Bed bug trap: how to make a DIY trap

Hello dear readers. Today we'll talk about what are the bedbug traps.

There are many pest control products available. You can choose the method that best suits your situation. "Grandma's" methods have become good, without the use of chemicals. There is a more proven method - special traps. With the help of them, it is possible to remove bedbugs in a minimum time and with high quality. Thanks to this, you can feel completely safe.

Thanks to good traps, correctly placed, you can eliminate unwanted guests from your home or apartment. Remember that the choice of a trap depends on how bad the situation is. If it is critical, then decoys will not solve the whole problem. This is only an aid. However, if insects have only recently visited your home and you are sure that they have not laid their eggs, then you can choose a less active agent against them.

If you only suspect that you have bed bugs, then take serious steps to avoid spreading them.

Effectiveness of traps

Having decided to find similar products in the store, the owners of infected apartments will face difficulties - the range of offers will be small due to their low efficiency. Although traps are used effectively to control cockroaches, little bloodsuckers are difficult to mislead. Unlike omnivorous insects, they feed only on human blood and determine its location by a set of signs, therefore, it is not possible to massively attract bugs to the bait.

In this regard, the installations are suitable only as additional methods of dealing with numerous colonies, but they are suitable for use in premises with suspicion of infection. 1-2 nights will be enough to make sure that uninvited neighbors are present and to take serious measures.

What attracts bedbugs - parasite bait

Bed bugs are a human parasite that feeds on blood. Bites through the skin with the proboscis, drinks up to 12 ml of blood. The most bloodthirsty females. You can notice the presence of insects in the room by the bites on the skin in different places, the incessant itching, as well as a specific smell, reminiscent of rotten raspberries, cheap cognac. It is necessary to start pest control immediately, since bed bugs multiply quickly, cause significant discomfort, and do not allow you to sleep. In most cases, they use chemicals, folk remedies, and use traps.

It is not so easy to lure the parasite into a trap, because you cannot offer them treats, and the smell must be specific. In their life, bed bugs are guided by the sense of smell. Reacts to the smell of human skin, which has over 400 different chemicals, heat, carbon dioxide. Bedbugs are less adapted to life than, for example, midges or mosquitoes, but they are much more difficult to cope with at home.

Most of all parasites are attracted by a sleeping person who does not move much, stays in one place for a long time, emits carbon dioxide, heat. At the same time, insects react sharply to the natural odor of the human body. The use of perfumed cosmetics, eau de toilette, perfume repels parasites.Pests do not like the smell of alcohol, tobacco. Since the power source cannot be used as bait, only carbon dioxide and heat remain.

Tape or glue traps

The method involves pasting the mattress, bed legs and the inner parts of the cabinets with double-sided tape, it will delight you with its effectiveness. Much more effective is the use of Velcro against cockroaches, which is a sheet of cardboard, treated with glue on one side.

To catch bloodsuckers, you need to take into account a number of rules:

Velcro is placed inside sofas and beds, making sure that they do not stick to the surface of the furniture.
They put 1 sheet under the legs of the bed, because insects can make a nest in another place, going out at night for food. If a person is tormented by bites, but no parasites remain on the surface of the glue, then the colony is in the mattress.

In this case, you need to go to the next stage: leaving the Velcro under the legs, go to bed in another place. In a couple of days, insects will go in search of blood, guided by the smell. Since they cannot fly, they will go down the legs and stick to the surface of the glue.

Measures should be long-term, because within 2 weeks new individuals appear from the eggs left in the nest.
If the bloodsuckers have settled in several places, they need to be surrounded by a large number of stickies.

The tool pleases with cheapness and safety, since it allows you to do without poisons. Traps can be made by hand by applying special bug glue to sheets of cardboard. But the performance also leaves much to be desired, and the convenience raises criticism: with a large number of installations, a person can step on them.

The method is useful for those who are going to spend the night outside the house, but have doubts about the sanitary condition of the hotel or rented apartment. It will not be possible to eliminate the population, but it will be easy to ensure yourself a restful sleep.

Pros and cons of traps

Bedbug traps, despite the fact that they effectively deal with a small number of parasites, have a wide range of disadvantages.

Before using any device or tool, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with its pros and cons, the main of which are the following:

They do not have a detrimental effect on the eggs of parasites. Accordingly, in the presence of a large number of bedbugs, it is recommended to use traps only in combination with insecticidal agents.
Completely safe for people and pets. You can use them for an almost unlimited amount of time.
Various devices, such as adhesive devices, are excellent identifiers that allow you to identify the presence of parasites in your home.
Self-made devices do not require an investment of a large amount of money, since the cost of the materials at hand is low.
This method is highly effective if used to prevent the appearance of parasites in the house.

Based on the above, the following conclusions can be drawn: traps are quite effective means, the task of which is to prevent the appearance of parasites in the house, as well as to determine this fact.

But using them against the background of a strong infection at home will not allow you to get the expected results.

Carbon dioxide traps

Researchers believe bedbugs locate a food source by looking at their carbon dioxide content. A person secretes it when breathing and bedbugs easily search for blood. It was decided to use American manufacturers who have developed ingenious baits.

They consist of a vessel filled with carbon dioxide, to which a tube with an umbrella is connected. Gas gradually comes from the latter, so the bugs go in search of blood.When they gather in an umbrella, homeowners can only destroy the bloodsuckers.

Among the proposals there are even installations equipped with night vision devices that allow you to see the parasites.

You can do without the expense and make your own baits. To do this, you need to follow the sequence of actions:

A hole is drilled into the bottom of a plastic or metal bowl.
A container of talcum powder or hygienic powder is placed on the floor, after which it is covered with an inverted bowl.
Dry ice will be the source of carbon dioxide; it is placed in a vessel with a tube and brought to the bait.

When the bloodsuckers sense the gas, they crawl under the bowl, get bogged down in the powder and die. The option is suitable for installation near a bed, in a closet, not far from an infected sofa.

The simplest trap can be made by putting a piece of yeast dough with sugar in a cardboard box. A hole is made in the wall so that insects can get inside, and double-sided tape is glued around the dough. At night, the bugs will sense the carbon dioxide released, climb inside the box and remain on the sticky surface.

Models are being developed that will lure parasites by smell. Females secrete substances that attract other individuals. The researchers intend to use this property to create a new type of trap. They are in the experimental stage, but the results are encouraging.

Trap Bed Bug Beacon

This is produced by the American company Nuvenco. Its uniqueness lies in the absence of insecticides. It uses carbon dioxide from bedbugs. The developers are sure that it is the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans that is capable of attracting bedbugs.

The Bed Bug Beacon Trap is a plastic umbrella connected by a tube to a carbon dioxide-filled reservoir. Entering the umbrella, it attracts parasites with its vapors.

Bed bug beacon

Such a trap is installed in places where bedbugs accumulate or their possible movement. With an insignificant degree of room contamination, the device gives a very effective result. The disadvantages of such a device are the need for self-destruction of trapped insects and the high cost (in the region of 2000-3000 rubles).

Feedback
The result of the Bed Bug Beacon trap was noticeable within a day - I managed to sleep for the first time after much suffering. Expensive, but in principle safe and effective thing. Recommend.
Victoria, Moscow

Specialized trap options

Manufacturers of means for combating bedbugs offer products in the form of special houses. They seem to the bloodsuckers to be a good hiding place, and with the coming of day they rush to hide in a new shelter. Inside, a plate of insecticide awaits them; after contact with a chemical, the insects die.

Not without cons:

Bedbugs are in no hurry to leave their favorite shelters, so they will not hide in a trap en masse.
In order for insects to find the bait house, you need to put several pieces in each room, which will entail tangible costs.

This option will not allow you to quickly destroy the little bloodsuckers, so pest controllers suggest turning to other methods, among which there is insecticide treatment.

How to make a trap for bedbugs with your own hands

To cut costs, you can make traps yourself. The most commonly used methods are:

With the help of 2 cardboard glasses of different sizes, you can build a simple installation. Powdered sugar is poured onto the bottom of a large container and vegetable oil is added so that the insect caught in the mixture cannot get out. A smaller glass is placed in the center and the leg of the bed is placed in it. Traps on all legs will block the path for insects.Based on the results, it will be possible to determine the location of the nest: if the parasites are only in the outer glass, then the bed is not infected. If a person complains of bites, and insects are found in both containers, then the colony is in bed and outside.
The plastic plate is filled with talcum powder, and its edges are lubricated with graphite. The containers must be placed under each leg of the bed or sofa on which the person is going to rest. Installations work on the principle of sticky tape and are successfully used to reduce the number of parasites.

Traps for bed bugs are relatively low cost (except for carbon dioxide models from American manufacturers) and environmental friendliness. But for effective disposal, it is advisable to call pest controllers or use chemicals.

How to sleep with bedbugs in an apartment

If it is not possible to carry out pest control, it is not possible to remove the parasites, the question arises of how to spend a painless night in the same room with bedbugs. There are several proven methods for avoiding bed bug bites:

Pajamas... Clothing makes it harder for the parasite to reach the skin. They bite on open areas of the body, so if you have pajamas, you can avoid numerous attacks. This is especially true for children, since their epidermis is thin, delicate, and very attracts parasites.
Fragrances... Bed bugs do not like strong smells of perfumes, gels, aromatic oils, it is recommended to use them. Until the parasites have settled in the bed, paths of a mixture of baking soda and vanillin are sprinkled around it. The sharp, sweet aroma will be a reliable barrier. Before going to bed, a candle is lit in the room, onto which a few drops of aromatic oil are dripped. A pleasant smell spreads throughout the room, remains for a long time. If there is no candle, you can use a night light, on the lamp of which aromatic oil is dripping. Leave on overnight.
Primitive traps... Paste adhesive tape on the legs of the bed, partitions, on the back of the sofa. The method is not the most effective, but a few bugs will stick to the tape. In combination with other methods of preventing bites, you can use.

Bed bugs are able to get used to the scent, and when the same method is used for a week, it stops working. It is necessary to decide on a thorough method of struggle, to clean the room from parasites.