How to Get Rid of Gnats (Effective Methods)
The Gnats not only infuscate your house from the outside, but they attack the inside too. With the increase in the temperature, we see an increase in the number of gnat activities too. If you are also fed up with these gnats and want to get rid of them, you came to the right place. In this article, find many easy ways to get rid of gnats from both outside and inside of the house.
What are Gnats?
Gnats are members of several small flies species. They have a motto of annoying and biting humans. All the gnats don’t bite. Some are non-biting, too, e.g., midges. The midges don’t bite and have a resemblance of the mosquito in them. Now that you have learned about gnats let’s dive deep in and discuss about the types of the Gnats too.
Types of Gnats
There are four common types of flying species which are referred to as gnats. If you think that all gnats are harmful and dangerous, it’s not true. Some Gnats help pollinate the plants and help keep the garden pests away by eating them.
- Phoridflies: The work of a Phorid fly is to roam around garbage, rotting fruits, vegetables, and drains.
- Drain flies: More like the Phorid flies, the drain fly is mainly found in the gutter, if not around it, septic tanks, sewers, and in the areas where there is a leak in the sewerage.
- Fungus gnats: The fungus gnats are found in over-watered plants, especially when the organic matter in the soil starts to decay. The immature fungus gnats feed on plant roots, making the leaves turn yellow and drop down or even kill the entire plant.
- Fruit Flies: These are also prevalent flies. The liquids like vinegar, vine and soft drinks, mostly organic materials, fresh or rotten vegetables, and fruits mainly attract these fruit flies
What are Gnats attracted by?
Always remember that fruity and sweet smells and scents always attract the gnats. Water and body heat also attract some species of gnats. Gnats are so sensitive that even the moisture from your eyes and nose would be more than enough to attract them. This is the reason why they are always seen near a human or an animal.
If we talk about what attracts them inside the house, it’s the opened bags of fresh produce like cookies, bread, flour, sugar, etc. In Addition, they also get attracted by opened cans, garbage cans, spilled food, fresh flowers, and many more. There is a high potential of them being in the dirty kitchen sinks, as some food is stuck to the walls of the sink hole.
You are totally wrong if you think gardens don’t attract the gnats. Garden is their primary source. Fresh flowers, fruits, and vegetables are their main attraction source. Make sure to give your plants just enough water. Never overwater your plants, as water is the primary source of many species of gnats. Also, make sure to harvest regularly and clean all the organic waste and overripe produce to ensure that the number of natural gnats is low.
How to get rid of Gnats
An adult female gnat has the capability to lay up to 300 eggs in its short life span of 10 days. So, you must find a permanent solution to take these out as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that you need to get rid of the gnats from outside and inside the house. You need to find a solution that is best for the outdoors and indoors.
How to get rid of Gnats in the house
If the gnats have infested your house, you need to prepare for the death of these demons. The tip and tricks to take them down are as under;
Try using a flypaper
It would be best if you tried using flypaper to get rid of the gnats. Hang the flypaper in a place where you think the Gnats concentration is higher, and then leave the work on the fly paper. The bright yellow color of the flypaper should be able to attract all the Gnats and will never be able to return. Don’t forget to change it from time to time, as it will lose its stickiness with time.
Note: The fly trap will grab on almost everything, so make sure to place it carefully.
Clean your drains
You need to buy a drain cleaner designed for pest control. Follow the instructions given in the back. If you can’t find the drain cleaners of these types, simply use regular bleach. Take ¼ or ½ cup of bleach, add it to a gallon of water, and pour it down the drain. Add in a gallon of hot water after pouring in the diluted bleach.
Try using a vinegar solution
Take a small saucer and add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, then take some dishwashing soap and add that as well and mix it all together. Top the solution with some sugar. Place the saucer near the Gnat source or where you see gnats. You might need to make more than one saucer. Replace the mixture when you don’t smell the vinegar.
Use an over-ripe fruit to trap Gnats
Take an overripe apple, a banana, or any fruit, place it in a bowl with some sugar, cover the bowl with some plastic wrap, and poke some small holes in it. The gnat will be attracted to it and will try to enter it. After they enter, they can’t leave and will get caught. After you catch a few gnats, dispose of the mixture in the bin and redo the process.
Use an insecticidal spray
If you have tried everything and nothing is working, try using an insecticidal spray. Just spray the areas where the number of gnats is more and close the room down, meaning that seal the room and let no one enter the area for at least 20 minutes. This works for indoors only. It sure will work.
Call a Professional
If you have tried everything and nothing works, and the number of gnats is getting out of control, it’s finally time to call a professional. They have special tools and ways to take down insects of any kind. Calling them would really help you in getting your house gnat-free.
How to get rid of Gnats outside the house
Now that you have learned how to get rid of gnats from inside the house, learn how to clean away the gnats from outside too.
Use a mosquito dunk
Instead of BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) drench, try using a mosquito dunk. Make sure to use the one with a label safe for use around pets to ensure the safety of the pets at your house. Take the mosquito dunk and drop it in a bucket of water. You will need to wait for the dunk to release its insect-killing bacteria into the water. Simply take this mixture and pour it onto the soil of your garden. Keep doing it for several weeks. This will ensure that the gnat larvae are all killed.
Try turning off the outdoor lights
The outdoor gnats usually roam around the door lights and other outdoor lights. You can get rid of the gnats by simply turning off the lights. If you don’t want to close the outdoor lights, you can switch the bulbs and install the low voltage bulbs or yellow ‘bug lights. Doing this will surely decrease the number of gnats in your outdoors.
Avoid using electric pest traps
You should never use an electric pest trap to eliminate the gnats. If you use the electric trap, it will catch all the beneficial insects too. In Addition, the UV rays only can trap adult gnats, so the larvae are left to reproduce and mature. So you should avoid using them.
Final words
I hope this article has helped you get rid of gnats and made the outside and inside of the house gnat-free. Make sure to let us know in the comment box below if you face any issues regarding this article.