About horse fly traps
Did you know?
Only female horse flies bite! The male horse flies tend to prefer pollen and nectar. Female horse flies, much like female mosquitoes, need blood to survive. Like mosquitoes, horse flies can transmit infectious diseases from victim to victim. Animals can even catch debilitating diseases from horse fly bites.
Horse fly traps are used primarily outdoors in horse fly infested areas. Generally speaking, many people choose to put horse fly traps around entrances, or around outdoor areas where they will be spending a lot of time (such as pools, patios, or gardens). The purpose of a horse fly trap is to attract horse flies to the trap itself, where bait is set to lure the flies to the trap. The trap itself is usually coated in a sticky concoction – which may also be the bait – and once the fly lands on the sticky solution, the horse fly will often remain stuck until it dies.
Horse fly traps are generally used outdoors in areas where horse fly populations are highest. Families with children will often put traps around areas where the kids play, thus reducing the number of bites they receive. Because horse fly trap bait tends to smell awful, putting traps away from windows and doors is generally advisable.
Key parts of horse fly traps
There are many different kinds of horse fly traps, all with different ways of securing the horse fly and preventing it from escaping. However, between all horse fly traps, there are two very distinct parts that carry across all models:
- Bait: This is the most important part of a horse fly trap. Bait is used to lure the horse fly in, and features a scent that’s attractive to horse flies. This could be anything from sugar to vinegar to even the scent of rotting meat and manure, which is what horse flies are drawn to.
- Container: A good horse fly trap has a way to keep the horse flies from escaping. In many cases, this will simply be an easy to empty container (such as a disposable bag or a plastic tub). In other traps, a sticky coating that covers the trap will be sufficient. Once the trap is full of horse flies, it’s simply a matter of cleaning the trap and reusing, or disposing the trap entirely and re-setting up the trap.
Horse fly traps are primarily used with homeowners who wish to eliminate the nuisance of horse flies around the home. Generally, the horse fly trap will be set up away from doors, so as not to attract horseflies too close to entrances where they could get inside the home. Next to a swimming pool, or porch, or a deck is a great place to put horse fly traps. Other locations can include hanging them from trees or underneath the eaves of the home.
How does a horse fly trap work?
A horse fly trap is not a complicated mechanism, though the manner of setting up the trap differs from product to product. First, set up the trap in a location that has female horse flies. Female horse flies are important because they are the ones that bite. Female horse flies feed on blood (usually from horses) in order to sustain themselves. In addition, most horse fly traps are specifically tailored to female horse flies.
Once you’ve chosen your location for your horse fly trap, then you need to set your bait. Horse fly traps sometimes come pre-coated with bait in the form of a sticky substance, but there are many traps where you need to add water to activate the bait inside the trap. Read the instructions on your chosen trap to determine how to set up the bait.
Once the bait is activated, and your trap is set in the location of your choice, then it’s simply a matter of letting the horse fly trap do what it does best. After a while, you may need to clean out or change the horse fly trap to ensure maximum efficiency.
Horse fly traps can replace more expensive bug zapper lamps, though horse fly traps are more tailored towards female horse flies and not so much for mosquitoes and other nuisance insects. Some customers that have purchased horse fly traps have claimed that their horse fly trap has captured numerous biting insects besides horse flies. In the end, it is a matter of determining what is the bigger nuisance around your home, and to set up traps accordingly.
Horse fly trap buying guide
Type of trap
Many horse fly traps require that you hang the trap from something. There are also some horse fly traps (like the Bite-Lite) that are instead staked out in the ground. If you’re in an apartment with a balcony, you may be better off with a hanging trap.
Bait used
For some people, the type of bait is important. There are natural, pesticide-free traps that seek to provide a natural way to dispose of flies. While natural baits are better at attracting flies, they also have a tendency to smell terrible in an effort to mimic the horse flies preferred food and laying environment. Synthetic baits and sticky surfaces may not smell as bad, but they also may sacrifice effectiveness.
Lifespan
The effective lifetime of the trap is important when determining what trap to buy. If you have to replace the trap once a month, you may be better off with a cheaper, disposable trap. Some of the more expensive traps have years of effective life to them, with you only needing to clean them out and reset the bait once every couple of months.
Did you know?
Horse flies are most recognizable by their gorgeous eyes, which are a shiny, iridescent green color that sparkles in the sunlight. This doesn’t make them any more tolerable, however.
Expert tips for using horse fly traps
To conclude
The Flies Be Gone Outdoor Trap is a great choice for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that’s effective without being bulky. It’s priced right and can be used around any location. While you do need to purchase a whole new unit each time it needs replacing, it’s a great, low-cost trap that works as advertised.
The Rescue Disposable Fly Trap is a perfectly suitable alternative to the Flies Be gone, and is much cheaper as well. The disposable bag is great for catching flies and is very easy to replace. The only downside is the smell is terrible, but that’s what catches flies!
While the Bite-Lite Horse Fly Trap is also among the best on the market today, boasting powerful fly catching abilities with very little maintenance. For the most part, customers say that it works! It’s a standing trap that catches flies very easily, though it’s mostly used around stables where horse flies are prone to be a huge problem. It’s also the most expensive on the list, which makes it less suitable for home use.