I posted something on here a few days ago about getting three bites in a line and basically having a panic attack and everything else. Headache. Here is a link but not sure it will work: http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/bug-bites-in-a-line-of-three#post-246118
So anyway, I watched and watched and watched like everything on how to make a trap. This week, I made yeast & sugar traps some nights and dry ice traps other nights. It has been a bit humorous (for me, most definitely not for my hubby who is about to divorce me over this) and a bit nerve wracking.
My first trap was the yeast trap. Buying the packets of yeast and putting them all in the bucket with sugar is not really that cost effective. I bought a bunch but then just bought a big thing of yeast for $10 on amazon. The trap makes the spare room stink and so far- no bugs. One night, I guess I had too much yeast and sugar because it blew the top off and got yeast all over the sheets. What a joke! It all washes off very easily but that was a major bust. I am doing that one again tonight and a small dry ice one too.
Dry ice is not that cheap and the blocks are a certain size so unless you catch them at the end of the week, they are like $8 a block. Breaking it up is weird. Putting a metal hammer on it is very weird. It's fun to play around with but I am getting over it. So last night I made the trap and there must have been too much condensation because part of the dog dish has water in it this morning. So I look and look for bugs and low and behold... I FOUND A BUG THIS MORNING. But... NOT a bed bug. Instead it was a MOSQUITO? I am like... ok how did this get in here when I have had the room pretty sealed and how often do mosquitos need to eat and is this possibly what bit me and... A MOSQUITO are you kidding me?! It is a smallish one, not sure why it went in the water and drowned but hey, at least some blood sucking pest is dead.
And on to the end of my weekly ramble. I got a huge welt on my arm yesterday and had a complete meltdown because I was sure it was a bite of some sort. After about 90 minutes, it was gone and no trace of bites/swelling at all. Which I mentioned in my other post happens to me on a very regular basis (which makes getting bug bites super stressful for me- I usually have to wait 90 minutes or so after the swelling starts and then it will either turn red and swell up or just vanish). After having a total panic attack and freaking out I realized a few things.
If I have bbs in my place, I have done everything I can to solve the problem for now including washing everything, drying it twice, ordering a mattress encasement, setting up traps, vacuuming everything (even pulling up the carpeting and finding that part of the wood floor is basically rotted out- eew!) and most of all- notifying my mgmt company as soon as I suspected something. My life is not going to be over and although it may be tough, my dad fought cancer for over 5 years before passing away and this is nothing compared to that. I will be OK.
Lastly- I just want to know what luck anyone else has had with home made dry ice traps. I have been using the upside down dog bowl method. I have those little things for the bed legs coming in the mail (climb ups) as well. The yeast and sugar ratios are bizarre because the video that I watched has measurements that were in metric weights (?) and then when people put them in cups, I tried that and it was the one that blew the top off a 4 gallon bucket (the lid was off the bed) so I am wondering what the real ratio needs to be. And as for dry ice- yes it is easy but has anyone had luck with that?