In this guide, we’ll discuss the best bed bug traps, the different baits to be applied, as well as DIY homemade setups that can lure and trap bugs.
Bed bugs are among the most problematic pests to have at home. During heavy infestations, they can keep you sleepless all through the night due to the itching from their bites.
Learning how bed bug traps and baits work will help you wipe out the critters and restore normalcy to your house.
Before you start brainstorming on where to do that, this article explains everything you need to know about bed bug traps and baits.
Here, you will learn about their types and how to set them up at home. Continue reading!
Do Bed Bug Traps Work?
Yes, they do. Although their effectiveness varies based on the type, and the location they are placed. However, on a general level, they work. You can use them to halt the activities of bed bugs in your home. You can also use them as a way to monitor or prevent bed bugs from invading your house.
However, bed bug traps have their challenges. You may need to consider all the challenges before deciding if it is for you or not.
What are these challenges? You may ask. Below are some of them.
What You Should Know Before Using Bed bug Traps And Baits
Before choosing bed bug traps as a way of eliminating the pests, here are a few things you should know about them.
- Bed bug traps do not kill bed bugs that are inside the mattress. The traps can only kill those moving across the room, the ones that are probably coming out from the mattress and other hiding places. But the ones living within the mattress will remain untouched.
- This is because the traps are not made with any insecticide-like chemicals, which are known to kill bed bugs from afar. The traps rely on the bed bugs walking on them before they can catch and kill them.
- The traps cannot be relied upon in case of heavy infestations. They are often used for emergencies until a better alternative is gotten. So while you can use them to catch bed bugs in your home, they can’t be relied upon for heavy infestation. You will have to go for other alternatives like thermal treatment and fumigation.
- A bed bug trap that uses glue will have to be changed once in a while. Maybe once or twice a week, to keep it very effective.
These are just some of the challenges with using bed bug traps you need to know. Let’s move on to how the devices work.
How Bed Bug Traps Work
Bed bug traps are usually made with a bait or lure. This bait attracts bed bugs that jump on the trap without knowing what it is. Once they do, they get caught. They will remain there till you come for them.
The bait often releases carbon dioxide which is the gas bed bugs locate humans with. This is the exact gas they will follow until they get into the trap.
There are several types of bed bug traps available. Below, we will talk about how to make a few of them.
Bed Bug Traps DIY
Here are different types of bed bug traps and how to do them yourself. These traps can be made from simple materials that are found at home.
- Carbon Dioxide Bed Bug Trap
To do this, you will need the following: sugar, yeast, a plastic cup or bottle, disposable dish, paper towel, water, and dish soap.
Procedure
- If you are using a plastic bottle, cut it into two so that one side of it looks like a cup.
- Pour the yeast solution into the cup and add sugar. As the yeast feed on the sugar, carbon dioxide which is the gas that attracts bed bugs, will be produced.
- Pour a little water into the dish and add the dish soap or detergent to it. The idea is that the detergent will break the surface tension of the water so that any bed bug that gets into it will drown and die.
- Wrap the outer part of the dish with a paper towel. Bed bugs cannot climb smooth surfaces. You need to wrap the dish with a paper towel to make it easier for them to climb it.
- Put the cup with the sugar and yeast solution at the center of the dish and place them in a position where you must have seen some bed bugs. The yeast and sugar solution will give off carbon dioxide which will attract them to the trap. Once they successfully climb the dish to get to the source of the carbon dioxide, they will drown in the water.
You can use glue tapes to make a bed bug trap. There are usually two ways of doing this. The first is to use glue tape with one sticky side and the other side smooth.
The second way is to use double-sided sticky tape.
- Procedure
Using the double-sided glue tape, wrap the legs of the bed where you lie. All the legs should be covered with the tape completely.
The idea behind this is that bed bugs coming out, down from the bed, or trying to climb it from the leg will get stuck once they climb on the tape. They will remain there until you take them out.
Apart from using tape to wrap the legs of the bed, you can also wrap them around the legs of the cushion and also on the crevices where bed bugs normally hide.
You will need to check on them from time to time to take out the glue once it has already caught some bed bugs.
- Bed Bug Trap With Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a well-known natural insecticide. When used against bed bugs, the result is almost always positive.
Diatomaceous earth kills bed bugs by cutting their bodies as they walk on it. Through that cut, the bed bug will start losing water gradually. That dehydration will ultimately lead to its death.
To make a trap where you will use diatomaceous earth to kill bed bugs, here’s how to go about it.
- Get a lure. It can be a mixture of sugar and yeast solutions. The reason you need this is that bed bugs are not naturally attracted to diatomaceous earth. So you will need some kind of attractant to draw them close to it. Once you have gotten the lure, put it under your bed. Very close to the legs of the bed.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around it, making a ring with it. This is to ensure that the bed bugs walk on the DE as much as possible. A better way to do this is to pour the diatomaceous earth into a dish or bowl and then put the lure at the center of the bowl. Wrap the outside of the bowl with a paper towel to make it easier for bed bugs to get into the dish but impossible for them to get out. They will keep walking inside the dish with the diatomaceous earth. The more they walk on the DE, the more they get cut until they dry out and die.
Best Bed Bug Trap To Buy For Effective Results
Apart from the homemade bed bug traps, you can choose to buy the commercial traps and use them to eliminate bed bugs from your home.
Below are some of the most recommended ones you can buy for the best results.
- HARRIS Bed Bug Early Detection Glue Traps (4-Pack)
With over 640 customer reviews and ratings on Amazon, Harris Bed Bug Early Detection Glue Traps is worth giving a trial.
The trap is easy to set up and can be placed under the bed, furniture or anywhere else you have noticed bed bugs. Since it is not made with any insecticide, the product is non-toxic and safe for use at home.
It comes in 4 Packs which you can easily position at strategic places in your home for very effective results. You can check it out on Amazon and see what users are saying about it.
- Bug Snarer Bed Bug Trap
This bed bug trap is designed to be used under your bed and chairs. You can use them to protect the legs of your beds and chairs to avoid bed bugs climbing on them to get to your mattress.
Bug Snarer Bed Bug Traps do not come with any form of pesticide or chemical, so you can easily use them around the kids and pets. According to user reviews, the product does exactly what it advertises. You can use it at home or at a business point like a hotel, to kill bed bugs. Feel free to check it out on Amazon.
In Conclusion
Bed bugs are a nuisance to have in any home. Their bites can be so itchy that you can hardly sleep through them.
In this article, we have discussed how to wipe them out using bed bug traps and baits. I hope you find the information here useful.