Catchmaster Spider & Insect Glue Traps 30-Pk (10 Sheets), Adhesive Cockroach Killer Glue Boards, Cricket Sticky Traps, Indoor Roach & Bug Catcher for Home, Garage & Shed, Pet Safe Pest Control

Why I Tried These Traps

A couple of late-night skitters across the kitchen floor were enough to kick off a simple experiment: could a low-tech glue board quietly clean up the occasional roach, spider, and cricket traffic in my home without sprays or plug-ins? I put the Catchmaster glue traps to work in the kitchen, garage entry, basement utility room, and under a bathroom vanity—places where I’ve seen activity or know pests like to travel.

These are pre-scented, ready-to-use glue boards that can be laid flat or folded into a tunnel. The pack I used includes 10 perforated sheets that separate into 30 individual traps. That amount makes it easy to blanket a few rooms and still have spares for rotation.

Setup and Design

Setup is straightforward, but you do need to pay attention:

• Separate a sheet into three traps along the perforations.
• Fold on the scored lines to create either a low-profile tent or a full tunnel.
• Peel the waxed paper to expose the adhesive only when you’re ready to place them.

The adhesive is a central strip rather than edge-to-edge coverage. Initially, I was skeptical about the narrower glue lane, but in practice it wasn’t an issue. Crawlers tend to hug edges and seams; with a properly placed trap (flush against a baseboard or threshold), the adhesive sits right in their path.

The tunnel configuration is more useful than it looks. In dusty areas—garages, basements, under workbenches—the tunnel keeps airborne grit off the glue, which keeps the trap viable longer. It also provides a dark, sheltered opening that bugs feel comfortable entering. I used the tunnel almost everywhere except under the fridge, where a flat profile slid in more easily.

No added bait is required. The boards are pre-scented, but I noticed no odor. There’s no poison on the adhesive, which is a plus for homes with pets and kids. “Pet safe” here means no toxins—not that a curious cat should step on one—so placement matters.

Placement Strategy and Performance

Glue boards succeed or fail based on placement. Here’s what worked best for me:

• Against baseboards where there’s a clear runway, especially near door thresholds.
• Under appliances (fridge, dishwasher) and behind the range.
• Inside the sink cabinet and vanity, close to plumbing penetrations.
• Along the garage-to-house entry and near the water heater.
• Behind the trash and recycling bins.

One helpful trick: for the first 24 hours, leave the wax paper on the glue strip and set the board in place so pests “acclimate” to the new object. Then return, peel, and carefully set the trap back in the exact spot without rotating it. Doing this reduced the number of traps that sat empty the first night.

Within the first couple of days, I started seeing results—house spiders, a couple of small roaches, and a handful of crickets in the garage tunnel traps. Under the kitchen sink, the boards also picked up a couple of silverfish. Over two weeks, the garage entry trap was the top performer. Inside the house, the under-fridge trap caught the most.

Beyond catching, these double as scouting tools. The direction of legs and the concentration on one side of the board told me which gap by the door was the main entry point. I added a door sweep and caulked a seam, and the capture count dropped the following week. That’s exactly how a glue board should fit into an integrated approach—control plus information.

Longevity and Maintenance

The manufacturer claims up to a year of effectiveness under normal, dry conditions. In real-world use, dust and debris are the limiting factors—not the glue’s stickiness. In the open, a flat trap starts to lose tack after a couple of weeks from dust alone. Tunnels lasted longer for me, especially in the garage.

Indoors, anywhere reasonably clean and dry, a trap can remain viable for a month if it doesn’t fill up first. I got into a routine of checking weekly and replacing either when the adhesive face looked visibly dusty, was more than half covered, or if I needed to reposition for testing. Disposal is simple: fold the trap onto itself and drop it in the trash. I’d suggest keeping a dedicated pair of nitrile gloves nearby—these are very sticky, and that’s exactly what you want from a glue board.

If you accidentally get adhesive on your fingers, a dab of cooking oil on a paper towel removes it easily, followed by soap and water.

Safety and Practical Considerations

• Keep traps out of the main pet and kid traffic lanes. Under appliances, behind furniture, and inside cabinets are safer spots.
• Avoid damp or wet areas; moisture compromises the adhesive quickly. For bathrooms and laundry rooms, tuck traps under vanities or behind the washer rather than in splash zones.
• Use the tunnel fold in dusty spaces. It protects the glue and reduces the chance of non-target contact.
• Label the underside with the date and location. It helps you track performance and timing for rotation.

Glue boards for insects aren’t as ethically fraught as rodent glue boards, but I still recommend checking them regularly to reduce unnecessary suffering, and using them as part of a larger plan to prevent entry in the first place.

Shortcomings

A few caveats surfaced in use:

• The instructions could do a better job visually emphasizing the correct fold orientation. If you fold inside-out and expose the wrong surface, you’ll think the product doesn’t work. The lettering should be on the outside of the tunnel, not facing in.
• The adhesive is a central strip rather than full-coverage. Functionally it worked fine, but visually it can feel like “a lot of cardboard for a narrow glue lane.” Placement becomes more important because there’s less margin for a bug to miss the adhesive.
• These aren’t suited for wet or very humid locations like damp basements without dehumidification or bathrooms with frequent splashes. If your problem area is a leaky utility room, address the moisture first.
• For heavy roach infestations, glue boards alone won’t resolve the issue. They’re excellent for monitoring and intercepting, but you’ll want to pair them with sanitation, exclusion, and (if needed) baits or professional treatment.

Value

With 30 traps in the pack, coverage is generous. I set 14 across the house and garage and still had plenty left for rotation. Cost per trap ends up low compared to plastic glue trays, and there’s less bulk to store. Build quality is consistent, the fold lines are clean, and the adhesive is reliably tacky out of the sleeve.

Because they’re non-toxic, I felt comfortable using more of them in more places—something I’m less willing to do with bait stations or aerosols. That breadth of coverage matters if you’re trying to figure out where, exactly, pests are coming from.

Tips for Best Results

• Start with more traps than you think you need; scale back once you see patterns.
• Lay boards with the long edge tight to the wall so the glue strip sits where bugs travel.
• Use tunnels in dusty areas; use flat profiles for tight spaces under appliances.
• Replace on a schedule (every 2–4 weeks) or when half-covered, whichever comes first.
• Combine with exclusion (door sweeps, caulk), sanitation (no crumbs or standing water), and reduce clutter near entry points.

Recommendation

I recommend the Catchmaster glue traps for homeowners who want a clean, non-toxic way to monitor and reduce crawling insect activity indoors. They’re easy to place, genuinely sticky, and effective across common household pests—spiders, small roaches, crickets, and silverfish. The tunnel option meaningfully extends life in dusty spaces, and the generous pack size lets you cover multiple rooms and iterate on placement without worrying about running out.

They’re not a standalone fix for major infestations, and they’re not meant for damp areas. The fold orientation could be clearer, and the central glue strip rewards precise placement. But used thoughtfully—as both interceptors and information gatherers—they punch above their price and fit neatly into a broader, practical pest management plan.