The Williams Method- Bedbug Trap and Lure Construction
Items you will need:
·
2-Quart
Pitcher- something to mix the yeast, sugar and water in. This can also be a
2-liter bottle with the top half cut off, or even a large pot or bowl in a
pinch.
·
Stirring spoon-
To mix up the yeast, sugar and water.
·
2-Liter
bottle with its cap. To serve as the lure, choose a darker bottle as that
will reduce the amount of sunlight getting to the inside of the bottle which
will speed the fermentation.
·
Granulated
sugar-Brown sugar is better.
·
Active
dry yeast. Fleichmann’s is probably the most common, but Red Star,
Redi-Rise or any generic dry yeast will also be suitable. You will find this in
the baking section of the grocery store. I prefer the strip of three
individually sealed ¼ ounce packets which sell for about $3.00. That’s because
each ¼ ounce packet contains exactly 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast. Just enough for
one 2-Liter Bottle. (There are 3 teaspoons in every tablespoon in case you only
have a big spoon).
·
Flexible
straws. Plastic tubing is better. I like clear vinyl tubing. ¼”x .170”. A
20 ft. roll cost me $3.00 on Amazon.
·
Smooth
Bowl. or similar container to act as the pitfall. A shot-glass works best.
If you have kids then select a plastic container so that it doesn’t shatter if
someone accidentally kicks it when you place it under the bed.
·
Paper
towel. Fabric or tape will also work for this as well to serve as the ramp for
the bedbugs to climb up to the pitfall, also known as the ascension platform.
·
Tablespoon.
·
Measuring
cup.
·
Funnel.
·
Scissors-something
to create a hole in the lid of the 2-liter bottle. This can also be an Exacto
knife, a hammer and a nail, even the sharp edge of a steak knife. Basically
anything which will create a small hole in the center of the lid about the
diameter of a toothpick.
·
Glue.
This is used to seal the hole cut into the bottle when using flexible straws or
vinyl tubing. This prevents the Co2 gas seepage. Silicone adhesive sealant
(RTV) works best. You can find this at Walmart. A small dab of strawberry jam
will also work in a pinch.
·
Baby
powder, corn starch, diatomaceous earth.
·
Petroleum
jelly. (Vaseline).
Co2 Generator Recipe for 2-liter bottle
STEP 1) The Proof:
BE CAREFUL WHEN MIXING THE PROOF. DON’T RUIN YOUR GENERATOR
DUE TO THERMAL SHOCK!
Begin with “kick-starting” or proofing a small amount of
yeast, sugar and water in a separate clean glass. For this let’s use the
average-sized drinking glass which is about 12 ounces or the same amount as a can
of soda.
·
Add about 6
ounces of lukewarm water to the glass, or until half full. Lukewarm means
that the temperature of the proofing water should be around 100 degrees
Fahrenheit (40 C), or about the temperature of an average human. Think about
this as if you were preparing a bottle for a baby. The reason for extreme
caution in this process is because most of the yeast you are able to find in
the store is called active dry yeast. This yeast is dehydrated and often coated
with a thick jacket of dead yeast cells which allow it to be stored for over a
year at room temperature and nearly a decade when frozen. What you are doing in
the proof process is gently rehydrating the dried, but still living, yeast
cells so that you don’t have a massive die off of the active cells.
·
A cause of many CO2 generator failures is
because people shock the yeast by using cold water which kills off many of the
active cells. You need to be able to gradually, rehydrate the yeast without
killing a lot of the active Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungi in the
process.
·
Now add
one tablespoon of sugar to the lukewarm water.
·
Next, add
a full ¼ ounce packet of the active yeast to the drinking glass which now contains
sugar and water. Stir the mix vigorously using a clean spoon. It is important
to keep your proofing tools as sterile as possible.
·
Let that mixture proof for about 10-15 minutes.
You will know it is proofing correctly if you begin to see it creating frothy
bubbles similar to a head on a beer.
Step 2) The Lure:
·
While the proof is developing you can begin
adding 2 cups of sugar
to your 2-liter bottle. Brown sugar is best if you have it, yet regular white
granulated sugar is sufficient.
·
Fill the bottle about ¾ full with lukewarm
water.
·
Put the cap on the 2-liter bottle and shake the
sugar/water mixture vigorously.
·
Remove the cap from the 2-liter bottle and
create a hole in the center of the cap about the diameter of a fat toothpick (1/16”
in.) which will allow the gas being generated inside of the lure to escape at a
slow rate. An X-acto knife, steak knife or even a hammer and a nail will make
short work of this. Please take care not to cut yourself.
·
Using a funnel, pour the contents of the now
proofed yeast mix into the 2-liter bottle and replace the cap onto the bottle.
Step 3) Creating
and attaching the ramp to the pitfall:
·
Use three strips of duct tape to connect the
floor to the center of the lip of the bowl. The concept here is that you want
to create a ramp so that the bedbugs will be able to climb up to the top of the
bowl, after being attracted by the scent of Co2, and then fall into the
pitfall. A good ramp can even be made out of a bandanna or similar strips of
cloth. Make sure you create your ramp just right on the lip of the bowl so that
the bedbugs will essentially “fall over a cliff” into the bowl, but not be able
to use the ramp to get back out. This step is the primary reason why most of
these traps fail. A poorly constructed ramp negates the effectiveness of even
the most accurately assembled lure.
·
Apply a liberal coating of baby powder or corn
starch to the interior wall of the bowl to make it extra slippery and prevent
bedbugs from crawling out of the pitfall.
·
For added lethality you can also dab petroleum
jelly in spots along the inside of your pitfall. The bedbugs will get “stuck”
in place and exhaust themselves faster after they come into contact with the
jelly.
Formulas for smaller lures:
For
1 liter or 32 ounce bottles:
Follow the same steps but reduce your
proofing yeast amount to ½ of the package (1.25 teaspoons) of yeast, and ¾ cups
of sugar in the lure. This assumes that your yeast package is one of the most
commonly sold strips of three individually-wrapped packets containing ¼ ounce
of yeast or 2 ½ teaspoons per each packet.
12-16
ounce bottles:
Follow the same steps as before but reduce
your proofing yeast amount to 1/3 of the yeast package or (0.8 teaspoons). Use 1/4
cups of sugar or 4 tablespoons or 12 teaspoons in the lure bottle. This assumes
that your yeast package is one of the most commonly sold strips of three
individually-wrapped packets containing ¼ ounce of yeast or 2 ½ teaspoons per
each packet.
Please be sure to post back to this site about your progress and any successes you want to brag about.
I will post congratulations to anyone capturing bedbugs and posting a pic of them in a ziploc bag.
Gold Medal= 100 bedbugs captured.
Silver Medal= 50 bedbugs captured.
Bronze Medal= 25 bedbugs captured.
Thank you for visiting my site. My name is Joel Z. Williams. People in my neighborhood call me the poor people's advocate. You will recognize me by my white hat, but you will know me by my virtuous ways.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe trap should start catching bedbugs within 2-3 hours. However, there are a lot of factors that can affect this capture rate. For example, the bedbugs will always prefer a human host over the traps. The trap works best for people who leave the house for a long period of time each day. Students who attend school or people who work really see a lot of quick capture rates vs. people who are at home all the time.
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Hi, I made two traps a few days ago using 2-liter bottles and straws, and followed the instructions exactly. However, I still haven't caught any bugs (They are still feasting on me) :(. I put one by the bed and one by the sofa. I'm at work/school most of the day, so I'm not sure what the issue could be. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI made the water bottle version and the bubbles came out of the straw into the glass. Is that supposed to happen?
ReplyDeleteNo. Your mixture is too hot. Too much yeast
DeleteNo. Your mixture is too hot. Too much yeast
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat are used to rid my house of bedbugs was the "Hot Shot Flea and Bed Bug" bombs. $10 for 3 cans in Walmart. Used 1 can in each bedroom, 2 in larger rooms. Vacuumed afterwards. I bombed each month for a year, which was cheaper than paying for an exterminator. I did toss out the old mattresses & boxsprings, bought new ones, and purchased bed bug covers for them. Also they like to hide in wooden bed frames. Hot Shot does make a bedbug & Flea powder, which you can treat bed frames, baseboards, etc. Occasionally now I will bomb, just in case. Never buy used mattresses, and be careful when you travel and use hotels. Those bugs can attach to most any materials, and can end up in your home.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!Thanks for sharing it with us.Born of a father’s dream to leave a legacy for future generations arose WATTS Pest Prevention.Bed Bugs Phoenix
ReplyDeleteHow long do these traps last? Do they need new yeast water everyday?
ReplyDeleteHi.. i have a newborn baby. Do we have to leave tbe room while this trap is active? For how long? Is it too dangerous for a baby? Should we leave the housr alltogether?
ReplyDeleteAwe snap!!! I missed the part that says it works in unoccupied room. I bought all of the stuff and was pumped to get started to make my traps. I have had two professional treatments and the PCO is not calling back. My husband talked to him two weeks ago, and he said that he was pretty busy, but he would give him a call and come back again to appease me. The second time he came his worker found some on the legs of our sofa. He felt confident that we would not need a third treatment. He was surprised when my husband called him. Although, my husband thinks I am nuts. I am the one getting bit, and he is not bothered by them. If it is a case of re-infestation it is not on my doing. My family is not on board with following all of the precautions. I found some bb feces in my drawers. The PCO said that it was okay to use again. He said they were clean when he checked during the second treatment. I went back to bagging my clothes and drying everything prior to wearing. My adult daughter is over here more than her own place. She may have re-infested us. My husband was not bagging his clothes up. I really do not have the money to pay for any more professional treatments. I did all of the wrong things upon my first discovery. I threw out my bed and moved to the sofa to sleep. They followed me downstairs. Also, moved into my husband's room. His bed was bad, but it was an old bed. So, no great loss in throwing that out. Then I discovered my mother's bed had them. By the time I discovered her room was affected, I bought encasement covers. I am sleeping on an $8 air mattress. My husband is sleeping on our new sofa. I was so excited to discover this diy trap, but did not realize that room needed to be unoccupied. I have Cimexa coming tomorrow. I plan on treating my room. I plan on buying anew bed(along with encasement covers), next week. I am on my own doing this, as my husband is not bothered by them. I am afraid that if I leave my bedroom unoccupied they will follow me wherever I go. I do not want to spread these anymore. My mother's encasement cover on box spring has a few tears. I kept putting duct tape on it. I bought another cover to put on it, and it rip. So, there is another $35, I am out. I bought stronger duct tape, and hope that works. I do not even know where these originated from in the house.
ReplyDeleteHi Joel Williams. I have maa few questions after getting CimeXa, alcohol 91% and EucoClean (which doesnt seem to work). Is there a way to correspond with you directly??
ReplyDeleteHi, I hope someone still answering the messages.
ReplyDeleteAfter I create the bottle, sealed tubs and co2 gas , can I use right away or let sit for a day to create more gas? Thanks
Hello, you can begin using them right away. Be sure to keep the bottles out of direct sunlight. Should remain viable for about 2 weeks before you will need to mix more solution.
ReplyDelete