If you don’t want to use a pesticide or repellent, you can always try a gnat trap to catch the pests and eliminate them in a safe and effective way.
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What Is a Gnat Trap?
Loosely defined, a gnat trap is any mechanism designed to catch gnats. Gnats are small, flying, non-biting insects that often invade homes during the spring and summer. Gnats remain attracted to fruit and houseplants, and often find their way inside through windows. Gnat traps can be placed throughout your home to catch them before they reproduce or cause problems for you and your family. They typically come in two types: Physical traps and electronic zappers.
Physical traps are the cheapest option for people interested in catching gnats. Physical traps look like sheets of yellow paper.
The traps are placed in locations where gnats typically roam, including the kitchen or near potted plants. When the gnats get too close, they will fly into the paper and become stuck to the glue which coats one or both sides. Most physical traps can be bought in packs with multiple sheets, but they are not reusable.
Electronic zappers trap and kill gnats and other flying pests using electricity.
They can be placed outdoors on patios and decks, or you can place one inside to catch gnats around your house. Electronic zappers lure gnats to them using fluorescent, often ultraviolet, lights.
The pests will fly towards the light and be shocked by several volts of electricity, killing them quickly. Unlike physical traps, zappers are reusable and need to be cleaned out after use.
Why Not Use Both?
If you have a large gnat problem, it would be prudent to combine several traps together.
Physical traps are useful to have around plants, while electronic zappers work around doors and other entrances to the house.
If you don’t think you can handle the problem on your own, contacting a professional pest management company might be the way to go.
How Much Do Gnat Traps Cost?
Gnat traps come in a variety of types and prices. The typical range is anywhere from $8-$60, with a wide assortment available for you to choose from. The main factor that determines cost is what kind of trap in which you want to invest your money.
What Type of Trap Should You Get?
At the end of the day, the price of a trap is determined by what kind you want.
Disposal paper traps are cheaper and more affordable, but often only have a single use. In many cases, you can buy a pack of ten or twelve sticky paper traps to place around your house. However, once you run out, you need to purchase more.
If you buy an electric trap, you’ll need to pay more during the initial visit, but you won’t need to repurchase them.
So it all depends on how much you want to initially invest. Perhaps for a smaller infestation, a physical trap might be the way to go, but then invest in an electrical trap if you have ongoing issues.
One of the most popular methods of gnat removal is to try using apple cider vinegar. This method can be hit or miss.
What Attracts Gnats to Traps?
You might be thinking, “Why would gnats fly near the traps?” It seems like common sense to avoid them, but gnats are incapable of determining that the traps are dangerous for them.
In some cases, they actually view aspects of the traps as attractive and will approach of their own volition!
Below are the two main reasons why.
The Lights and Smells Attract Them!
Professionals designed electronic zappers to emit fluorescent light, frequently ultraviolet light. Gnats see these lights, but they aren’t actually attracted to them.
Instead, the wavelength frequencies of the lights disorient bugs. Disoriented bugs have a harder time telling where they are flying, so they accidentally hit the zapper and are electrocuted. The smells in physical traps are genuinely appealing to pests like gnats, causing them to fly towards the paper because it smells good.
If your traps don’t have a smell, then they will be placed in attractive locations. The gnats will then accidentally fly into the paper and become trapped.
5 Best Gnat Traps Reviewed
In the below section we break down each of our product recommendations in a little more detail.
- Lulu Home Bug Zapper (our #1 pick)
- VANELC Bug Zapper Two-pack
- Trapro Yellow Sticky Traps
- 21 Century Solutions Dual Sticky Fly Traps
- AllRoad Yellow Sticky Houseplant Traps
Lulu Home Bug Zapper
The Lulu Home Bug Zapper is a great alternative to messy chemical sprays. You can hang it anywhere, including:
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Bedrooms
- Garage
- Enclosed porch
It works by attracting flying insects with a powerful UV light. Once they enter, they get an electrical shock that puts an end to them once and for all.
The Lulu Home Bug Zapper kills most types of flying insects on contact. It comes with a safety screen to prevent little ones from sticking their fingers inside the device.
VANELC Bug Zapper Two-pack
Get rid of gnats and mosquitoes with this portable 2-in1 bug zapper from VANELC. It has over 4,000 volts of killing power, yet it’s safe to use almost anywhere in your home.
Say goodby to all those smelly aerosol pesticides. Now you can zap those unwanted gnats and mosquitoes safely either by hand or by setting the unit on its charging stand.
It’s great for:
- Living room
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Garages
- Patios
Because it’s portable and lightweight, you can even take it with you on your next camping trip. That’s because one charge can last up to several hours of continuous use.
Trapro Yellow Sticky Traps
Trapro creates environmentally friendly gnat traps that capture pests by creating an alluring smell. The gnats become trapped to the sticky sheets and can no longer bother you or your plants.
The sheets have glue on both sides and can be placed inside or outside to help people combat their pest problems. Trapro does not use any pesticides in its sticky traps, is safe and non-toxic, and has a tough UV formula that doesn’t dry out.
The produce was designed to capture aphids, leaf miners, fungus gnats, thrips, whiteflies, black flies, midges, mosquitoes, and other flying insects. I recommend this product to people who want a disposable but environmentally friendly alternative to more expensive electronic zappers.
21 Century Solutions Dual Sticky Fly Traps
These dual sticky fly traps are an environmentally friendly alternative to pesticides. The sticky traps can be placed around houseplants or in kitchens to capture gnats without using chemicals, pesticides, odors, or vapors. Each pack comes with 10 sheets, which are disposable.
These traps also feature a strong adhesive on both sides of the sheets to capture gnats and are effective on other pests, including whiteflies, blackflies, midges, and fruit flies. The sheets are UV resistant and waterproof, so individuals can water their plants without damaging the trap. I would recommend this product to people who want an inexpensive trap that can be used around houseplants.
AllRoad Yellow Sticky Houseplant Traps
Gnats love to invade indoor plants and can quickly become an annoyance. These glue trap stakes from AllRoad help keep gnats from invading your home.
They use a yellow sticky board held up by a green stake. Then, simply push into the soil of your houseplants, and they’ll trap any flying insects that happen upon them.
These simple traps are easy to assemble and use. Also, they are long-lasting and chemical-free.
Think you might need professional help with your gnats problem? Use the form below to connect with local pest control pros:
