Giovanni Antonio Scopoli noted their presence in Carniola (roughly equivalent to present-day Slovenia) in the 18th century.Traditional methods of repelling and/or killing bed bugs include the use of plants, fungi, and insects (or their extracts), such as black pepper; black cohosh (Actaea racemosa); Pseudarthria hookeri; Laggera alata (Chinese yángmáo cǎo | 羊毛草); Eucalyptus saligna oil; henna (Lawsonia inermis or camphire); "infused oil of Melolontha vulgaris" (presumably cockchafer); fly agaric (Amanita muscaria); tobacco; "heated oil of Terebinthina" (i.e. true turpentine); wild mint (Mentha arvensis); narrow-leaved pepperwort (Lepidium ruderale); Myrica spp. (e.g. bayberry); Robert geranium (Geranium robertianum); bugbane (Cimicifuga spp. ); "herb and seeds of Cannabis"; "opulus" berries (possibly maple or European cranberrybush); masked hunter bugs (Reduvius personatus), "and many others".In the mid-19th century, smoke from peat fires was recommended as an indoor domestic fumigant against bed bugs.Dusts have been used to ward off insects from grain storage for centuries, including plant ash, lime, dolomite, certain types of soil, and diatomaceous earth or Kieselguhr. Of these, diatomaceous earth in particular has seen a revival as a nontoxic (when in amorphous form) residual pesticide for bed bug abatement. While diatomaceous earth often performs poorly, silica gel may be effective.Basket-work panels were put around beds and shaken out in the morning in the UK and in France in the 19th century.
References
External links

Bed bug on the University of Florida/IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
National Geographic segment on Bed bugs on YouTube
Bed bugs – University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital Department of Medical Entomology
Understanding and Controlling Bed Bugs – National Pesticide Information Center
CISR: Center for Invasive Species Research More information on Bed Bugs, with many photos and video
EPA bedbugs information page
A Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bugs in Australia, ICPMR & AEPMA, Sydney Australia, September 2011. ISBN 1-74080-135-0. "Bed Bug Home Page". Bedbug.org.au. 14 October 2005. Retrieved 11 November 2013.