Katchy Original Insect Trap

The item arrived broken :( I am SUPREMELY disappointed because I was so excited at the thought of having an effective method to combat my nemesis that is the mischievously thriving fruit fly colony which plagues me, and this item arrived this morning broken. :( The blades of the fan internally are not connected and are banging about inside. Though I don't normally pay full price for things unless necessary (I either wait for a good sale or use applicable coupons/promo codes), I took the plunge on this purchase due to my need for a competent and efficient resolve combined with it's GLOWING reviews! First, I had to wait 9 days to receive the item, which I wasn't happy about, but not upset either. I have literally been checking tracking daily and looking forward to it's arrival. Then it arrives *HAPPY DAY*. I opened the package, removed the unit (felt/heard something odd but didn't think too much of it at that moment), reviewed the directions, plugged it in and although the light came on, the fan did not. I thought maybe I need to press a particular button or what-have-you, so I re-read the directions. Nope, it should be automatic. So I then began inspecting the unit and realized the fan blades were not connected. I then even looked for a way to open the unit without busting it so that I can fix it myself (I'm incredibly handy and that's how much I wanted this to work!). No go. I could probably open it up, but then it wouldn't be returnable. Ok, so THEN I go to the item link on Amazon and as of earlier today, it said "This item is currently unavailable" followed by something to the effect of 'and we don't know if or when it will become available'. I attempted to contact the seller to no avail. My only viable option was and is to return it. I don't want to return it for a refund or leave a bad review. Rather, I want the working unit I paid and patiently waited for. Errrrr. I decided to go about my day knowing I'd come back to this later and here I am. ... I pull the item up this evening, it is in fact available again, but instead of the $39.79 price I paid 9 days ago, it is right now (6/15/2018) listed at $54.49. Whaaaa?? So I am leaving this review in hopes that the seller will contact me and make good on my purchase, at which point I would update my review to reflect the working conditions of this seemingly enigmatic device. In summary, this 1 star review encompasses only that the item arrived broken and therefore did not operate as intended. A working unit may very well be worthy of all it's positive reviews. And maaaaybe even the new $54.49 price. I hope I am a unique case. I also hope this review was of help to you. Update 6/17/18: The seller contacted me today apologizing for my inconvenience and explaining that Amazon is responsible for the damage done during the shipping of this product. I responded immediately that I appreciate the response and although I completely understand that Amazon assumes the shipping responsibility, I am also concerned that I cannot repurchase a working unit at the price I paid 2 weeks ago. I inquired how this can be rectified, stating that I fully intend to update my review according to their level of service and the actual benefits of a working unit. And now I await their response. Honestly, if I have to repurchase at the higher price, I won't and I'll leave my review star at 1. It's not the price as much as the principle. Products can be damaged in shipping, that's understandable. But the seller is also responsible for commitment. So I'm really hoping they come through with a reasonable resolve that honors the price I paid for a working unit. I'll keep you posted. Update 7/1/18: The seller not only replaced my originally bought unit, but included extras as well. They have been extremely diligent in correspondence and I can honestly say that I am not only satisfied, but impressed. With that said, I would not have altered my review to 5 stars for customer service alone. ...these units works amazingly! The home I live in was built in 1924 and does not sport insulation the way a new home would. So pests are/can be/were a problem. The units do in fact attract flying things very well! The sticky pad of results had 2 bugs I didn't know I had and don't recognize. I am extremely happy with my purchase! And may very well buy more. The unit itself is aesthetically pleasing and is relatively quiet. Night is the best time for results since that's when it's darkest and the bugs can 'see' the light. The blue light transitions in brightness, which is even more effective in attracting it's prey. I'm changing my review from a 1 star to a 5 star. I saw other reviews stating it was a flimsy design. I do get what they're saying, but how thick must this unit be to rectify that?? It works as intended and looks good doing it. The bottom is easy to open to check and/or replace the sticky pad. There are only 2 buttons so it's super easy to operate. And it doesn't look like a bug catcher at all. No one would know. So I feel it's 'flimsiness' (is that a word?) is of no concern. As long as it performs, who cares how heavy or thick it is? This is 5 stars from someone who had to work for it. I hope this review helped you! Happy bug hunting :)

I bought one in 2022 and it’s just now wearing out. It still works, but it’s struggling. Lol it will catch anything small enough to fit through the slots. I got it mainly for fruit flies. I’m ordering a replacement now. Hopefully the quality is still the same.

TL;DR Buy a hand vacuum for $20 and a $20 present to yourself so you can put up with hunting the bugs yourself (instead of buying this item... if the bugs in question are moths). My picture misleadingly shows a lot was caught, but this was a span of over 21 nights. (Arguably I should change trap out often, but you’d have to read on before you try making that point.) So I’ve got a moth problem. Lots of moths + kitchen area x many weeks = annoyed me. (Sorry, pun was just there.) I’ve tried a variety of ways to have this product work well. Left it near food or problem areas, kept the place dark so only light source is the UV, stuff like that. I even tried shoving a live one above the fan (after a while you learn how to catch them by hand) and clasping my hands over it so the only way the moth can move is where the fan is sucking in... I peeked in from the gaps between my fingers and it was just chilling on the plastic fan guard. If it chose to fly it would probably get sucked in but it just started crawling on the guard trying to escape without flying. I had to startle it into flying a couple times before it finally got sucked into the trap. (The first attempts had it land back and grip onto that fan guard so maybe it wouldn’t get caught even if it did try to fly) I tried giving it over a week to see how effective it was at catching anything (Manual says it is effective with moths), checking periodically. After a few nights I had about 4 or 5 caught moths. I resorted to using my dirt devil hand vacuum ($20) and within a span of 3-5 hours with occasional 30 second vacuuming, I caught more than 4 times the number of moths than the trap did (in ideal conditions for 3 days). I kept observing the next few weeks. And no, I don’t have those large moths that won’t fit through the guard. The product concept is sound on paper but actual execution falls short. This is probably ideal for smaller-lighter insects like gnats, but “can still catch” stuff like moths from time to time. If this item was for like $20, I’d try to self-argue the efficiency issue with the device being a passive way to catch things. Maybe even get a second one in hopes of bettering the catch rate. But at $40 for one with this abysmal success rate... Here is the math: My picture has 25 moths, caught in more than 3 weeks of nights, generously averaging to a little above 1 moth caught per night. (That’s about the same rate as the first 3 nights as described before.) I’ve tested the adhesive after taking the picture and it is still quite sticky and some of the recently caught moths are still moving so it’s not as if it can’t catch anymore due to poor adhesion (but I’d probably toss it after a few more days tops, just in case). Some baby fruit flies were also caught but even the manual says the device can’t be used for adult ones. The rating system is also pretty bad. Easy to use, thickness, and adhesion. Easy to use is deceptive; still gave it a 5 since it was simple but as mentioned, does the intended job poorly. Thickness? Really? Maybe it means how visually discreet it is? I don’t want to give good/bad ratings over a misunderstanding. Adhesion, small bugs that get stuck stay stuck, but only if caught; 5 rating, but again, kinda moot if things aren’t caught often. (The only thing I didn’t follow in the manual was changing the sticky trap frequently. If I did, I’d be going “Woo, 3 moths... time to change the trap”) The manual claims this to be effective against moths but that seems to be a lie... or they had the gnat sized moths forcibly crammed into the trap in their testing facility.

My only negative comment is the noise produced by the fan motor. But this works so well in baiting and trapping the flies without smells, chemicals, or complicated set ups. I can see why these are used in restaurants. Super easy set up: you place a sticky-pad inside, plug it in and turn on the fan. In seconds you'll hear your first sky raisin go 'click'. I have noticed that this works even better when using the Terro Fruit Fly traps that look like small apples. Place those farther out from wherever you place this. Together, they are incredibly effective. Be sure to purchase the correct size refills for whichever unit you buy. The unit comes with four sticky pads, as I recall, but have extras on hand. Sometimes the ex-flies bounce off of the fans, so I would not place this where food is being prepared. That won't be pepper sprinkled all over!!! Instead, place it in the center of a large cookie sheet or piece of cardboard to catch the ex-flies that didn't quite make the right angle to get sucked in.

I bought this item about 2 years ago. It always trapped small bugs like mosquitos and gnats without issues. Recently, it trapped a big mosquito too. The aor suction is so strong that the mosquito just got suckes into it. Since I had not replaced the sticky pad in awhile, the mosquito was able to crawl to sidewall; however, the bug was unable to leave the trap because of the strong suction.

THE INSTRUCTIONS STATE TO WAIT THREE DAYS TO SEE THIS UNIT IN ACTION. Therefore ,I will post review over a three day period. DAY 1 - The item arrived and it was super easy to setup. All you had to do was press a button open up the bottom compartment, place a glue-paper pad inside it (after you peel off the protective sheet off of the sticky side). Then you connect up the power cord, plug it in, and then choose a power setting from the two buttons on top (Low Setting and Standard Setting). I set it up at Standard Setting during the day, and then set it at Low Setting at overnight. I also set the unit up right beside an open bowl of Apple Cider Vinegar, to help attract the fruit fly pests to the unit. I checked it the next day, with the unit still running, and saw fruit flies flying and walking over the fan grills and not being sucked in at all. Meanwhile, the Apple Cider Vinegar bowl did it's job at attracting the fruit flies, and even killed a few that landed inside the bowl. DAY 1 VERDICT - ONE STAR, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T MDO A ZERO STAR RATING. IT STRAIGHT UP DID NOTHING. Day 2 - After turning it on the Standard setting, within a few hours, there were a few fruit flies stuck on the pad. After leaving it overnight, there weren't hardly any more fruit flies on the pad. Meanwhile, my apple cider vinegar and fly paper traps had a significantly higher of captured insects. In fact, these lure-trap combinations did better than the "Katchy", even though I paired it with an apple cider vinegar lure. DAY 2 VERDICT: It is now sucking in fruit flies, though not apparently attracting very many of them. Day 3 - The Katchy trap, on standard mode, works best in the dark. During the day, with ANY ambient lights on, insects just aren't attracted to it. Placing it next to another lure works - like a dish of apple cider vinegar. There are all kinds of DIY, Apple Cider Vinegar and soap solution traps you can pair with the Katchy, as well as fly paper strips and sheets. But the Katchy is not a one-and-done, singular solution to your fruit fly problem. Fruit flies reproduce FAST, and they lay about 400 eggs at once. They also live for 25-30 days, so you must focus on eliminate their food source, and then use traps to control their population. DAY 3 VERDICT - It starts slowly, and the results will not knock your socks off, if you were looking to this device to eradicate your pest problem. I can be used as PART of your more comprehensive pest plan, but it's not the silver bullet that they advertise themselves to be. THREE STARS. It's okay, but there are more effective solutions.

Katchy works !!!! I have 3. I put 2 in my basement by windows because when they are open obviously that’s where most flying insects will come in. I catch flies of all varieties and moths, gnats, mosquitoes etc… I really can’t understand anyone with a bad review unless you do not use it on high . I have one with a reservoir built-in for vinegar or whatever you use to lure insects for better results. I think maybe mosquitoes are the hardest ones to catch in this device because they are more drawn to human and animals for their blood, not light like many other flying insects. Make sure it’s in an area bugs are a problem. I keep it on 24/7 by my sim pump pit and that thing is full in a month with little flying insects. Now it does have an issue with really small flies sometimes and I’ll find them trapped in there stuck to the metal mesh screening but i will take that as a catch and just empty in the yard trash so if some are not stuck they are away from the house outside in the yard. This item isnt very cheap but works well and the sound of those bigger flying insects, like moths make a satisfying sound when katchy snags them in its fan blade and deposits it into the trap. almost like a clinking sound. i love katchy. i even bring it when i go upstate to the mountains. i dont understand how people are not catching bugs with this product unless they are not very good with gadgets and turn it on without putting the fan blades that are necessary for catching the insects in the first place lol. trust me that this happens .

I have tried: Zevo Flying Insect Traps (RECOMMEND) Husaco Store 2 Flying Insect Traps & 2 Cartridges - Compatible with ZEVOM364A Refill Katchy Flying Insect Trap Indoor (this product - not really) Terro Fruit Fly Traps - (RECOMMEND) I tried several products for my recent gnat/fruit fly/super tiny demons from hell infestation. I really wanted to like some, but basically overall the ZEVO was superior. Thankfully I bought that one initially, but did not realize how severe my infestation got (as I was away from home for abit). Zevo pretty immediately and quickly toned down the flying creatures, and I noticed quickly the trap filling up with more and more. A good week in it was basically all covered up. I ended up getting a total of 4 Zevo traps, in certain areas I knew would fly to at night. Night is very good at getting them. I think it helps having no other lights on either. I will mention I also got Terro fly trap, and they are just lil tiny apple looking containers that you fill with some nasty vinegar mixture. I fill it up just a small amount, because honestly that is enough and I can keep refilling it. One I had to dump because of so many dead bodies and I refilled it up. I put one of those in my fridge just incase. And some near the other traps to try to attract them faster to the Zevo's light of death. The Katchy and offbrand zevo aka Husaco store traps, just basically didn't trap as many.... Like say a week went by and I could count the flies it was a handful. They just weren't as amazing/fast for me. In terms of how many flies it caught the Offbrand zevo may have even caught more. But not by too much more. I had such a drastic reduction with 2 Zevo's and now that I got 4 going, I think they might finally be eradicated. (With the Terro assists. I liked putting them by the sinks. ---I did NOT try the idea of putting a small plate on the under side and filling it up with the terror vinegar murder juice concoction. Which seemed decent to try, and could potentially work decently.