REVIEW – Zap those pesky critters! The PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper is designed with three different modes for attracting & killing flying bugs that make their way into your home. How does it work when it comes to vanquishing those rude intruders? Let’s go see. To the review!
What is it?
The PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper is a multifunction indoor bug zapper.
What’s included?
- PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper
- USB-C cord
- Power block
- 3 sticky pads
Tech specs
Click to expand
4.9″ by 4.9″ by 9.8″ tall
USB-C power port
Requires power source to operate
1.2 pounds
Design and features
The PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper is an attractive looking appliance that’s about the size of a large hydration bottle. This is not a battery-operated device, requiring a power source for operation with a USB-C cable. Your kit includes a USB-A power brick and a USB-A to USB-C cable.
Your critter destroyer comes with three different components to handle business. The first bit is a motorized fan that draws the bugs into the trap.
The second bit is an electric grid inside the cylinder that sends the bugs to Valhalla.
The third bit is a bottom tray that holds round sticky pads that trap the bugs while they slip away from this mortal realm.
Operating the PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper is very simple. There’s a button on the top of the unit that you’ll push once to activate the fan along with a blue light that (theoretically) draws the bugs to their doom.
Push it again to activate the electric grid, which boasts a similar attraction light.
Push it a third time and you’ll activate both the fan and the electric grid.
And that’s really the extent of the operation. Note that this light is not rated for outdoor use. Don’t get it wet!
Performance
On the plus side, the PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper is an unobtrusive piece of gear. It looks nice, and the fan is relatively quiet. You pop it in a corner and let it do its work—plug and play with no fuss.
The problem is that it’s not very effective.
We had this unit set up in the transition between our kitchen and family room, next to the sliding door from the kitchen to the back deck. It hummed away for two weeks without claiming a single victim despite a few invaders that made it into our home. Flies just ignored it, or the fan power wasn’t enough to draw them in. Smaller critters (like gnats) would get caught in the fan and die, but we didn’t see much action overall.
We thought there might be an issue with ambient light, so we moved it out onto the covered deck for testing.
That seemed to help pick up the action. After leaving it out there a couple of nights, I could see that the light was attracting the attention of random bugs… and we got some victims!
Look! A smaller bestie got trapped in the Electric Grid Of Death! Mission accomplished!
This big ol’ moth, however, was less than amused. I found him hanging out next to the light, but it seemed that his power was beyond its ability to manage.
This brings us back to the two key points I gleaned from a month of testing. It seems that you need to keep this device away from other ambient light sources (like lights in your living areas) to attract the critters. Even if you do that, it’s going to struggle with stronger flyers like moths and big flies.
One other little design nitpick: the USB-C port is high up on the unit. It works fine, but it would be better if the port as at the bottom of the unit so that you didn’t have the cable dangling wherever you set it up.
What I like about the PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper
- Decent looking appliance
- Relatively quiet fan
- USB-C port accepts multiple power sources
What needs to be improved?
- The fan needs more power to catch strong fliers
- Doesn’t do well against bigger bugs
- Does not work well in areas with ambient light
Final thoughts
The PestSniper Indoor Bug Zapper isn’t very expensive, but you’re getting what you paid for here. It’s marginally effective and does better against smaller bugs than larger ones. It is easy to operate, relatively quiet, and sports a non-offensive design. If you have a serious bug problem, I’d probably look for something with more power.
Price: $34.99
Where to buy: PetSnipers and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by PestSniper. PestSniper did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
