Looking for a reliable Katchy indoor insect trap review? I have now been using my Katchy insect trap for several years, and I am sharing my full review, including all of my pros and cons!
My Katchy indoor insect trap review
Hi all! I have been meaning to write this review post for a while. My post about how to get rid of gnats in houseplants is one of my more popular posts, and it features a product I get asked about a lot: The Katchy indoor insect trap!
I bought my own Katchy machine several years ago. This is not a sponsored post, and I was not gifted this item. Just to be totally clear—all thoughts are my own, and I purchased the product with my own money. 🙂
The Katchy is certainly not the end-all be-all solution to houseplant gnats (the best solution is prevention!). But it certainly helps control gnat populations and keep them in check. Because even your best efforts can lead to gnats! And I love having this little thing handy.
What is a Katchy insect trap?
The Katchy indoor insect trap is a neat little insect-killing machine that looks way better than the traditional yellow fly paper you’re probably familiar with. It also arguably works better since it includes a UV light to attract bugs and a fan to suck them down.
There are three different types of Katchy machines, but they all operate on the same premise: A UV light at the top that attracts bugs, a fan that then sucks them down into the machine, and sticky paper on the inside of the machine that then traps them.
I have a white manual Katchy, which is the first machine the company came out with. It has a manual on/off switch, a UV light, and comes with four sticky paper circles. It’s small, sleek, and unobtrusive— it weighs only 1.4 pounds and it’s 5.5 inches wide and 9 inches tall.
Does Katchy need to be plugged in?
Yes, Katchy is not a battery-operated machine. Which is fine with me. I have such fatigue from remembering to charge all of my battery-operated stuff. For the Katchy, I just find a good spot, plug it in, and let it right.
I can see how having a rechargeable Katchy would be a nice selling point for some people, though. So if that’s something that is important to you, Katchy won’t fit the bill.
Can you leave Katchy on all day?
Yes, you can leave the machine on all day. However, it gets the most work done at night. That’s because the flies are attracted to the UV light, and that isn’t nearly as visible during the day.
However, if you have a manual Katchy and are lazy like I am, you can leave it on all the time. Sometimes I turn mine off during the day if I remember, sometimes I don’t.
Katchy automatic option
To solve this issue, the brand came out with a Katchy automatic machine. If you’re just getting one, I would opt for this one instead. It offers all of the same functionality as the manual Katchy and more.
THat’s because it has a sensor that automatically turns the machine on when it gets dark outside. Arguably this helps conserve power and potentially wear and tear on the machine by only running the light and fan when it will attract the majority of the bugs.
It’s worth noting, though, that the Katchy automatic machine can also be operated manually. So if you want to run it during the day, you can simply put it in manual mode.
Does the Katchy indoor insect trap work on house flies?
Katchy is careful to say that their machines help reduce bugs, but they are not a complete insect killer lamp. They do not trap large house flies.
They can trap fruit flies, gnats, and mosquitos. I can speak from experience on that last one—I have found a few mosquitos in my trap during the summer! And even though they don’t claim to catch flies, mine sucks an errant smaller fly down.
Is the machine loud?
No, I don’t think it’s loud. You certainly hear it when it is running if you listen carefully, but I got used to it very fast. If you’re exceptionally sensitive to noises, you might not want to have it in your room when you sleep. But that’s personal preference.
Katchy Duo—is the newest model worth it?
To cut to the chase, I’d say yes—if you’re just now getting a Katchy, spending a few extra bucks to invest in a Katchy Duo is probably worth it. It’s only about $8 more than the manual Katchy, but it offers some more functionality.
The Katchy Duo has a brighter UV light halo to attract more bugs, and it also has a scented bait pod. This means that the machine works effectively during the day, too.
When it’s light outside, the insects are attracted to the scented bait pod. When it’s dark outside, the bait pod also works, but the UV halo attracts the bugs, too. The fan and light will begin running automatically when the machine detects enough darkness to turn on.
Note, however, that I wasn’t able to find anything about replacing the scented bait pod. Does it work indefinitely? Do you need to replace it? I’m not sure, and I don’t own the Katchy Duo, so I can’t speak from personal experience there.
How long does the sticky paper last?
You might also be wondering how long the sticky paper lasts—and this goes for all of the Katchy models. The machines come with four “bug catching glue boards,” which are really just branded, round sticky fly paper.
Katchy says that the glue boards can last up to 4 weeks each, and I would say that is about accurate. You might need to replace them earlier if you are battling a particularly heavy fly infestation, though.
A set of 8 glue boards has a list price of $10 (for the automatic and manual Katchy models). A set of 8 glue boards for the Duo model is about $1 more at $11. So not much price difference there.
Can I use regular fly paper in the Katchy?
A money-saving hack, especially if you have that old trusty yellow fly paper already (which I did and still do!), is to use that. You have to cut it into a circle, but it works pretty much the same.
I saw no difference in the amount of flies collected using the Katchy sticky traps vs. the yellow fly paper that I cut out. However, since it’s an extra step, I’d just order the Katchy replacement papers if you don’t already have the yellow sticky paper.
What size room does the Katchy work best in?
The smaller the room, the higher the chance the Katchy will catch bugs. However, the coverage area for one Katchy is 320 square feet—so a pretty large room!
Customer service
I’ve yet to have to deal with the company service arm of the Katchy brand, but it seems they are quite good. Their website indicates that they will replace a Katchy that stops working. They also have free shipping.
The verdict: Does the Katchy indoor insect trap work?
Yes! Definitely. It does. I was honestly shocked the first time I used one! I thought I had a few gnats and I could benefit from a bit of help getting things under control…boy was I wrong!
Gnats are a special kind of annoying in that you never really know how many you have. And they reproduce soooo fast. So when you’re trying to get them under control, you should use all of the tools available to you.
I definitely recommend investing in a Katchy indoor insect trap. I have had mine for a few years now and have experienced no issues. Definitely worth the price tag, in my opinion! If you found my review helpful, I’d so appreciate it if you purchased your Katchy using my Amazon affiliate link! Thank you so much!
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