Monthly Archives: March 2015

Jeffrey Hahn, University of Minnesota Asst. Extension Entomologist

In the fight against bed bugs, one of the challenges is knowing whether these biting insects are present and where they are located in a building. Recent research at Rutgers has developed a monitor that will make it easier to find them. This research was presented at the 2009 Entomological Society of America (ESA) annual meetings held in Indianapolis and has since been widely reported in the media.

This research, conducted by Wan-Tien Tsai and Changlu Wang, found that a monitor could be successfully made from an insulated plastic 1/3 gallon jug filled with about 2 pounds of dry ice pellets. You leave the pour spout partially open to allow CO2to escape which emits CO2 for about 11 hours. The jug is set on top of an upside pet food dish. Put fabric around the outside of the dish to allow bed bugs easy access to the inner part of the dish. You should also coat the inner section of the dish with talcum powder so the bed bugs can not climb back out. This trap costs about $15.

Photo 1: Do-it-yourself bed bug monitor Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

While this monitor has been demonstrated to be effective in detecting bed bugs, some members of the media have misconstrued this technique as a cheap method for controlling bed bugs. This monitor WILL NOT CONTROL AND ELIMINATE bed bugs in your home. Further, there are apparently some reports of pest control services (although none I am aware of in Minnesota) that have been using this monitor incorrectly in bed bug control programs.

Again, these monitors are to be used to determine whether bed bugs are present in your home. People that are suffering unknown bites but have not seen any insects could verify whether bed bugs are present or not with this monitor. For people that have bed bugs treated in their home, this trap can be used to help determine whether any bed bugs still remain.

With that said, there are some drawbacks to this monitor and people should consider carefully whether they wish to use it. First, while the components to build this trap are inexpensive, dry ice may not be easily obtained. People need to exercise caution when handling dry ice. You should never touch dry ice directly or allow it to contact bare skin as this will cause freeze burns. You can not store dry ice, not even in your freezer. You have less than a day to use it before it evaporates.

This monitor is also a potential child hazard. The trap is unsecured and a curious child could open the jug and accidentally touch the dry ice and severely injure themselves. It is even possible that if more dry ice is used than is suggested and the trap is placed in a small room with poor ventilation that the CO2 could be very harmful to people in that room.

This monitor is an advancement in the war on bed bugs but people that are considering whether to make one themselves at home need to understand its safe and use and limitations. For more information on bed bug monitors, including dry ice traps, see the Rutgers Cooperative Extension fact sheet, http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS1117

More here:
New Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Monitor : Yard and Garden News ...

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Reduce clutter off the floor so that all areas can be thoroughly treated. Be careful not to transfer bed bugs from room to room by carrying things throughout the house. If the mattress and box spring are in very bad shape or heavily infested, they should be replaced or covered with a Bed bug proof mattress cover, or a Bed bug mattress encasement. We also carry Bed bug box spring encasements. Infested bed sheets and garments should be washed and dried in a household dryer on high heat (the heat will kill bed bugs), or discarded since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. In really bad infestations, where the bugs may be infesting personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets, books), you may need to contain the items in an air proof bin and add vapor strips to the bin to eliminate the Bed bugs on these items.

We strongly recommend that you use a variety of methods and products to insure bed bugs are eliminated from infested areas. Using only one product or method will usually NOT be enough to completely eliminate a bed bug infestation as bed bugs can become resistant to products and it is also possible for them to avoid areas that have been treated with certain products.

Failure to make sure all items being returned to the room are bedbug free may cause a reinfestation.

You must repeat step 2 every 7-10 days until no one is getting bitten and there is no further evidence such as live bugs, cast skins or fresh blood spots found. This is absolutely crucial! Depending on the severity of the infestation it can take a minimum of 7-8 weeks, including repeat treatments. Failure to be thorough can prolong the bed bug control process and can make it harder to eliminate them.

Follow this link:
How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself - DIY Bed Bug Treatment