Electric Fly Killers – that work?

We live in the countryside, and at this time of year the kitchen can end up full of flies of various descriptions.

We have one of those tennis rack zapper things which is quite good fun, but my speed tennis skills are not great. We also in the past have used sticky paper, which does appear to work a little.

Mrs FD bought one of these last week £30 from Amazon

And it didnt attract a single fly in a week so its gone back!

Do any of these electric ones work, or do you have to spend £100s to get ones that actually work?

Thanks

Mrs BigJohn bought one of those Buzzbugs a few weeks ago. We have it high up in the kitchen on top of the fridge and we feel worryingly like Mugabe or Saddam when we give out a little cheer every time we hear the loud ZAPP, and another one bites the dust.
We feel a bit guilty though when we hear articles like “where have all the wasps gone this year?”

We haven’t needed to use the old fly swatter downstairs since we got it. Whether it works, or news has got out in the insect world, or we’re heading for a pollenator crisis I don’t know.

when we give out a little cheer every time we hear the loud ZAPP

LOL! I know the feeling…… the sound of something dying has never been more satisfying! IME they are extremely effective.

I am always reminded of a Harry Hill joke said many years ago about the fly who was happily flying along until suddenly he had a heart attack, he continues to glide until he hits an electric fly zapper whereupon he recieves an electric jolt which starts his heart up again. A stupid joke which still makes me chuckle many years later:)

Edit: I am not the only one with whom that joke left an impression! How many years old is it??

Ha ha ernie, it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the post! It must be over 20 years ago, maybe 25.

It was a similar time to the mash potato scoop joke. God I feel old all of a sudden

Obviously we had these things in butchers shops, and theres nothing more satisfying that hearing the pfzzzt of some annoying insect flying into it, although the smell, especially when a wasp blunders into one and hangs there for several minutes slowly frying away is not pleasant.

But price wise the professional ones aren’t really that expensive. Maybe 40 quid or thereabouts for one sized for the average kitchen/home

See what I can find – Nisbets the catering suppliers – £35 inc vat on special offer

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/eazyzap-led-fly-killer-15w/fd496?vatToggle=incvat&cm_mmc=PLA-_-19651706562-_-146333564096-_-FD496&cm_mmca1=go_19651706562_146333564096_647490795597_pla-2290782384927_c_&kpid=go_cmp-19651706562_adg-146333564096_ad-647490795597_pla-2290782384927_dev-c_ext-_prd-FD496_sig-EAIaIQobChMIu5nUpvX5hwMV_ZZQBh1S4wDwEAQYAiABEgK1BPD_BwE&plaid=1&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu5nUpvX5hwMV_ZZQBh1S4wDwEAQYAiABEgK1BPD_BwE#gad_source=1

Of course not all fly into them, especially in the height of summer, so what I used to wait for was till one landed on a foreleg of beef or whatever i was working on, and I would splat it with the side of my steak knife, then scrape off the remains and into the bin.

Ernie and kormoran eternally jinxed.

Bead fly curtains.  They work, no electricity required, no need to kill anything.

What @Twodogs said… fly screens on sliders on the windows are pretty effective… you still get the odd mozzie that sneaks through, from an opened door or whatever, 2nd line of defence would be citrous (lime) or tea tree oil in a diffuser.

But the way they hunt is sniffing carbon dioxide from people or animals breathing out, so if they get in, you might as well face the facts, you ARE going to get bitten.

Parents have the nesbits one in what for all intents and purposes is classed as a commercial kitchen (it’s not really but they have to have it for local (not UK) food hygiene rules)……and it works. The only room near enough with no flying bugs in in summer when all the windows in the place are open.

https://www.bugasalt.co.uk/collections/3-0?srsltid=AfmBOoovATPlYICMLpymtuKbT3LaYgeeWhVUzWR5S2Yd7LKhYJUlNpTz

I got a bug a salt gun, people round here pay big money to go deer stalking, I stalk flies without leaving the house 🙂

Came here to post the Bugasalt too, similar issue to you, steading conversion surrounded by fields. Tried the electric racket and plug in zapper from Amazon, neither were very effective. I think my good wife does roll her eyes though when I scurry off to get the gun on spotting a fly…

I know right! I got called cruel and heartless for shooting flies- she puts out loads of sticky traps where they struggle to a slow demise. I know which I think is cruel and heartless.

I just use a handheld vacuum to collect the bugs up.

…you might as well face the facts, you ARE going to get bitten.

They vector on CO2 and hone their attack on individual scent. Surround yourself with eucalyptol and share the house with someone who enjoys a nice chunk of Limburger 🙂

Murderers

she puts out loads of sticky traps where they struggle to a slow demise. I know which I think is cruel and heartless.

Similar to those who deluded themselves by using “humane” mouse traps and then release them into an unknown environment.

The trouble with electric fly killers/sticky traps etc is that they’re indiscriminate…they kill flies, honey bees, bumble bees, moths, butterflies etc.

Rather than kill things unnecessarily, keep them out in the first place using something like this

It’s for a kitchen, what are the chances of it killing a butterfly or bumblebee?

Besides, I very much doubt that any have a grill which allows anything as large as a bumblebee through.

Honeybee?  That ok?

The desire to kill things indiscriminately seems an odd hill to die on.

I live near the countryside too and it’s moths rather than flies mainly. I’ve stuck a net curtain type device on my back door and it’s completely cut down the uninvited insect hordes.

Honeybee? That ok?

How many honeybees do you think would be killed? Unlike flies they are not really a problem in kitchens are they?

I have just measured the gap on the grill on my and it is about 8mm, a bee isn’t going to be able to fly through a gap that narrow.

In fact even flies can’t, they have to land on the grill and then attracted by the ultraviolet light they squeeze through the gap, and then fly into the high voltage bit.

It is not a desire to kill things indiscriminately, it is a desire to kill things flying in your kitchen. Which obviously is very unlikely to include butterflies and honeybees.

Wasp? That ok?

(I’ll give you a clue…more important pollinators than bees)

To avoid an endless argument, the point you’re obtusely ignoring is that is better to stop things coming in, then you don’t have to kill anything.

Wasp? That ok?

In the kitchen? Kill it.

I live near the countryside too and it’s moths rather than flies mainly. I’ve stuck a net curtain type device on my back door and it’s completely cut down the uninvited insect hordes.

Yeah – are the moths too busy eating the sheet of food cloth you hung up for them, to come in the house ?

https://i.postimg.cc/rFb340vq/Screenshot-2024-08-17-223157.png

Thats a wasp nest, on the curtain, the red is my bed. I tolerated them until I found some inside my quilt. I don’t kill anything thoughtlessly and shooting houseflies is precise and targeted. In fact I only kill the houseflies  that dont take a shooing.

I think I’m meeting nature halfway

Yeah – are the moths too busy eating the sheet of food cloth you hung up for them, to come in the house ?

No they’re field moths – they eat flowers etc.

I have not had a single tea towel feasted upon.

Thanks for all the replies.

Love the gun! Although not sure Mrs FD would like the idea of salt splattered all over the walls of the kitchen

As to killing flies – they shit everywhere. I’ve asked them nicely not to come in my house and shit everywhere, but they haven’t listened! So death it is

We have bee hives in the field behind us. They very rarely come to the house. They are placid and very easy to move on, maybe one or two when the weather starts to cool down.

Another killing machine has been ordered , will see how it goes when it arrives

Apologies to those of a nervous disposition who may not like to see flies suffer, but these are some of the types of fly captured so far

As to killing flies – they shit everywhere.

Not only that they like to land on and eat shit , congregate round rotting rubbish and cows/horse and all sorts of things I would not like contaminating mind and others foods and surfaces.