedrus (???) essential oil... ?????????????????????

its funny you posted this request here, as about a week ago, i was hearing on the news about a company who ended up with a bed bug infestation that took thousands of dollars for them to get rid of.

so, i began to think, "what natural remedies would help to keep them away?" and of course--did a google search! here is what i found--on this site:

http://www.ehow.com/about_5220833_herbs-rid-bed-bugs.html

Herbs That Can Help
Many people are reluctant to use poisons and pesticides in and around their homes. Fortunately, certain herbs and other natural products such as black walnuts are effective in ridding your home of bed bugs and keeping them away. Natural products that repel bed bugs are available at many natural foods stores. Look for those that contain black walnut or garlic. Cayenne pepper drives them away, and pleasant-smelling mint is also effective in repelling bed bugs. Lavender is another pleasant-smelling herb that bed bugs do not like. Spray or spread one or more of these herbs on top of your mattress and then cover it with a freshly washed mattress pad and sheets, blankets and bedspread.

i know garlic and onion juice diluted in water is great for a lot of bugs--keeping them away. however, it's not exactly a remedy you'll want to use inside the house-as the smell is not very nice. but remember this for your garden in spring and summer. it helps against beetles, mites and other bugs as well as rabbits too, I think. and sprayed on your grass all around your home, will also keep mosquitoes away. cayenne pepper is okay--as it is not so pungent smelling. but the mint and lavender is much more to my liking! and mint is also a remedy for keeping mice, moths, ants and flies at bay too. I also believe they will keep away mosquitoes.

Although not an herb, aturally occurring pyrethrins mixed with canola oil can help greatly in bed bug control.
Other Methods of Controlling Bedbugs
If you have an infestation of bed bugs and don't want to replace your mattress and other bedding, you can purchase special covers that trap these insects inside your mattress, box springs and pillows. These covers are also said to be effective for controlling dust mites. Made of a special fabric that bed bugs cannot get through or bite through, these covers can cause the eventual death of the insects that are living inside your mattress.

Hi Linnie !

When I lived in Japan I had something similar living in the tatami . In the summer I had to resort to a kind of a chemical *bomb* (!!) but during the winter I used to put down powdered green tea . (I guess you could make up a solution and spray it too . ) It seemed to work .

I'm thinking that they might not like something like eucalyptus oil too ?

Good luck !

linnie, I found this study that looked at the effect of essential oils such as pennyroyal, tea tree, and some others on dust mites:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2532629/

And this page that suggests other ways of minimizing them, also suggesting some herbs to take as supplements if you suffer from allergies or asthma due to dust mites:
http://www.ehow.com/how_3795_live-with-allergies.html

celticnoodle, dust mites and bed bugs are two different creatures, though they both do live in human beds (and other places). Good information to know, though, since bed bugs are becoming more of a problem in recent years.

laura_borealis said:

celticnoodle, dust mites and bed bugs are two different creatures, though they both do live in human beds (and other places). Good information to know, though, since bed bugs are becoming more of a problem in recent years.

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oops! i knew that. not sure what i was thinking when I did my post- but, perhaps if it works on bedbugs, it will dust mites too!

thanks for the two sites you posted, laura. very informative. i also happen to be allergic to dust mites. I use some of the steps to minimize exposure to them as mentioned in site #2 you provided. I will share one more tip I have learned from somewhere that does seem to help a lot--when dusting, take a lemon scented cleaner or lemon oil i guess will work too--and dilute it in water. then spray this onto a dust cloth when you are dusting. it is okay to use this on wood furniture--but to be sure - you may want to test it in a spot no so noticeable.

anyway, this is what i use to dust and clean the whole house and it seems to keep the dusting to a minimum as well. dust doesn't seem to come back quite as quickly. not sure if that is just an added benefit of the lemon or not--but it I will always use this method now for dusting and cleaning.

also do not forget to dust any fans you have as well. the one site mentioned ceiling fans, I think, but even floor and table top fans are huge dust collectors. I clean these regularly (esp. fan blades) as well to keep dust to a minimum.

I wish I could reach my fans... even with my step stool they are too high... I will have to rent a short ladder to clean them. (I know I could get a duster on a long stick, but that will scatter the dust more and I want to wipe it up neatly)

laura, you must have ceiling fans with tall ceilings, eh? my dau. has the same problem, and I have a problem when I visit there and sit in the livingroom. She doesn't quite understand how the dust accumulates on the blades and then scatters through out. when they turn the fan on, I generally go and sit at the dining room table, in the adjoining room.

she did purchase some cleaning tool that was on an extension pole which she could wipe the blades clean with. not sure why she doesn't still have them--perhaps she didn't like them. but at any rate, perhaps you can do a search for one. I've seen them reach about 12 + feet with an extension pole.

celticnoodle said:

laura, you must have ceiling fans with tall ceilings, eh?

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Yes, they're over 12 ft. -- about 12' 8" I believe. Some of the rooms are taller than they are wide. ^_^ Thank you for your suggestions.