If you have ever paid attention to bed bugs, you probably already know that they cannot fly. This means that these durable pests have to walk and crawl to reach their host (you).
Although bed bugs are considered one of the most difficult pests to get rid of, this biological trait is actually a blessing in disguise.
Because this means that you can isolate your bed or furniture once those structures are treated to protect yourself from the parasites.
This can be done with bed bug traps, which if used correctly, can trap the bugs inside of a device before they can climb up bed or furniture legs to reach you while you sleep.
Not all bed bug traps are effective and that’s why we have reviewed the best bed bug traps on the market to guide you in the right direction. Read on to find out what bed bug traps are and how they work and the best ways to use them to ensure effectiveness.
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What Are Bed Bug Traps?
A big misconception about bed bugs is that the pests only live in your bed, this is incorrect. Although 99% of the time the pests will live in the bed to have easy access to you while you sleep, they will begin to branch out into the rest of the bedroom.
Once this happens, devices like bed bug traps become a necessity. Traps can keep bed bugs from the rest of the room from reaching the bed leg to climb into the bed. This is achieved because bed bugs have a hard time climbing slippery, vertical surfaces.
Furthermore, the center ring inside a bed bug trap can alert you if bed bugs have crawled out of the bed after feeding and get stuck in the center moat of the trap. This means that the bugs are leaving the bed to return to a nesting area in the bedroom.
As previously mentioned, bed bugs cannot fly or jump, therefore, they will have no choice but to cross through the traps to get into or out of the bed.
Read more: Can bed bugs fly or jump?
How Do Bed Bug Traps Work?
Bed bug traps are a preventative measure to use for protecting yourself and your family. Once your bed or sofa is free of the bugs, traps can let you know if the problem is gone or if the insects have moved to other hiding places in the home.
Bed bugs have to feed on human blood to properly reproduce. Females need blood to fertilize eggs and the newly hatched nymphs must also feed on blood to keep growing through the life cycle. For bed bugs hiding outside of the bed or a piece of furniture, they have to feed every 5-10 days to reproduce and grow a colony, so the bed bug traps can prevent them from doing this.
Bed bug traps work by using an outer edge of a trap coated in thin tape that assists the bugs to climb into the trap. Once inside the trap, a thin coat of talc lines the bottom of the trap that prevents the bed bugs from climbing back out of the trap.
The inner ring of the trap is designed for any bugs attempting to leave the bed. Once the bugs climb down the bed leg, they fall into the talc and the slippery powder prevents the bugs from climbing back up the leg.
Catching a bed bug in a trap to show an exterminator will help confirm you have an infestation and help get your problem sorted much quicker!
What Are The Best Bed Bug Traps?
There are a lot of different bed bug traps on the market and not all are created equally. For one, the material used needs to be able to withstand the weight of a bed or a sofa, therefore, many traps will crack over time and become useless at trapping bed bugs.
Additionally, bed bug traps need to have a strip of tape on the outside of the moat to help the bugs climb up the vertical trap wall. Once inside the tap, a sticky residue or talc needs to line the bottom to stop the insects from climbing back out. These key components need to be met in order for a trap to work.
You will need 4 traps per bed and sofa inside of your home. Since bed bugs hide practically everywhere, you can never be sure if an infestation is contained in just one room. Thankfully, most traps are not expensive and come with enough traps to at least cover one bed.
When buying bed bug traps, the best bug traps are:
- Sturdy and won’t crack under the weight of you and your bed
- Come pre-lined with talcum or baby powder to ensure bed bugs can’t climb out of the trap
- Can be placed underneath furniture or on the carpet without breaking
- Can fit under the posts of your bed
Are Bed Bug Traps Effective?
An important thing to keep in mind about bed bug traps, the bed or piece of furniture you use must be thoroughly treated for bed bug traps to be effective.
This includes the mattress and box spring, which should be inside of effective and durable encasements, the headboard, footboard, and bed frame should also be bed bug-free. If the bugs are still inside of the bed, there is no point in using bed bug traps until the bed or furniture is free of the insects.
These traps are only effective for preventing stray bugs in the rest of the room from reaching the bed. Additionally, bed bugs will go to great lengths to reach a blood meal; if there are any items under the bed that can create a walking bridge to reach the bed, they will use this.
Bed bugs will also crawl up the wall and attempt to drop into the bed to feed since they seek out body heat and carbon dioxide from breathing. It’s a good idea to pull your bed three inches from the wall to prevent this dropping behavior.
The same thing applies to bedsheets and blankets that drop to the ground while you are sleeping. The bugs will crawl up the bedding and get into the bed this way, so always sleep with the covers tucked under your feet to prevent them from hitting the floor. If your bed has a bed skirt, keep this off the bed until the pests have been eradicated from the home.
If all of these preventive measures are met, bed bug traps are highly effective at keeping the pests out of the bed or sofa. Make your bed an island and be sure you clean out the traps regularly so the insects won’t get thrown off by other trapped bed bugs.
A beneficial way that traps are also effective is the alerts the products can give you. If a bedpost near a nightstand has more bugs than the other three traps, this can let you know that the bugs may be living inside of the nightstand.
If all 4 traps are filling up frequently, this lets you know that you might have a major infestation in the house.
Can I Make My Own Bed Bug Trap?
Many people dealing with a bed bug infestation choose to make their own traps. Sometimes this can work, but more often than not, it doesn’t. This is because traps need to address the bugs climbing into the bed and any bugs crawling out of the bed to crawl back to their hiding spot.
Also, most homemade traps use a liquid to drown the bugs once they climb over the rim of a container. Bed bugs will drown in water, but this will also rust or weaken your bed leg as well, which is going to cost you even more money for repairs.
Sticky traps are also used by some, but this can also attract other pests like cockroaches or ants, and even rodents.
The best homemade trap will mimic the composition of traditional bed bug traps that we have discussed. This can be done with two plastic containers, some tape, and talc powder.
Is There A Difference Between A Bed Bug Trap And A Bed Bug Interceptor?
Bed bug traps and bed bug interceptors are essentially the same things. So if you ever hear these two terms being used, this is referring to bed bug traps since trapping the bugs is the mechanism of action and intercepting them from climbing into the bed or from escaping.
Best Bed Bug Trap Product Reviews
Now that we have discussed how bed traps work and the effectiveness of the devices, here are 5 of the best bed bug traps to consider before making a purchase.
Climbup Insect Bed Bug Interceptors
Some products are popular because there are no complications with assembling the product and the design just works well.
Insect Bed Bug Interceptors by Climbup is one of these products. Pest control professionals use this brand as a go-to interceptor once beds and furniture have been thoroughly treated.
One box comes with 12 traps that can be used for 3 different beds in the home or multiple sofas to handle bed bugs in sitting areas. Each trap comes ready-to-use and can fit a bed or sofa leg 6.25 diameter by 1 inch. Thicker bed or sofa legs will not fit inside the trap.
Put the traps underneath the leg and make sure to monitor the traps to assess how many bed bugs fall into the traps. The polypropylene material is highly resistant to cracking, which makes this bed bug trap one of the best on the market.
Catchmaster Slider Bed Bug Monitors
The Catchmaster Slider Bed Bug Monitor kit comes with eight-bed bug monitors to confidently trap bed bugs before reaching your bed.
Place four traps per bed (one under each corner) for maximum detection and deterrence.
You can also use them in dresser drawers, closets, or anywhere you suspect bed bug activity.
Catchmaster Slider Bed Bug Monitors use no harmful chemicals and are safe for every room in your home. Take them along with you when staying in hotels or resorts. They’re perfect for tracking possible bed bug activity almost anywhere you visit.
BEAPCO Bed Bug Coaster Trap
If you are looking for a bed bug trap that can accommodate wide bed or sofa legs with durability on floor surfaces, this trap by BEAPCO is highly rated.
This bed bug trap is designed to settle firmly against hard flooring or carpet with little to no sliding occurring.
The trap works much in the way as the other traps mentioned; the outer wall is ribbed with a climbing aid and the bugs fall into a slick inner wall that prevents climbing back out. No talc is used in this trap either.
The trap is wide across and can fit virtually any size bed or sofa leg, but this trap maybe a little too wide if you have a wheeled bed leg that can slide from one end of the trap to the next. The length of the trap limits frequent emptyings of the tray which saves time.
Zulu Supply XL Bed Bug Interceptors
Stop pesky bed bugs in their tracks with these extra-large interceptor traps from Zulu Supply. This upgraded design from one of the most trusted names in bed bug eradication features high quality, durable construction, and a perfect fit under every bedpost.
Zulu Supply Bed Bug Interceptors are non-toxic and safe to use indoors in every room of your home. The extra-large size ensures that you can easily place them under most beds, chairs, and other furniture items.
The set of four-bed bug interceptors ships in its original packaging. However, you can request plain packaging at checkout.
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