The Best Bug-Killing Gear

After testing eight flyswatters (and killing hundreds of flies in the process) and speaking to Caltech’s Michael Dickinson, a professor of bioengineering and aeronautics who has been studying flies’ behavior in flight for over 30 years, we believe the best option is the Pic Fly Swatter. It’s the longest flyswatter we tested, so the head naturally moves a little faster than others, and it has a slightly better reach. The wire handle has just the right amount of flex, which creates a satisfying whip as the swat makes contact. The Pic swatter’s one drawback is that it doesn’t have off-the-charts durability—we found that each one lasts about one summer of hard use—but the fact is, hardly any swatters are made well, and this is a case where going cheap is simplest. The Pic version costs only a few dollars and typically comes in a pack of two, so if you have to replace a pair after a couple of years of swatting, it’s not a big deal.

The other flyswatters we tested were either shorter, flimsier feeling, or more expensive yet not capable of swatting any better. As Dickinson told us, swatting a fly is more about technique than the tool you’re using, so if you already have a flyswatter you like, you may as well stick with it.

According to Dickinson, flies rely heavily on sight and have a nervous system that is many times faster than humans’—10 times faster, Dickinson said in an interview, with aspects of vision alone happening more than six times faster than in human eyes. So when you’re swatting flies, the key is that “you don’t want to be visible and you want to be as fast as you possibly can,” he said. One way to gain a speed advantage is to use a swatter with a longer handle. As Dickinson told us, “If you have an object in your hand, the speed with which you can move the end of it is proportional primarily to the length.” But even that offers only a minimal advantage, he said. “The skill really comes down to getting your swatter close to the fly before you flip it because you want to minimize the distance … and I think you can do that whether you have a crappy flyswatter or a good flyswatter.”

According to Dickinson, “the foolish thing about almost every flyswatter I’ve ever seen is that they’re visually very conspicuous.” Because flies rely so heavily on sight, Dickinson’s ideal swatter would be “clear and nonreflective.” We didn’t find any clear flyswatters out there.

We asked Dickinson what he used to swat flies. His answer: a rolled-up newspaper.

If you’re wary of the Pic’s long-term durability, we recommend the Hope Woodworking Leather Fly Swatter (also available as a single in black or as a three-pack in black or brown). After two years of putting it through relentless testing at a rural property with cows—and the thousands and thousands of flies that come with them—we’ve found that this leather-headed swatter has shown no signs of slowing down. It doesn’t have the quick, lethal attack of the Pic, and at around $20 it’s five or six times more expensive. But with its elegant look, easy cleaning, and indestructible nature, this is the luxury car of swatters.

The leather head is the focal point of the Hope’s durability. You might break a Pic swatter if you try to swat a fly on a sharp corner of a countertop, but the Hope can slap against a sharp corner all day long and come out fine. The leather head is also easier to clean, needing just the occasional wipe from a damp paper towel. In contrast, the Pic’s plastic grid is ideal for grabbing and holding bug guts, and to clean it you often need to run it under a faucet.

As for the actual fly killing, the Hope swatter is very good, but the floppy leather head means it lacks the intense whip of the Pic. The leather also adds weight, which puts a bit too much flex in the handle. With the two swatters side by side, these differences are noticeable, but we found that with a little added arm strength and an emphasis on a wrist twitch, the Hope is almost as good as the Pic.

The Hope swatter not only looks good but also gives us the comfort of a lifetime tool. Even with something as mundane and unpleasant as a flyswatter, knowing that we won’t have to think about purchasing another one for years and years eases the mind. Lastly, we have to admit we feel a little classier crushing flies with a swatch of leather than with a piece of plastic.

In addition to those two swatters, we looked at the Jiemei Fly Swatter, which was especially inexpensive and felt flimsy and plastic. The Smart Swatter is shorter than the Pic by nearly 3 inches. Our previous pick, the Enoz Fly Swatter, had a nice snap, but the wire head on ours quickly deformed after only a few swats. Enoz also makes the Sergeant Swat, an overbuilt swatter that was so stiff and bulky, it dented a wood coffee table with our first swat.

We also evaluated two other leather flyswatters, the Happy Tack Amish Made Leather Fly Swatter and the PrimeHomeProducts Leather Fly Swatter. These weren’t as well built as the Hope Woodworking swatter, as they had leather heads that were either crooked, off-center, or poorly attached to the handle.

The Executioner is basically a tennis racket that stuns or kills bugs with an electrical current running through the head. It may seem like a gimmick, but it has a couple of advantages over a traditional flyswatter: First, it’s better than a swatter at killing a bug midflight, and second, there’s no squished-bug mess to clean up (although there is often a light burning smell). And with the loud pop and flash of spark to confirm each kill, it’s also a whole lot of fun. The Executioner won’t solve all of your bug problems—it’s a challenge to hit a zippy housefly midair, and you can’t hit a stationary fly with this thing—so it works best as a companion to a traditional flyswatter. We found that it’s best for mosquitoes, moths, or fruit flies.

The Executioner is easy to use. At the top of the handle is a button that activates the charge. When you press it, a little red indicator light goes on (the device also emits a high-pitched whine). During testing, we pressed the button and touched the grid to see how powerful the voltage was; although it makes a satisfying pop and gives you a spicy jolt, it won’t leave you tased on the ground.

Being able to kill a bug midair alters your approach to bug hunting at a fundamental level—you simply see the bug and swing at it. With a traditional flyswatter, you have to follow the bug’s erratic, looping flight around the room, waiting for it to land on something that can handle a solid swat; then, and only then, can you attempt a kill. The Executioner is immediate and satisfying.

We also like that The Executioner doesn’t squish bugs, which can result in a stain especially with roaches and other large bugs. Instead, The Executioner just leaves a slightly burnt-smelling, yet intact, carcass that you can easily scoop up and toss in the trash.

The Executioner is also effective in the garden, where you can scrape and shake smaller bugs off plants and onto the electric grid. This method lets you kill harmful pests infesting the plants without using pesticides.

Although The Executioner is made of plastic, it’s sturdily built, especially in comparison with the Amazing Handheld Bug Zapper, which usually costs a little less but has a particularly flimsy feel. The Executioner runs on AA batteries (not included).

We wish The Executioner had some kind of lanyard hole for easy hanging on a wall. It’s awkward to store unless you basically wedge it between two items in a closet or garage, where it—and its burned-bug guts—can contact other items. It has a gap between the handle and the head, but if you hang it on that, it hangs crooked.

Wirecutter writer Josh Lyon is a longtime fan of electric swatters and now primarily uses an Executioner. He really likes it, saying, “It’s especially good for stronger stinging bugs that our cheap Zap It barely touches.” But, he reports, The Executioner isn’t perfect: “I do still use the Zap It for swarms of tiny gnats in our yard, since the outer mesh layer does a better job of grabbing lots of them at once.” He also noted that The Executioner’s battery compartment pops open from time to time, which we’ve also experienced.

If you have flies in and around your outdoor trash barrels, the Terro T800 Garbage Guard should help solve your problem. It’s a small capsule that attaches to the underside of the barrel lid and emits a vapor of insecticide. Once the lid is closed, the toxin builds up enough to kill any flies or maggots trying to make a living in there. It’s effective for a period of up to four months, which constitutes the majority of the summer in many areas. We found the Garbage Guard to be extremely effective, even under the most extreme circumstances (and if you really want to know what circumstances we’re talking about, read on—but be warned).

Due to an unusual sequence of events, we tested the Garbage Guard by dropping a bag filled with about 15 dead rats and covered with what looked like a thousand maggots into a Garbage Guard-protected trash barrel. After a few days, we checked the barrel and found that all but two of the maggots were dead. (There were so many dead ones at the bottom of the barrel, it looked like someone had spilled a bag of rice.) Considering the results of this particular test, we’re more than confident in the Garbage Guard’s capabilities.

The weakness of the Garbage Guard is in the adhesive, which caused it to fall off the lid and into the trash barrel of one Wirecutter staffer who tested it. This is something we saw repeated in a number of Amazon reviews and also in a lot of reader feedback, and it’s frustrating because once it falls off, it’s easy for it to get tossed out with the rest of the trash. An inventive reader solved the issue by drilling two small holes in the lid right next to the garbage guard and threaded a wire through to hold the Garbage Guard snug to the inside of the lid.

It’s not guaranteed to fall off, though. One of our testers, whose trash gets picked up by a truck with a robotic arm, placed the Garbage Guard right near the hinge of the lid to minimize movement, and so far it shows no signs of coming off. At the very least, we recommend cleaning the adhesion area as best you can before attaching the Garbage Guard, and then keeping an eye on it as summer progresses.

The Garbage Guard’s active ingredient is dichlorvos, which, like any insecticide, should be handled with care. The instructions note that the Garbage Guard should not be used “in areas where people will be for an extended period of time,” so don’t put it in your kitchen trash can (but your garage barrels should be fine). The Garbage Guard should also be kept away from kids and pets. One Garbage Guard covers up to 50 square feet of space, so use only one per barrel.

The CDC previously assessed the frequency of acute illness associated with pest strips containing dichlorvos, Garbage Guard’s active ingredient, and published its findings in 2014. The study looked at 31 (30 possible, one probable) dichlorvos-related health incidents reported in seven US states and Canada between 2000 and 2013. The authors write that roughly two-thirds of cases were the result of label violations, primarily the use of dichlorvos pest strips “in areas occupied by persons ≥4 hours/day,” such as kitchens and bedrooms. (Other violations include the application of more product than necessary, as well as using a heater to accelerate the vaporization of the toxin.) In the cases where it was “unclear whether a label violation had occurred,” the authors note that “exposure [to dichlorvos] might have resulted from misunderstanding of label directions.” When properly used, we don’t feel the Garbage Guard presents a significant health risk.

The BugZooka is a bug vacuum that sucks bugs into an enclosed chamber, unharmed, for later release outside. It’s a good option for slower-moving bugs, such as spiders or ladybugs, which you may not want to kill. Unlike other bug vacuums, the BugZooka doesn’t require batteries. It also offers strong suction and extends to about 2 feet. We like that it comes with two bug chambers, too.

The BugZooka is entirely pneumatic: A bellows on one end provides the suction, and the other end is open. To use it, you first collapse the bellows, an action that’s resisted by a spring mechanism that clicks and locks into place. When you press the release button, the spring pushes the bellows open quickly, creating a small but powerful puff of suction at the open end. For most people, locking the bellows is easy enough to do by simply pressing the bellows against one’s hip or a hard surface.

In our testing, the suction of the BugZooka was significantly stronger than that of the battery-powered options we looked at. The BugZooka was able to pick up several ants at once with no difficulty and without harming them. Although, mercifully, it doesn’t have a built-in magnifying lens, the BugZooka does have a nice clear collection chamber (with a spare), so you can use it to investigate your catches (a good way to collect and observe bugs with curious children). And safely removing bugs from the BugZooka’s collection chamber is easier than doing so with other models: When you’re done collecting, just pump the bellows a few times to blow the bugs out.

The BugZooka’s telescoping tube gives it an effective range of 2 feet, which should be enough to reach high corners where spiders like to hide out. The pneumatic operation means that it’s always ready for action. Plus, if it’s been four months and you suddenly spot a bug, you won’t be stuck with dead batteries, and it comes with a wall-mounting bracket for easy closet storage.

We’ve tested and evaluated a number of other fly-related products and found many of them to be effective to varying degrees, but they have enough downsides that we can’t fully recommend them. Some may work in your own situation.

The Bug-A-Salt 3.0 has the look and feel of a Nerf gun, but it shoots a small burst of table salt that, theoretically, will kill a fly. It’s certainly entertaining to use, but it’s not very practical and, honestly, not all that effective. There were times when we could kill a fly in a single shot, but it often took two and sometimes three shots. Hornets and wasps typically took five or six shots to kill. The Bug-A-Salt is also for outdoor use only—we tested it indoors and salt just ends up everywhere. It’s good for a laugh or for sitting on a deck and picking off any flies that land on the railing, but beyond that, we’ll pass.

We also tested the Harbor Freight Electronic Fly and Insect Swatter (which looks very similar to the Zap It). At less than $5, it’s a lot cheaper than The Executioner. This lower cost is directly reflected in the overall quality of the item. In the hands it feels flimsy and very breakable. What’s more, the model we purchased from Harbor Freight didn’t even work.

The Catchmaster Window Fly Traps, clear sticky traps that adhere to a window, were a previous pick, but after using them long-term, we’re finding issues with getting the adhesive off the window. They’re also pretty gross to have around. They’re ideal for an attic or garage space, where the windows are generally out of the way, but we don’t think they’re a fit for a living area.

We opted not to test any fly ribbons, such as the Pic FR10B Fly Ribbon, or the Terro T518 Fly Magnet. We’ve used enough of these in the past to conclude that there is very little difference from brand to brand. Every one we’ve used has been an effective, yet ugly, weapon in our annual fight against houseflies. If you’re really infested, they can be a good option, but you’ve got to look at them.

Bait traps, such as the Rescue Outdoor Disposable Fly Trap and the Victor Fly Magnet, are good for large-scale trapping and killing of flies, but they come with a strong trade-off. To use one, you add water to the container to activate the bait and then hang it from a tree branch or a hook; the top of the bag has a one-way entrance that traps the flies. The problem is that the bait smells like 500 pounds of hot death. Just horribly, horribly awful. With massive outdoor fly infestations, these traps are a great option—just make sure to position them downwind of the house.

The Gardner FlyWeb Classic Fly Light, a previous pick, attracts flies with a proprietary UV bulb; once inside the housing, flies are trapped on a sticky board. In our testing, the FlyWeb was a decent trapper, but it’s expensive, and it requires an outlet in addition to ongoing maintenance (new bulbs and new sticky pads). We also didn’t like how much attention the light brought to the fly-covered sticky paper. We have to wonder if this is the same “Bug Light” handling the flies at the White House.