Black Flag Fly Stick, Trap Houseflies and Flying Insects, Pack of 6

We suffered a prolonged invasion of gnats during the latter half of summer and early autumn this year, presumably because of recurring minor flooding in the basement from using the washer and a pipe drainage issue. They were so numerous and terrible during the worst of it, especially before I surmised the intermittent flooding was attracting them and then took action.Generally, unless you can seal off all avenues of infiltration and remove/destroy all attracting things, or use a repellant tactic such as a product or routine exterminator visits, you will have to wage a war of attrition on those that are there and will come in, so their numbers don't steady build above a few in any given room on any given time- and also to exorcise your abode of these infernal bastards more quickly if a massive invasion occurs. This war should be prosecuted with constant passive methods (as in, you don't have to do more than set it up and leave, as opposed to spraying them with pesticides or isopropyl as you see them, or the nuclear tactic called fumigation). As they are attracted to windows during daytime and are either more active naturally during midday or are stimulated by light (or both), window strips such as the Catchmasters is one indispensible core method, especially within rooms you primarily use that are being significantly invaded.The other entails the use of attractants paired with an ensnarer at locations which either are far away from windows and/or are an area they like to congregate. This device alone sans the use of bait doubles as attractant (the yellow color) and ensnarer (adhesive is on the yellow rod part) and is marketed as both. However, you may add bait to it as well to potentiate the attractant effect. Enduring blitzkriegs from these hated creatures every few days and being driven almost insane by the constant annoyance and having to alter my eating habits, I ordered these and prayed for deliverance from my insectoid nemesis (well, desperately hoped would be a better word- I'm an ardent atheist).These worked so well. On one particularly bloody day, over the 12 hours following the placement of one baton in my room paired with an attractant, the thing had caused terrible carnage in their ranks all by itself. 100-200 were consigned to death, and I found the nearly innumerable black spots peppering the device to be simultaneously disgusting and galvanizing. Very few to none of these things can escape once they land on the yellow surface.I found these to be useful in the kitchen (two hung from the window curtain rod), adjacent dining area, and downstairs where the gnats seemed to largely congregate and be almost always present (we have refrigerators and freezers down there, and they'd always fly in after we opened the door, leaving some number of them for us to find on the shelves or floor of the units every day after being trapped and soon perishing from hypothermia). Downstairs and the dining room were the best places, especially downstairs, as the repellants made IIRC by the same company completely lost effectiveness within a week, and downstairs was likely where they were invading from and where the attracting factor(s) was.I wholeheartedly recommend these along with a highly rated brand of window fly strips, as well as homemade inexpensive devices (plastic cups, dish soap, red wine or apple cider vinegar are the products needed for the standard basic type) that work using the same principles and modes of action that these do (attraction and ensnarement). They can be hung from a rod or whatever, or rested on a surface either longways or straight up (use mounting putty for the latter to secure it, though if it falls over, it won't get adhesive on anything if no other objects are near it).Do be mindful of valuable items like treasured clothing when you deploy and maneuver/work very close to these. The adhesive is soft, thick, and goopy, which means minor contact won't make the device stick to you much as you pull away, but it will come off onto you and potentially ruin or mar items such as clothes (an adhesive dissolver such as Goo-Be-Gone or whatever might resolve it- or maybe ruin it more) which can't be easily washed and is pourous. That said, these are a FAR MORE elegant and useful solution than the more primitive and rudimentary variant of this type known as fly ribbons/paper.Also, I did not find their suggestion of using syrup in the bottom tray to be useful. They are attracted not to sweet things per se (gnats, I mean- fruit flies are different), but to decay and fermentation. You'd be better served using milk or maybe fruit juice, or red wine or vinegar. Something which goes sour or ferments. Syrup doesn't do either, and I perceived no benefit from it.

Meanwhile, for us and our mostly gray, common housefly, this Black Flag brand of fly ribbon paper is one of the two best brands we tried and were happy with and we had tried several different brands at random. For some reason our area, we have an annual summer influx of filth flies and other bugs, so we have gained a lot of first hand experience dealing with flying summer pests.We're in the U.S. Northeast so these types of flies are common here. As far as we can tell, this summer we have primarily the common housefly (Musca domestica). We also have had some other similarly sized flies that look almost the same, like similar dung flies and flesh flies, but we definitely have mostly the above common houseflies. So far, we don't have (and we usually do not have as much as the above), crane flies, fruit flies, drain flies, moth flies, soldier flies, gnats and mosquitos. We do not USUALLY get (if at all) especially biting flies (blood sucking flies): such as deer/horse flies, soldier flies, black flies, etc. that I know of.My guess is that some of these fly ribbon paper products work because they have an smell attractant, or something on it that smells good to specific types of flies. Since the ones I have found successful have worked on common houseflies and related, my guess is that the ones I bought probably smell like these types of flies favorite foods: they like to eat organic waste products such as dung, rotting vegetables, carrion, or dead bugs. Some flies like sweet or sugary smells (especially fruit flies), or perhaps smell of fermentation (foods which ferment also usually emit a lot of carbon dioxide, which some flies also are attracted to). Or perhaps some type of fly pheromones to attract mate-seeking flies, though I don't know if such pheromones are species specific, or not.My guess is in some areas, I wonder if people may have the other types of flies I do not have fortunately, notably the very annoying and even painful biting flies. I think these flies are seek out blood, or the smell of blood, such as in mammals (like cattle, farm animals, or people). If they bite mammals, they may also detect the smell or presence of carbon dioxide and warmth given off by mammals.The Black Flag brand worked great at attracting this type of fly very quickly and we were glad to have tried it. But we actually like one other brand that was both cheaper (per roll) and surprisingly even more effective: Scented Bug & Fly Ribbon by Catchmaster. We bought the Catchmaster by a larger box (of 20) and it ws much cheaper, per roll. Not only did it seem to get about the same amount of flies (lots!), but it seems to me that it did it quicker as the flies seem a little bit more attracted to it, so the "scented" Catchmaster seems to help for sure. But I haven't yet found this brand of fly ribbon locally at retail, so if you really need to get something from the local store right away, I would definitely recommend Black Flag since it is almost as effective.And a cleaning tip: fly ribbon tape has to be very sticky to work, but it means it is really difficult and annoying to remove if you get any on your hands and just simply soap and water barely helps at all. We learned a great tip online: use a couple of drops of plain kitchen cooking oil (or canned spray oil is perfect) and rub it into your sticky hands for about 5-10 seconds. You should feel the stickiness improve almost immediately. Then, just wash off the oil with regular soap and water before.

Hangs well with sticky. Could do a better job of drawing flies to it. This is the time of year to have these up. Place in garage to keep them entering house when door opens.

Basically it works as it should for flying insects and pests. Price was decent, but be mindful that this only has 4 strips.

They work just as I remember them as a kid at camp. Now I have them hanging around the house and have somehow learned karate from avoiding them at night.

These are the only sticky fly traps that work for these Midwest pests. Every year, I loathe the time when the flies all resurrect themselves and decide to sneak their way into our house. I’ve tried all the homeopathic sprays and tricks but they still somehow Jedi their way in. These yellow traps catch so many! They are super effective. They have no smell and they’re short and stocky so you don’t have to worry about them hanging from something and getting in your hair accidentally when you turn around. Super easy to hang. They come with a plastic c-shaped piece that grips really good to hang. They’re bright yellow. Just bought some more for this season.