PestEx 2026 Review: LED Insect Light Traps & Retrofit Insights

After a busy few days at PestEx, it’s fair to say the conversation around LED insect light traps has moved on.

This year felt a bit different.

Instead of asking “Should we switch to LED?”, most of the pest controllers we spoke to were already thinking about the next step - how to make that switch work in practice.

That led to some really useful, honest conversations on the stand. Here are a few of the themes that came up again and again.

Recommending Electric Fly Killers Without Standards

One thing that continues to come up is the fact that there are no formal standards for electric fly killers (EFKs).

In reality, that puts more responsibility on pest controllers when it comes to recommending EFKs to customers. A lot of the conversations we had were about how people are navigating that - what questions they’re asking, what they’re looking for, and how they’re weighing up different options.

There’s no single answer, but there is a clear shift towards being more considered and asking better questions, especially as more LED options enter the market.

Does Lamp Design Still Matter in LED Insect Light Traps?

Another interesting theme was lamp design.

For years, insect light traps have used cylindrical, diffused fluorescent lamps - and they’ve worked well. That’s something pest controllers know from experience.

So as LED becomes more common, a natural question is: "Do we keep what already works, or move towards something completely different?"

A lot of people we spoke to were leaning towards keeping the proven approach where possible, rather than changing too many variables at once.

Simplifying Stock with Retrofit LED Lamps

Away from performance and design, one of the most practical conversations we had was about stock.

If you’re managing multiple sites, the number of different lamps and parts you need to carry quickly adds up. So it’s no surprise that simplifying van stock came up more than once.

Retrofit LED lamps that work in existing fluorescent traps seem to strike a good balance here. They allow pest controllers to:

• Upgrade to LED without replacing whole units
• Keep stockholding more manageable
• Maintain consistency across sites

It’s a simple idea, but clearly an important one in day-to-day work.

Why Maintaining Choice Matters for Pest Controllers

Linked to all of this is the question of choice.

Several conversations touched on the importance of not being locked into a single system or supplier - especially as the market continues to evolve.

Keeping a familiar, compatible lamp format helps give pest controllers and their customers a bit more flexibility, whether that’s around budget, availability, or future upgrades.

It’s not always the first thing people mention, but it’s definitely something they’re thinking about.

The Retrofit Challenge at PestEx 2026

Alongside the conversations, the Opti-Catch Retrofit Challenge brought a bit of energy to the stand.

The idea was simple: change a lamp as quickly as possible.

What we didn’t expect was just how competitive it would get.

We saw some impressively fast times, a few second attempts to beat earlier scores, and plenty of good-natured rivalry. It was also interesting to see how much easier the process felt for those already familiar with retrofit lamps.

More than anything, it was a reminder that practical usability still matters.

Speed, simplicity, and familiarity all play a part when you’re carrying out maintenance day in, day out.

Huge congratulations to Thomas Gath from Vermin8 Pest Control, who not only improved his time on the challenge at Pest Tech 2025 by a whopping 3.75 seconds, but he was also the winner of our Prize Draw!! Thomas won a free Opti-Catch trial for 2 insect light traps, so we are looking to hearing how he gets on retrofitting Opti-Catch lamps in a real world setting.

Key Takeaways from PestEx 2026

PestEx 2026 felt like a bit of a turning point.

The industry isn’t just talking about LED anymore - it’s thinking more carefully about how to implement it in a way that works.

From what we heard, that means:

• Making confident recommendations to customers
• Holding onto proven trap designs where they make sense
• Keeping stock simple and manageable
• And maintaining flexibility for the future

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by the stand and shared their thoughts - it made for some really valuable conversations.

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If you didn’t get a chance to speak to us at PestEx but you’re reviewing LED options for insect light traps, feel free to get in touch - we’re always happy to have a conversation.

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