Insect Traps

Traps are the format you place and leave, and 144 of the 847 pest control listings are traps. The ones that plug in take refill cartridges, and the cartridge line is brand-locked. The trap is the cheap half of the purchase over a season.

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Light Traps and Refill Cartridges

Light traps draw insects to a bulb and hold them on an adhesive cartridge. Zevo at 30 listings and the STEM line carry most of this format, and 53 listings across the wider pest range are refills.

Check the cartridge price first.

Cartridges are brand-locked and bought repeatedly, which is the same consumable pattern as a plug-in air freshener or a brush head. Over a season the refills cost more than the unit did.

Adhesive and Sticky Traps

Sticky traps have no power and no consumable beyond the trap itself.

They ship 2 to 8 to a pack against 1 to 4 for light traps, and at $9 to $18 they are the cheapest format on the page. They are also the least pleasant to look at, which is why they suit a cupboard or a loft rather than a kitchen counter.

Placement decides whether they work at all.

A sticky trap in the wrong place catches nothing and reads as a failed product.

Insecticide-Free Formats

Several light-trap lines state insecticide-free, which describes how the product works rather than how well. These use light and adhesive instead of an active ingredient, and 29 listings across the pest range state natural.

Refill cartridges run 2 to 3 to a pack and are changed roughly every 30 days in use, which works out near $4 a week across a season.

The plug-in warmers in air fresheners carry the same arithmetic.

Outdoor Area Devices

Thermacell at 25 listings covers the outdoor formats, with 16 solar and 16 rechargeable listings across the range. These treat an area around them rather than trapping, so they are a different product category sharing a page.

The sprays, baits and repellents that make up the rest of the range are on the full pest control page, where coverage figures run 215 to 20,000 square feet.

Trap Formats Compared

Only the light traps carry a recurring consumable, and that is where the season's cost sits.

TypeConsumableNeeds powerPlacement
Indoor light trapCartridge, brand-lockedYes, plugged inKitchen, living room
Sticky trapThe trap itselfNoCupboard, loft
Bait stationThe unit itselfNoAlong walls
Outdoor area deviceRefill or fuelSolar or rechargeablePatio, deck

Trap Questions

Are trap refills brand-locked?

Yes. 53 listings across the pest range are refills, and the cartridge only fits its own unit. Check that price before buying the trap.

Do sticky traps need refills?

No. The trap is the consumable, which makes them the cheapest format here and the least pleasant to have on display.

What does insecticide-free mean?

That the product uses light and adhesive rather than an active ingredient. It describes how it works rather than how well.

Do outdoor devices trap anything?

Not usually. Area devices treat the space around them, which makes them a different category from a trap despite sharing the page.