GotchaPest is a smarter way to solve everyday pest problems — combining reusable pest-control products, proven solutions, AI-powered pest identification, expert guidance, and community knowledge in one simple platform.

How does the GotchaPest Fly Trap work?

The trap screws onto a standard plastic bottle filled with your chosen natural bait. Flies are attracted to the bait, enter through the one-way design, and are trapped inside. Simply unscrew to empty and refill.

What bait should I use for flies?

Flies are attracted to sweet and protein-based baits. You can use water mixed with a sweet attractant or protein-based bait. The trap is designed to work with natural bait solutions you can make at home.

Is the wasp trap safe for bees?

Yes. The GotchaPest Wasp Trap uses a bait of beer and sugar that mimics the sweet scent of rotting fruit. Bees naturally avoid this bait, making the trap a selective solution that targets wasps while keeping pollinators safe.

What bait should I use for wasps?

Wasps are attracted to the sweet scent of rotting fruit, which you can mimic with a simple mix of beer and sugar. This bait is what makes the trap bee-safe — bees naturally avoid it.

What bait works best for fruit flies?

Fruit flies are naturally drawn to fermentation. Everyday household liquids like red wine, apple cider vinegar, and other fermented products are highly effective at attracting fruit flies into the traps. No special chemicals or expensive attractants are needed.

Are GotchaPest traps reusable?

Yes. All GotchaPest traps are designed to be reused season after season. The screw-on traps attach to standard plastic bottles, and the indoor fruit fly trap is a purpose-built standalone unit. Simply empty, clean, and refill with fresh bait.

Do the traps use chemicals?

The fruit fly traps are designed for chemical-free control using everyday household ingredients. The fly and wasp traps use natural bait attraction. No harsh chemicals or disposable chemical devices are required.

Where are GotchaPest products made?

GotchaPest traps are designed and manufactured in New Zealand — Kiwi innovation solving Kiwi pest problems.

What bottles do the traps fit?

The screw-on traps are designed to fit standard plastic drink bottles. Just screw the GotchaPest trap cap onto the top of a standard bottle, fill with your bait, and you're ready to go.

Where can I buy GotchaPest products?

GotchaPest products are available from a growing network of retailers across New Zealand, including Mitre 10, Kings Plant Barn, Pestrol, PestStop and other leading garden centres and hardware stores. Use our Stockist Finder to locate a store near you, or buy directly from our online shop.

How do I identify a silverfish in my New Zealand home?

Look for a wingless, silvery-grey insect, 10–20 mm long, with a teardrop-shaped body that tapers to three long tail bristles and two long antennae at the head. It moves in a quick, darting, fish-like scuttle and is almost always seen at night in damp, dark rooms like bathrooms and laundries.

How do I become a GotchaPest stockist?

Demand is rising and stock is moving. GotchaPest is quickly becoming a go-to solution across New Zealand. Visit our Retailers page to apply — we offer fast sell-through, strong margins, low footprint and an eco-friendly angle.

What is the GotchaPest NZ Tracker?

The GotchaPest NZ Tracker turns every trap into part of a bigger picture. By logging your trap locations and catches, you help build a real-time view of insect activity across New Zealand. Every upload helps identify hotspots, seasonal trends, and emerging outbreaks.

How do I report a pest catch?

Set your trap using any standard bottle with your GotchaPest trap. When you empty it, snap a photo, estimate your catch, and upload it through the GotchaPest app. It only takes a minute and helps protect NZ.

How long does it take for a bait station to wipe out an ant colony?

Baiting is slower than spraying, and that's the point. Workers need a few days to carry enough poison home to the queen and colony. You'll see more ants at first — that's good, it means they've found it — then numbers drop off over 1–2 weeks as the colony collapses.

What pests does GotchaPest cover?

GotchaPest currently offers solutions for flies, wasps, and fruit flies (both indoor and outdoor). Each product is purpose-built for its target pest. Additional pest solutions may be developed in the future.

Why is a refillable ant station better than a sealed pre-filled trap?

Pre-filled ant traps are sealed units — once the bait dries out or the colony moves on, you throw the whole thing away. The GotchaPest station is reusable for years: when the bait is spent, you scoop out the old, give the dish a quick wash, and refill. You keep the hardware and replace only a few cents' worth of bait.

Can I use the traps in commercial environments?

Yes. GotchaPest traps are used in cafés, restaurants, commercial kitchens, orchards, farms, schools, food businesses, council parks and food preparation areas. See our Commercial Solutions page for more information.

Is the GotchaPest ant bait station bee-safe?

Ant bait stations are sealed against bees and other pollinators — the entry ports are small and close to the ground. Used with a labelled ant bait, it targets ants specifically and presents no risk to bees when placed as directed.

How do I clean and refill the ant bait station?

When the bait is spent, scoop out the residue, wash the dish with warm soapy water, dry thoroughly, and refill with fresh bait. The station goes straight back into service for another season — no need to buy a new one.

Are silverfish harmful to people or pets?

No. Silverfish don't bite, sting or spread disease, so they're not a health risk to your family or pets. The concern is damage to belongings — books, papers, wallpaper, photos, fabrics and pantry food — and shed skins can occasionally trigger allergies or asthma in sensitive people.

What causes silverfish in a Kiwi house?

Two things above all: moisture and food. Silverfish need humidity to survive, so damp bathrooms, laundries, roof spaces and leaky plumbing draw them in. They feed on starchy, cellulose-rich materials like paper, book glue, wallpaper paste, cereals and natural fibres, so clutter and stored papers keep them fed.

Do silverfish damage books, clothes and papers?

Yes. Silverfish chew small irregular holes in books, wallpaper, photographs and stored clothing, and leave yellowish stains. They feed on the starch in paper and fabrics and the glue in book bindings. Storing valuables in sealed plastic tubs and keeping wardrobes and bookshelves dry is the best protection.

How do I get rid of silverfish permanently?

Combine three steps: dry out damp rooms by fixing leaks and ventilating, remove their food by storing paper and fabrics in sealed containers and decluttering old boxes, and place a reusable trap in the dark, damp spots where you've seen them. Silverfish are persistent, so all three together is what keeps them gone for good.

Why do I keep seeing silverfish in my bathroom and laundry?

Bathrooms and laundries are humid, damp and dark — exactly what silverfish need. Fixing leaks, using extractor fans, opening windows or running a dehumidifier dries these rooms out and makes them far less hospitable, which is the single most effective step against silverfish indoors.

Are silverfish a sign of a dirty house?

Not necessarily. Silverfish are drawn to dampness and dark hiding spots, not dirt. Even a clean home with a humid bathroom, a leaky pipe or old boxes in the roof can have silverfish. The fix is moisture control and decluttering, not deep cleaning alone.

Why are there suddenly dozens of flies in my kitchen?

Usually a breeding source nearby — a forgotten bin, a spill behind an appliance, or pet waste. A female house fly lays hundreds of eggs, and in warm weather they emerge in about a week, so numbers explode fast. Find and clear the source, then hang a reusable trap near it.

Are blow flies and bluebottles the same thing in NZ?

Yes. 'Bluebottle' is a common name for the shiny metallic-blue blow flies. They all belong to the family Calliphoridae and behave the same way around homes — drawn to bins, meat scraps and carrion. Keep bins lidded and a trap nearby to break the cycle.

Why do cluster flies appear on my windows in autumn?

They're looking for a warm place to hibernate through winter. Cluster flies breed in earthworms in the lawn, not waste, so their presence has nothing to do with cleanliness. Seal cracks and gaps before autumn to stop them returning next year.

Do house flies bite people?

No. House flies have sponging mouthparts for liquids, not biting mouthparts. Their harm is the bacteria they spread by walking between waste, dung and your food — which is why keeping them off surfaces matters more than people realise.

How long does a house fly actually live?

About 2–4 weeks on average, and up to two months in ideal conditions. The '24-hour life' is a myth — it just seems that way because they appear and disappear quickly in warm weather and the life cycle turns over fast.

How do I tell a German wasp from a common wasp in NZ?

Look at the face: the German wasp has black dots or a vertical line, the common wasp has an anchor-shaped mark. Side-on, the German wasp shows a complete yellow band behind the eye; the common wasp has a black mark there.

What should I do if I find a wasp nest in my backyard?

For a small, exposed paper-wasp comb, remove it at night with soapy water. For a large or hidden German or common wasp nest — especially in the ground or a wall — call a professional; disturbing it can trigger a dangerous swarm.

When are wasps most aggressive in New Zealand?

Late summer and autumn (roughly February to April). Colonies are at peak size, new queens are being raised, and workers are hooked on sugar — which is when drink-stealing at the barbecue spikes and the best time to run a bee-safe trap.

Do wasps have any natural predators in NZ?

A few — birds like swallows and fantails catch them mid-air, and garden spiders snare them in webs. But in NZ beech forest, wasp numbers still explode because they have few effective predators here.

Where do the fruit flies in my kitchen come from?

They come in on ripe fruit and veg from the shop or garden, or through tiny gaps around windows. One fertilised female on a banana can start an entire kitchen outbreak within a week — check produce the day you buy it.

How fast do fruit flies reproduce in a warm NZ kitchen?

Fast. The egg-to-adult cycle can be just 7–9 days, and each female lays up to 400 eggs. That's why a few flies on Monday can be dozens by the weekend.

Are the kitchen 'fruit flies' the same as the orchard fruit flies MPI warns about?

No. The tiny red-eyed flies in your fruit bowl are vinegar flies and don't damage healthy fruit. True fruit flies like the Queensland fruit fly are a serious biosecurity threat MPI works to keep out — report any suspect find to 0800 80 99 66.

Can fruit flies breed in my kitchen drain?

Yes. Damp organic sludge in a rarely cleaned drain is a perfect breeding spot. Keep drains flushed and clean, and run a trap near the fruit bowl and the sink to catch both sources.

Why do mosquito bites itch for days?

When a mosquito bites, she injects saliva to stop blood clotting. Your immune system reacts to that saliva — the itchy bump is your body's response, not the bite itself.

Does New Zealand have malaria or dengue?

No. New Zealand has no local malaria or dengue transmission, and the mosquito species known to spread them aren't established here. Bites can still be uncomfortable and get infected from scratching, so tip out standing water to reduce them.

Where are mosquitoes secretly breeding around my property?

Any still water: saucers under pots, clogged gutters, uncovered rain barrels, birdbaths, even a tarpaulin holding puddles. Tip them out weekly and you cut the breeding cycle more than any spray could.

How do I know if I've got pantry moths or clothes moths?

Pantry moths have copper-bronze wing tips and appear near food. Clothes moths are plain gold and avoid light, hiding in wardrobes. They need different traps and different clean-ups.

What do pantry moth webs look like?

Fine, silken webbing clumping flour, grains or cereal, often with tiny cream-coloured larvae or brown pupae nearby. If you see webbing in a bag of flour or rice, bin the lot — it won't clean out.

Can clothes moths really ruin woollen jerseys in one season?

Yes. Clothes moth larvae feed on keratin in wool, fur and feathers, and a hidden infestation can put multiple holes through a jersey before you notice. Wash or dry-clean woollens before storing them sealed.