This £3 Amazon buy will keep flies away from your houseplants this summer – it has thousands of reviews to back it up
Because there is nothing more irritating than swarms of flies buzzing around your plants
If fungus gnats and fruit flies are plaguing your houseplants, Amazon is selling a £2.99 fly trap to keep flies off your plants - plus, this Amazon bestseller has thousands of reviews to back it up.
There’s nothing quite as irritating (or gross) as flies lurking in your home, especially when they’re buzzing around your houseplants. Luckily for you, there are plenty of ways to keep flies off houseplants, and this includes adding sticky, non-toxic traps to your pot to catch and kill them.
These Amazon fly traps, in particular, have a proven track record at getting rid of flies, having racked up thousands of positive reviews from happy plant parents online.
The bright yellow of these traps attract flies, while their sticky suface entraps and kills them.
If your best houseplants are being plagued by flies, you'll need to know how to get rid of fungus gnats. Attracted to damp soil and decaying plant matter, these flies can be a real pain. The best way to tackle them is to not overwater your plants, and repot them with fresh soil and horticultural grit (£12.60 at B&Q); however, if you're faced with an infestation, using sticky traps can also be an effective way to get rid of flies.
Amazon’s Sticky Fruit Fly and Fungus Gnat Traps come in packs of 12 and are incredibly easy to use. All you do is push the base of the trap into the soil of the pot, and the trap will do the rest. The yellow hue acts as an attractant and traps flies using a sticky glue, which immobilises pests.
To dispose of, simply pull the trap out and put it in the bin. These paper traps are highly effective as yellow is the favourite colour of most pests, including flies and fungus gnats. The glue is also odourless, so you don’t have to worry about it making your home smell.
The trap won’t harm your plants, and it is safe to touch, although you will want to wash your hands after touching the glue. It can be used on outdoor plants as well as indoors, as the trap is waterproof and UV-resistant. The manufacturer even states you can use it in your fruit bowl, too. They last up to three months, and you don’t need to replace the trap until it is covered in bugs.
‘I had some very small flies in the soil I brought. So my home was full of tiny flies. These sticky sticks did the trick. They were covered in these flies in days. Easy to use, just stick it in the soil, job done. Good value for money as they actually work. Good size and sturdy enough. No smell,’ said one of the thousands of good reviews.
‘These yellow sticky traps have worked well for catching adult fruit flies and fungus gnats. They’re very easy to use, simply place them in the soil near affected plants, and they start working quickly. I noticed a clear reduction in adult gnats once they were in place,’ said another.
‘I also like that they blend in reasonably well with houseplants. The bright yellow is intentional for attracting insects, but the shape is simple and unobtrusive, and they don’t look out of place in plant pots.
‘It’s worth noting that these traps only deal with adult insects, so they work best when used alongside other methods that target the lifecycle in the soil. Used as part of a broader approach, they’re effective and practical. Overall, I’d recommend them for managing gnat problems in indoor plants.’
As the reviewer mentioned, it is best to use these traps alongside other methods, such as scent deterrents and general cleanliness, to keep flies out of your home. But at just £2.99, these yellow sticky traps are definitely worth a try.
