Glue Traps and Monitoring Boards: When to Use Them and What the Law Now Says

What Glue Boards Are Actually For

Most people think of glue boards as a kill method. In professional pest control they are primarily a monitoring and diagnostic tool. A well-placed board tells you what species you have, how many, where they are travelling and whether your treatment is working: information no other single product gives you.

The Law on Rodent Glue Traps

This is the part most householders get wrong. Under the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022, it is a criminal offence in England for anyone other than a licensed professional to use a glue trap to catch a rodent. Scotland and Wales have introduced their own comparable restrictions.

• Householders should use humane or spring traps for rodents, not glue boards
• Insect glue boards and monitoring stations are unaffected by the ban
• If in doubt, choose a snap trap or bait station for rodent control

For rodents, a properly sited professional snap trap is faster, more humane and legally straightforward.

Insect Monitoring: Where to Place Boards

Placement drives everything. Crawling insects travel along edges, not across open floor: a board in the middle of a room catches almost nothing.

• Against skirting boards, flush to the wall, with the long edge parallel to the run
• Behind and beneath appliances: fridges, ovens, dishwashers and vending machines are cockroach hotspots for their warmth and moisture
• Inside cupboards and under sinks where pipework enters
• Near drains, boiler rooms and service risers
• In dark corners of storerooms, cellars and food prep areas

Number and date every board. Without a map and dates, a catch tells you nothing useful.

How to Read Your Results

1. Check weekly and record catch numbers per board
2. Identify the species: German cockroach, silverfish, carpet beetle and ants all imply different treatments
3. Map the hotspots: the board with the highest count is closest to the harbourage
4. Watch the trend: falling counts mean the treatment is working; a sudden spike suggests a new introduction or disturbed nest
5. Look for juveniles: nymphs and larvae prove breeding on site, not just wandering adults

Getting the Best from Your Boards

• Assemble boards as tents in dusty environments to keep the adhesive clean
• Replace boards every 4 to 8 weeks even if empty: adhesive dries out and loses grip
• Keep them away from steam, direct heat and wet cleaning routes
• Never place them where children or pets can reach
• Use a pheromone or food lure where supported for target species

What Glue Boards Won't Do

Boards catch what walks past them. They will not clear an established infestation on their own, they miss flying stages and deep harbourage, and a zero catch does not prove you are pest-free. Treat them as your early-warning system, then pair them with the right sprays, baits or traps for the species you've identified.

A Simple Monitoring Routine

Place boards, map them, check weekly, log the numbers, act on the trend. That five-minute weekly habit catches problems while they're small, which is always cheaper and easier than a full-blown infestation.