I Tried an $18 Fix for My Gnat Problem — Here’s What Actually Happened

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, but I absolutely hate insects. I’ve heard the “there’s beauty in all living creatures” argument before, but it doesn’t change the fact that insects just give me the creeps. More than that, they’re a nuisance to live with. When I keep fresh fruit in the house, it’s only a matter of time before pesky gnats and fruit flies start buzzing all over my kitchen. I’d seen commercials for the Zevo Compact Flying Insect Trap before, so when I got the opportunity to put one to the test in my home I was all-in. Here’s how it went. 

Zevo’s Compact Flying Insect Trap is a wall plug-in that uses UV and blue light to lure gnats, fruit flies, house flies, and other flying insects to the sticky refillable cartridge inside its curved shield (which keeps the bugs out of sight). It traps and kills insects without the mess of a fly swatter or zap of a traditional light trap, and it doesn’t contain chemicals like some bug sprays. What’s more, the compact model isn’t much bigger than your typical fragrance plug-in, making it perfect for cramped spaces like your kitchen or bathroom. 

The compact trap includes one plug-in device and one sticky cartridge. You can buy refills in packs of two for $7. 

Setting up the Zevo trap was easy. I just peeled the cover off the trap cartridge and plugged it in. My fruit bowl (which is the flies’ usual gathering place) lives on my kitchen island, so I plugged the Zevo trap into the outlet nearest to it, between my dining table and the island. The blue light lit immediately, which was my sign that it was doing its job. It stays lit while plugged in, so it never stops trapping creepy-crawlies. After that, I hardly thought about it at all — which is actually exactly what you want out of an insect trap. 

The blue light emanates from inside the trap’s curved shield, casting a soft blue glow against my wall. While it might be more obvious if it were at eye level, I don’t find the light distracting at all. In fact, it softly illuminates the path to my kitchen, saving me from bumping into my coffee table in the middle of the night. 

It’s also totally silent. Again, I barely thought about the trap at all until I decided to check the cartridge after several weeks of testing. I set out a bunch of bananas as a decoy and, lo and behold, I caught a gnat! See proof in the photo above. Granted, we’re in the midst of a particularly frigid winter, so the gnat and fruit fly population is at a general low right now. But this is all the proof I need that the Zevo works. Once the weather warms up and the insect populus returns, I’ll be ready! 

Buy: Zevo Compact Flying Insect Trap, $18