Alexandra Ramirez
1. Flowtron FC-8800
Best Overall Bug Zapper
5/5 Product Rating
While most bug zappers rely on their inner light to do all of the zapping in question, this is not the case of the Flowtron FC-8800. In fact, you’ll likely find that most bugs don’t even come in contact with the light. This is due to the wire used on the outside. While the outer wire on most bug zappers is merely a precautionary measure which is meant to prevent people from coming into contact with the inner portion of the unit, the wire frame on this particular model is itself electrified. The light inside is merely meant to attract bugs.
Now, at first glance, this may sound like nothing more than a safety hazard. However, assuming you hang it up out of reach of children or pets, this shouldn’t even be an issue. In fact, you’ll actually find the Flowtron FC-8800’s electrified frame to be quite effective. Think about it, what are the odds that a bug who rests on a zapper’s outer frame will end up going all the way into the unit to touch the light? While they might be high, they’re certainly not one hundred percent. As such, why bother letting any given bug flutter off before the bug zapper has had a chance to do its job? This is what makes the Flowtron FC-8800 so great. No bug which comes in contact with it will once again fly off.
The Flowtron FC-8800 is, without a doubt, the most effective bug zapper on the market. Not only does it have an extremely high success rate, it covers a whole lot of ground. On the other hand, if you only have a small amount of ground to cover, you may find this unit to be very steep in price at over two hundred dollars. However, if you mean to cover lots of ground with a bunch of units used in conjunction, the Flowtron FC-8800’s ability to attract bugs from a very long ways away may begin to offset its initial price through leaving you less inclined to buy any more units to get the job done. Whether or not this bug zapper is the bug zapper for you will largely depend on how many bugs you’re dealing with and over what area, as this will decide whether the Flowtron FC-8800 is extremely costly, extremely frugal or anywhere in between.
– Sarah Lytle
2. Pure Enrichment
Best Overall Bug Zapper – Runner Up
4.7/5 Product Rating
However, because this particular bug zapper has a benign outer casing which does nothing other than wrap itself around the portion of the unit which actually does the zapping, bugs will actually have to enter the casing in question before they’re zapped. While this may reduce the zapper’s overall level of effectiveness to a slight degree, such a feature is actually quite advantageous in several ways.
For example, because the bugs will already be inside of the unit when they’re zapped, they won’t simply fall on the ground. If you’re using your bug zapper inside, this is great, being that you can simply empty the unit onto the ground outside. This same characteristic also prevents you from getting zapped. I don’t need to explain why this is a huge plus (though you should probably still keep the unit away from children).
If a high degree of cleanliness and/or safety is high on your list of priorities, the Electronic Insect Killer is easily one of the best options at your disposal. However, you will have to sacrifice at least some degree of overall effectiveness if you choose this model over the last one we covered. It will be up to you to decide if this is more what you’re after.
– Sarah Lytle
3. Flowtron BK-15D
4.5/5 Product Rating
For example, while the Flowtron BK-15D will still prove to be easier to clean than the first model we covered, it may not be as clean as the Pure Enrichment model, being that all it takes is a little breeze for dead bugs to be pushed outside of the unit. On the other hand, while the Flowtron BK-15D might prove to be more effective than the Pure Enrichment model due to having less overall mass in its outer casing, just the fact that it has an outer casing (which isn’t electrified) in the first place makes it less effective than the first Flowtron model.
As previously stated, this makes the Flowtron BK-15D if you like both of the above models we’ve covered thus far, but are unable to choose between them. It offers a great compromise between the two, offering both effectiveness and cleanliness. Also, the fact that the bug zapper in question can be had for under forty dollars is also a huge plus that we can all appreciate, no matter just what it is you’re looking for in a bug zapper in the first place.
– Sarah Lytle
Bug Zapper Buying Guide
What is a Bug Zapper
If none of the above products seem like they’re what you need, it may help to do some shopping on your own. If you decide to do so, it can’t hurt to keep some of the following information in mind, as this will increase your odds of getting a great bug zapper out of the ordeal.
Are there any children around?
If there are and you want to put safety above all else, you really have two options at your disposal. The first option is refraining from buying a bug zapper with electrified pieces sticking out. The other option is to place your bug zapper up high. Don’t feel as if these zappers are off limits, as finding something to tie them up to in the air should prove easy. However, doing so is imperative if you plan on getting such a bug zapper. Remember, it’s only bugs that we want to zap.
What bugs are you trying to zap?
Not all bugs come out at night. This being the case, zappers which rely purely on attracting bugs through the use of an inner light won’t do a whole lot depending on what you’re trying to zap. For wasps and other things that themselves like to give you a zap from time to time during daylight hours, these lights will do nothing whatsoever. However, this problem can be solved by opting for a unit which comes with foods or other attractants which are meant to lure in bugs that would otherwise have no business going around the unit. If you’re zapping bugs during the day, consider these units as being mandatory.
Common Bug Zapper Features
To ensure you’re getting the best possible bug zapper at your disposal, try looking for units that exhibit one or more of the below characteristics, as these will always prove to be the most effective of the lot.
- A Long Range – A bug zapper’s range refers to just how effective it is at attracting bugs with its light from any given distance. The longer the range, the more bugs you can zap. A long range is especially useful if you’re using the zapper outside, as it may take care of a whole lot of bugs hanging around your property.
- An Uncloggable Grid – If the outer casing of your bug zapper isn’t electrified, you had better make sure that bugs of all types can get through. If they can’t, many of them will simply fly away. Worse yet, they may get stuck, in which case you’ll have to joy of picking them out one by one for the unit to remain effective once more. Of course, if you have an electrified grid, it doesn’t matter so much.
Conclusion
Outside of the above two features, the choice is yours. Whether you’d like to choose from one of the three bug zappers we reviewed, or whether you plan on doing all of your shopping on your own, getting the right bug zapper is easy when you keep all of the above information in mind.
