Whether it’s your first time trying to get rid of gnats or you’ve previously used some natural reppelment in vane. This post includes foolproof ways to get rid of them permanently.
How to designate gnats from other insects?
Gnats are long-legged small insects. Often they are considered to be weak fliers. The name gnat is used for a lot of small winged insects that fly. Though they are tiny, they are not babies, as most would think them to be. Other names for such insects are fungus gnats or ‘fruit flies’, black flies and midges. Depending on the species, they can either be non-biting or biting and will feed on blood, other insects or plants. Here are some insects you may confuse for gnats.
What are gnats attracted to?
For some of these species, males assemble in large mating swarms. The swarms are common at dusk above the streets or in large fields. Water or land is used to lay eggs, depending on the species. Females can lay up to 500 eggs which hatch later into larvae. After a week from the pupal stage they grow to become adult insects. Larvae survive on rotten matters and may be capable of moving using water plants and rocks. The main sign of gnat infestation is adults flying about in the air or coming out of sink.
Keeping the surroundings clear of plants, fungus and algae; is the best way of protecting your property from a gnat infestation. Keep an eye on the seedling plants as well. Gnats have a penchant for damaging roots of such plants. What’s more, gnats are renowned for stunting the growth of such plants.
The best gnats fungus control is to identify any plants that have wet soil and letting that soil dry completely before the next watering. This will ensure the larva stages in the soil are killed. A vacuum cleaner can be used to remove the adult gnats from around the plants and windows. It’s worth pointing out that the method you use to remove or control the population of gnats in your home depends on the exact location where you have seen them. For example, if the gnats are mostly outdoors, you might have to take a different approach than if they were inside the house.
3 professional ways to get rid of gnats
Gnats are extremely annoying and small. Even though they are not harmful, it is unpleasant to see them flying around your house. Getting rid of gnats procedure will vary and will be determined by the preferences of the owner in the home they have infested. So what are some of these gnat removal techniques?
A cheap and easy do-it-yourself gnat trap is one of the easiest getting rid of gnats methods. Find a used jar (Mason jars are preferable) or can and fill it with apple cider vinegar. The scent of vinegar attracts gnats. Once the jar is filled, seal the lid and poke small holes using a screw or nail. Leave the jar at the location gnats usually stay, most likely, your dining or kitchen area. If necessary, make a number of these jars and place them in multiple locations.
The gnats will enter the jar, but will be unable to exit. Once the jar is full of gnats, you can dispose it and replace with a new one. The process should be repeated until you stop noticing the pesky insects in your home.
If you do not have apple cider vinegar, any type of vinegar will work just fine. Regular white vinegar may work just as well. However, it is recommended to add a couple drops of dish soap, preferably one that is lemon scented, as this will make the jar more attractive to gnats. Another alternative is leaving some little banana peel in the jar or chopping up some banana. If you do not have access to lidded jars, use the top third of a plastic bottle such as a soda bottle to make some kind of a funnel. Seal it using tape, but remember to fill it up with vinegar before sealing and making holes on the tape that sealed the same if you are getting rid of gnats using this method.
Next, drop a fruit in one of the jars to lure gnats. For this method to work, you will need several items that include plastic wrap, soapy water, glass jar, toothpick and ripe/overripe fruits. Divide the fruits into several portions before placing them at the bottom of the jar. Cover the jar with the plastic wrap. Use the toothpick to poke several holes in the wrap/cover. Within no time, you will notice a swarm of the gnats inside the jar. Getting inside the jar is much easier for the gnats than getting out. Wait until gnats fill the jar before placing it inside a bucket full of warm soapy water. Leave the jar inside the warm and soapy water for around 10 minutes. Finally, rinse the jar before repeating the same procedure. This shows that overripe fruits are useful after all.
A professional insect spray is the other getting rid of gnats option you can use to get rid of gnats. There are plenty of sprays in hardware stores and supermarkets that have been designed to effectively remove insects from your home. You can make it at home Mix pyrethrum and neem oil (2 tbls per gallon). Both ingeredients are available at home depot or lowes. Simply spray the insecticide in the usual place the gnats inhabit or spray the insects directly. This will immediately kill all insects including gnats. If you have pets, make sure you read the label thoroughly to find if the insecticide is harmful to pets. Depending on the strength of the spray, you and your pets and family may be required to stay out of the sprayed area for some time to allow the chemicals to dissipate. If you are worried about the soil. make a mix of iso alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide and spray the plants.
Moreover, you can use homemade spray to kill gnats in your house. An insecticidal soap that you prepare right at home is capable of doing an amazing job without being hazardous. To prepare the soap spray you need vegetable oil, water, powdered cayenne pepper and liquid castile soap. Pour two tablespoons of the soap and oil into a container of water. Next, add one teaspoon of the powdered cayenne pepper into the mix. Seal and shake the container thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Thereafter, spray the tops and bottoms of the plant leaves to kill gnats. The spray also protects the leaves from a new gnat infestation.
Pour olive or vegetable oil in your kitchen sink or drain. This will catch any gnats that may be hanging around the garbage disposal – or drain. The gnats will fly into the oil and will be unable to mate afterward or free themselves from the same. These methods can be used in combination or alone to know how to get rid of gnats.
Gnats that mostly inhibit the drains and sinks are known as drain flies. Any part of the house that is full of humidity is likely to attract drain flies in their droves. A few flies are not bad since they help unclog the drain. Nonetheless, you should strive to remove them considering the speed with which they multiply.
4- Other measures that you can take to deal with gnats in your drains and sinks include:
- Cleaning and fixing the pipes
- Checking the drains and sinks regularly for faults
- Disinfecting the pipes
- Removing clogs in time
- Closing water reservoirs
- Stop leaving water in tanks for longFumigating and disinfecting the drains as well as sinks is highly advisable. Fumigation is perfect where the population of gnats has reached dangerous levels. Before opting for fumigation, you need to remember that it involves poisoning the gnats using some of the most toxic gases as well as aerosols and gases.In some instances, the process might require using smoke bombs but only after closing the doors and windows tightly. Don’t blow the smoke bombs but hire an experienced fumigator to perform the process. Otherwise, you would only succeed in making the home hazardous for everybody in your family.On the other hand, disinfection requires the use of chemical as well as biological agents. This process is highly effective in destroying the annoying insects. For this process to produce the desired results, you would have to target the various sites and premises on your property that gnats have dedicated for breeding.Nonetheless, you don’t need fumigation or disinfection all the time. You can still do wonders with homemade remedies. For example, observing simple sanitary rules is one of the most effective remedies to gnat in your drains and sinks. This isn’t hard as it involves taking the following measures:
- Taking out the trash everyday
- Installing devices that are effective at preventing gnat infestation
- Cleaning all rooms thoroughly
The Most Effective Products To Kill Gnats
- 180 days of continuous fruit fly protection throughout your home (each traps lasts 30 days with 6 traps in each package)
- Requires no maintenance, Simply fill trap with non-toxic Lure Solution and place near problem areas, Dispose of in trash after 30 days
- The patented design prevents the Lure Solution from escaping the trap if dropped or tipped upside down
- The traps are clear to let you know it is working.
- Testing has shown to capture on average 2.2x more fruit flies than leading household brands.
2) – TERRO Fruit Fly Trap
- 3-Pack of fruit fly traps
- Safely and quickly eliminates fruit flies; flies that enter the trap cannot escape to continue breeding and multiplying
- Product is non-toxic
- Attractive, apple-shaped trap looks great in any kitchen
3) – Flyweb Fly Light Fly Trap :
- Proudly Made in the USA
- 24 Hour, non-chemical silent trapping – 9 watts of Ultra Violet Insect Attraction
- Covers 600 sq. ft.(20 lineal feet)
- Plugs into standard household 110V outlets
- Utilizes easy to replace glueboards
- Enter your model number to make sure this fits.
- Rated to .52 Microns
- Meets NSF standard 42 for improving taste and quality of water.
- Rated to last for 6 months depending on the water quality
- Always ready – holds a charge for up to 18 months, Less bending with on-board extension
- Lithium ion for long battery life and outstanding performance
- Long life, lightweight and no memory effect
- Smart Charge Technology uses up to 50% less energy,Air Wstts: 18.2 Watts, Voltage: 14.4 (Max: 16V )
- Cyclonic action helps to keep the filter clean and power strong, Translucent bagless dirt bowl easy to see dirt and empty
- Rotating slim nozzle for a variety of applications, Removable, washable bowl and filters for thorough cleaning
Fruit flies are common insects in the kitchen. They are not seasonal insects, thus likely to invade your kitchen throughout the year. Nonetheless, they love coming out to cause chaos in late summer/fall when the presence of fermenting or ripened fruits and vegetables draws them out from their hiding places. You should check your house for grapes, squash, melons and tomatoes as well as other perishable items once you notice an infestation in your house.
What should you do to get rid of them from your house?
- Eliminate source of attraction
As mentioned earlier, check the house to see if the perishable items you kept inside are fermenting or ripening. Refrigerate, eat or discard ripened produce. Cracked and damaged parts of the fresh produce needs to be cut and discarded just in case the affected areas contain eggs or larvae. Check the kitchen and the entire house where possible for rotting produce such as onions and potatoes, as they are often healthy breeding grounds for the fruit flies.
- Properly sealed containers
Something as simple as sealing all containers used in canning fruits and vegetables is sufficient to eradicate fruit flies from your house. Seal the containers you use for making wine, beer and cider too. Failure to do this could encourage fruit flies to lay eggs under the lids of such containers. Thereafter, the tiny larvae will find their way into the container after hatching. You will have a difficult time trying to control the population of the flies without much success.
- Screened windows and doors
Some fruit flies find their way into your house from outdoors. This should not scare you if you have done everything necessary to make the house free of stuff that attracts fruit flies. Screen the windows and doors tightly to make them hard to breach. Screening the doors and windows makes it impossible for adult fruit flies to invade your house, lay eggs and cause mayhem. Find a good contractor to screen the windows and doors professionally.
- Eliminating breeding areas
Once you identify an infestation, your next goal should be to locate and destroy the breeding areas. Failure to do this would make all insecticides you use to get rid of the infestation a complete waste of money. The breeding areas keep churning out new fruit flies. However, you should be ready for a difficult time trying to locate the breeding areas. Fruit flies are very intelligent and know how to keep their breeding areas away from humans.
- Construct a trap
Traps are highly effective at giving you an upper hand in your battle against the fruit flies. Place a paper funnel inside a jar. Bait the jar with some cider vinegar. Use as many jars as possible. Place the baited jars anywhere you have seen the fruit flies in your house. However, it’s worth stating that you should not use the traps in isolation. This is because the traps are effective at catching the adults that remain after you have applied the other control measures.
Finally, consult a proper pest control expert if your efforts can’t eradicate the fruit flies.
Other ways of killing gnats :
Although the methods mentioned above are effective at removing and controlling the population of gnats in your house, they are not the only ones that you should use. You have several other options worth trying to make your home inhabitable for gnats. Some of the other methods that are worth applying include:
- Fly swatters
Traditionally, people used fly swatters as a how to get rid of gnats option. The most effective methods will require positive identification of insects. This is best conducted with the help of a pest control professional. Pesticides require careful and controlled application as they may be quite harmful to pets and humans if they are misapplied.
- Electric fly exploders
Use of electric fly exploders used in the electrocution of individual gnats may kill beneficial insects while killing the gnats. The best how to get rid of gnats in house options is the use of similar apparatus that operate by emitting ultraviolet light sources. Flying insects are attracted to the light and can be caught from the trap’s sticky surface when they approach.
- Clean garden
Nonetheless, you also have to take great care of your garden by keeping it free of all types of rotting plant debris, fungus and mold. The shady areas around your property that lack proper air circulation are the most likely spots or habitations for the gnats, thus needing thorough inspection. Cover all trashcans on your property and clean fallen debris too.
Most of these how to get rid of gnats in house methods are primarily used to address adult, individual specimens. The only way to ensure gnat removal is done thoroughly is by contacting a pest control expert. They will be able to evaluate your infestation and come up with a solution that is specifically suited to your needs.
Finally, remember that you can only identify the best method for removing gnats from your home after evaluating the property to determine the full extent of the infestation. Without any experience or training, you would struggle to determine the infestation. Nonetheless, you need not pay for the removal or control measures as you can do them on your own.
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