Best Gnat Traps – Indoor & Outdoor Zappers & Killers

Updated on by Jared Belson | Please note that there may be affiliate links on this page.

Gnats aren’t particularly dangerous to humans since they rarely sting or transmit diseases. However, unless you’re using one of the best gnat traps, the chances are that these flying insects can cause severe damage to your plants.

So how do you pick the best trap? By using some fundamental principles and gaining an understanding of the features of different traps. This article will help you choose the best trap for your unique situation.

Best Gnat Traps for Indoor and Outdoor Use

To catch flying insects, sometimes there’s nothing better than glue traps. Kensizer offers a budget-friendly solution for your gnat infestation with 10-pack, 20-pack, and 30-pack of double-sided sticky traps.

The tape is strong enough to withstand various weather changes. It’s also quite rigid, and it will maintain its shape even during windy conditions. Each side features a strong adhesive that makes short work of any gnats that fly too close to the plants you’re trying to protect.

I also like the high UV resistance rating. It ensures that the adhesive will remain strong for a very long time and that it won’t get dry. Under optimum conditions, it should last up to three months. The tape is yellow and will act as a visual attractant to gnats. Of course, hanging it near plants will also help trap more gnats.

  • Available in small and large packs
  • Double-sided adhesive tape
  • Yellow-colored raps
  • Eco-friendly and non-toxic
  • Not effective against fruit flies and house flies

The Katchy Indoor Insect trap relies on UV light to attract gnats, fruit flies, mosquitoes, and many other common flying insects. It then uses a small fan to suck the insects in as they come close enough.

Unlike other similar traps, this one is odorless and safe to use indoors. That’s because it doesn’t have an electrical grid to zap the pests. Instead, it features glue boards on the inside. Thus, as the insects get sucked in, they also get stuck and eventually die without making a mess.

The device looks quite stylish and would make a great addition in any home that relies on smart gadgets, or that has a more modern décor. But, you should know that larger and heavier insects, house flies, for example, won’t get easily sucked in. That’s because the adhesive is not sticky enough for them and because the fan might not be powerful enough.

  • Quiet operation
  • Odorless and non-toxic
  • Soft lighting
  • Stylish design
  • Not useful against larger insects

The Safer Brand Houseplant Sticky Stakes blend in with your potted plants and won’t ruin the décor. The sticks are disposable and non-toxic to your plants, pets, or kids, which makes them even better.

Thanks to the color of the tape and attractant used, gnats, whiteflies, fruit flies, and other small flying insects should be easy prey. I also like that these sticks are available in two-packs and three-packs.

Since each pack has seven sticky stakes, there should be enough of them to protect all potted plants in the average household. Like regular sticky tape, the tape used on these stakes is also double-sided for maximum efficiency.

One minor downside is the strength of the adhesive. It may make it difficult to fold the tape in half before you place it in the holder of your choosing.

  • Strong adhesive
  • Multiple tape holders per stick
  • Disposable sticks
  • Available in multiple packs
  • A bit uncomfortable to handle

Although these aren’t the prettiest gnat traps, they are highly effective. Each trap is essentially a large popsicle wooden stick, covered in sticky tape. You can use one stick per pot, thus protecting all your plants, not just your favorite ones.

The yellow color naturally attracts gnats. But what I like most is the fact that the tape comes with precut holes. That will also allow you to use them outside to protect all plants on your property.

Like most other gnat traps, the Gnat Stix are odorless, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. They’re just not very easy to take off the sticks when you want to dispose of the dead gnats. That essentially means that the sticks are not reusable.

  • Can be used indoors and outdoors
  • Environmentally-friendly
  • Visual attractant
  • Powerful adhesive
  • May leave some sticky residue

The Eon Luxe Fruit Fly Trap is an affordable and high-tech gnat trap. It makes short work of small flying insects in a three-stage process designed to attract, catch, and kill.

First, the trap attracts gnats with the UV light. The small fan then sucks them inside and forces them to stick onto the glue boards. Each device comes with six glue boards.

The adhesive is reliable as it can last even up to four months during warm seasons. It will last even longer during autumn and winter since cold weather won’t dry it.

I also like the fact that unlike other similar fly traps, this one doesn’t make any zapping noise. And, given the small size of the fan, it won’t make a suction noise either.

  • Prepackaged glue boards
  • Quiet operation
  • Well-calibrated UV light attractant
  • Odorless adhesive
  • Pricier than traditional gnat traps

These are some of the more popular gnat traps on the market. They feature a funky design, a very bright yellow color, and an adhesive that ensures no small flying insects will escape.

The strong adhesive s one of its best features. It leaves little to no residue, which means that you can easily use it close to your plants. And, you can also use it in organic farming without fear of tainting anything.

The traps are also very convenient to handle. You can place them into the ground and then peel off the protective layer to expose the adhesive. Both sides are sticky, so there’s plenty of room to catch gnats and other small flyers.

I also like that the adhesive as a high UV resistance and is also waterproof. That translates to excellent weather resistance and an ideal combination of features for outdoor use.

  • Available in multiple packages
  • UV-resistant and waterproof
  • Double-sided trap
  • Funky shapes
  • Not ideal for hanging

Why Traps and Not Insecticides?

Although most homeowners immediately think of a bug spray when they need to get rid of an insect infestation, dealing with gnats is a bit trickier. It’s not because they’re hard to kill but because they swarm in clouds. They are always on the plants, if not burrowed inside them.

So, using insecticides can be harmful to your plants. Even if you were to use a natural organic formulation, there’s still the risk of altering the taste of your edibles. You also risk covering the plants in too much oil and many other things.

Traps don’t have to come in contact with the plants, and thus they won’t alter them. Besides, traps provide better residual control than sprays, bait stations, and other gnat disposal methods. You just set them and leave them there to catch gnats. You’ll only need to replace them when there’s no more room for new insects.

The Only Traps You’ll Ever Need

Two types of gnat traps are more effective than others – those that use sticky tape and those that use UV light. Both variants, featured in this article, rely on visual attractants to catch gnats. The classic gnat trap is sticky tape. It can come in many shapes and sizes, but it will almost always get the job done.

The more modern approach involves UV fan lamps. These attract gnats with UV light, then suck them in with a fan, and traps them on glue boards. So it’s the same old concept, only with a few modern touches.

I would primarily recommend going with the classic approach since it’s a lot more versatile. As cool as UV lamps are, they may be of little use outside your home since the UV light is not too strong.

But for indoor use, I think that a UV lamp may look better and perform better than a few glue traps staked into a pot.

To Hang or Not to Hang

When talking about the sticky tape, there are two ways to use it. You can stake it into the ground in between your plants, or you can hang it directly from the plants.

I advise against folding any glue trap and hanging it directly from a plant. Look to see if there are any perforated holes in the trap and use some wire to create a hanger. These traps are typically lightweight, so they shouldn’t harm healthy, sturdy plants.

Do It for Your Plants

As already mentioned, unlike other insects, gnats are mostly harmless to humans. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an excuse not to use one of the types of traps featured in this article. If you care about your plants, it’s time to start protecting them at all times.

It doesn’t take long to find yourself in the middle of a gnat infestation. Especially given how fast they reproduce and how tiny and hard to spot they are.

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