Fly spray or bug strips swap to Window fly traps

Why make the swap

• Why switch to window fly traps

  Sticky traps catch flies on glue, so there’s no insecticide vapor in the air you breathe.

• What's the concern with fly spray or bug strips

  Fly sprays are insecticides, often pyrethrins, and breathing them in can irritate the nose and airways, the National Pesticide Information Center says. Bug strips slowly release dichlorvos (DDVP), an organophosphate insecticide; EPA rates its cancer potential as ‘suggestive’ and limits even small strips to closets, wardrobes and cupboards.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Stick traps on sunny window panes where flies gather, and swap them out once they fill up. These catch house flies, not fruit flies.

• Sources (4)

  1. EPA: large strips not for homes except garages, attics, crawl spaces, sheds used <4 h/day; cancer potential 'suggestive' (opens in a new tab)
  2. EPA: small strips limited to closets, wardrobes and cupboards, and not in closets of rooms where infants, children, the sick or aged stay (opens in a new tab)
  3. ATSDR (CDC): dichlorvos mainly affects the nervous system (opens in a new tab)
  4. NPIC: pyrethrins are common in fly sprays and foggers; breathing them in can irritate the airways (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.