House flies drive me nuts. And I’ve tried too many products that don’t do a damned thing. So here is a round-up of outdoor or indoor fly catchers that DO work:
Big Flag sticky trap for house flies and insects (6-pack for $18.45) – this is what I tried, and it definitely works. The good news is you can change the bait for what sort of insect issue you are having. Have a house fly problem? Try maple syrup or honey (what I tried). Have a fruit fly issue? Try apple cider vinegar. You are supposed to hang these fly catchers, but they worked pretty well when I just sat them down on a surface too.
Another similar option is the Rescue TrapStik, but the reviews seem a tad more mixed and it’s also more expensive (6-pack for $32). Nonetheless, 2 members said this worked for them, and it clearly does for many people. No place to add the bait here – apparently the color/pattern is the attractant.
Gnat and Fruit fly traps you can stick in your potted plants – this one got a thumbs up from multiple members after it was suggested!
Catchmaster bug and Fly clear window fly traps (12-pack for $13.50) also seem like a fantastic solution – they got recommendations from several members and are also inexpensive/unobtrusive. These can trap not only the flies, but also fruit gnats. One Amazon reviewer said she laid it over a turd (gross!) in her backyard and caught so many flies within minutes. I’m not ever doing that, but hey, options! I’m curious to see if they will catch stink bugs, will try sticking one on my deck.
You also have baited options like the Outdoor Disposable Rescue fly trap or the Starbar captivator reusable 2-quart fly trap. The latter apparently is fantastic, or horrifying, depending on your POV – it can trap 100s of flies. Con? These smell really bad apparently, but if you’ve got a yard buzzing with flies because you have a dog that poops there, then a good option to hang from somewhere, hopefully where you won’t smell it. The Rescue option can squelch and leak (one reviewer says the contents got dumped over her expensive shoes because she could not tie a knot properly and dropped the bag), making me more disposed to try the Starbar Captivator.
So we have lots of sticky fly solutions or baited solutions. I don’t love them because the insect stays alive for a while, twitching slowly and that seems cruel. But nothing else really seems to work, so here we are. I already have the first product, and I’m also going to buy the sticky window traps.
People will then ask, what about zappers? Do they work really? The answer seems like no, they trap very few mosquitos and flies, and mostly get rid of the harmless, even potentially useful insects. Plus they can also be pretty gross and expensive – for more details, check this article out! Venus Fly traps are super useless too, from personal experience.
