Pest Strategies

Looking for an effective way to get rid of flies? Visit here to learn more about our recommendations for the best fly swatter.

Roaming house flies can be an unbearable nuisance, distracting you from your work. If left alive, flies can also contaminate food and spread diseases. With the right fly swatter in hand, you’ll quickly eliminate these relatively harmless but annoying insects. Pest Strategies researched several products on Amazon to help you find the best fly swatter. Check out our top picks below.

Buying Guide

Fly swatters have been around for a long time. Though they’re fairly straightforward instruments used to eliminate house flies and other bothersome flying insects, there are a handful of aspects to consider to find the best fly swatter for your home or business. Keep these things in mind when you’re shopping around. 

• Size and shape: When you’re going around swatting flies, chances are you’re only likely to nab them one at a time. This necessitates only a relatively small fly swatter; however, larger fly swatters increase your likelihood of making contact with and killing the fly. This also goes for larger insects such as moths, mosquitoes, wasps, and dragonflies. In terms of the shape of the swatter, most have a tapering square or rectangular design, resembling that of a spatula. 

• Holes: Ever noticed how fly swatters have tiny holes in the swatter itself? They’re small enough to not let an insect pass through, but numerous enough to allow greater airflow and aerodynamics for the user. This means you have greater swatting power by choosing one with tiny holes in it versus a solid swatter without vented holes. 

• Flexibility: A fly swatter should be rigid enough to pick up and carry around, but flexible enough to bend slightly as the user swats a fly. This prevents the handle or shaft from accidentally snapping when the swatter inevitably makes contact with an object. Additionally, the flexibility of a fly swatter prevents accidental damage to wherever the fly was resting at the time. 

• Material and durability: Most standard fly swatters are made using plastic. After heavy use, plastic fly swatters may snap or break, especially if too much force is applied. Other fly swatters are made with a metal rod and leather swatter. When cleaned periodically and cared for properly, metal and leather fly swatters should last a lifetime. Rubber or polymer-based fly swatters are also fairly durable and easy to clean. 

• Additional features: As simple as swatting flies may sound, companies provide home and business owners with a multitude of extra features when taking pest control into their own hands.

• Telescopic handle: Space-saving for storage and even better for people with tall ceilings, telescoping fly swatters allow the user to extend the shaft of the swatter, increasing wingspan. Telescoping fly swatters should be able to lock into multiple positions so that the shaft of the swatter doesn’t lower or raise as you go to smack a bug. 

• Self-catching system: If the idea of cleaning up dead bugs doesn’t sound appealing to you, fly swatters that have a clever, built-in self-catching system may be of interest. Instead of swatting a fly against the wall, ceiling, or piece of furniture and having to wipe away the splattered bug or clean it off the floor, the catcher causes the bug to get stuck, which can then be emptied and disposed of directly into a trash can. 

• Electric grid: Fly swatters that use a charged electric grid, also known as electric fly swatters, are convenient because all it takes is a brief second of contact with the grid to kill small insects. Regular fly swatters, conversely, require a good amount of force to effectively hinder insects. 

 

How To Keep House Flies and Other Flying Insects at Bay

Wondering how all of these flies entered your home in the first place? Though a fly swatter is a useful tool to handle the situation, it’s worth taking a few proactive steps to help prevent these annoying pests. As pest control experts, here’s what we recommend for homeowners and business owners to enjoy a no-fly zone. 

• Keep your doors, including screen doors, fully closed as often as possible. This one sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s a flying insect’s primary way in and out of your residence. 
• Place house fly or flying insect traps outdoors. Use a liquid-based bait or adhesive trap, and place them in your backyard and front door area. This cuts down on the number of would-be intruders. 
• Use a fan as an “air curtain” to physically prevent smaller flying insects from squeezing through a closed screen door. 
• Address any areas outside of your home that could attract flies. Compost, certain plants and flowers, trash, recycling, and yard working supplies may be major insect attractants. By treating or eliminating these, you’re reducing the overall volume of house flies and flying insects that force their way into your house. 
• Eliminate areas of excessive moisture and standing water. 
• Turn off any lights when they’re not being used. 
• Keep the drains and areas around sinks and tubs clean. This helps prevent fruit flies. 
• If old and worn, replace any door sweeps or seals. 

 

FAQs

• Are electric fly swatters effective? 

Electric fly swatters are very effective at killing smaller bugs. Larger insects, such as cockroaches, may not receive an electrical jolt from the grid. This is due to the built-in safety measures within the wire mesh. Electric fly swatters are convenient because you don’t have to use brute force to smack a fly; simply touch them with the racket, and smaller insects will drop dead immediately. Make sure to charge your electric fly swatter or keep extra batteries on hand. 

• Will a spatula work as a fly swatter? 

A spatula will certainly function as a makeshift fly swatter, but we don’t recommend it. Not only are there sanitary concerns using a cooking tool as a fly swatter, but hard plastic and metal spatulas are likely to damage your walls, ceiling, or furniture. A dedicated fly swatter will be more gentle on your home and more effective at killing these pests. 

• Are fly swatters dishwasher-safe? 

Certain fly swatters are made from strong plastic and rubber materials that allow them to be safe for most top-rack dishwashers. However, to avoid potential cross-contamination, we recommend hand-washing your swatter if you need to clean it.

• Who needs a fly swatter? 

Realistically, everyone should own at least one swatter at home or the workplace because you’re bound to encounter buzzing insects swarming around you, even in the comfort and safety of indoors. Because fly swatters are designed to hit bugs, they should be used carefully when other people, pets, or valuables are present. Small children should not handle fly swatters. 

• Is it safe for my cat or dog to eat dead house flies? 

Though pets can be useful “vacuum cleaners” to pick up crumbs of food, we recommend keeping them away from any dead flies or insects. As you use your fly swatter, keep a broom and dustpan or vacuum cleaner nearby, and make sure to get rid of your kill before your pet gets to it. 

 

 

Pest Strategies provides reviews of select products that are top-selling on Amazon and/or popular in consumer searches. Our team evaluates the products based on industry research, consumer reviews, pricing data, and other objective criteria. Unless otherwise noted, these product reviews are intended to help inform buying decisions for non-professionals. Because pest control products can be dangerous to your family if mishandled, we always recommend consulting with an exterminator, even if just to ask for advice on how to apply pest control products yourself.