The 7 Best Fly Traps of 2023
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You’ll be simultaneously impressed and grossed out by the results.
Real Simple / David Hattan
When pesky flies find their way into your home, it can be seriously frustrating. Thankfully, fly traps are easy to use and affordable, making them a great first line of defense against persistent flies.
“Fly traps are simple tools for the physical intervention of fly infestations,” says Ron Whitehurst, licensed pest control advisor and co-owner of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries. “The main reason that they are valuable around the house is that they often use non-toxic materials and prevent homeowners from having to use pesticides,” he adds. “They also reduce the breeding that leads to the next generation of pesky flies.”
To find the best fly traps on the market, we researched options in a wide variety of types, price ranges, intended uses, and more. Whitehurst also provided us with guidance on choosing the right fly trap for each home.
Best Overall Fly Trap: Flies Be Gone Fly Trap
What Stands Out: This simple fly trap can hold a seriously large quantity of flies.
What Could Be Improved: It's not reusable, which is a bummer considering the high price.
For a reliable fly trap that won’t let you down, look no further than the Original Fly Trap courtesy of Flies Be Gone. This is a disposable fly trap bag that’s filled with food designed to attract flies, and it’s able to trap thousands of flies before needing to be thrown out.
This is a medium-size bag, so it won’t take up too much space in or around your home. Yet, it’s still big enough to capture all the flies that come its way. It can be used either indoors or outdoors (including in larger spaces like patios or stables), and it even works against pesticide-resistant flies. Just hang it up, let it do its magic, and throw out the bag once it’s full.
Price-wise, this fly trap is a bit more expensive than many other disposable options out there, but considering its high level of effectiveness and its ease of use (no cleanup needed!), it’s worth the splurge. You’ll be thrilled to discover just how many flies it can capture, and how simple it is to put into action.
Price at time of publish: $39 for 2-pack
Product Details:
Type: Bag
Number of Traps: 2, 6, or 12
Targeted Pests: Flies
Area: Indoor/outdoor
Best Budget Fly Trap: Raid Fly Ribbon
What Stands Out: This odorless fly trap is easy to install and has a seriously low cost.
What Could Be Improved: Dead flies are in full view.
If you’re looking to keep costs low, we suggest picking up this extremely inexpensive, yet still quite effective, fly ribbon from Raid. It may not be the prettiest fly trap out there, seeing as it’s a hangable ribbon that catches flies with its stickiness, but it’ll absolutely do the trick in keeping your home insect-free.
This ribbon can be set up indoors or outdoors—all you have to do is pull the cord and let it unfurl. Once expanded, attach the ribbon to a window or ceiling with the included thumbtack, and you’ll be good to go. Once set up, the ribbon can catch up to 100 flies, mosquitoes, and/or gnats before needing to be replaced.
The box comes with 10 ribbons, so you can get plenty of use out of your purchase before having to buy any more. Set the ribbon up in your kitchen, backyard, garage, or anywhere else that commonly gets insects, and you’ll see results in no time. And because it contains no insecticides and also has no smell, it won’t bother you as you go about your day.
Price at time of publish: $3 for 10-pack
Product Details:
Type: Ribbon
Number of Traps: 10
Targeted Pests: Flies, mosquitoes, gnats, moths, and other flying insects
Area: Indoor/outdoor
Best Fly Trap for Fruit Flies: Terro Fruit Fly Trap
What Stands Out: It's very discreet, so can be left out on your counters without guests noticing.
What Could Be Improved: It's designed solely for fruit flies, so it's not a very versatile pest control tool.
If fruit flies are your main concern and you’re looking for a subtle way to eliminate them, this cleverly designed trap from Terro is the way to go. The apple-shaped design is meant to blend in with your actual fruit, so that pests are lured to it (and it doesn’t attract attention in your home, whether you place it in a fruit bowl or over the sink or trash).
This is a powerful, fast-acting trap that lasts up to 45 days, and each package comes with two traps so you can get three months’ worth of protection before needing to re-up on the product. To use it, just fill half of the non-staining liquid from the lure bottle into the trap, then place the trap wherever it’s most needed. Each trap comes with a built-in window so you can see how many fruit flies it’s gotten and know when it’s time to change it out, as well as multiple holes on top that are designed to disperse its lure and cause more flies to come in.
Additionally, this is a very low-priced trap, and its ease of use and set-up make it a smart choice for any homeowner.
Price at time of publish: $16 for 4-pack
Product Details:
Type: Container trap
Number of Traps: 4, 6, or 12
Targeted Pests: Fruit flies
Area: Indoor
Best Indoor Fly Trap: Catchmaster Window Fly Traps
What Stands Out: This easy-to-use fly trap catches flies as they enter the home.
What Could Be Improved: It's not reusable and doesn't hide the dead flies.
For a simple way to stop flies in their tracks, attach these disposable sticky paper fly traps from Catchmaster to your windows, which are often the entry point for flies into the home. The traps (which helpfully come in sets ranging from 12 to 96 traps) can be applied directly to a window with minimal effort or cleanup needed. All you have to do is peel off the liner and place the traps on the glass, and then they’ll start attracting bugs immediately. Plus, the traps are clear, so they’re less noticeable (although you'll be able to see the dead flies as they accumulate).
For maximum effectiveness, place the traps on the windows that get the most light, whether that’s in your kitchen, garage, or even a patio door. Replace them when they get full of bugs, but if they don’t fill up fast, they can last up to a year before losing their stickiness and needing to be disposed of.
Cost-wise, these traps are about as cheap as they come considering how many are included in the package, and while they’re not especially stylish or high-tech, they’ll do the trick just fine. If you’re looking for an easy method of keeping insects away from windows in or out of your home, you can’t go wrong with these paper traps.
Price at time of publish: $16 for 12-pack
Product Details:
Type: Paper
Number of Traps: 12, 12 XL, 48, or 96
Targeted Pests: Flies
Area: Indoor
Best Outdoor Fly Trap: Rescue! Disposable Fly Trap
What Stands Out: This large trap can hold a lot of flies.
What Could Be Improved: This trap has a very strong odor and should only be used 20 feet away from your living space, so it's not for small yards.
Are you more focused on keeping flies away from your backyard or patio when you’re trying to have a relaxing time outside? Check out this outdoor fly trap from Rescue!—a hanging pouch that captures flies through its cap and drowns them in its water.
To use this simple, disposable fly trap, just add water to the plastic bag’s fill line, then use the included hanger (as well as any string or wire) to attach it to a tree branch, fence post, or other area at least 20 feet away from your living space (due to its strong odor). When it’s full (or after about 30 days have passed), wrap it up in a bag and toss it out in the trash, before replacing it with a new trap.
This isn’t the most versatile fly trap, since it can’t be used inside, and it’s a bit pricey for the pack of two. Still, it’s an effective and very simple method of keeping flies away from your outdoor space and ensuring you can hang out and enjoy the sunshine in peace.
Price at time of publish: $13 for 2-pack
Product Details:
Type: Bag
Number of Traps: 2
Targeted Pests: Flies
Area: Outdoor
Best Reusable Fly Trap: Safer Home Indoor Fly Trap
What Stands Out: This indoor fly trap doesn’t use any insecticides, odors, or liquid bait.
What Could Be Improved: You'll have to stock up on trap cards.
To avoid having to frequently dispose of and replace your fly traps, opt for a reusable model like this popular option from Safer. The small yet powerful device uses UV LED light to lure in flies, moths, and gnats, with no chemical insecticides included.
To use, place the trap in any indoor outlet (it rotates to fit all sizes), add in the sticky glue card, and it’ll start working right away. Insects drawn in by the light will then get stuck to the trap’s card, and when the trap is full of bugs, you can throw the card out and add in the included replacement card to start all over again.
This trap stands out for its sleek, discreet design, which allows it to be used in any room of your home without attracting unwanted attention. You will need to stock up on replacement cards if you want to use the trap for a long period of time, though, which can be a pain for some. Still, this is a highly effective and subtle device that’ll help keep your home insect-free.
Price at time of publish: $18
Product Details:
Type: Plug-in UV light trap
Number of Traps: 1 plug-in base and 2 glue cards
Targeted Pests: Flies, moths, and gnats
Area: Indoor
Best Fly Zapper: FVOAI Bug Zapper
What Stands Out: This reusable device will kill bugs instantly.
What Could Be Improved: You'll have to deal with some cleanup.
A zapper is a seriously effective tool for getting rid of flies, and this option from FVOAI is our recommended pick. It uses blue-violet light to attract pests (including gnats, mosquitoes, moths, and aedes), before immediately electrocuting them with its high-voltage internal grid.
This is a chemical-free and odorless fly trap, and it also has a safety grid to keep kids and pets out of harm’s way. It can be placed or hung up both indoors and outdoors (at least 20 feet away from humans, ideally), and can cover a wide area up to 1,500 square feet. It can be used 24/7, but keep in mind that it works best at night and/or in dark environments.
The plastic trap comes with a hanging ring if you choose to keep it elevated, as well as a mosquito tray and brush on the bottom to get rid of any debris from the grid. You will need to maintain the trap fairly often, but cleanup will be easy thanks to those helpful accessories. And while it’s higher-priced than most other fly traps, it is reusable, subtle, and majorly effective.
Price at time of publish: $55
Product Details:
Type: Zapper
Number of Traps: 1
Targeted Pests: Flies, mosquitoes, gnats, aedes, and moths
Area: Indoor/outdoor
Final Verdict
For a top-notch fly trap you won’t regret, we recommend the Flies Be Gone Original Fly Trap, due to its effective formula, simple set-up, and lack of cleanup. For a low-budget alternative, check out the Raid Fly Ribbon, a no-frills fly trap that can be used indoors or outdoors.
How to Shop for Fly Traps Like a Pro
Type
Fly traps come in a number of forms, from sticky ribbons to electric zappers to light-emitting devices, all of which can be quite effective, but differ greatly in cost, aesthetics, size, and more. Simple sticky traps, for instance, “are very useful for nuisance flies as well as biting flies,” Ron Whitehurst, licensed pest control advisor and co-owner of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, as the ribbons provide an “attractive surface for flies to land.” And traps of the electric variety use light to lure flies in before instantly killing them.
Ease of Use
When considering which fly trap to buy, think about how much effort you want to put into maintaining the traps. Reusable traps, for instance, can be cost-saving and highly effective, but “some people don’t want to empty out a container full of dead flies, rinse it out, and start fresh, and would prefer to throw the trap away when it gets full of flies,” says Whitehurst. Although you can find reusable fly traps with disposable cartridges, such as the Safer Home Indoor Fly Trap, our favorite reusable option.
Targeted Area
Some fly traps are designed for use both inside and outside of the house, but many others are meant specifically for one area, so be sure to check carefully before purchasing a trap. If you mainly deal with flies outdoors, hanging up a light or window device might work well, but if your primary issue is flies around the garbage or kitchen sink, consider indoor-only options like those that mimic the look of fruit to lure flies in.
Questions You Might Ask
What is the most effective fly trap bait?
There are several bait options that work well with fly traps, says Whitehurst. First, there’s Z-9 Tricosene, which is “a sex pheromone that females produce to attract males to mate.” Another option is anaerobically digested (aka rotten) yeast, since it “smells like it is putrefying,” he adds. You can also mix molasses with water to cause fermentation, or ammonium carbonate mixed with water and active yeast.
Where should I place a fly trap?
It’s crucial to place traps “at least 20 feet away from entrances to homes or decks/patios,” says Whitehurst, “as the putrefying ingredients in many of the baits are not pleasant around eating areas, and you also don’t want to be drawing the flies close to the house, where they can easily enter through open doors and windows.”
Additionally, because flies gravitate to sunny locations in the mornings and evenings and shade at the hottest parts of the day, move your traps around accordingly. “In the cooler months, place traps in sunnier locations, and in the hottest parts of the year, place traps in partial sun/partial shade,” says Whitehurst.
What smell repels flies and gnats?
“Lavender, cedar, basil, and peppermint are some common repellents,” says Whitehurst. When shopping, look for fly traps with those scents to ensure maximum effectiveness against these pests.
Take Our Word for It
This article was written by Rachel Simon, a writer for Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, The New York Times, and many other publications. She frequently covers home products and did significant research on fly traps for this story, including speaking to Ron Whitehurst, licensed pest control advisor and co-owner of Rincon-Vitova Insectaries.
Related:The 10 Best Bug Sprays of 2023
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