What attracts bedbugs and how do they find their prey
It is the sense of smell that is the tool with which bed bugs pave the way to their victim and navigate in space.
Only, unlike humans and animals, they perceive smells not with their nose, but with the help of sensilla - skin sensory organs responsible for touch and the difference between tastes and smells. Insects sense carbon dioxide released during human breathing from a distance of 30 meters and find a food source by smell and heat.
Sense of smell - the ability of bedbugs to find a victim.
How to lure bedbugs: the principle of operation of traps and baits
Since you can attract attention and lure bedbugs with carbon dioxide, heat, the smell of blood, skin and pheromones, traps for them are designed using chemical baits and lamps. All of them differ according to the principle of operation, subdivided into active ones with the use of certain baits and passive ones with the content of adhesive elements.
Most active traps require electricity, which is not always convenient, and passive varieties may be ineffective with significantly overgrown bedbug colonies. Some devices, installed in places of accumulation of parasites, simply collect insects for their further destruction by humans. In others, those caught in a trap die from the action of poison or electric shock.
Popular trap options
Industrial traps come in three types:
- chemical in the form of a small plastic box with bait and holes on the sides for bedbugs to penetrate inside;
- electronic, emitting impulses negative for the nervous system of parasites or equipped with a decoy and a current trap grid;
- adhesive-based mechanical and plastic for installation under the legs of the bed.
Unfortunately, the first two types of traps are not always available due to the cost and small supply in stores.
Did you get bed bugs?
Was the case Ugh, luckily not.
Homemade
Guided by the principles of operation of chemical and mechanical devices, if desired, you can make no less effective options for home-made traps for bedbugs.
From a plastic bottle
For a trap, 1,5-2 liter plastic bottles are taken, from which the upper third with a neck is cut off. Then the cut-off part is inserted with the neck inside into the remaining element, securing with adhesive tape. A mixture of water with liquid soap or dish detergent is poured into the designed trap. The bugs, attracted by the aroma of the foam, climb inside and stay there forever. To facilitate access by insects, you can insert a ribbon of fabric into the bottle, positioning it in such a way that one end of the matter falls to the floor, and the other almost reaches the bait.
Purchased
Many use various purchased traps of popular brands. Among them there are mechanical, and chemical, and sticky, and electronic models.
1
"Combat", "Raid", "Rapid"
6
Ultrasonic and magnetic resonance repellers
"Combat", "Raid", "Rapid"
1
These traps contain a poisonous substance - hydramethylnon.
It is safe for humans, but toxic to insects. Once in it, the bug does not die immediately, but returns to the nest, being infected, and transfers a dose of pesticide to other individuals.
pros
- safe for humans;
- provokes a chain reaction;
- sold everywhere;
- dangerous for ants and cockroaches;
- affordable price.
Cons
- harmful to beneficial insects.
sticky tape
2
Adhesive tape is effective because its adhesive layer does not dry out longer.
You need to place such a trap with the estimated and identified habitats of bed bugs in the apartment. In this case, there must be free space between the tape and the surface above it. Otherwise, the tape will not stick and will not perform its functions.
pros
- low price;
- efficiency;
- ease of use.
Cons
- proper and long-term use is necessary.
Nuvenco Bed Bug Beacon
3
The design of this trap is quite simple and is designed for uninterrupted operation for 14 days.
The device consists of a plastic container with bait, a rubber tube and a container for collecting insects. The supplied chemicals must be mixed with warm water, thereby starting the process of generating carbon dioxide. It stands out without the presence of a characteristic unpleasant odor, therefore it does not cause discomfort to the inhabitants of the apartment.
pros
- not dangerous for people;
- easy to use;
- effective lure.
Cons
- instructions must be followed strictly.
Trap under current
4
This trap requires an electrical outlet to operate.
Inside the device is an attractive bait for bedbugs, and the entrance to the trap is covered with a metal mesh that is energized. Bedbugs, when trying to get to the bait, get an electric shock and fall into a special compartment.
pros
- minimum requirements for operation;
- purposeful action.
Cons
- cost;
- the need to connect to a power outlet.
Hector
5
This trap includes a set of 4 plastic cylinders that fit over the legs of the bed.
They have a rough, rough outer surface and smooth walls with a groove inside, into which the parasite rolls and can no longer get out.
Ultrasonic and magnetic resonance repellers
6
Insects leave housing in search of more comfortable living conditions.
Although the devices are not specifically designed to control bed bugs, the impulses generated by them negatively affect the parasites, which begin to perceive the habitat as unsuitable for breeding and unsafe.
Pros and Cons of Using Bedbug Traps
Existing traps have both strengths and weaknesses. The advantages of using them include the fact that traps:
- completely safe for people and pets;
- cope well with a small number of blood-sucking insects;
- allow you to detect the presence of parasites in the apartment;
- effective in preventing bed bugs.
The lack of traps is manifested in their low efficiency on overgrown colonies of bedbugs and the absence of a detrimental effect on insect eggs. In this case, the use of traps in combination with insecticidal preparations is recommended.
PreviousBedbugsHow quickly bed bugs multiply in an apartment: the fertility of bed bloodsuckers
The nextBedbugsCan bed bugs live in clothes: an unusual shelter for blood-sucking parasites
