Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Do you have bed bugs? Find out by making a bed bug trap with dry ice. Bed bugs are attracted to the heat of bodies and to carbon dioxide, which is the gas exhaled by humans and animals. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide and can be used as bait in a bed bug trap. Make sure to follow all dry ice safe handling precautions.
How to Make an Inexpensive Bed Bug Trap
To get rid of a small population of bed bugs or test to see if you have any present, you can build an inexpensive trap with the following ingredients:
- 2-3 pounds of dry ice
- Plastic pet food bowl
- Insulated beverage cup
- Tape
- Fabric
- Talcum powder
Testing for bed bugs is best done at night, as bed bugs prefer the dark.
Use a large pet food bowl of the type with sides that prevent it from tipping over. Apply fabric to the sides of the bowl with tape, giving the sides a rough surface for bed bugs to climb. Turn the bowl over, creating a moat or channel in which the bed bugs can fall. Rub talcum powder on the insides of the moat so the bed bugs cannot escape.
On the upturned bottom of the bowl, place a large insulated beverage cup. Using gloves, fill the container one-half full with dry ice. Leave the top open. DO NOT close the container or the dry ice could build up pressure. Turn off the lights and leave the room for an hour or more.
The CO2 gas sublimating from the dry ice will attract bed bugs. The bed bugs will crawl up the sides of the bowl and be trapped in the moat.