One of the best ways to prevent a flea problem is to catch the pests before they become an issue. To do that, a trap is needed.
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What Are Fleas?
Fleas are true insects, which means their bodies come in three segments, they have six legs, and they have a pair of antennae on their heads.
They are a form of parasite that attaches itself to birds and mammals, including humans. Fleas can jump over a foot in a single bound and possess dark brown bodies. Watch the video below to learn how they make these amazing leaps:
The ones people most frequently encounter are either cat or dog fleas, but cat fleas are the most common.
Where Do Fleas Live?
Cat and dog fleas can be found just about everywhere around the world. Cat fleas in particular seem to make their homes in numerous environments, but the insects prefer temperate environments and typically live outside in long grasses where they can hide.
What Do Fleas Eat?
They often live on the animals they feed from, which is why they qualify as parasites.
A single flea can eat up to 15 times their body weight in a single day, making them a formidable pest.
Did You Know
The flea’s favorite food is blood, and it doesn’t matter what mammal or bird it comes from. They get this blood by biting through the skin of an animal, sucking out the fluid, and then leaving.
What Are Flea Traps?
A flea trap is typically a small device designed to be attractive to fleas. Most are only a few inches tall and require the insertion of some form of poison or glue to kill any pests which enter the trap.
Read more: What are some other options for flea control?
How Do Flea Traps Work?
These traps attract fleas through lights, scents, or a combination of both. The flea will either walk across and get stuck to a sheet of glue, or they will ingest a poison or pesticide that kills them quickly.
Some people compare flea traps to rat traps or ant bait, which attracts the pest and then eliminates them.
How to Use a Flea Trap
A flea trap is best placed in the heart of an infestation area, in the locations where animals tend to congregate, or around furniture inside of a home.
These three places are the “hot spots” of flea activity, since these pests want to be able to hide and be around their source of food. Some sample locations for a flea trap include:
- In places around the yard where pets play
- Near a couch or bed
- By a garden or area with long grasses
- By the doors in and out of a home
What Makes a Good Flea Trap?
It seems like the obvious answer would be that a good flea trap is one that captures and kills flees, but this doesn’t explain how a trap should look, function, or be constructed.
The best flea traps are ones which meet a few simple criteria. A trap should:
- Be sturdy enough to survive an outdoor environment
- Hold a sufficient amount of glue or poison to kill fleas without much replacement
- Have a replaceable insert or way to refill it
- Be simple
Sometimes companies try to add too many bells and whistles to a trap, and this frequently makes them ineffective.
A common thing found today is the use of ultrasonic repellents instead of standard poisons or glue, which don’t work as well and don’t have the same amount of research to support their use.
Do Flea Traps Work?
In general, flea traps form an important part of a cohesive pest control plan. However, they are not enough to eliminate an entire flea invasion, so they should be used in conjunction with other methods.
Read more: Do flea traps get fleas out of the carpet?
Still, they are effective and can help people get rid of a significant threat to their sanity and pets.
Are There Any Homemade Flea Traps?
It is possible to make a homemade flea trap. The most common kind is a dish soap trap, which is when someone fills a bowl with water and dish soap, places a candle in the middle, and then waits for the fleas to be attracted to the light. Fleas that approach will typically drown in the water.
This water trap is a little similar to giving a pet a flea bath, since the idea is to drown the fleas. This is the premise for most homemade traps since a lot of people don’t have access to pesticides or the glue needed for a more professional model.
Are Homemade Traps as Effective as Professional Ones?
Homemade traps are NOT as effective as professional ones since they don’t have the same grade of ingredients. Still, people like to use them to avoid pesticides.
Top 4 Best Flea Traps
In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail.
Springstar BioCare Flea Trap
The Springstar Biocare Flea Trap is a form of flea trap made from solid, unbreakable plastic. The company manufactures their products in the United States and guarantees each capture pad will last up to 3 months or until 10,000 fleas are caught.
This trap does not use any toxins and instead uses heat and light from a bulb to attract pests. It can be plugged into any standard electrical outlet. The capture pads use a strong glue and are replaceable. There is no odor from the product.
Unlike a lot of traps, Springstar includes a 1-year warranty on its product. The trap weighs around 7 oz. and has dimensions of 1 x 1 x 1 in. There are no walls or cover on the trap, so fleas can enter from all angles.
I recommend the Springstar to someone who has a large flea population and would like the extra protection of the warranty.
Aspektek Sticky Dome Flea Trap
The Aspectek Sticky Dome trap uses a combination of heat and light to attract fleas and bed bugs, where they become stuck on glue boards and die. It’s possible to buy replacement light bulbs and boards from the same manufacturer and the product comes with spares.
This product does not use any chemicals, is non-toxic, and produces no odor. The trap weighs roughly 12 oz. and has full dimensions of 7.9 x 7.7 x 3.1 in.
The Aspectek Sticky Dome requires no installation besides screwing in the initial light bulb and then plugging it into a standard electrical outlet. The light bulbs used are standard 4-7 watt nightlight bulbs.
I recommend this trap to people who want something simple, something non-toxic, and would like to be able to regularly replace pieces like bulbs and glue boards.
Redeo Flea Trap
The Redeo Flea Trap is one of the few that offers adjustable lighting options. For example, you can set it to a warm brown light to attract moths. Or you can adjust it to a cold blue light for mosquitoes.
It comes with six glue boards that are easy to replace when full. Also, they have a hole in the middle that acts as an anchor, so they won’t slide around.
There’s no need to plug the unit into a wall. It’s fully rechargeable using a USB port, and there are no batteries to buy.
Set the Redeo Flea Trap anywhere. It has an attractive look that will go with any decor.
Phosooy Flea Trap
The Phosooy Flea Trap comes with four adjustable settings to trap almost any annoying pest, including fleas. It’s suitable for:
- Fleas
- Mites
- Moths
- Mosquitoes
- Fruit flies
The set comes complete with an adjustable light trap, five sticky glue boards, and a four-foot USB cable for convenient charging. You can also plug it into a standard wall outlet for continuous bug catching.
The Phosooy Flea Trap is easy to set up and operate. Cleaning is a breeze using the specially-designed sticky board included. Just throw it away when full, and replace it with a new one!
If you’re looking for professional pest control help, use the tool below to get estimates from local professionals:
