Are you tired of eating your favorite BBQ with flies on the side? Is summer closing in and you’re becoming increasingly worried that your home will become infested with flies once more? If so, it may be time you consider using one or two of the best fly traps for residential use.
Top 3 - Fly Traps
As a homeowner, you now have access to a wide range of traps, baits, insecticides, and many other products that can help you trap and kill flies. I recommend taking a look at some insecticide-free solutions too, if you want something completely safe to use.
7 Best Fly Traps - Multipurpose Options
This 13”x7.5”x5.5” fly trap is a very interesting option for people who are not fans of the traditional zapper. The trap is wall-mounted and operates in complete silence. Unlike the zapper, this trap is the perfect blend of low and high-tech.
It uses UV light and a proprietary reflective coating to attract flies. When they land on the trap, the flies get stuck on the glue board holder. They won’t die instantly, but they won’t be able to bother you anymore, either. What’s even better is that if you mount the trap high enough, the stuck and the dead flies will be out of sight.
The glue is odorless and since the flies aren’t getting zapped, there’s no smoke or unpleasant smell to bother you. I also like the large 900 square feet coverage that the trap provides. Optimal trap placement will help you control the infestation in your entire backyard.
As a side note, the trap looks really stylish and emits a soft violet light that’s easy on the eyes.
If you’re a traditionalist, then you probably want to use a classic fly trap. There’s nothing more classic than the sticky tape and Kenneth Wagner makes some of the best traps in this category. You can get these only in packs of 16. Don’t worry because they’re not expensive and 16 rolls will provide you with great coverage.
There are quite a few benefits to using tapes over anything else. Tapes don’t have bait, only glue. This means that they don’t contain harsh chemicals because they rely on catching flies mid-flight. You should also know that these tapes are adhesive on both sides.
Setting up the trap is very easy. And, because the tape is sticky on both sides, you can even use it to line your screen door or windows. The adhesive is quite strong and can easily hold flies with a strong fighting spirit.
The Catchmaster 904 is a 12-pack that contains efficient adhesive window fly traps. Each pack holds four small traps that can be applied to windows, windowsills, doors, and on any other surface with high fly activity.
Why should you consider these traps? I like them because they’re odorless. I also like how easy they are to remove after the job’s done. You may appreciate the fact that this is a non-toxic solution. It doesn’t involve bait and doesn’t attract flies into your living area.
The Catchmaster 904 is a very basic trap. After you set it up, you should just wait for the flies to land on the tape. The adhesive is strong, so they won’t be able to escape. Another reason why I favor the Catchmaster 904 is because the tapes come individually wrapped to eliminate the risk of getting stuck together.
The Rescue! Disposable Fly Catches offers eight disposable catchers for residential and commercial areas. These control traps have bait inside and only require you to add water to the mix to finish the deadly lure. The main access point is through the yellow cap at the top.
The combined capacity of all eight traps is roughly 20,000 flies. The number will vary, depending on the species of flies caught. Some will be larger than others and don’t be surprised if a few bees or wasps also make their way inside.
Once a trap fills up, you can tighten it, secure it, and throw it in the trash. Since the bait only contains natural attractants and no killing agents, the formula is safe to use all around your property. Also, it won’t require any special hazardous material disposal methods or equipment to get rid of.
You may also like that you won’t have to touch the bait or the flies yourself. Unscrew the cap, pour in some water, put the cap back on, set it, and forget it. It doesn’t get any easier than that, right?
Here’s a high-tech UV fly trap that does a great job. The Katchy Indoor UV Insect Trap emits a highly attractive light that lures in fruit flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and a bunch of other flying pests.
It also helps get them in with its small fan. This makes it one of the most efficient UV light traps because it doesn’t rely on chance to trap flies. Instead, it takes matters into its own hands, so to speak. But, I really like that the fan can also prevent flies from escaping the trap.
You can charge the trap from a wall outlet or any USB port. This will allow you a lot of freedom of placement. But, I should mention that, unlike many other UV traps, this one does make some noise because of the fan.
With that said, it’s not very loud. Compared to a zapper, it is pretty quiet. And, with the coverage of 320 square feet, you won’t have to place it very close to you. It will do its job, as long as the flies can spot the light.
The Farnam Home and Garden Starbar Captivator is an efficient trap with a large capacity. It can trap thousands of flies and keep them there until you throw them in the trash. Just don’t throw the trap as well, as the container is washable and reusable.
When you buy a Farnam Captivator trap, you’ll be getting it already filled with natural breeding and feeding attractants that flies find irresistible. When you reuse it, you’ll have to make your own bait. Luckily that’s not difficult with flies. Anything sweet or fermenting will do the trick.
The top cap has multiple entry holes, which means that you can deal with a fruit fly infestation rather quickly. Another impressive thing is that the bait is odorless.
You can use as little or as much water as you want with it and the trap won’t bother you or your pets. The lack of harsh chemicals may also be an appealing factor to a lot of environmentally conscious people.
Already lined with powerful attractants, the Raid Disposable Fly Trap is very easy to use, carries with it a certain brand reliability, and can handle lots of flies, ants, spiders, and other pests.
This design is commonly seen in Raid traps. It features a plastic funnel at the top of the bag which easily locks flies in after they fly in to eat the bait. Since the bait doesn’t contain any insecticide, you’ll need water to drown the flies and maximize the efficiency of the trap.
The Raid Disposable Fly Trap comes in two-packs that are easy to seal and dispose of, once filled with flies. The bags are a bit stronger and more resistant to tearing than those on many other similar models. Add to that the fact that they come with food-grade fly attractant, and it’s no wonder why they’re so successful in outdoor setups. However, have in mind that this is not the cheapest solution.
Commercial vs Homemade Traps
If you’ve dealt with fly infestations before, you probably know how to make your own fly traps. Many people take matters into their own hands in order to save a buck. But does the efficiency of a DIY fly trap even compare to that of a commercial trap? Not really.
Things like funnel entry points, optimal measurements to ensure a large capacity trap design, as well as some other features are hard to replicate at home. Buying ready-made traps makes more financial sense.
You’re also getting the benefit of going through other people’s reviews and experiences. All homemade traps are alpha tests and can fail you when you need them most.
Are Insecticides Superior?
It really depends on the insecticide of your choice. Sprays, for example, can kill flies on contact. But, can you afford to spray them one or two at a time? Not everyone can do that.
Then again, a bit of insecticide inside a fly trap can guarantee an unparalleled efficiency, right? While this may be true, you should keep in mind that some traps are not infallible. If they get tipped over, they can spill dangerous chemicals and kids and pets can come in contact with them.
When using fly traps, I recommend choosing food-grade or, at least, natural attractants that aren’t harmful to mammals. This way, in case of a spill, a stain or two on the carpet is the worst that can happen. The lack of unpleasant smell is another reason why I like natural baits over chemical baits.
Traditional vs Modern Traps
Traditional traps include jars, bags, buckets, and any other type of container with bait inside and a few entry holes for flies to get in. These can be tabletop traps or they can be hanged in various places.
Glue-based fly traps are also popular. Even though an old concept, they’re making a comeback due to the lack of dangerous chemicals, silent operation, and no odor. These, however, rarely contain bait, so they may not be the most efficient solution out there.
So, what makes a modern trap? UV traps are among the most modern options. They use a different kind of bait. They attract flies by emitting light at specific UV wavelengths. Unlike the traditional bait traps, these tend to offer larger area coverage.
Depending on the design, they can also use other tricks to draw flies in.
Are Indoor and Outdoor Traps the Same?
No. Weatherproofing is not something that you’ll see on fly traps made for indoors use. For example, zappers and UV traps are best used inside and shouldn’t be left to outside during harsh weather. If left outside, they need to be placed under some sort of cover.
However, sticky tape traps can be used outside if you place them under some sort of cover. There are also tapes that can handle high humidity and even light rain.
You should understand that weatherproofing is the key for outdoor fly traps. If they wobble or swing around because of the wind, that’s usually fine. What you don’t want is them filling up with water and overflowing. You also want them to be fairly tear-resistant.
Use the Best Fly Traps to Avoid a Fire Hazard
No matter how popular zappers may still be in some areas, they’re hardly the most efficient fly traps, nowadays. As you can see, there are many other choices you can turn to.
No matter what your budget is, there are efficient traps you can afford. On top of that, you’d be hard pressed to find better non-toxic solutions for your fly infestation.