The best Insect killers, compared.
Top pick: Rentokil Insectrol, 250 ml – Highest score: a 250 ml crawling-insect aerosol at about £6.30, with 4.4 from 7,073 reviews, and no HSE number on the saved listing. Best value: Super Ninja fruit fly trap, 2 pack – About £9.99 for two fruit-fly bait bottles, 3.8 from 25,181 reviews. The seller says the trap is not for gnats. Updated October 2026.
An insect killer is what you buy when flies, mosquitoes, fruit flies or crawling insects are already indoors and the method has to match the insect. In a UK home that can be a plug-in ultraviolet grid with a high-voltage mesh and a tray, a surface aerosol for insects that walk, a liquid bait bottle beside fermenting food, or a sticky ribbon that only catches what lands. The suitable insect killer is the one aimed at your insect. You tell a fit by the mechanism, then by the plug and the label. Light-led flying insects point to a UV grid. Fruit flies on a bowl or a bin point to a bait at that source. Crawling insects point to a surface spray. A ribbon is a passive landing trap, not a room treatment. A lead should state a UK plug you can check against a BS 1363 socket. Coverage in square metres is the seller's maximum, and a spray should show an HSE number on the can. Sorting those types is set out in the [insect killer buying guide](/hub/pest-control/insect-killer/sub/insect-killer-buying-guide).
An insect killer is what you buy when flies, mosquitoes, fruit flies or crawling insects are already indoors and the method has to match the insect.
42 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you dealing with?
Across 7,073 amazon.co.uk reviews, the Rentokil Insectrol RKLPS136 is a 250 ml indoor aerosol at £6.30, with a star line of 4.4. The saved listing aims it at crawling insects, and review text names permethrin and d-allethrin, while no HSE number is printed on that page. Buyers describe tiny crawling bugs on kitchen counters and in cupboards, beetles near doorways, and German cockroach nymphs dying within about ten seconds of a direct spray. One household also reports mosquitoes and fruit flies killed, which is a review rather than the listing’s stated job, and another uses it in nooks as a preventative and still sees insects, only fewer of them. A residual effect is described as only slowing phorid flies when the source is outside the property. The item-weight field prints 99.8 g against 250 ml, and a repeat buyer says a later order arrived as a different size at a different price. In this set it is the top pick for a crawling-insect aerosol, and the wrong can if you came for a plug-in lamp.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have crawling insects indoors and want the aerosol this comparison scores as the top pick.
Less suitable: You want a UV grid for house flies or mosquitoes, or a fruit-fly bottle at the bin.
Specifications
Common questions
What insects does Insectrol name?
The listing is a 250 ml indoor aerosol aimed at crawling insects. It is not a UV fly killer.
Does the saved listing show an HSE number?
No HSE number appears in the saved listing. Read the statutory box on the can you receive.
Can you spray it into the air of a room?
Follow the label. Surface sprays are not room foggers. Keep fish tanks and food covered.
The TRIITECH pack is 30 sticky fly ribbons at £8.58, with 4.2 from 1,626 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the listing calls it glue only. Reviewers hang strips from the ceiling, report about nine or ten flies on one ribbon that still holds, and say three strips cleared a problem while more than a dozen were left in the box. They are small, extremely sticky, and described as an eyesore accepted in exchange for fewer flies in the room. One buyer places them near a light and notes that a fly which falls off is still coated and cannot fly off again. Another strip would not fully extend and stood upright on a bedside cabinet without catching the fly that was the reason for putting it there. A review that simply says the strips do not work sits in the same file, so the 4.2 is not unanimous. There is no UV lamp in the packet, so use it as a passive landing trap, not as a fruit-fly plan and not as a room-wide treatment.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Occasional house flies that already land, when you do not want a plug-in grid.
Less suitable: Fruit flies at a fermenting source, or a room you expect a lamp to clear on its own.
Specifications
Common questions
How does a sticky ribbon work?
It is a passive glue strip. Flies land on it. It does not attract like UV light and it is not a room-wide treatment.
Will it clear a kitchen infestation alone?
Usually not. Pair ribbons with removing the source or use a bait bottle for fruit flies at the bowl or bin.
Is there electricity involved?
No. The pack is glue strips only.
The Insect-O-Cutor PlusZap PZ3-30AL is £77.99, with 4.2 from 49 amazon.co.uk reviews, a 30 W indoor unit with pre-installed UV lamps, an aluminium grid, and a removable tray, listed under Pelsis Ltd. Grid voltage and coverage are blank on the saved amazon.co.uk fields, and a UK plug is not clearly printed, so another retailer’s price or an up to 80 m² line does not belong on this row. Reviewers say it is easy to clean and light on electricity, and one household near a dairy farm uses one in a conservatory that fills with flies in summer and another in a garage. The attraction limit is in the reviews as well: it kills insects that go in, and the light may not pull them in daylight or in a lit room. A reviewer calls the zap quiet. At 2.1 kg it is the heaviest unit here, and the dimension field prints 18 × 12 × 8 cm, which you should check against the live photos before you treat that as the size of the lamp. It is the branded 30 W indoor option in this set, not the top pick and not the best value.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a named 30 W indoor Insect-O-Cutor and you will confirm the plug on the live page.
Less suitable: A budget domestic zapper, a fruit-fly problem, or anyone importing another shop’s coverage figure onto this ASIN.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
A UK plug is not clearly stated in the saved listing. Check the pins on the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a removable tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
This second Hefite grid is £19.99, with 4.2 from 14 amazon.co.uk reviews, an 1800 V grid, a UK plug in the title, and wall-mount hooks. UV wattage is not printed. The title also says safe and silent, while a review says the unit makes a noise when a fly touches the grid, can make you jump, and comes with a long cable. Another short review says it caught a load overnight and that the body is not large. Fourteen reviews cannot carry a 4.2 the way 7,073 reviews carry the Rentokil star line, which is why the weighted score sits lower despite the stars. Indoor and outdoor both appear in the title, and no IP rating is saved. It is the cheapest grid in the set if the live page still shows a UK plug, and a thin set of reviews if you are choosing on evidence rather than on the voltage printed in the title.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A low-priced wall grid where the title already says UK plug, and you accept a very small reviews.
Less suitable: Anyone comparing products on review volume, or a job that needs a stated UV wattage.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
Yes. The title states a UK plug. Still check the pins against a BS 1363 socket on the live amazon.co.uk page.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
The AMUFER grid is £28.99, with 4.0 from 1,943 amazon.co.uk reviews, an 18 W UV lamp, and a 4200 V grid printed on the title. The seller claims 150 m² and 80 m³, plus IPX4, and a removable tray. The saved listing does not clearly state a UK plug, so the pins are a check on the live page before you pay. Reviewers describe a crack when a mosquito hits, overnight running, and five small flies within seconds of switching on. The insect limit repeats: one review calls it useful for mosquitoes and moths and useless for house flies, and another says it does not attract flies as well as hoped even when it kills the ones that arrive. A plastic smell after a long run is mentioned, with the reviewer guessing the unit was still new. Coverage and waterproofing are seller claims, not a test on this page. It is the grid with the largest reviews here, and still the wrong first buy for fruit flies or for a socket whose pins you have not seen.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Evening mosquitoes or moths, once you have confirmed a BS 1363 plug on the live amazon.co.uk page.
Less suitable: House flies as the main problem, fruit flies at the bowl, or a grid hung over food.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
A UK plug is not clearly stated in the saved listing. Check the pins on the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a removable tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
The Hefite UK-HJ-MWD20W is £25.99, with 4.0 from 107 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the title states a UK plug, 20 W, 3500 V, and a 1.8 m cable for kitchen or bedroom use. That kitchen word is a listing sentence, not permission to hang the grid over a worktop. Reviewers put it near wet cat food and in a flat with flies of several sizes, and they mention a loud zap compared with older units they have owned. The limit is whether the insect stays dead: more than one review says flies were zapped and then flew off, including a note that fruit flies survived. Another unit stopped after a year and 14 days, and a faulty return was followed by a higher price on the replacement order. There is no coverage figure in the saved fields, and the tray is described as a removable bottom tray. It is the plug-in grid here whose title states both a UK plug and a cable length, with a stun-and-escape complaint you should read before you leave it on overnight.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Light-led flies or mosquitoes indoors, on a socket within 1.8 m, sited away from open food.
Less suitable: Fruit flies as the only problem, or a bedroom where a loud zap will wake you.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
Yes. The title states a UK plug. Still check the pins against a BS 1363 socket on the live amazon.co.uk page.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a removable bottom tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
The Sereniton Huer-20W is £26.99, with 3.9 from 445 amazon.co.uk reviews, a 3500 V grid, 20 W UV stated in the 365–395 nm range, and a seller coverage line of up to 160 m². The bullets describe a removable washable tray, a metal chain for hanging, and a fine-mesh guard around the grid. A UK plug is not in the title. Reviewers who bought it after food-waste collections brought flies indoors say the UV draws insects and the unit only clicks on a hit. The failure pattern in the reviews is electrical: a lamp that stopped clicking, a socket fault found by swapping the tubes, and a second unit returned after clicking noise within about a month, in one case after the return window. The seller notes that bulbs can shift in shipping and says to rotate them firmly into place. The 160 m² figure is a seller maximum, not a measurement for a unit stood against a wall. Buy it when that tray and guard are the details you wanted, and you will still check the pins yourself.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Indoor flying insects where a described tray and guard matter, and you will check the plug on the live page.
Less suitable: A fruit-fly problem at the bin, or a socket you cannot confirm as BS 1363.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
A UK plug is not clearly stated in the saved listing. Check the pins on the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a removable washable tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
Across 25,181 amazon.co.uk reviews, the Super Ninja two-pack is £9.99 with 3.8 stars, and the pair is listed at 60 g and 33 × 28 × 53 mm. The seller targets fruit flies and says the trap is not for gnats. Reviewers who already use apple-cider vinegar and washing-up liquid say these caught flies that had started ignoring the homemade pot, though several report little to see until the liquid is shaken after a couple of days. A vinegary smell is mentioned on opening, the bottles are smaller than buyers expected, and one parcel arrived with a bottle empty and the contents over the rest of the order. The stick-on pad is a separate fault: one review says it fell off and spread bait that attracted flies without trapping them. The listing prints GB-2026-1354, which these checks did not confirm on the pesticides register. It is the best value here when the insect is a fruit fly at a fermenting source, and a poor buy for house flies, gnats, or mosquitoes.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Fruit flies around a bowl, caddy, or bin, and you want the cheaper of the two Super Ninja packs.
Less suitable: Gnats, house flies, mosquitoes, or crawling insects on the skirting.
Specifications
Common questions
Which flies is the bait for?
The Super Ninja listings target fruit flies and say the trap is not for gnats. Place it at the fermenting source, not as a ceiling ribbon.
Is there an authorisation number on the listing?
The saved listing prints GB-2026-1354. Quote only what your bottle shows. This research did not confirm that number on a pesticides register.
Does it need mains power?
No. It is a small liquid bait bottle. It does not have a mains lead.
The Super Ninja four-pack is the same liquid bait at £15.99, with 3.8 from 19,611 amazon.co.uk reviews and a listed weight of 120 g. One UK review on a warm September afternoon counted seven flies by a waste caddy and four by the fruit bowl within a few hours, with most of the fruit already in the fridge. Other buyers say flies sat on the neck at first and were in the liquid the next day, and that wiping the yellow funnel is the step the instructions ask for before the first use. The bottles are described as tiny, and one repeat buyer found them less effective in a new flat than in the previous one. Smell reports split between no noticeable liquid and the vinegar note on the two-pack reviews, so treat scent as mixed. GB-2026-1354 is printed and was not confirmed on a register in these checks. Buy four bottles when you already know more than one spot is affected. It is not a second best-value award, and it still will not replace a grid or a crawling-insect spray.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know you need bait in more than one spot, such as a kitchen and a living room.
Less suitable: A first try when two bottles would cover the bowl and the bin.
Specifications
Common questions
Which flies is the bait for?
The Super Ninja listings target fruit flies and say the trap is not for gnats. Place it at the fermenting source, not as a ceiling ribbon.
Is there an authorisation number on the listing?
The saved listing prints GB-2026-1354. Quote only what your bottle shows. This research did not confirm that number on a pesticides register.
Does it need mains power?
No. It is a small liquid bait bottle. It does not have a mains lead.
The Tmlaibs unit is £29.99, with 3.6 from 41 amazon.co.uk reviews, and the title states a UK plug, 20 W, and 3500 V, with indoor and outdoor in the same line. No weather rating is saved, so the outdoor word is not an IP claim you can quote. Praise in this thin set of reviews includes little flies in the tray by morning, and house flies as well as smaller ones, from buyers who had already tried a USB charger and preferred mains. The complaints are sharper than a 3.6 average suggests. One buyer ran it for 36 hours and caught a single moth, another says it killed no flies, one unit started a noise the owner would not switch on again, and one lasted three days before a bulb sparked and blew the electrics, after which Amazon refunded the order. Forty-one reviews is a small sample next to AMUFER’s 1,943. At £29.99 it is one of the dearer domestic grids here without a coverage figure to set beside that price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You specifically want “UK plug” in the title and you will read the short failure notes before you pay £29.99.
Less suitable: A first grid if you want a larger review sample, or outdoor use you cannot verify from this listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
Yes. The title states a UK plug. Still check the pins against a BS 1363 socket on the live amazon.co.uk page.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a collection tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
The Glückluz 20 W grid is £19.99, with 3.5 from 24 amazon.co.uk reviews, 3800 V printed, and a claimed 50 m². The power field on the saved listing is mains, and one bullet also mentions rechargeable, so the page contradicts itself and this comparison does not decide which line is right. A UK plug is not clearly printed. Praise is short: one household keeps a unit in the kitchen in summer, and another says the flies were gone after a couple of hours. Buyers report no catch at all, four flies in three days that landed on every surface except the lamp, and mosquitoes that flew past without being drawn in. Twenty-four reviews at 3.5 is a weak sample beside grids with hundreds of ratings, and the 50 m² line is a seller claim, so treat this as a cheap 20 W listing with a power contradiction rather than a proven kitchen lamp.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have already checked the live page for the plug and for whether the unit is mains or rechargeable.
Less suitable: A first buy chosen on review evidence, or fruit flies at the bowl.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
A UK plug is not clearly stated in the saved listing. Check the pins on the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
The Yangor grid is £23.99, with 3.1 from 44 amazon.co.uk reviews, the lowest star line in this set, 3800 V printed, and no UV wattage printed. Coverage is a seller line of up to 30 metres, which is a length rather than a floor area, and a UK plug is not in the saved listing. Some reviewers say it helped with flies, including horse flies near estate bins, and that a short lead was the main annoyance while it worked. The failure cluster is why the weighted score sits at the bottom: tubes dead after about three weeks, one light bar dead after two days, a unit that flickered while flies flew straight past, and one that tripped the electricity. The zap is described as fairly loud. Dual UV LED tubes are named in the title, with no wattage to set beside the 18 W and 20 W rows. It is a listing to read for what went wrong, not a default indoor lamp.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Only after you have read the tube-failure reviews and you still want this voltage on a lead you have checked.
Less suitable: A household that wants a stated wattage, a UK plug in the title, or a quiet unit.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this listing state a UK plug?
A UK plug is not clearly stated in the saved listing. Check the pins on the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay.
How do you empty it?
The listing describes a tray. Unplug before you touch the tray.
Is it a biocide spray?
No. HSE treats a UV grid as physical control when it works without a chemical active. This is not an aerosol insecticide.
Twelve amazon.co.uk listings are scored from stars, the size of the review sample, how well the listing fits the insect and the room, and value. Weights are 35, 28, 23 and 14. UV grids are treated as physical control, not as HSE biocides. There is no laboratory kill test. Coverage in square metres is a seller claim. The top pick is the highest score. Best value is the fruit-fly bait the score method marks for value, not the cheapest ribbon.
Stars
35%amazon.co.uk stars on the saved listing. A higher star line scores higher. Stars do not count as a laboratory kill rate.
Review sample
28%The review count on that same amazon.co.uk line. A large count ranks above a high star line from a handful of ratings.
Listing fit
23%Whether the mechanism matches a flying insect, a fruit fly or a crawling insect, and whether a mains unit states a UK plug, a tray and a guard you can check.
Value
14%Shelf price against what the listing actually is. The best value is the fruit-fly bait marked by this method, not the lowest price of any type.
Start with the insect, then the mechanism, then the plug or the label. A UV grid is for light-led flying insects. A bait bottle is for fruit flies at a fermenting source. A surface spray is for crawling insects. A ribbon only catches what lands. Shelf prices here run from about £6.30 to about £77.99. The top pick is the crawling-insect aerosol. The best value is the two-pack fruit-fly bait. Nothing on this page is a laboratory kill test.
An insect killer on a UK shelf is not one object. It is a way of dealing with an insect you have already named. A plug-in ultraviolet grid uses a lamp and a high-voltage mesh, then a tray you empty. A surface aerosol is for insects that walk. A liquid bait bottle sits at fermenting food and is aimed at fruit flies, not at gnats. A sticky ribbon is glue: it catches what lands and it does not draw insects across a room. None of those is a substitute for the others.
A UV grid is for insects that come to light. It is a weak first buy for fruit flies on a bowl, and it does not remove an odour or the food they are breeding on. Match the mechanism before you compare voltages.
Square metres and an 'up to 30 metres' line are seller maxima. A trade rule of thumb is that a unit against a wall covers less than the same unit in the middle of the room. This page did not measure any of those claims.
Unplug before you empty a tray. Do not open the case. A surface aerosol is not a room fogger. Keep it off fish tanks and uncovered food, and read the statutory box on the can rather than a number from a different pack.
Name the insect and the room before you compare voltages. Light-led flying insects point to an ultraviolet grid. Fruit flies on fermenting food point to a bait bottle at the bowl, the caddy or the bin, and the seller line on the bait in this set says it will not work for gnats. Crawling insects point to a surface spray. A sticky ribbon is a passive landing trap, not a room treatment.
For a mains insect killer, the plug is the first hardware check. Prefer a listing that says UK plug, then look at the pins against a BS 1363 socket. Regulation 35 of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 is the rule: a standard plug, or a properly converted non-UK plug with a BS 1362 fuse. UK mains are 230 V. If the saved listing does not state a plug, check the live amazon.co.uk page before you pay. A bait bottle and a glue ribbon do not need one.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You can unplug a tray and you can live with a zap. Look for an 18–20 W grid whose title states a UK plug, and judge it on the reviews rather than on the highest voltage. Hefite UV grid, 20 W, is about £25.99, with 4.0 from 107 amazon.co.uk reviews, a UK plug in the title, 3500 V and a 1.8 m cable. Reviews say some flies are only stunned and then fly off, and that the zap is loud. Skip it if the insect is a fruit fly at the bin.
The insect is on fermenting food, a caddy or a bin. The Super Ninja fruit fly trap, 2 pack, is about £9.99, with 3.8 from 25,181 amazon.co.uk reviews. The seller says it is for fruit flies and not for gnats. Reviewers report a slow catch, bottles smaller than expected, and a stick-on pad that can fall and spill bait. It is a poor buy for house flies or mosquitoes.
You do not want a plug-in grid, and the flies already land. TRIITECH sticky ribbons, 30, are about £8.58, with 4.2 from 1,626 amazon.co.uk reviews. They are glue only. Reviewers call them extremely sticky and an eyesore, and at least one review says they did not work. A food business that needs records should not hang a shattering grid over a worktop. A ribbon is not that record either.
The top pick is Rentokil Insectrol, 250 ml, at about £6.30. It is the highest score: an indoor aerosol aimed at crawling insects, with 4.4 from 7,073 amazon.co.uk reviews. The saved listing does not print an HSE number, the weight field shows 99.8 g against 250 ml, and it is the wrong can if you wanted a plug-in lamp. The best value is the Super Ninja fruit fly trap, 2 pack, at about £9.99, with 3.8 from 25,181 reviews. The seller targets fruit flies and says the trap is not for gnats. GB-2026-1354 is printed on the listing and was not confirmed on a pesticides register in these checks. None of these scores is a laboratory kill test.
Rentokil Insectrol, 250 ml
Highest score: a 250 ml crawling-insect aerosol at about £6.30, with 4.4 from 7,073 reviews, and no HSE number on the saved listing.
Super Ninja fruit fly trap, 2 pack
About £9.99 for two fruit-fly bait bottles, 3.8 from 25,181 reviews. The seller says the trap is not for gnats.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures captured for these twelve listings. Last checked 20 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines captured for these twelve products. We did not run a laboratory kill test.
