The best outdoor fly trap?
We tested 6. One won.
Last summer the flies took over our backyard — porch, garden, chicken run, the works. So we tested every fly product we could find, side by side, for a full month. Only one actually thinned out the flies.
The process
How we tested every fly product
To pick the best fly trap for outdoor use, we tested the most popular options around the same backyard — same week, same fly pressure — and tracked how many flies each one actually pulled in. The goal was straightforward: figure out what gets rid of flies for real, not just what claims to.
- Electric bug zappers
- Mosquito repellent incense
- Citronella candles
- Sticky fly paper
- Fly fans
- FlyShark disposable fly trap bags
Each product was set up across the same outdoor area — a half-acre with a chicken coop, a compost bin, and a back porch — over a four-week period in peak fly season (July). Fly activity at the traps was checked daily and traps were rotated around the property. No product received special treatment. Pricing reflects current retail at time of testing.
Most fly products don't actually get rid of flies — they zap a few, scare a few, mask our smell, or wave them off the dinner table. The number of flies around your yard stays the same. Only one trap worked.
Our top pick
The FlyShark Trap
The FlyShark fly bag was the most effective product we tested — by a wide margin. It doesn't try to push flies away. It pulls them in with a water-activated lure and traps them inside the bag. No power, no chemicals, no cleanup beyond tossing the bag.
- Pop the cap and add water — that activates the lure
- Hang it 10–20 feet from where people sit
- Walk away and let it work
- Toss the whole bag when it's full
The real difference
Why fly bags beat every other approach
Zappers, candles, incense, sticky paper, and fans all do the same basic thing: react when a fly happens to wander into them, or briefly mask the scent that draws flies in. They don't pull flies in, and they don't reduce the population at the source.
A baited fly bag is different. The lure actively pulls flies in from across the yard, then keeps them. Over a couple weeks, the fly count around your house drops in a way you can actually feel.
Everything else
They wait for flies to come, or briefly mask our scent. Population stays the same.
FlyShark Trap
Lures flies in from across the yard. Population actually drops.
Real reviews
What other folks are saying
"Tried zappers and sticky strips first — nothing helped. Hung two FlyShark Traps near the chicken coop and the fly population dropped in days. Should've started with this."
"Within two days the trap was already filling up. Patio is finally usable again. Wish I'd skipped everything else and bought this first."
Head to head
The full comparison
Also tested
What didn't make the cut
Electric bug zappers
- Catches things on contact
- Decent coverage
- Needs battery/outlet
- Constant cleanup
- Hardly caught any flies
Mosquito repellent incense
- Cheap and easy to use
- Smells decent
- Built for mosquitoes, not flies
- Smoke disperses quickly outside
- No effect on fly population
Citronella candles
- Pleasant on the patio
- Adds ambient light
- Tabletop range only
- Flies barely notice it
- Burns out in a few hours
Sticky fly paper
- Cheap
- No power needed
- Tiny capture rate
- Eyesore on the porch
- Caught more hair than flies
Fly fans
- Works right at the table
- Coverage is tiny
- Doesn't reduce flies
- Always needs batteries
Where to hang it
Best spots for your trap
Fly bags work best when you put them where the flies already are — not where you wish they weren't.
- Near trash cans
- By the dog run
- Edge of compost
- Around chicken coops
- Barns & horse stalls
- Patio fence line
Hang the trap 10–20 feet away from where you sit. You want to pull flies away from the patio, not bring them in for dinner.
The verdict
After a month of testing six different fly products in a real backyard, the FlyShark Trap was the only one that visibly reduced the fly population. Everything else gave temporary relief at best.
Get the FlyShark Trap — $16.95Got questions?