What is a glue board? A glue board (aka sticky board or gluepad) is a piece of stiff card with very heavy adhesive on one side. It is inserted into a fly killer machine.

What is a fly killer machine? It is a device that attracts flying insects by shining ultra violet light and then traps them.

What is ultra violet (uv) light? It is light just like any other light. It just happens to be invisible to humans but not to flies, who are extremely partial to it and tend to eagerly fly towards it. Anyway, a fly killer machine attracts flies using its uv light. Some fly killer machines have electric grids that electrocute the fly while others have glue boards on which the fly is trapped. This brings us back where we started.

Once the fly is trapped, it is no longer a threat. Fly killer machines that use glue boards are often used in situations where silent operation is required. Fly killers that electrocute (or zap) the fly give out an unmistakable noise that lets everyone know that the machine has made a kill. Some restaurants would prefer a more subtle operation where the fly discreetly flies into the fly killer machine and never comes out - and no sound is ever heard. Glue board fly killer machines are often made to mimic wall lights. Diners in a restaurant will not give these lamps a second glance, but they are not lamps in the normal sense. They are difference between having a fly spreading germs and giving the restaurant a bad name and a restaurant that pays regard to hygiene and has a good reputation.

If you live near a field or know somebody that does, then you may be aware that they will get more than their fair share of flies (and wasps). Similarly, if you keep livestock, have stables or even a dog, you will have more than the average amount of visits from curious flying insects. The same goes if you live near a food production plant or a refuse dump. For those who are in these areas, they too may prefer one of these discreet fly killer "lamps" instead of the industrial-looking zappers. Life is more comfortable in a fly-free environment. There is nothing worse than trying to entertain friends with a rolled up newspaper in one hand, at the ready. To be on constant guard when you should be relaxing is not ideal. Worse still is the fact that your unwelcome visitors - the flying ones, not your friends - will also spread disease. They will typically visit animal droppings, or a trash can, and then fly around your kitchen, spreading germs that they have picked up on their feet or regurgitating their own saliva on solids that they need to soften in order to digest. Not nice - and completely avoidable if a fly killer machine is used.

Fly killers fitted with glueboards will use less electricity than zapper fly killers. In an age when electricity prices are rising this is an increasingly significant consideration. There are also those who like to count their dead flies. Why, you may ask? Counting how many flies are killed will give an indication of the fly killer machine's effectiveness and an idea of flying insect activity. This is particularly useful to entomologists and other scientists and researchers, especially those concerned with the environment. Pest controllers will also use this method to determine the best place to site a fly killer. By moving the machine from one location to another they can count the amount of flies caught and determine the best place to site the machine. Manufacturers of fly killer machines, such as Insect-o-cutor. also use this method to test fly killer machine designs.

The method of trapping flying insects using glue has been with us for a very long time and way before electricity came along and gave us zappers. Hanging sticky papers is a practice that still happens today. It is much less common as most people would rather not see lots of dead flies hanging in their kitchen. Not only did electricity give us zappers but it also gave us ultra violet lamps. These will attract the flies to the glue, whereas sticky papers tended to only work if there were enough of them or if the fly's seemingly random flight pattern happened to take it to the paper.

Glue board fly killers are used extensively around the world. If you knew very little about them before and know more now, then at least, when you next are harassed by a fly that refuses to be swatted, you know there is another way to do it.