The present invention relates to compositions and methods for attracting bed bugs with novel attractants and new and improved methods to enable their use to attract, monitor or trap bed bugs for surveying, monitoring, mitigation and management purposes. Known mammal pheromones were discovered to be useful as bed bug kairomone attractants. A method of delivering non-volatile attractants by using the attractive heat source to heat and volatilize the attractants was discovered to be the optimal method to disseminate the kairomones. A new method of generating low levels of carbon dioxide is disclosed, and the combination of kairomones, carbon dioxide and heat is shown to attract bed bugs.

An insect trap for multiple species of pest insects, especially flying insects that are an indoor nuisance. The trap contains at least two parallel, planar, transparent faces, each face configured to polarize transmitted light into a single plane. The faces are oriented such that the light polarization planes are at substantially right angles. When the trap is attached substantially flush to a window, phototactic insects against the window perceive the trap faces as transparent and are thus induced to crawl in to the trap. However, light is prevented from passing through both faces, substantially obscuring the view of trapped insects inside to a casual human observer.

In the preferred embodiment, the invention is a trap for luring, trapping, and killing insects. The trap preferably includes: a single structure container defining a cavity that holds liquid, an opening that allows access to the cavity, a side wall, and a lid that seals the opening of the container. The side wall includes an orifice in the form of a frusto-conical shape that allows ingress of insects into the container and prevents egress of insects from the container. The side wall also includes a landing surface that directs insect towards the orifice.

A decorative design for an insect trap.

An indirect control of aphids is disclosed, comprising the use of relatively minute concentrations of the pheromone E-β-farnesene, which prevents aphid-caused crop damage by warding off aphids and by attracting natural aphid predators and parasites.