Best Fly Traps for the Garage: Sticky, Light and Outdoor Bait

The best fly trap for a garage is plain sticky fly paper: Black Flag's 24-count pack hangs near the garage door, windows and trash cans and catches house flies with no smell. BugBane's Fly Sticks stand or hang in a box on a shelf, Zevo's plug-in light trap suits a garage with an outlet and a closed door at night, and RESCUE!'s reusable bait trap belongs outside the garage, well away from the door. Most garage flies come from the trash cans parked inside, so cleaning and sealing the bins matters as much as any trap.

Why Garages Attract Flies

Garages collect everything flies want: trash and recycling bins, bags of pet food and birdseed, a warm corner out of the wind, and a big door that stays open for hours. Flies follow the smell of a bin inside, breed in food residue at its bottom, and buzz against the windows when the door comes down.

University of California IPM's pest note on flies says sticky traps are effective at eliminating a few flies in relatively confined areas, and that ultraviolet light traps may work indoors where they do not compete with daylight. A garage fits both descriptions, which makes it one of the places traps work best. The same pest note advises bagging household garbage and pet waste before it goes into containers and setting garbage out at least once a week, which removes the reason flies gather in the first place.

For yard and patio traps, see our guide to the best outdoor fly traps; the outdoor fly trap section also covers traps for chicken coops.

Garage Fly Trap Types Compared

We compared garage fly traps on odor, placement, catch and what buyers report about stickiness, durability and value. Our sources were the makers' listings, Amazon's review digests and UC IPM guidance; we did not test the products. We left out sticky ribbons whose buyers mostly report tearing, poor stickiness or few usable strips, and bait traps that would smell up an enclosed garage.

Best Fly Traps for the Garage

Black Flag Fly Paper: Best Overall Garage Fly Trap

Garages are where old-fashioned fly paper still makes the most sense, and Black Flag's pack of 24 ribbons covers a whole season of replacements.

• The ribbons unroll from a small tube and catch house flies and other flying insects, per the maker.
• Buyers find them effective, with reports of hundreds of insects caught, including near screen doors.
• Some buyers find the ribbons hard to unroll, and a ribbon can tear if pulled too fast.

Choose it for the space just inside the garage door, near windows and above the trash bins. Hang ribbons high enough that heads, ladders and car antennas will not brush them, and swap them once they are covered or dusty.

OUR CHOICE

Black Flag Fly Paper, 24 Traps

Fly paper24 traps

Best for: Doors, windows and bins inside the garage

• ✓Effective, per buyers
• ✓No chemicals or odor
• ✓24 traps per pack
• −Hard to unroll, per buyers
• −Unsightly in living spaces

Editor's Note

It catches flies where they gather. Hang it near windows and the door light.

Check Price

Specifications (3)

Unit Count

24 Count

Target Species

Fly, Mosquito, Moth

Number of Pieces

4

BugBane Fly Stick: Best Tidy Sticky Trap

For a garage workbench or shelf, BugBane's 6 yellow Fly Sticks stand upright in small open boxes or hang from hooks, with no bait and no odor, per the maker.

• A small dish at the base lets you add bait for fruit flies, per the maker.
• Buyers find them effective; stickiness and catch rates are mixed.
• The glue is very strong and hard to clean off hands or tools.

Choose them for shelves near the recycling bin or pet food, where hanging ribbons would get in the way. Keep them out of reach of pets and away from where you handle tools.

BugBane Fly Stick Sticky Traps, 6 Pack

Sticky sticks6 traps

Best for: Shelves and workbenches

• ✓No odor, per the maker
• ✓Effective, per buyers
• ✓Optional bait dish included
• −Mixed catch rates, per buyers
• −Glue hard to clean off

Editor's Note

It suits shelves near bins. Keep it away from tools and pets.

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Specifications (2)

Number of Pieces

6

Color

Gold

Zevo Flying Insect Trap: Best Light Trap for a Garage

If the garage has an outlet near the bins, Zevo's plug-in trap draws flies and gnats with blue and UV light onto a hidden adhesive cartridge; this pack has 1 base and 1 cartridge.

• The catch sits on the wall-facing side of the cartridge, out of sight, per the maker.
• Buyers find it easy to set up; results are mixed, and it catches small flies more reliably than large house flies.
• Value draws mostly negative reviews, since cartridges need replacing.

Choose it for an attached garage that stays closed and dark at night, plugged in near the trash and recycling. It works poorly with the big door open in daylight.

Zevo Flying Insect Trap, 1 Base and 1 Refill

Light trapPlug-in

Best for: Closed garages with an outlet

• ✓Hidden, wall-facing catch, per the maker
• ✓Easy to set up, per buyers
• ✓No odor or spray
• −Mixed results, per buyers
• −Value mostly negative, per buyers

Editor's Note

It suits a dark, closed garage at night. Plug it in near the bins.

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Specifications (3)

Style

1 Device & 1 Cartridge

Target Species

Fly, Fruit Fly, Gnat

Unit Count

2 Count

RESCUE! Outdoor Reusable Fly Trap: Best for Outside the Garage

When flies keep pouring in from the driveway or trash pickup area, a RESCUE! reusable bait canister hung outside intercepts them before they reach the door; this pack has 3 traps.

• Food-based attractant draws house flies, stable flies, bottle flies and others to drown in water, per the maker.
• Buyers find it works almost immediately and catches many flies.
• The odor is strong, and the maker says to use it outdoors only, at least 20 feet from living areas.

Choose it for the side of the driveway or the spot where bins wait for pickup. Never hang it inside the garage, where the smell would build up and draw flies in.

RESCUE! Outdoor Reusable Fly Trap, 3 Traps

ReusableStrong odor3 traps

Best for: Outside the garage, away from the door

• ✓Works almost instantly, per buyers
• ✓Reusable season after season, per the maker
• ✓Made in the USA, per the maker
• −Strong odor, per buyers
• −Emptying is unpleasant

Editor's Note

It intercepts flies outside. Never hang it in the garage.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Number of Pieces

3

Recommended Uses For Product

Outdoor

Kensizer Fly Swatters: Best for the Odd Fly

A swatter on a hook by the garage door handles the occasional fly that sneaks in, and Kensizer's 6-pack of heavy-duty swatters comes with wall hooks.

• Buyers find them effective, sturdy and good value.
• The maker offers a replacement if they all break within 90 days.
• Some buyers report mixed durability.

Choose them as a cheap backup to traps, one in the garage and the rest around the house.

BUDGET PICK

Kensizer Heavy-Duty Fly Swatters, 6 Pack

Swatters6 pieces

Best for: The odd fly

• ✓Effective, per buyers
• ✓Sturdy, per buyers
• ✓Good value, per buyers
• −Mixed durability for some buyers
• −Needs a steady hand

Editor's Note

Hang one by the garage door. It works instantly.

Check Price

Specifications (2)

Number of Pieces

6

Material

Plastic

How to Keep Flies Out of the Garage

1. Bag and seal trash: tie off kitchen garbage and pet waste before it goes in the bin, as UC IPM advises.
2. Take bins out every collection: even half-empty bins breed flies within days in summer.
3. Rinse bins and recycling: hose out cans every few weeks and rinse bottles and cans before recycling them.
4. Store pet food and birdseed sealed: in metal or heavy plastic bins with tight lids.
5. Keep the door closed: especially at dusk in summer, when flies seek shelter.
6. Seal gaps: replace a worn garage door bottom seal and fit a screen on the side door if you keep it open.
7. Check for a dead animal: a sudden swarm of large metallic flies often means a dead mouse or bird in a corner or wall.

With the bins sealed and rinsed, a couple of fly paper ribbons usually keep a garage clear for the season.

Common Questions About Garage Fly Traps

Which One Should You Buy?

Black Flag Fly Paper is the fly trap to buy for most garages. It costs very little, has no odor, catches house flies where they gather near doors and windows, and a 24-count pack lasts all season.

Choose BugBane's Fly Sticks for shelves, Zevo's light trap for a closed garage with an outlet, RESCUE!'s reusable bait trap for outside the door, and Kensizer swatters as backup. With any of them, bag your trash and rinse the bins.

Before you buy, look at where your bins sit and where flies cluster, since that is where the first trap should go.