When you’re dealing with insects in your house, particularly cockroaches, there are a number of reasons why you may not want to smash them. For one, cleaning up a splattered insect body tends to be both tedious and disgusting, not to mention the damage that can be done to your upholstery.
For another, cockroaches are prone to carrying diseases and bacteria, and you don’t want to touch one if possible. In addition, you might feel squeamish about squishing insects, or you might be afraid, or you might simply not want to kill a living creature.
That’s where bug vacuums come in. Bug vacuums are portable and hand-held vacuums that use gentle suction to pull bugs into a tube or other carrying container. Rather than killing the bugs, they simply trap them until you can release them outside your home or apartment complex.
The Best Bug Vacuums for Roaches
#1. BugZooka WB100 Bug Catcher Vacuum
BugZooka is a clean, simple, fast way to get rid of bugs in the home. If you’re dealing with a roach infestation, this vacuum can help you eliminate the problem at the source. Once you find the nest, simply hover the vacuum over it to pull the bugs inside. You can also use the suction power to remove bugs from problem areas like your kitchen and dining room.
This is a lightweight design with a powerful motor. Weighing just a little over one pound, it’s easy to fit in the palm of your hand and maneuver around. You can do a lot of cleaning without getting tired. Rather than dealing with the hassle of squishing bugs and clearing their remains, you can suck them up and be done.
The design uses unique technology to create a suction force that’s up to ten times as great as competing heavyweight vacuums on the market. It’s also highly portable, functioning with a battery rather than a cord so you can use it in hard-to-reach places. Each of the bugs is sucked into a removable catch tube. To turn the vacuum on, all you have to do is press the button.
The vacuum was originally made for use in residential areas like houses and apartments. However, there are a variety of other places it can also be used. You can bring the vacuum into your car, RV, boat, truck, or other transportation vehicle. You can even bring it with you camping, since you don’t need electricity to power it. If you garden, you can use the suction power to remove pests from your plants without damaging the leaves, then release them elsewhere.
If there are kids in your life that enjoy playing with bugs, this vacuum might work for them, too. It’s light enough and easy enough to use that children will have no trouble sucking up insects. This vacuum is effective on most small to medium-sized roach species, and it can also be used on pests like spiders, ants, and silverfish.
#2. Sokos Pest Control Bug Catcher Vacuum
The Sokos bug catcher vacuum is the lightest vacuuming option on the list. The entire product weighs less than four ounces before you put the battery in. It’s capable of sucking up roaches and other insects, though you might need to empty the tube before you can clear a full infestation. The design is geared more toward pulling up individual insects and spiders than pulling up an entire colony.
The suction generated is strong enough to pull the bugs into the tube upon contact, but it’s gentle enough to keep from killing the roaches. If you’re someone who doesn’t like the idea of using insecticides to kill bugs, this vacuum offers an ideal alternative. Once you’ve safely trapped the roach or other bug inside, you can bring it outdoors and safely release it. No chemicals are used, so you don’t need to worry about the health of your friends, family, children, or pets.
Like with other bug vacuums, this design saves you from the horror and cleanup of smashing roaches. You won’t need to clean up your furniture or floors. Another convenient feature is the built-in LED flashlight. When you turn on the light, you can illuminate darkened areas so that you can see any hidden crawlers. If there are dark corners or crevices where you think roaches and spiders might be hiding, the LED light will illuminate them. It’s a great option for places like dark closets and crawlspaces without overhead lighting.
The package doesn’t come with the battery, so you’ll need to purchase one yourself. Any standard nine-volt battery should work. Installing and changing the battery is quick and simple. All you need to do is open the door, place the battery inside, and close it. Since the door latches, you don’t have to tape it shut.
The ergonomic shape is similar to a gun, easy to grip in your hand. It takes just one button to generate suction and one to flick the light on and off. Since the design is so easy to maneuver and use, it’s great for elderly adults, kids, adolescents, and older adults alike. The highly portable design can be taken anywhere, so you can suck up bugs in any place you enter.
#3. Hudson Essentials Bug and Insect Catching Vacuum
This insect catching vacuum from Hudson Essentials uses many of the same principles as the Sokos vacuum. It’s a humane way of trapping the bugs in your home so that you can release them later. The hole should be big enough for you to suck up cockroaches of most sizes, as well as insects and spiders of other types. You can capture the bugs from a safe distance and release them outside your home.
Like the other options on the list, this insect-catching vacuum is battery-powered and can operate with just the touch of a button. It’s easy enough to use that both kids and adults can operate it. In addition, it uses an ergonomic gun grip. Weighing just a little over eight ounces, this lightweight model is barely half a pound in total.
This is a humane alternative to insecticides, and it’s totally free of chemicals. The portability means that you can take it anywhere, whether indoors or outdoors. Maybe you need to clear your porch for a gathering, or you just need to get rid of a spider clinging to the ceiling. If you’re dealing with a roach infestation, this vacuum can pull up a few roaches at a time. However, you’ll want something with more powerful suction if you’re trying to get rid of an entire nest.
The vacuum operates through the use of a nine-volt battery. You’ll need to purchase one. Most standard nine-volt options will do, particularly ones from brands like Duracell and Energizer. The suction’s force pulls the bugs in and traps them, but it doesn’t squish them or cause them injury.
Final Thoughts
If you want to get one of the most powerful and effective bug vacuums on the market, the first place you should look is the BugZooka. You can purchase this wand-style vacuum in a pack of one or two, so it’s great if you have family members who also want to help clean infestations. The design uses technology that can generate ten times the suction power of similar vacuums with similar motors and batteries. Though it’s the heaviest vacuum on the list, it’s still extremely lightweight, coming in at just a little over a pound.
For the lightest possible option, you’ll want to use the Sokos pest control vacuum. The vacuum comes with a convenient LED flashlight feature that allows you to illuminate dark spaces and see the bugs that are hiding. The vacuum suction is powerful enough to pull the bugs inside, but it’s gentle enough that it won’t kill them, making this a humane alternative to many insecticides. You’ll need to get a battery for the product, since there’s not one included with the package.
The Hudson Essentials bug vacuum is another one of the best vacuums on the market for catching insects. Like the Sokos, this vacuum design uses suction that’s humane enough not to kill the insects. You can easily release them from a distance. The convenient controls make operation easy for children and adults alike. You will need to get a battery to operate this model. It weighs just a little over half a pound, making it another one of the lightest and most effective options on the market.