20 Ways to Trap Mites
This site is dedicated to those who suffer in silence. Those who've been called crazy. Those who go to work everyday fearing that they may be a danger to others. Those who remain isolated at home. Those who spend every moment of their spare time vacuuming and washing endless loads of laundry. You are modern day heroes. You are a living testament to the tenacity of the human spirit. Like a true warrior, it's time to don your battle armor and sharpen your swords. There are many effective strategies to make your home an inhospitable place for the micro tiny monsters that torment you. This page will focus upon trapping methods. Other pages will focus upon skin treatments and home pesticides. You will get through this. It won't be easy, but it CAN be done.
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The author of this article has worked in the pest control industry for 13 years, specializing in flea, mite, springtail and bedbug infestations and dealing with thousands of mite cases to date. I give free consultations at 734-782-5205. I care about people. There's never pressure to buy products.
1. Mattress Encasement: The Most Critical Trapping Item you Can Buy
Mites don't just hang out on the surface of your bed. They can invade box springs and make their way deep into mattress fibers, where they'll hide until they need a blood meal. If you spray the bed frequently, you'll only kill what's on the surface. Deeply hidden mites can keep coming out to attack you. To properly trap mites, don't just encase your mattress. Encase your box springs as well. Since it can be quite expensive to double encase every bed in the house, you might consider choosing budget encasements. If there's only one bed in the house, you may wish to go with a premium encasement that's extensively lab tested, noiseless and certified. Below you'll find my top two recommendations for mattress encasements. The premium encasement offers a generous ten-year warranty because it's built to be more durable over time. The budget encasement is not a crinkly and noisy encasement like the paper encasements sold in stores. It's a bonda-fide option that won't rip when you begin to shove your mattress inside.
The Best Budget Encasement
2. Place Wide Fly Strips Near Ceiling Fans, Air Vents and Window Fans
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This is a test to see if your air ducts have been affected. Bird and rodent mites get sucked into ventilation systems. In fact, they can be concentrated in dust balls clinging to air vents, ceiling fans and portable cooling fans. Mite afflicted homes are often reported to have debris problems, including excessive dust, grains and specks resembling salt or pepper. Hot Tip: Use a simple paper towel rack to hold fly strips in a vertical position. (Shown below.) This improvised stand will make it much easier to place fly strips near heater vents that are close to the floor. Study your traps with a magnifying glass every 24 hours. You may eventually need to fog into air vents or hire an air duct cleaning company.
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3. Hang a Lantern Over A Large Strip of Contact Paper
Mites are attracted to things that glow within dark rooms. In fact, many afflicted homeowners get their first glimpse of a mite when it comes crawling across a cell phone, television or computer screen.
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4. Lighted Flea Traps for Parasitic Mites such as Bird or Rodent Mites
Although this trap is designed to catch fleas, it has the power to catch many types of insects. Just like fleas, mites are attracted to heat and light, and the sticky area is powerful enough to keep them contained. Study your trap with a magnifying glass each day. You may not see anything right away. It may take an unseasonably cool night to encourage mites to seek heat sources.
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5. Giant Furniture Storage Bag - A CRITICAL MUST-HAVE ITEM
Parasites, including mites and bedbugs, will often congregate deep inside the couch crevices where wallets and keys get lost. That means many will go untouched when you spray the surface of your furniture with pesticides. In addition to spraying the surface, flip your couch upside down, tear off the protective covering and fog into the cavity of the couch. (Information on fog products can be found at the bottom of this page in the section titled, "More Common Purchases Among Mite Warriors.") After fogging, Insert your couch into a giant furniture storage bag and keep the bag sealed. The length of time you'll need to keep it in the bag will depend on the type of mite you have, as some types of mites can live for extended periods without a blood meal.
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6. Use These Bait Ingredients to Lure Springtails into Glue Traps
Springtails are not mites, nor are they natural parasites. They can feed on a variety of things such as yeast, mold and fungus. In many springtail afflicted homes, only one person is bothered by their presence, and it often tends to be the immune compromised person or the person with candida problems. In cases where non parasitic critters become unusually attracted to humans, undetected fungal skin infections or systemic yeast issues can be the culprit. The glue boards pictured below are cheap. You can get 72 glue boards for around $30.
Directions to Make Bait: Combine 1/4 tablespoon of boric acid powder with 1 tablespoon of white flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast. Add just enough water to turn the mixture into dough. Pinch off little pieces of dough and place the sticky balls near the middle of a glue board made for spiders. Study your glue boards with a magnifying glass each day. If springtails actually eat the bait/attractant, they'll die. However, the glue board should prevent them from getting to the bait unless they jump straight onto it. Note that boric acid and Borax aren't the same product. It's important to use boric acid when mixing bait. Borax is the basic mineral mined from the ground. A refining process turns it into boric acid. Boric acid is more powder like and more "absorbable" through digestion. Be very careful if you have pets or small children who might eat the bait by accident. Open baiting techniques aren't advised for homes with pets and toddlers. |
7. Super Sized Lint Roller for Couches & Beds
This super sized lint roller beats the hell out of smaller models meant for clothing. Swipe your bed before going to sleep or roll over couches and easy chairs before you sit down. You may even like to swipe your clothing. For hard-to-reach places, try a lint roller on a stick. Remove pet hair, fibers, debris, fungus and more. This device is particularly handy for cleaning under tables and beds.
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8. Indoor Bug Zapper (Only works against jumping critters)
Some tiny critters (like bird mites and bedbugs) can only crawl. Others (like springtails) can jump. Indoor zappers will only be effective against the jumpers. Indoor zappers work especially well in darkened rooms, as many micro tiny insects are attracted to heat and light. You may have already noticed that mites like cell phones and television screens. It's just too bad there's no such thing as a mite zapping television!
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9. Pitfall Traps for Furniture Legs
This type of trap is designed for bedbugs. It can also trap crawling mites that are only capable of accessing your body by scurrying up bed legs. It will not be effective against jumping organisms. For bedbugs, pesticides won't be needed to fill the chamber. For mites, fill the outer chamber with diatomaceous earth so that crawling mites will be force to crawl through the powder on their way to the host. If you'd prefer not to buy pitfall traps, you can fill four shallow plastic bowls with oil and slip one bed leg into each bowl. Mites attempting to reach you by crawling up the side of the bowl will become trapped in the oil. You may also cover bed legs with double sided tape to stop crawling mites on their journey to the host. Be sure to check the tape often and change as needed, as it won't be effective when the adhesive begins to dry out.
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10. Use Double Sided Tape to Prevent Mites from Dropping from the Ceiling
Bird mites are known for assaulting from above. The minute you begin to protect bed legs, crawling mites searching for a blood meal will be forced to travel up walls, scurry across ceilings and drop down into your bed. To prevent assaults from above, apply double sided tape along the top of the wall near the ceiling. The carpet tape pictured below is exceptionally sticky, but it's engineered not to leave glue residue behind on floors.
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11. This Air Filter Uses UV-C Light to Kill Microorganisms
This is one investment you won't regret. Mite problems affect the air in several ways. They're so tiny and light that they can get sucked into return vents and regurgitated through supply vents. For this reason, it's common for mite victims to claim that their lungs are infested. Some homeowners may even hire specialists to clean their air ducts. Aside from a good air duct cleaning, a single room air purification system is a wise investment. The perfect air purification system should have two features. It should remove particles down to .03 microns, and it should have a HEPA filter to prevent particles from blowing back out into the environment. The filter pictured below has a third feature of great interest to mite infested homeowners. The UV-C light technology works to reduce airborne organisms, including dust mites, bacteria, viruses, germs and mold spores.
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12. The Premium Air Filter Option for Wide Areas
Tip: Put the more expensive filtration unit in your bedroom. Place budget units around the house.
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13. This Extra Powerful Vacuum Cleaner Combines 3 Motors to Give You 20% More Suction Power
There's no better way to trap mites than to vacuum frequently. The Kenmore Elite 31150 combines three motors to give you 20% more air power than a conventional upright vacuum while never loosing suction. This ultra powerful vacuum was rated number one by Consumer Reports Magazine, a publication that does not accept advertising dollars. The vacuum also earned Amazon's prestigious Editor's Choice award for 2019. Additional features include triple HEPA filtration to reduce allergens and a bagged design, which is essential for trapping bugs. Tip: Sprinkle diatomaceous earth into your vacuum bag to kill trapped bugs.
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14. Airtight & Weatherproof Storage Bins
Don't wait for everything you own to become infested! Place your valued items in WEATHERPROOF plastic storage bins. Tape notes to the bins to indicate the degree to which your items may be infested. Examples: "Washed in Borax on August 9." "Packed without spraying on September 10." "Treated with essential oils on June 26." When your infestation is over, these notes will help you decide which items can safely be removed from storage. Don't be afraid to put infested items into tubs until you can decide what to do with them. The important thing is to get as much clutter out of your environment as possible. Be sure to make a note indicating that the bin contains items that were never treated.
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15. Proper Laundry Storage Bins Will Trap Mites from Dirty Clothing
The slats in wicker laundry baskets allow mites to escape freely. The seal on this storage tub is weatherproof. Mites will have trouble escaping and re-infesting the environment. If you're currently using wicker laundry baskets, enclose them in sealed garbage bags and get them out to the curb IMMEDIATELY. Mites love to hide in wicker, and some species can even feed upon it.
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16. Shrink Wrap for Furniture
If you're planning to move couches or other upholstered items to a storage unit to let mites die off, be sure to wrap them with a double layer of shrink wrap to prevent them from infesting other stored items. Remember that a bird mite can survive nine months without a blood meal, depending on the species. If you don't know what type of mite is bothering you, it's always better to error on the side of caution. Store infested furniture for a year.
17. Use Live Bait to Trap Mites?
It has come to my attention that some folks are using live bait to trap mites. I don't condone that, but if you're going to be doing it anyway, the least I can do is tell you how to do it without harming your gerbil, hamster or guinea pig. Cover an old card table with contact paper, sticky side up. Be sure to tape down the edges of the contact paper so that mites won't have trouble crawling over raised edges. Place your cage at the center of the table. This will force mites to crawl over the paper on their way to the host. For an added measure of protection, place contact paper over the top of the cage, sticky side up. That way, mites attempting to drop down from the ceiling will fall onto the paper rather than falling into the cage, where they can bite your hamster.
18. Use an Old Television or Computer Screen as Bait
Mites love televisions and computer monitors. Some say it's the flickering light that attracts them like a moth to a flame. Other's claim it's the warmth of the television and the electromagnetic fields. Whatever the case, the mite victim's first real glimpse of an unseen attacker often occurs when a micro tiny critter comes crawling across a television or computer screen. It's common for me to run into people who claim to have become infested after buying a used computer or television. If this is happening to you, learn to take advantage of the situation. Cover an old card table with contact paper, sticky side up. Be sure to tape down all sides of the contact paper so that mites won't have trouble crawling over raised edges. Place your television at the center of the table. Leave the television in a dark room and wait for mites to approach it. Study the contact paper with a magnifying glass each morning.
Other Common Purchases Made by Mite Warriors
Fog Machine - An Aggressive Approach to Mite Control
Fogging is an aggressive agenda for serious or chronic mite infestations. The need to fog depends on the type of mite you have.
Dust Mites: A fog machine is not necessary, as these mites are connected to carpets, couches and bedding. Simply spray the affected areas such as beds, couches and carpets. Dust mites do not bite! They feed upon pet dander and skin flakes that humans naturally shed. Scabies Mites: A fog machine is not necessary, as the human scabies mite doesn't travel far from the human host. Frequent spray treatment of skin, bedding and surfaces will be required. Doctor's visits will be required to monitor skin. Bird Mites: Fogging is considered very helpful for this type of infestation, as bird mites tend to spread all over the house. In addition to congregating inside couches or air ducts, they may be found climbing up walls or dispersing across ceilings. For this reason, a good fog machine may be necessary to help pest control fluids settle upon walls, coat ceilings and penetrate unseen crevices. Most bird mite clients come to me after hiring pest control operators and failing with typical spray protocols. Rodent Mites: Fogging is considered very helpful for this type of infestation because rodent mites tend to hide behind walls and emerge in large numbers when rodents die from various poisons that were used to eradicate them. Most clients come to me after hiring pest control operators and failing with typical spray protocols. Cheyletiella Mites: Fogging is useful for this type of infestation. Skin treatment will also be necessary, as the cheyletiella mite can burrow down into the superficial keratin layer of skin. Doctor's visits will be required to monitor skin. Springtails: Fogging is considered very useful for this type of infestation. Springtail infestations are among the most chronic and difficult to treat because these mites are often connected to mold issues behind walls. Outdoor treatment is often necessary because many clients report that their springtail problems began after dumping new landscaping materials or dealing with mold and moisture issues under the foundation. Springtails often enter homes through cracks and crevices around windows and foundations, but they may also be carried into the home via pet paws and human shoes. |
This Organic Outdoor Concentrate Can Also Be Used in Washing Machines or Mop Buckets
This super strength organic concentrate contains 85% cedar oil. It can be used to spray lawns, plants and bushes that touch the home. You may also add a capful to laundry water or bath water. When choosing to add products to water, always use a concentrate. Ready-to-use spray formulas are not designed to be diluted with water.
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Ozone Generator/Air Sterilizer
Ozone generators are quite popular among mold and mite warriors. They're also purported to kill bacteria, viruses and small insects such as fleas. Read reviews carefully and note the thoughts contributed by dust mite victims. When purchasing an ozone machine, be sure to follow all manufacturer safety guidelines related to airing out rooms after use.
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UV Disinfection Lamps
The Perfect Transitional Bed
This extra strong $79 folding bed frame received more than 64,000 favorable reviews on Amazon. The $200 foam mattress received more than 70,000 great reviews. If you've already thrown away your bed, don't invest in an ultra expensive bed from a furniture store until you're sure that the mite infestation is over. A good folding bed can get you through that transitional period between "almost gone" and "really gone." The mattress will arrive in a compressed roll wrapped in strong plastic. Don't remove the mattress from the plastic if you don't have an encasement handy. Be sure your encasement is waterproof! If you're simply not ready to deal with a new foam mattress, you can lay a typical air mattress over the folding bed.
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A Small Dehumidifier is Worth it's Weight in Gold
Like all creatures, mites need moisture to thrive, and they extract it from the air. In the wild, mite populations can decrease exponentially under dry conditions. For this reason, it's a standard recommendation for mite victims to purchase dehumidifiers. In an average sized home, two cheap dehumidifiers placed at opposite ends of the structure will do the work of one giant deluxe model.
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Large Capacity Dehumidifer
If your house is 2,000 square feet or more, a large capacity dehumidifier will work much better, but you still may want to purchase a cheap model for the bedroom.
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Mold Detection Kit
Springtail infestations often arise from hidden mold problems in the home. (Bird and rodent mite infestations aren't generally associated with mold.) A professional test kit can help you determine the degree to which your home is affected by different types of mold. Sadly, there are cases where it would be less expensive to abandon a home than to stay and battle dangerous and long standing mold problems. This test kit includes professional consultations with experts who will guide you through the collection process, identify mold samples and discuss options for dealing with the problem.
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You Might Also Like the Following Articles
Home Treatment Checklist - 20 Things You Must Do if You Have Mites
What's Biting Me? Top Ten Mites that Can Irritate Humans - How to Identify Your Mite - Get a Formal Diagnosis
10 Ways to Get Mites Out of Skin - DIY Skin Recipes and Bathtime Rituals
Common Co-Infections Linked to Parasite Infestation and What to Do About Them
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Mites
How to Collect Mite Samples for Identification
Ten Ways to Deal with the Psychological Stress of a Mite Infestation
How to Get Mites Out of Ears, Eyes, Noses and Genitals
Prescriptions for Treating Mites in the Urinary Tract
Top 12 Oral Supplements Commonly Used to Battle Parasites
20 Ways to Trap Mites -Glue Boards Aren't Enough
How to Get Mites Out of Cars
How to Get Mites Out of Couch Crevices
How to Get Mites Out of Carpeting
How to Get Springtails and Mold Mites Out of Dishwashers
Ten Rules to Avoid Transferring Mites when You Move to a New Home
The Importance of Choosing Clothing and Bedding Made of Synthetic Materials
The Advantages of Treating with UV Light
How to Treat and Store Mite Infested Documents
How to Treat Infested Cell Phones and Computers
10 Organic Ways to Kill Lawn and Garden Pests
What's Biting Me? Top Ten Mites that Can Irritate Humans - How to Identify Your Mite - Get a Formal Diagnosis
10 Ways to Get Mites Out of Skin - DIY Skin Recipes and Bathtime Rituals
Common Co-Infections Linked to Parasite Infestation and What to Do About Them
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Mites
How to Collect Mite Samples for Identification
Ten Ways to Deal with the Psychological Stress of a Mite Infestation
How to Get Mites Out of Ears, Eyes, Noses and Genitals
Prescriptions for Treating Mites in the Urinary Tract
Top 12 Oral Supplements Commonly Used to Battle Parasites
20 Ways to Trap Mites -Glue Boards Aren't Enough
How to Get Mites Out of Cars
How to Get Mites Out of Couch Crevices
How to Get Mites Out of Carpeting
How to Get Springtails and Mold Mites Out of Dishwashers
Ten Rules to Avoid Transferring Mites when You Move to a New Home
The Importance of Choosing Clothing and Bedding Made of Synthetic Materials
The Advantages of Treating with UV Light
How to Treat and Store Mite Infested Documents
How to Treat Infested Cell Phones and Computers
10 Organic Ways to Kill Lawn and Garden Pests