The Best Tried-and-True Ways to Kill Bugs in Your House

Picture this: You wake up one night looking for a midnight snack, and head to the kitchen (just a short walk away in your 300-square-foot studio apartment). Suddenly, you hear a series of crunches with every step, prompting you to turn on the lights and reveal, with horror, a veritable house party’s worth of beetles all over your ancient pre-war building floor. We wish this was fiction, but unfortunately, this was the start of an unfortunate real-life nightmare for this writer, and since that terrible night, I’ve been deeply entrenched in the cursed world of pest control.

Fast forward to over a month later, and I’m losing my mind you wish you had preventative measures on hand so you wouldn’t have to call the exterminator three times. Not to sound salty, but in my case, exterminators were unable to truly finish the job (aka murder all the bugs once and for all), and when it came to clearing up my own apartment, I had more success fixing the issue myself. You can learn a lot in 30-plus days, and I now consider myself a bug-zapping pro.  While I don’t wish an infestation on anyone, the lesson to take away from my problem is that you should be prepared to take on any of these little f*ckers. Whether you’re facing a similar problem to mine, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, please learn from this challenging era of my life and absorb the following information on some of the best methods to rid your sanctuary of unwanted guests (whether they’re flies, cockroaches, spiders, beetles, or worse). 

I’m currently dealing with a flying beetle infestation, which calls for a trap that features light to attract those lil shitheads. I heard good things about the Zevo, and have been pleasantly surprised by its efficacy. It works by simply plugging it into the wall and letting it lure all of those unwanted, winged houseguests and work its magic. It lights up automatically once you plug it in and has adhesive backing to capture the bugs. Even if you’re not dealing with flying beetles, it also works on typical house flies, fruit flies, and gnats. 

We don’t condone the use of weapons, but if you’re dealing with houseflies, our writer Becca Blasdel genuinely enjoyed using “the big daddy of fly killers,” aka the Bug-a-Salt-Gun 3.0. Shaped like a mini rifle and covered in Realtree camo (naturally), it works by shooting salt at bugs. Get locked n’ loaded Nerf Gun-style by taking aim at whatever insect comes your way with high-speed salt crystals (yep, that’s the ammo). Its internal spring also creates a tight targeting pattern for a flawless shot (hey, bugs are small). 

These pest traps catch anything, hence the name. I saw the world’s fattest roach in my apartment hallway (separate from the beetle issue—yes, I’m moving) so I decided to put one of these outside my door. In less than two days, this trap caught the roach, likely thanks to its peanut butter scent (LOL). These traps are extremely sticky and can even catch small rodents, along with all sizes of bugs. 

Sometimes, banishing pests and rodents can feel a bit harsh (thankfully, this isn’t an article on dealing with rats or anything larger than that), but this device by HOSOLO uses sound to keep bugs and mice away instead of resorting to more drastic (see: deadly) measures. Ultrasonic waves are used to interfere with their central nervous system, taste, and hearing to scare prospective pests off. There are four modes and colors that represent different functions for whatever your needs are. The sound can reach up to 1,600 square feet, so even if you’re in a more generously sized domicile than our NYC apartments, you’ll see results. 

Let’s get back to basics: Everyone should own a fly swatter, but it’s the 21st century and these days, they’re basically miniature electric fences. You never know when a fly or mosquito is gonna pop out to say hello—and that’s when you’ll say goodbye by electrocuting your tiny enemies with this top-rated, battery-powered swatter. Warning: It’s fun (and we’re not the only ones who think so—check the reviews.) 

We don’t want to go too deep on bed bugs, because they’re truly a terrible problem to have and you will need to contact an exterminator. You should really leave bed bugs to the professionals since they are nearly impossible to get rid of, but if you want to take matters into your own hands to try to speed up the process, this bed bug interceptor fits into a variety of furniture to capture those little demons with its slippery pitfall-designed trap that keeps them out of your bed while you await the executioner to come and spray everything down. It has a 4.3-star average rating from over 3,000 reviews on Amazon. “It’s so nice to be back in my bed and not have them crawling on me and biting me,” the top review reads. “I’m impressed with how well they work. They are a simple design concept but are exactly what’s needed. Bedbugs are tenacious little critters so it’s really nice to have another tool in my arsenal. I highly recommend these.”

Is it me, or do boomers love bug zappers? My dad swears by this one. It uses blue-violet light to attract flying and hopping insects, which are then immediately zapped on the spot once they fly in. It's best for a space of up to 1,500 square feet, indoor or outdoor,  and is designed to be used at night. Once it gets filled up don’t worry: You won’t have to touch a bed of bug carcasses, thanks to its integrated slidable tray and brush for easy cleaning.

Tell those bugs to buzz off. 

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