Here is how to trap bed bugs with tape.
Bed bug problems are among the pest issues most homeowners will want to avoid at all costs.
However, the disturbing truth is, no matter your level of hygiene, bed bugs could accidentally be brought in when you take a commute to and from work.
Also, checking into a bedbug-infested hotel room could be the beginning of your problem.
These nocturnal blood-sucking parasites announce their presence with bites. You’re likely to wake up to itchy skin and bite makes around your body.
Of course, the most logical thing to do is find urgent solutions to such a problem. There are tons of treatment methods available.
One of those we’ll be discussing is the bed bug barrier tape.
As the name implies, such tape serves as a barrier that keeps these bugs at bay.
Using Sticky Tapes For Bed Bug Treatments
When suspecting bed bug presence, several actions can be taken to inspect an affected area.
This includes the use of tapes. While being used as inspection tools, tapes also double as barriers to prevent bed bug incursion. Such tapes vary in the way they work.
While those for detection or inspections mostly have double-sided sticky layers, tapes used as barriers have a slippery surface. This prevents bed bugs from climbing up vertical surfaces.
Although we’re more concerned about the former (tapes with sticky surfaces), we’ll also discuss a little about barrier tapes.
i. Tapes as Bed Bug Detection Tools
If you’ve experienced itchiness due to bites and suspect such to come from bed bugs, you’ll need to dig further for answers. Here tapes will come in handy as excellent detection tools.
The aim here is to have these bugs trapped and inspected closely.
To succeed in this regard, you’ll need to know how to use such. Different types of tapes can be used for this purpose including duct tape and double-sided tapes.
Here, the stickiness of the tape is all that matters.
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Trapping Bed Bugs with Duct Tape
Duct tapes come with strong adhesives which makes them an excellent trapping tool when you know how to use them. To get started, all you have to do is target seam areas of the mattress or couch.
These are usually among the hiding spots used by bed bugs.
Lengths of duct tape will need to be pressed down along such points. Once removed, any bugs hiding along such seams come off on the tape. The tape’s stickiness glues these bugs onto it.
This method can either be used as a way to detect bed bug presence or simply to get rid of them.
In the case of detection, you’ll need to have a magnifying glass to be able to identify what you’ve trapped. The good thing with the duct tape treatment is that their eggs aren’t spared.
When stuck on tapes both bed bugs won’t get dislodged easily.
Simply dispose of such items properly or have the tape burned.
Repeated taping of seams and pulling off of such tapes may be necessary to completely get rid of them. So, is this a reliable way to treat this pest problem?
Not really! Although tapes may get rid of bed bugs, from seams, they may prove ineffective for those hiding in cracks and crevices.
This is because such tapes will hardly reach these hiding spots. Trapping bed bugs with tapes is only one of many treatment alternatives you can apply.
This can be performed in conjunction with other methods but shouldn’t be relied on as the sole treatment for bed bug problems.
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Trapping Bed Bugs with Double-Sided Tape
Still, on trapping bed bugs with tape, another type you can try out is the double-sided tape.
As the name implies, both sides of this tape are sticky. So, how do you deploy or use such for bed bug trapping? Actually, you’ll need to have eliminated bed bugs on your bird first for this method to be effective.
With double-sided tapes, you want to prevent a return or resurgence of these pests.
So, having treated or eliminated all bed bugs on your bed, what remains is to attach this tape around your bed’s perimeter especially the base. You may also decide to stick it around its foundation.
All bed bugs seeking to cross over such barriers to getting to your bed get trapped. The stickiness of the tape creates an impassable barrier, thus providing the needed protection you seek. This is an excellent way to protect or quarantine your bed area after treatment while treating other areas.
With double-sided tapes acting as an impenetrable barrier, bed bugs are unable to migrate from other points of your home to your bed.
ii. Tapes as Bed Bug Barriers
So far, we’ve been discussing ways to trap bed bugs with tape. Two types of sticky tapes have been discussed so far; duct tapes and double-sided tapes. Now, we’ll shift our focus to barrier tapes.
First off, you should know that all tapes serve as barriers.
However, some are mainly designed to cover vertical surfaces most frequented by bed bugs.
Such surfaces include large bed legs, walls, electrical sockets as well as headboards among others. One specially designed tape meant for this purpose is the Bed Bug Barrier Tape.
It comes transparent and has a smooth and slippery surface which makes it impossible for bed bugs to climb up your bed or other surfaces.
Ordinarily, these surfaces have a bit of rough texture that allows for easy climbing by bed bugs.
However, when covered with this tape, it becomes impossible for them to climb.
Bed bugs will always slip off whenever they attempt to climb. So, while it doesn’t have any trapping features, this tape still keeps these pests at bay.
Sole reliance on this tape or the other ones discussed above isn’t advisable.
For best results, consider combining them with other treatment methods.
Consider Adopting a More Comprehensive Treatment
For many people, DIY treatments for pest problems seem attractive. However, such a method has its many disadvantages.
Bed bug issues are among the most difficult pest problems to deal with. So, you should hire a reputable bug management service to perform a more professional treatment.
Has this article been helpful?
We’ve touched on the multiple methods tapes can be used for trapping.
While these methods give results, it’s necessary to use them alongside other reliable bed bug treatments.