- Shopping Tips
Nic Dobija-Nootens
Nic Dobija-Nootens
published Apr 24, 2023
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Al fresco dining season is here. That means it’s time to dust off your patio furniture, remember where you put all your serving platters, and double check that your backyard lights still work. Once all that is in place, there’s only one last thing to take care of, and it might be the most important piece of the puzzle: I’m talking about bug protection.
You may not like to think about all the flies, wasps, and mosquitoes that come uninvited to your outdoor dinner table, but they’re certainly thinking about you —so you might as well have a plan for dealing with them. Repellants do a decent job of asking insects to leave nicely, but if you want to get rid of them for good, you need to add insect traps to the equation. If you pick up one of these helpful accessories now, you can enjoy all your al fresco meals in peace — no ifs, ands, or bzzzes about it.
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Disposable Fly Trap Outdoor Insect Repeller
Lowe's
$
5.48
If you don't want to deal with cleaning out and reusing bug traps, these disposable ones are super effective and easy to use — plus, each one has a printed wicker design on the outside to help it blend in with your outdoor decor. Just open the top of each bag and fill it with water, then the attractant inside will dissolve and begin to beckon all the flies (to their timely demise).
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10
Sticky Fly Traps (36 per Pack)
Amazon
$
9.99
Getting rid of pesky insects in your garden and potted plants can be tricky, but these disposable sticky tools help out a lot. The glue on them is non-toxic so it's safe to stick them in the soil next to your plants or hang them off branches to catch unwanted flies and such. One box comes with 36 catchers, which should be enough to last a season.
3
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10
RESCUE! Outdoor Fly Trap
Amazon
$
9.97
If flies are a real problem where you live, this hanging trap is a surefire way to catch a whole lot of them. Each trap includes a bait pouch that goes inside to get mixed with water and become an irresistible trap for all kinds of flies. Because the bait is so powerful, it has a bit of a smell, so you may want to set this up away from where you're hanging out so it can pull all the annoying flies over there and out of your way.
4
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10
Outdoor Sticky Fly Insect Fruit Ball Traps (4 per Pack)
Home Depot
$
16.14
It's not a coincidence that the bright orange, yellow, and green colors make these hanging insect traps look like fruit — they're designed that way specifically to attract wasps and flies. These are super simple to use: Just hang them and bugs will start sticking to them. When they get full you can wash them off and reuse them a couple times (the special sticky residue really is sticky). They're kind of like decorations for your trees!
5
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10
Cordless Bug Zapper Insect Killer
Home Depot
$
29.98
This rechargeable outdoor bug zapper is incredibly convenient because you can hang or set it anywhere and it will quietly zap bugs for 12 hours (on a full three-hour charge). It uses both UV and LED lights to attract insects and has a built-in timer so you can schedule it to run at only certain times. Much preferable to the zappers that have to be plugged in all the time!
6
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10
Outdoor Hanging Wasp Traps (2 per Pack)
Amazon
$
16.99
These simple hanging traps come with two small bottles of insect attractant concentrate, which you add inside the traps (along with water) to create a liquid that wasps and flies can't resist. The holes in the traps are designed so bugs can fly in but can't fly out, and you can empty out and reuse these traps over and over again. We even have a recipe for making your own liquid insect bait when you run out of the provided attractant.
7
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10
Outdoor Hanging Solar Wasp Traps (6 per Pack)
Amazon
$
30.99
The neat thing about these wasp traps is that they work overtime throughout the night because they have UV lights inside that attract bugs (in addition to the sugar water you're supposed to add to the bottom as bait). And, because the lights are solar powered, you can hang these outside at the beginning of summer and know they'll keep working all summer long.
8
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Liquid Yellow Jacket and Wasp Trap
Wayfair
$
24.99
For a simple and effective wasp trap that you can use over and over again, go for this one that can be used either by hanging up or setting on a table. Inside is a reservoir that can be refilled with liquid bait, which you can easily make at home. You can even use soda in a pinch and it should do the trick.
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Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech Mosquito Killer
Chewy
$
26.14
When you're ready to take mosquitoes head on, get these hanging mosquito traps. Just add water and shake it to dissolve the boric acid inside. Small holes at the top of the tube will let mosquitoes in but not out, so they steer clear of your patio. Because the active ingredient used here is boric acid, the manufacturer recommends you hang these away from where you're hanging out.
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10
DynaTrap XL Insect Trap
QVC.com
$
62.96
was $
73.00
Insect traps don't get any more stylish than this. The DynaTrap looks like a decorative lantern, but it's actually an extremely effective bug trap that lures flies and mosquitoes near using a UV light and carbon dioxide, then pulls them inside with a quiet fan and traps them. This tool keeps an area up to a quarter-acre clear of bugs and has an easy to empty collection area on the bottom. DynaTrap has a great indoor model, too!
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