It only takes one horse fly bite to convince you that they are problematic. We heard a guy broke his finger and got bitten on the same day, but could not decide which hurt more! Well, this Bite-Lite H-Trap review will help you make a decision and possibly convince you that it is the best horse fly catcher on the market.
We’ve all experienced the scourge of pests in some fashion or another. Horseflies take being the job of being a pest a step further by terrorizing every person or animal within their radius.
Luckily, several types of controls exist to help prevent horseflies from biting. The Bite-Lite® H-trap is a professional horse fly trap and control system capable of protecting loved ones and your four-legged friends.
Here we review our experience with The Bite-Lite® H-trap to ensure you have all the information to make an informed decision.
How the Bite-Lite H-Trap Works
The giant black ball protruding from the bottom of the trap heats up in the sun. The female horse flies register the heat signature as a living animal and land on the ball. After failing to extract food from the ball, flies take off vertically. The mesh, cone shaped netting guides the flies upwards into a collection bin where they are trapped.
The Bite-Lite® H-trap is used to capture female tabanid flies. Males do not bite. Tabanid flies consist of Horse flies, Deer flies, and yellow flies.
These kinds of flies are of major veterinary and medical importance as they can transmit various pathogens to their hosts through biting.
However, The Bite-Lite® H-trap does not capture other types of biting flies, such as the horn and stable fly. It is important to make sure the pest flies around your area are tabanid flies and not flies from the Muscidae family (Horn and Stable flies.)
What’s in the Box
The Bite-lite.® H-trap contains 17 parts, but overall assembly is pretty fast and straightforward. The major components are a hand pump, a wrench, a ball plug and a ball plug clip. The trap design is made to avoid using chemicals and electricity as a means to kill flies. Instead, it uses the Tabanid flies’ natural hunting technique against them. Get more info on this here.
Specs
| Trap weight | 30 lbs |
| Height & width | 6.4’ tall by 3.9’ wide |
| Water-resistant? | Yes |
| Warranty? | 2 years |
| Trap per acre | 1 trap per 2.5 acres |
| Commercial use? | Yes |
| Residential use? | Yes |
Installation
As stated above, The Bite-lite.® H-trap contains 17 parts, but the overall assembly is pretty fast and straightforward. Perhaps the most difficult part when it comes to installation is the selecting the right area. It is important to place the trap where it will effectively trap the right kinds of flies, in direct sunlight, and an area free of debris or disturbance from animals or people.
Is the Bite-Lite H-Trap Worth the Cost?
The Bite-Lite® H-trap can be a little pricey compared to general fly traps. It is important to remember that common fly traps and sticky paper do not work on biting horse flies.
A single H trap will cost about $350 after shipping. However, the quality of the trap sets it apart from other common horse fly traps.
Most importantly, it catches more horse flies under the same conditions as other popular traps.
The Bite-Lite® H-trap is very sturdy and made of high-quality materials. Other horse-fly traps, such as the Horse Pal, are cheaper, but do not catch as many flies, according to the study by Kline et al conducted in 2017 (more on this below).
The major difference between The Bite-Lite® H-trap and other market or DIY horse-fly traps is the quality of materials and construction. The H Trap rests on a swiveling mount and is fabricated from quality materials.
So, is the H-trap the right trap for you?
If you’re someone looking to just get rid of common, non-biting flies near your home, there are alternate solutions out there for you. We covered some in our review of horse fly traps.
However, if you own livestock or have issue with horse flies, the Bite-Lite® H-trap is simply the best option.
Bite Lite H Trap Compared to Horse Pal & Nzi Traps
The Horse Fly Trap Study
An interesting study was conducted by Kline, et al. (2017), where 3 types of horse fly traps were compared. The 3 traps were:
- The Horse Pal
- The Bite Lite H-trap
- Nzi trap
The designs of the horse pal and H-trap are similar in the sense that it follows the basic structure of what is called a “Manitoba/Manning trap”.
The study concluded that The Bite-Lite® H-trap caught the most specimens and the greatest amount of species overall.
The Bite-Lite® H-trap was easier to service and work with when compared to the other two. On top of that, The Bite-Lite® H-trap was the only trap that did not get blown over during storms and was able to withstand 30+ mph winds while the others could not.
The study was conducted to determine which traps caught the most specimens and the most different kinds of species. Within the realm of Tabanid species, The Bite-Lite® H-trap caught the most.
The Nzi trap caught other species of flies and some rare species of Tabanid spp. For our purposes, which is to capture nuisance Tabanid flies and stop them from biting us or livestock, The Bite-Lite® H-trap would be the most effective.
Pros and Cons of The Bite-Lite® H-trap
Pros
- Heavy-duty
- Effective for Tabanid species
- Easy to assemble and maintain
- Large effective area
- Doesn’t use chemicals or electricity
- Warranty
Cons
- Price
- Needs proper placement and sunlight to be effective
Alternative Horse Fly Traps
Horse Pal
The Horse Pal is designed with the same trapping concept as The Bite-Lite® H-trap. If you recall “the study” section of this article, the Horse Pal and Bite-Lite® H-trap were compared side-by-side and The Bite-Lite® H-trap collected more Tabanids.
But the Horse Pal is cheaper and involves much of the same concepts.
Hofman Dew LOER Trap
Hofman Dew trap works in a similar fashion as the Bite Lite H-trap. The price is slightly higher for the LOER model at $385.31. Shipping time is between 1-8 working days.
Homemade Horse Fly Traps DIY
Yes, it is possible to create your own horse fly traps if you have patience and are a DIY kind of person. The easiest method is to build a manning style trap using wood. A black bug ball can be purchased for under $20 and used as a lure.
Be prepared to spend several days constructing the trap and making tweaks as necessary. The wood may not weather multiple seasons gracefully, so make sure to purchase treated lumber.
Conclusion
If you’re reading this article, you likely have a horse fly problem. Catching them and preventing females from breeding is a great way to reduce them down over time.
The Bite Lite trap accounts for the details and is built to last for many years.
Not only do the reviews online indicate others solved their biting fly problem with this trap, we’ve interviewed homeowners out in the country who swear by it.
So, don’t wait until one of those big suckers gets another bite.
Article Reviewed By:
Dakota holds a Masters of Science in biology/biological sciences, with an emphasis on entomology and parasitology. An accomplished researcher and writer, Dakota has completed numerous research papers and published peer-reviewed literature. Notable accomplishments include the study and documentation of new structures not previously known to be fluorescent in Ixodida (ticks).
Last update on 2024-04-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API