Nothing can ruin time spent in nature quite like mosquitoes. That high-pitched buzz in your ear can be maddening, especially when you’re trying to sleep. So can the itchy, red welts the following day. These little blood-suckers are also known to spread diseases like West Nile, dengue and Zika viruses. So many people turn to mosquito traps, particularly for use around the house and yard.
Electric zappers work without pesticides, but they are also known to kill beneficial insects including vitally important pollinators like bees. Unattended zappers are also potentially dangerous to young children and curious pets. A few have sparked fires or ignited flammable gasses like gasoline fumes.
So how do we deal with mosquitoes safely? First, focus on outsmarting them by addressing the source of the problem. That might include removing water sources that serve as breeding grounds or planting mosquito-repellant plants. You can also try a range of natural remedies, do-it-yourself solutions and homemade traps (including this one made from old tires). If you just need to repel insects from your body, consider a DEET-free or natural bug spray.
If none of these solutions is right for you, consider buying one of the following mosquito traps that don’t zap.
The compact Katchy Indoor Insect Trap grabbed our top spot because of its affordable and effective three-way technology and excellent customer ratings. A USB-powered fan sucks in insects attracted to the UV light, pushing them onto an odor-free glue trap.
Best Overall
Katchy Indoor Insect Trap with UV Light
This unit works best when run in the dark and at night for three consecutive days. It is rated for indoor use only, but customers report that it also works well in covered porches, decks, and patio areas when protected from the elements. It also works well for fruit flies and gnats but is underpowered enough to spare larger flying insects like bees.
The Katchy weighs just 1.5 pounds and has a sleek design that comes as either as two-speed option in black or white, or an automatic sensor option in black. It works inconspicuously in your kitchen, home, or office.
The glue is long-lasting, so as long as it doesn’t fill up, each board can last up to four weeks. When needed, the glue board refills can be found reliably for under $1 each.
Price at time of publish: $45
Keep your indoor spaces mosquito-free with this clever plug-in. Top-rated for indoor only-use, the Gardner FlyWeb Classic Fly Light combines the warming attraction of a 9-watt UV light with a glue board. Easy to use, you simply remove the protective layer from the glue board and plug it into a standard AC wall outlet. It effectively and silently captures flying insects without attracting bees.
Best Indoor
Gardner FlyWeb Fly Light Indoor UV Insect Trap
Each unit covers about 600 square-feet or 20 linear-feet. After the initial investment, you can leave it plugged in year-round for about $10 per year (you can calculate the cost based on your local electricity rate here). A 10-pack of replacement glue boards costs around $10. How often you need to replace them varies widely depending on where you live and the density of your insect population. Rated for up to one year of continuous use, the UV replacement bulb costs a little over $10.
Available in compact, discrete off-white plastic, this moderately-priced trap earns consistently works better than its cheaper competitors. This unit is UL- and cUL-certified, meaning that it meets or exceeds standards in the United States and Canada for electrical engineering, fire prevention, and protection from injury.
Price at time of publish: $50
Many insect traps employ UV light to attract their prey. That’s because many insects exhibit phototaxis, meaning they move toward (positive), or away from (negative), light. Mosquitoes use their vision to find their victims. They are drawn to light, especially green and blue light. Blue light is at the end of the visible spectrum—the light we can see—right next to the ultraviolet or UV spectrum.
Best Wall-Mounted
Faicuk WS108 Wall Sconce Fly Light Trap
The Faicuk Wall Sconce Light Trap not only takes advantage of this fact, it uses a reflective coating to triple the light from its 8-watt bulb. That magnification makes it effective even in the daytime, covering up to 900 square-feet or 25 lineal-feet.
Unlike other light-based traps, this one is a wall-mounted sconce that is easy to install. It works best at a height of about 6 feet and provides some ambient light to the room. Once the mosquitoes are lured in by the light, they are trapped by a replaceable glue board. Customers report that the boards maintain their stickiness for many months. Some buyers have even gotten complements on its modern look and moon-like glow. It comes in white, black and wood grain.
It is limited to indoor use and comes with a two-year warranty. Its UV bulb is a common Philips brand, and easy to replace.
Price at time of publish: $70
Most non-zapping traps rely on a glue board to dispatch annoying flying insects. The most affordable traps are not complex. They’re just a very sticky glue board that can be hung in areas where the insects congregate. The main drawback of glue-based traps is that some beneficial insects will also be captured by accident. We don’t recommend using them in areas where you have a lot of bees or other beneficial insects.
Best Budget
Trappify Sticky Fruit Fly and Gnat Trap
You’ll find lots of choices on the market in this type of trap. We like the well-rated Trappify Indoor Outdoor Small Insect Trap. Made by a veteran-owned business based in the US, this trap is a double-sided sticky card that comes in packs of 12, 25 and 50. They contain no chemicals beyond the non-toxic adhesive. But these are safe, affordable and effective. The recyclable paper packaging is bonus.
Not just for mosquitoes, they’re also effective for plant pests and around the kitchen, capturing white and fruit flies, fungus gnats, leaf miners, and aphids. They’re designed to be shoved like a stake into houseplants, or hung from a hook in problem areas. These butterfly-shaped disposable traps are bright yellow because plant pests are drawn to the color of pollen. Although mosquitoes are not drawn to yellow, customers say they are still quite practical and long-lasting.
Price at time of publish: $11
Killing mosquitoes outdoors is more of a challenge when you exclude zappers and pesticides. That’s because outdoor units need to be weather-proof, and they have to attract mosquitoes from a distance and capture them. That’s usually done with a method similar to the Katchy brand above, with UV and/or blue light, with a fan that sucks the insects into an escape-proof compartment.
Best for Decks and Patio
Hoont Indoor and Outdoor 3-Way Mosquito and Fly Trap Killer with Stand
For decks, patios, and other outdoor areas, the Hoont Indoor Outdoor 3-Way Mosquito and Fly Trap is a popular choice because it’s affordable and covers and area up to 1,000 square feet. Unlike many similar units, this one has a compartment where you can add your favorite homemade attractant. There are no sticky glue boards to deal with, and this unit is easy to clean. Quiet and safer for pets and children, the diffuse blue glow is all that you’ll notice.
Price at time of publish: $56
The market is flooded with citronella-based mosquito repellent candles and incense sticks, despite the fact that these products only offer a limited amount of protection.
Best Repellant Candle
Murphy’s Naturals Murphy’s Mosquito Candle
We also like that Murphy’s is a certified B Corporation. That means they’ve met the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Price at time of publish: $24
What to Avoid in a Mosquito Trap
Some top brands use harmless carbon dioxide to simulate animal breath as a mosquito attractant. But to generate CO2, they use titanium dioxide nanoparticles and UV light or electricity. Although the amounts are small, titanium dioxide is considered a possible human carcinogen (cancer-causing). For this reason, it is common for those that contain titanium dioxide to recommend placement away from high traffic areas.
Similarly, octenol is an organic chemical found in human breath and sweat in small quantities. Some glue board traps use octenol (also known as 1-octen-3-ol) as a mosquito attractant. Although approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a food additive, octenol is considered moderately toxic and animal studies have shown that it disrupts the balance of the brain chemical dopamine, the neurotransmitter most closely connected to Parkinson’s disease. While the cause of Parkinson’s is still unknown, environmental toxins are currently being studied as a possible culprit.
Because of these unknowns, traps that use titanium dioxide or octenol were excluded from this list.
You’ll also see a number of ultrasonic devices on the market—devices that emit high frequency sounds that are too high for humans to hear but claim to drive pests, including mosquitoes, away. Unfortunately, despite positive customer reviews, there is still little evidence that they actually work and some may actually attract mosquitoes.
Why Trust Treehugger?
Lorraine Wilde grew up swatting and itching a range of biting insects in rural Michigan. She also holds a Master’s degree in environmental science and is a firm believer that consumers can make informed, environmentally-conscious choices to protect our planet.
