Catchmaster Crawling Pest & Insect Glue Traps 12-Count (3 Packs of 4), Insect Traps Indoor for Home, Pest Control Glue Boards, Adhesive Tray for Bugs, Spiders, Crickets, Roaches, & Ants

Why I tried these glue traps

I keep a few pest tools in rotation at home, and glue boards are one of my go-tos for monitoring and knocking down crawling insects without chemicals. I tested the Catchmaster glue boards (model 724) in a typical apartment setting—kitchen, bath, laundry closet, and utility corners—where spiders, roaches, and crickets like to cruise along baseboards and under appliances. I was after something simple, low profile, and safe around sensitive areas like the pantry and the HVAC closet. These traps checked those boxes.

Setup and first impressions

Out of the box, each board is ready to use—no bait or assembly needed beyond peeling the release paper. The footprint is compact, which makes them easy to tuck under the fridge lip, beside the dishwasher kickplate, and behind the toilet. That smaller size also helps keep them out of sight; you can run several in a single room without it looking like a pest control exhibit.

The adhesive is very tacky. You’ll want to handle the perimeter only and avoid setting them on loose fibers or dusty floors. I noticed a faint, slightly sweet scent from the glue—not perfumey, more like the smell you get from some adhesive products. In practice, it didn’t linger and wasn’t noticeable a few feet away.

One tip that’s worked for me: I “stage” a trap in the target spot with the paper still on for a day, then peel and deploy. It sounds fussy, but letting pests get used to a new object along their route can improve early catches.

Placement matters more than you think

Glue boards live or die by placement. These worked best:

• Flush against baseboards, not in the middle of a pathway
• Parallel to walls so insects naturally walk onto the adhesive
• At transitions (door thresholds into kitchens, under sink cabinets, beside the dishwasher and range)
• Near moisture and heat sources (behind a refrigerator or water heater closet)
• On both sides of utility penetrations (pipes and cable cutouts)

I set two boards on either side of the dishwasher and one behind the refrigerator, plus one each under the bathroom vanity and next to the laundry machine. In low-traffic rooms, a single trap per wall can be enough for monitoring; in hot spots, I prefer two or three.

Performance and what got caught

Within the first evening, I had the usual suspects: a couple of house spiders and a field cricket in the kitchen. Over a few days, small roaches found the boards near the dishwasher and under-sink area. That’s exactly how I like to use glue traps—as both control and a diagnostic tool. The captures tell you where to tighten up sanitation, caulk gaps, or consider pairing with targeted baits.

A key point: these are insect-focused traps. They’re not the right choice for mice or larger rodents, despite what some general glue board marketing sometimes implies. If rodent control is your aim, use purpose-built rodent boards or, better yet, enclosed snap traps—these smaller boards aren’t designed for that job.

Because the adhesive is aggressive, non-target captures can happen if you place them in the open. I recommend sliding them under kickplates or partially under appliances to reduce risk to beneficial arthropods or curious pets. If anything unintended contacts a trap, cooking oil works to release the adhesive from skin or surfaces.

Longevity, maintenance, and cost of ownership

The manufacturer states the boards can remain effective for up to a year in normal conditions. That’s technically plausible if the surface stays clean, but in real homes dust, pet hair, and lint will reduce performance long before that. In my testing, traps in clean, sheltered spots (e.g., under a fridge) were still viable after a couple of months; traps near entry doors collected dust quickly and needed replacing within four to six weeks.

My rule of thumb:
- Rotate or replace every 4–8 weeks in active or dusty areas
- Replace immediately when a trap is full or the adhesive surface is visibly dulled
- Store unused boards flat in a cool, dry cabinet inside a sealed bag to preserve tack

With 12 traps in the pack, you can blanket a small apartment or focus on a few hot zones and keep a reserve for rotation. The per-trap cost is low enough that replacing them on a practical schedule doesn’t sting.

Build and usability details

• Size and profile: Compact and easy to hide; the trade-off is a smaller capture area. In wide hallways or commercial spaces, you may want two side-by-side.
• Adhesive: Very sticky. It does the job but can be messy if mishandled. Keep the release paper to help with clean disposal.
• Scent: Nearly neutral in use; a faint sweet note up close when first opened.
• Durability: The boards stay flat and don’t curl. The glue doesn’t run under normal indoor temperatures.

Where they fit in an IPM plan

As part of integrated pest management (IPM), these boards are excellent for:
- Monitoring: Establishing which rooms and routes are active before committing to baits or insecticides
- Targeted suppression: Knocking down spider and roach activity around appliances and sinks
- Post-treatment verification: Confirming that other control measures worked

Pair them with housekeeping (vacuuming crumbs, wiping grease around the range), sealing gaps at baseboard/pipe penetrations, and using gel baits in hidden crevices for roaches if activity remains. For landlords or occupants avoiding sprays, these traps offer a low-risk baseline that often makes a noticeable difference on its own.

Limitations and cautions

• Non-target risk: Open glue surfaces will catch anything that walks across them, including beneficial insects or small reptiles. Keep them tucked away. If you have pets or kids, place traps behind barriers or under appliances, or cover them with a simple arch of cardboard taped at the sides to limit access while keeping the entrance low for insects.
• Not for rodents: Use rodent-specific solutions if you need to control mice or rats.
• Small format: Great for tight spots, less ideal as stand-alone control in large, open rooms unless you deploy multiple boards.
• Dust sensitivity: Performance drops in dusty or high-traffic floor areas; elevate slightly on a thin shim at baseboards or replace more frequently.

Practical tips for best results

• Stage first, deploy next: Set the covered board in place for a day, then peel and activate.
• Go edge-to-edge: Place traps flush with walls and cabinets; insects rarely cut across open floors.
• Double up near appliances: Two traps, one on each side of an appliance, outperform a single center placement.
• Label and date: A quick marker note helps you track age and hot spots room by room.
• Dispose cleanly: Fold the board over onto itself using the release paper you saved, then bag and bin.

Verdict

The Catchmaster glue boards are a solid, no-fuss option for indoor crawling insect control and monitoring. They shine in tight, high-value placements—under appliances, beside dishwashers, and in bathroom and laundry nooks—where their compact size and strong adhesive quickly make a dent in spider and roach activity. They’re easy to hide, nearly odorless in use, and integrate well into a chemical-free or low-chemical plan.

They’re not a silver bullet for heavy infestations and they’re not a rodent tool. Dust and pet hair will shorten their effective life, and like all glue traps they require thoughtful placement to avoid non-target captures. But if you use them as intended—along edges, in sheltered corridors, and as part of a broader IPM approach—they deliver reliable results at a fair per-trap cost.

Recommendation: I recommend these traps for homeowners and renters who want a pesticide-free, low-profile way to monitor and reduce crawling insects indoors. They’re especially effective around kitchens and baths, and they help identify problem sources so you can address root causes. If you need rodent control or a single product to solve a severe infestation, look elsewhere; for everyday monitoring and targeted knockdown of spiders, roaches, and crickets, these are a dependable, budget-friendly choice.