Katchy Midnight Insect Trap

I have had my Katchy for more than three years. I was introduced to it in Vietnam when i was visiting family. I was very impressed and came back to the US and bought one myself. IT WORKS VERY WELL. It is best at catching small flies, gnats and great at catching mosquitos. I have found that it does not catch house flies well, but they don't really bother much. I even took it with me when I went to Africa for over a year. It really kept the mosquitos down. I know that people have said many negative things about this, but from my perspective almost all of what they complain about is user error or expectations that are unrealistic. Keep the sticky cardboard changed and place the Katchy in an area near an entrance or where it can be seen clearly by the little flying buggers. I like my Katchy.

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 :)

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.

I live in an area where, apparently, flies and fruit flies/gnats are just part of life. I HATE them!!! I'm trying all the things, including this. After 2 weeks, it caught a good many of these annoying things (see pics). However, this is not "the answer" to the entire issue. Has it reduced the number of bugs? Yeah. Has it eradicated the issue? No. There was a situation that gave a sudden rise to these things in my house and I've been fighting them for days. I also put bleach in/on all the water source areas (sinks, bathtubs) in my house. Anytime someone leaves a door open, flies get in as well, so I'm always fighting those. In the first week I had this, it didn't catch flies at all. The ones it caught were just in the last couple days, so I guess it works on them as well. But I've also been killing a TON of them - way more than this machine caught. The gnats are not *gone* and there are still the occasional flies. I end up doing most of the work to get rid of these things and they are STILL not gone. Does it catch some? Yeah, and that's nice. But don't buy this thinking it will solve the problem. The pics are after a couple weeks of leaving this thing on ALL day long! I have put it in kitchen and near a window. Both were about the same number caught. I'm glad to have help in the fight against these horrible things, but it has not solved the issue. It does seem to be more directed at gnats, than other bugs. Which is fine. But don't expect this to catch any and all bugs, or to get rid of them entirely. I'm told I don't have a lot of these bugs in my house (the pics beg to differ!), but I honestly don't see a massive difference. Less? Yeah. But get a hot day and suddenly there is zero difference. They're still thriving, somehow, no matter how much I clean and bleach and make sure nothing is left out, change the rubbish bins often, even keep food in the fridge well and tightly covered/wrapped. I don't even buy fruit for my counter any more. I'm not mad, just a little disappointed that it hasn't solved the issue I bought it for. But I'll accept the help in this war on these vile bugs.

This Katchy flying insect trap has been a total game changer for dealing with fruit flies and gnats in my home. The combination of UV light, fan, and sticky glue board creates an incredibly effective trapping system. Setup is simple - just plug it in and turn it on. The UV light attracts insects naturally without chemicals or odors. Once attracted, the fan sucks them down onto the sticky board where they're trapped. I've been amazed at how many fruit flies this catches within hours of setting it up. The design is sleek and modern - doesn't look like a typical bug trap. It's quiet enough to run continuously without being distracting. Perfect for kitchens, offices, or anywhere you have flying pest issues. The sticky boards are easy to replace when full. I appreciate the chemical-free approach that's safe around food and family. The compact size fits on countertops or shelves without taking up much space. Energy efficient to run 24/7. This has virtually eliminated fruit fly problems in my kitchen. For anyone dealing with annoying flying insects, this delivers outstanding results. Highly effective and well-designed product.

I have the original Katchy and it great. So, I figured I would get the plug in ones after having them for a few months and really trying to give them a chance they are super disappointing. I got the two pack and one of them the light is already barely glowing. Otherwise they rarely catch anything which I know there’s bugs I live in the forest, I put a normal sticky trap collector and it caught the same amount as this or maybe more due to it having better grip. They anything like the original when it comes to quality and performance, which is super disappointing. Not sure if a zevo would be better of if this would concept is just flawed.

I purchased a scratchNdent and found my item had been used and slightly damaged, the top swirl grill was missing a small piece, and one of the sticky disks had been put into the unit already with a gnat stuck to it. Okay. I plugged it in, pushed one of the setting buttons (standard) and the light came on and the little fan makes a little bit of breeze, but wet a finger and hold it at the bottom and it is breezing out. It is also bigger than I expected, but I have such a tiny bug issue in this place, I don't care as long as it works. Something was mentioned about it works better in lower light levels. So. I plugged it in and set it up in a place I have been having issues. Four hours later, I pick it up to look down in. There's a lot more than one gnat on the mat already. It's doing the job. Great. The local little winged wildlife has resisted: letting the pots dry out good between waterings, watering with a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water, top mulching the pots, and the yellow sticky trap things. This seems to be vacuuming them up. YAY! If this works out I will get a couple more as I have plants in a few areas in my house. Trust me, I have at least six different microbugs including fruit flies, fungus gnats (arrgh!), a different gnat, and not sure exactly but a few are like tiny tiny various sorts of beetles... keeping the swarms down would be wonderful, without killing my plants. I will update this as it goes.. The picture isn't quite truelight because it is fairly dark in there, but. That's what it sorta looks like ON in the dark. To the right that is a matte BLACK surface that it's reflecting off of. Edit: my house is large, my buggie collection is way down on one end of the house where I have my first one, but. I just got a second one, also scratchNdent, to deal with the other end. I seen where someone complained that it is a fly-spa. This will NOT work on houseflies. They are too big and strong to be whooshed down onto the sticky pad. There are other ones built ($60-80) as wall sconces that WILL do the houseflies. This isn't built for that. However all the assorted little gnats and such are collecting at alarming rates on my sticky pads. It is nice to sit at my computer in the evening and not kill at least a dozen tiny assorted buggies. And my fungus gnat problem that came in with some potting soil mix, is pretty much gone. I can't say enough, if you have a grow booth and issues with little critters, that putting one of these in the booth at about two weeks for a night will not affect your grow and if there is anything in there it will clear out most of the problems. I have one room where the booth and most of my houseplants live (plus my spring starts as I go into that season as I update this) and the first one is outside the grow booth on the floor where it clears that room pretty well. Second one installed near the kitchen sink and other bathroom on other end of house, as there is a persistent problem there. I don't think it will catch sewer flies but those tend to respond to hot vinegar flushed through a running disposal with hot sink water, then follow with a cut up lemon and some icecubes run through the disposer. I will let you know if I get those little buggers back and if it can catch one or not. On both I am turning them off during the day and on after dark, as that is when the UV light seems to be the most visible to the little winged pests. I also want to see if the kitchen one will draw spiders. There are a few kinds that are drawn to dead prey, and though I have sticky traps for them, if this will be able to stick one down or not if it comes to check it out. Another thing I will update. Edit update. Plant area one is catching mostly gnats, vatloads of them. Kitchen has only a few, but is getting the fruit flies from the bananas. I put spider traps near both and the kitchen catch is up. Could not be happier with both Katchys. Have spring bedding and flower starts going and a new grow in the tent. I’ve put one in the tent a few times and no gnattie problem (last time will be day/ night 18 so as not to mess up auto blooming). No chemicals. Still worth the price. Replacing the sticky pads is super easy too. Edit: very late fall. We are the house servants of two mixed breed part Persian purries. The grey and white one in particular has very fine hair and a very full coat despite daily brushing/grooming. So we have slightly pre-used fur all over. Plus lots of house dust-joys of where we live. I have to take a q-tip to the top of both my Katchy’s weekly to keep the house glorp from obstructing airflow (also have to do it to our tower fans). Still catching the tiniest no-see-ums, fungus gnats and fruit flies. With fall garden harvest, the fruit flies moved in. I added a capful of apple cider taped off with a few holes next to the kitchen one, and it was literally carpeted with fruit flies in the bottom. The plants that came in brought micro buggies, and those numbers are quickly dropping as well. A Katchy doesn’t instantly get your population but in days you should have a disgusting collection on the bottom pad… I purchased a no- zap UV/sticky pad catcher meant for houseflies and installed over the toilet at the ceiling. It also does the job with a little time. So. Katchy do their job well, are easy to use and maintain, and paired with a true flycatcher, really helps keep you unbothered. $40 well spent.

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.