Why Swat When You Can Shock?

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This black flag bug zapper shocks instead of swats - the racket for review

I hate flies!

I’m sorry, but I just do. There’s nothing more annoying than a fly buzzing around that keeps coming back. I also think they are dirty. I hate seeing them land on the edge of my cup of water, and I hate watching them walk on the counter or on my food. I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about them.

Adding to this, fly swatters are so gross! Once you finally get the fly, you’ve usually made a mess on a window or counter. YUCK! Then, you have to clean up the dead fly. I get a gag reflex just thinking of doing that!

This black flag bug zapper shocks instead of swats - the racket for review with batteries and lit up

That said, I decided to try the Black Flag Handheld Bug Zapper – best decision ever! It arrived, then I just popped two AA batteries in it, and it was ready to go. To activate the zapper, just press the button on the side and the light goes on – that means it’s ready.

This black flag bug zapper shocks instead of swats - the racket with a zapped fly

It took some getting used to, as I thought you could just run around swatting ‘old school’. However, I have found the best way is to wait until the fly lands and just lay the racket over it.  It can’t take off without going into the net and then ZAP!

A word of caution…

The fly will come back to life! You can’t just zap it and be done. For some reason, it just shocks it and the fly falls dormant for a few minutes.  Since I want the fly dead I just make sure I keep it in the racket (or sweep it on from where it fell) and then push the zapper. The fly stays on and fries. Then I carry it to the trash or outside and drop it off.

This black flag bug zapper shocks instead of swats - the racket for review with a dead fly closeup

I’ve heard of people taking these zappers on hikes and on camping trips to help with mosquitoes, too. I personally just use it at home on those pesky flies.

This black flag bug zapper shocks instead of swats - the hanger on the racket for review

Bonus: It has a ring on the end, so I can easily hang it where my old fly swatter hung.

Here’s what sidekick Jamie has to say about the Black Flag handheld bug zapper:

We love these electric fly zappers! Just a tip: Don’t SWAT the bug with the zapper as the zapper will break (we’ve had that happen before). Just gently place the zapper over the bug and press the button. This works great on wasps that make it into the house, too. 

And no, Black Flag is not paying us for this review. I just had to share my LOVE for this bug zapper! 

How do YOU get rid of pesky pests?

Let us know in the comments below!


Get rid of bugs with these easy gnat and fruit fly tips from Hip2BeHome!

Join The Discussion

Comments 22

  1. Jen

    Have you tried the salt gun? Great for flies!!!

    • Jennifer (Hip Sidekick)

      I’ve never heard of the salt gun! I’ll have to look it up! Thanks, Jen!

      • Heather

        Bug-a-salt, my son won one at a silent auction then after using it we all got one to have at the house you can even buy laser lights for them so you know you are on target for your bug and only uses table salt. https://www.bugasalt.com/

  2. Cindy

    These are great! We have several in our home. We live in Florida and the critters are abundant around here. They work on moths, flys, mosquitos, even no-see-ums – basically any small flying insect. We have tried them on Palmetto bugs, with varied success. I don’t recommend young kiddos (under 13?) use this, as they give off quite the shock, which hurts. These are not indestructible, but with care will last quite awhile.

  3. Ksantos128

    My kids love this! They have a competition to see how many flies they can get

  4. Denise

    This gives me much satisfaction

    • Jennifer (Hip Sidekick)

      LOL

  5. Beth P

    Does this work on unwanted guest? Lol jk

    • Mary

      LOL 🙂

    • Amy

      It sure does! Just make sure you have spare batteries handy as it may take a few zaps to get your message across.

  6. Kathleen

    Will it work on bees in the house?

    • Denise

      Yes works great on bees just make sure your charged well or it may take more than one zap to kill. Don’t worry the first zap usually immobilizes them

      • Denise

        When the bee or insects gives off smoke and burning flesh smell you know it’s cooked

    • Amanda

      Please don’t kill bees!

      • uscmanrob

        Wasps, yellow jackets and carpenter bees are not welcome. Honey bees are fine.

  7. justme

    I just got one at harbor freight this weekend with my coupon paid $3 !!! We used it last night around the pool and it helped immensely! Love it! Just had to keep reminding my husband not to swat it down as it will break.

    • pat

      We paid $1.99 for ours at Harbor Freight a few months ago – we bought several at that price so we literally have one in every room. They work really well and I would never go back to a traditional fly swatter – why splatter bug guts onto your counter when you can zap them in mid air, right?

  8. Heather

    Bug-a-salt, my son won one at a silent auction then after using it we all got one to have at the house you can even buy laser lights for them so you know you are on target for your bug and only uses table salt. https://www.bugasalt.com/

  9. sara

    Works on spiders too

  10. april

    What is the best method to clear out pests if you’re having a backyard get together?

  11. Amy

    Oh people don’t want to practice the old fashioned skills? Batteries? I’ll stick with the old way that way if my batteries die and I don’t have replacements I’ll still know how to get them. Lol

  12. Amanda

    LOL – glad someone else shares my love of the bug zapper! 🙂

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