What are the Best Bed Bug Traps? What Works and What Doesn’t

If you’re on the hunt for the best bed bug traps, you already know that big problems can come in small packages. And if you’re dealing with a bed bug infestation, you know exactly what we mean.

But because they’re so small, bed bugs can be the ideal target to trap. Which is precisely why there are so many bed bug traps on the market. As the bed bug problem has multiplied nationwide, so have the number of innovative traps available to us.

The trick, of course, is knowing exactly which bed bug traps are going to work best in your fight against bed bugs. After all, time is of the essence when it comes to combatting a bed bug infestation and you have no time to dilly dally while these bloodsuckers multiply!

It’s also important to know how to best use traps for optimum effectiveness. We’ve got you covered on both fronts. Read on for everything you need to know to choose the best bed bug traps and maximize their bed bug killing potential.

Do Bed Bug Traps Work?

Before you even bother with the expense and effort of setting traps, you obviously want to know whether these traps work.

But the real question to be asking is – what exactly do bed bug traps work for?

By that, we mean that traps work very well for some purposes but not for others. Here are the purposes that traps work great for…

Detection

Your neighbor has what looks suspiciously like a cluster of bed bug bites and you don’t want to be paranoid but you’re terrified his bed bugs are going to move into your home.

Being the smart cookie that you are, you decide to set some traps to detect the presence of bed bugs in your home so that you can deal with the problem if you find even one bed bug in your traps.

Prevention

Obviously, if you are clued in to the presence of bed bugs by finding them in your traps, you can prevent a full blown infestation by waging war on the few bed bugs in your home as soon as they’ve moved in.

Again, even one bed bug can result in a full-blown infestation so catching bed bugs as soon as they move in is an invaluable service that traps provide.

Creating a safe zone

One of the best things about traps is that they allow you to create a bed bug free safe zone in the place that most of us regard as a sanctuary – the bed.

That’s also the area that’s most prone to harboring a bed bug infestation so that’s a significant comfort that traps can provide.

Overall, bed bug traps work beautifully for what they’re intended to work for – to be a means of detecting, preventing and creating buffer zones against bed bugs.

Do Bed Bug Traps Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

We all have a lot on our plates. So the thought of putting out some set-and-forget traps to deal with a bed bug infestation is very appealing.

The bad news is that traps don’t kill bed bugs.

In fact, this is one of the biggest bed bug misconceptions so we’ll say it again: bed bug traps don’t kill bed bugs.

While traps are excellent for the detection and prevention of bed bugs, only using bed bug traps is not enough to get rid of bed bugs.

Even the best bed bug traps aren’t a total solution for bed bugs. Nothing is – bed bugs require a multi-pronged approach to completely get rid of.

So use traps as a passive but very useful tool in your fight against bed bugs – but not the only tool.

What Aids a Bed Bug Trap?

Even the best working traps need some co-workers in order to effectively do their job.

What do we mean by that? Simply that traps can become a helluva lot more effective if you combine them with other bed bug products.

Here are the main things that will help you get the most out of your traps…

Bed bug proof covers

It’s not coincidence that bed bugs are called bed bugs. Most bed bug infestations happen in or around the bed. After all, that’s where you – oh, delicious bed bug meal – sleep every night.

That’s also why the best built bed bug traps work so well – they simply make it very, very difficult for bed bugs to climb up on your bed to feast on you.

But if you already have bed bugs living in your bed, bed bug traps aren’t going to stop you from getting bitten. You know what will? Bed bug mattress covers.

The best bed bug bed covers seal your mattress and/or box spring up so that bed bugs can’t get in or out. Combine that with bed bug traps that prevent bed bugs from climbing up on your bed and you’ve just taken your bed back!

Bed bug killer powder

Bed bug traps don’t kill bed bugs – they only trap them. So a great idea is to sprinkle a little bit of bed bug killer powder into each of your bed bug traps to kill off any unlucky bloodsuckers that get caught.

The fastest working powder for bed bugs is CimeXa, which kills bed bugs and nymphs along with any nymphs hatched from eggs that have been dusted with this powder.

Diatomaceous earth also works well and is a great all natural alternative to use if you’d like to go the chemical-free route.

A metal bed frame

Here’s a handy little bed bug fact for you: bed bugs prefer to lay their eggs on rough surfaces like wood or fabric rather than smooth ones like plastic or metal.

So if you have a wooden bed frame and you’re getting bed bug bites – the chances are high that your bed frame is home to a massive bed bug infestation.

The easiest solution, of course, is to dump your wooden bed frame and replace it with a sturdy metal bed frame.

Bed bug know how

A little know how can go a long way in making sure you get the most out of your bed bug traps. Here are the most important tips and tricks!

• Your bed stands alone. By that, we mean there should be nothing touching your bed. If bed bugs can’t crawl onto your bed (because of the traps you’ve set, they’ll try to crawl anything else to gain access to your bed. So pull your bed away from the wall and any furniture.

• Wash and dry all bedding. The drying part is the most important – and it’s crucial that you do it on high heat. Heat kills bed bugs and their eggs. So wash and dry everything.

• Nothing touches the floor. Try your very best to not let your comforter or sheets touch the floor while you sleep since that can provide a means for bed bugs to climb up on your bed.

• Check your bedhead. That gorgeous upholstered bedhead you have may be harboring a bed bug infestation since bed bugs love to lay their eggs in fabrics and wood. So get rid of that lovely bed head or replace it with a more bed bug proof option.

Armed with the above, you now have everything you need to let those traps do their job and keep bed bugs off your bed for good.

Bed Bug Trap vs Bed Bug Interceptor

You’ve heard of bed bug traps and bed bug interceptors and even bed bug monitors. Which leaves you scratching your head and wondering…what’s the difference?

The only difference is their nomenclature. In essence, they are the same product.

Which only goes to reinforce the point that the best thing about traps is that they help you both intercept bed bugs before they can get to you and monitor the presence of bed bugs so you get clued in before there’s a full blown infestation.

How to Choose the Best Bed Bug Traps

You already know by now that there are a lot of bed bug traps on the market. So how do you go about choosing the best ones? Here are the most important factors to look for!

Color

Traps typically come in black or white and color makes no difference when catching bed bugs. As in, bed bugs aren’t more attracted to either color.

But bed bugs are small, which means they can be challenging to immediately make out. That’s why we recommend choosing traps that are white. It just makes life easier, you know?

Durability

Bed bug traps go under your bed as well as other pieces of furniture. Furniture tends to be heavy, especially when it’s subject to the weight of an entire family of humans.

As such, flimsy traps can crack under pressure. So choose the toughest ones.

What are the Best Bed Bug Traps?

We know you have better things to do than sift through hundreds of bed bug trap reviews and try to pick the best ones.

Which is why we’ve done the work for you. Here are the only traps you should be looking at. Why? Because they work.

Bed Bug ClimbUp Interceptors

These ClimbUp Interceptors are classics in the bed bug industry. They’ve been around for ages and they’re still going strong. And it’s no surprise why.

For such a simple product, these traps do a great all-around job. Here’s what we love about it:

• Easy for bed bugs to climb in. There’s a sticky tape around the outer perimeter of these interceptors, making it very easy for bed bugs to climb right in.

• Hard for bed bugs to climb out. The inside of these traps is lightly coated with a powdery substance that makes it too slick for bed bugs to climb up.

• Dual-well design. That’s just a fancy way of saying that these traps show you from which direction bed bugs are crawling in from so you can see which areas of your house is still harboring an infestation.

• Fits well. These traps aren’t huge but they’ll fit the majority of household furniture – anything with posts less than 3.75 inches in diameter.

• Easy to spot bed bugs. These traps are white, which make it easy to spot bed bugs – even the littlest nymphs.

The only downside to these traps is that they can crack when subject to a lot of (uneven) weight. That tends to be more common when you’re placing these traps on surfaces like carpet rather than hardwood floors.

To prevent this from happening, we recommend you place tiles or plant potter bases beneath these traps.

Overall, though, these bed bug traps are probably the best all-around traps on the market. Seriously, get some.

XL Bed Bug Traps

The ClimbUp Interceptors are perfect for the job of trapping bed bugs but what if you have furniture with posts too large to fit?

Well, that’s where these XL Bed Bug Traps come in. As promised, they are indeed extra large, easily able to fit posts up to 7 by 5 inches, which should cover most of the furniture in your home.

On top of its generous sizing, here are a few more things we love about these traps:

• Easy to spot bed bugs. These large, white traps are make it easy to spot bed bugs – even the littlest nymphs.

• Hard for bed bugs to escape. These bed bug interceptors are very deep, making it impossible for bed bugs to climb back out of them once they’re trapped.

• Sturdy. Durability is one of the best things these bed bug traps have going for them – they do a great job withstanding even the heaviest furniture.

Overall, the perfect bed bug trap to place beneath all your furniture with bigger feet. Oh, and in case you prefer large bed bug traps that are more rounded – these large traps are also durable and great.

Aspectek Bed Bug Traps

If no matter what you do, you can’t seem to keep weight distribution even and your bed bug traps keep cracking – you need to get yourself some of these Aspectek Bed Bug Traps.

Here’s why we love them:

• Strong and built to last. These traps are uniquely designed to better distribute weight. That means these traps can withstand much heavier weight than most bed bug traps.

• Easy to trap bed bugs in. The outer edge of these traps is grooved, making it very easy for bed bugs to climb up while the inner perimeter is smooth and slick, making it impossible for bed bugs to climb back out.

• Easy to spot bed bugs. These white traps make it easy to spot bed bugs right away.

Overall, if you’re on the hunt for the sturdiest traps that can stand up to heavier weight – these are the best bed bug interceptors for you.

What Bed Bug Traps Don’t Work?

Despite the fact that there exists the best bed bug monitors to get the job done, there are always creative solutions being invented every day. Yup, we’re talking about homemade bed bug traps.

And yes, there are definitely traps that you can make yourself. For example, here’s a DIY bed bug trap that’s fairly easy to set up.

But many homemade traps are simply more work than they’re worth. And it’s not just homemade traps – even some commercially available traps are just not effective.

Let’s look at a few traps you shouldn’t waste your time or money on.

Dry Ice Trap

One popular DIY trap making its rounds on the internet is the dry ice bed bug trap. And it sounds science-y enough to work since one major attractant for bed bugs is the CO2 that we breathe out.

Which is why is seems totally possible to purchase or even to make for yourself CO2 emitting traps that will attract bed bugs.

Be aware, though, that using these traps in a room that you are in just means that they are competing with your own body.

And the amount of CO2 a human emits over the course of the night is far more than any trap will produce. These traps work better in empty rooms.

Also, these traps are never going to attract each and every bed bug in your home. They are better used as monitoring devices than as methods to actually clear an infestation.

Overall, we’d say these traps – although nifty sounding – are more work than they deserve considering their subpar effectiveness.

Bed Bug Glue Traps

The same applies to glue boards that some people place along baseboards and other areas where they think bed bugs may be hiding.

Most glue traps simply aren’t sticky enough to capture tiny bed bugs and their nymphs. Plus, indiscriminately lying out glue traps isn’t the wisest solution since bed bugs can simply walk around them.

Skip these.

Bed Bug Hotel Traps

These “hotel” type traps work pretty well for certain pests like ants and roaches, which is why it can be tempting to put them to work for bed bugs.

The only problem is that…well, they don’t work. Like, at all.

Traps like Ortho’s Bed Bug Traps promise to lure and trap bed bugs with attractants and that sounds great but in practice, bed bugs could not be less enticed by these traps.

To add insult to injury, because these traps are dark and small, it’s hard to see if what you’ve trapped is even a bed bug. Overall, these traps are the pits. Skip them.

Instead, go with one of our top bed bug traps above. You really can’t go wrong with any of those three choices.