Gnats are winged insects with 14-inch long bodies that are long and slender.
They look like smaller flies but theyre actually already adults at that size.
They belong to the weak flier families of Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae, and Sciaridae.
In regards to how to get rid of gnats and fruit flies, heres what you should probably know.
You will typically find the non-biting variety of gnat in your home.
There are biting varieties too.
In this article
Where Do Gnats Come From?
Gnats come from the nature around you but are attracted to organic material and moisture.
Youll notice that gnat infestations will increase more in the summer than the winter.
That is not a coincidence.
They typically enter homes in summertime to mate and find food.
Your house is like their romantic restaurant before procreation, in a sense.
Theyre like insect vultures to such biodegradable garbage.
Theyre in fact commonly found hanging out in garbage cans, unsurprisingly enough.
Or drains and wet sinks as well as wet potting soil.
If you dont clean up food spillage or if you overwater your grass, the gnats will come.
How Do You Stop Gnats From Flying Around You?
to make it stop your gnat infestation, you should hit them at their source.
You should get rid of their food sources and make their potential breeding grounds uninhabitable.
Close shop and remove all sources of moisture.
Additionally, the common household gnat can become attracted to your own moisture.
All of these are attractive to gnats.
They also love sweet-smelling lotions, detergents, hairsprays, and perfumes.
Therefore, to keep gnats from flying all around you, you should bathe a lot.
Use talcum powder to keep yourself dry.
Dont use perfume to mask your body odor.
Instead, be sanitary and avoid working up too much of a sweat.
Observe proper hygiene and avoid getting sick.
The common cold can make you spill mucus that gnats love.
you should probably know what jot down of insect youre dealing with first.
These teeny-tiny bugs arent the same.
Theyre attracted to different things so you’re free to get rid of them in different ways.
It depends on what youre dealing with.
Or even all three at the same time!
Get up close and personal to see which gnat youre dealing with.
Fungus gnats are black with long legs.
Fruit flies have red eyes and brown bodies.
Drain or phorid flies have fuzzy, moth-like wings.
Figure out which gnat youre dealing with via context clues too.
Fungus gnats love overwatered potted plants.
Phorid flies fly around drains.
Fruit flies like kitchen filled with ripe fruit.
Its usually found around potted indoor plants.
Its specifically attracted to mold and fungus in the potting liner.
It also feeds on decaying leaves.
to make it get rid of them, you should clean up your plants dead flowers and leaves.
If the root of the plant itself has rotted away then remove and replace the plant itself altogether.
This is because it will only end up as food for the fungus gnats.
You must also replace the soil, the pot liner, or both if mold or fungus is present.
Dont leave the soil muddy either.
check that it dries up between every time you water it.
Its usually found in kitchens but can also end up in your garden.
This is especially true if youve planted fruit-bearing trees.
They tend to swarm around fallen and rotting fruit on the ground during hot summers, in fact.
Its attracted to ripe fruits in your kitchen table or rotten fruits and vegetables in your garbage can.
Remove liquids from your organic food trash before placing them into bags.
so that get rid of fruit flies, you gotta get rid of the fruit they so love.
Cover up your biodegradable trash better.
Ditto when it comes to your compost lid.
Dispose all organic food outside the home.
Tie your plastic bag full of biodegradable trash really tight.
Remove any overripe or rotting fruits and vegetables on your kitchen counter.
When you see these gnat flies flying about that means youre not doing a good job at cleanup.
They can be colored yellowish, dull brown, or black.
Theyre typically found near your garbage can along with the fruit flies as well as sewers and drains.
Its not unusual to see phorid flies flying around with the common housefly, actually.
At any rate, theyre specifically attracted to moist, wet, and unsanitary areas.
for get rid of them, sanitary home upkeep is a must.
Fix your leaky faucets.
Remove all sources of moisture and mold.
Keep your home, kitchen, and bathroom as clean and dry as possible.
Organic garbage tends to rot faster in liquid anyway.
Wipe down the outside of pipes and fill in crevices where moisture can get trapped.
An apple cider vinegar trap will work just fine.
It works in killing all sorts of adult gnats without using harmful chemicals.
It works on all gnats, from fruit flies to fungus gnats.
Pour vinegar and dishwashing soap into a cup or jar then mix thoroughly.
Its smell attracts gnats of all types.
Cover the cup with plastic wrap.
Poke holes into the plastic.
The gnats will then crawl into the cup to their doom.
Theyre like moths to a flame, in a sense.
After two days, dump the contents into the drain and start anew.
Do this over and over until the gnat population has significantly gone down.
This will kill fungus gnat larvae on contact.
After pouring the solution to the soil, expect to see some bubbling.
The bubbles indicate that the solution is working in killing those baby gnats.
you’re free to also use a combination of steel wool and sticky traps on your potted plants.
Cover your soil with coarse steel wool.
This shreds apart any emerging gnat larvae and adult gnats that want to enter the soil for breeding purposes.
Use medium coarse steel wool or higher.
Dont get steel wool sponges because of their big gaps.
it’s possible for you to also hang Post-It notes lathered with honey and taped to sticks.
They serve as flypaper (or gnat paper) that traps the fungus gnats with their stickiness.
This combination of techniques should eliminate all signs of gnat life.
Killing Fruit and Drain Fly Larvae with Flypaper and Sanitation
Find the breeding ground of the fruit flies.
Kill the larvae and breeding adults to prevent their population from growing.
Because fruit flies live in fruits, dispose those infested fruits in your kitchen and fridge.
Hang up sticky flytraps on your existing exposed fruit to prevent them from becoming infested with fruit flies.
Ditto when it comes to your vegetables.
Throw out infected ones and protect the uninfected ones.
If there are phorid flies buzzing in your drain then your drain is filthy or clogged.
Get a professional to remove any sludge from your drain.
There might be blockage as well due to accumulated fats and lard.
This is the reason why you should never pour used cooking oil in your drain for disposal!
These drain flies can also breed on the covers outside your pipes.
it’s possible for you to pour 14 cup or 60 milliliters of vegetable oil into your drain.
Use scotch tape to seal the drain closed.
Allow it to remain for 24 hours or a whole day.
Remove the tape the next day.
The gnats should end up stuck on the sticky part of the tape.
Sometimes, the drain flies wont fly up unless they feel air coming from the opening.
Do this until there are no more flies.
Alternatively, you might use drain declogger to clean your pipes.
This acid kills the larvae and melts any clogs or hairs in your drain.
Instead of depending immediate on a can ofbug sprayor DEET, you should learn proper home upkeep first.
Cleaning and sanitation is your first line of defense against gnats, drain flies, and fruit flies.
Youre sweeping and vacuuming up their food sources.
Youre not letting moisture or garbage water remain in your trashcan, inviting fruit and phorid flies to stay.
Stick your produce inside the refrigerator.
Eat those countertop bananas and apples before they become overripe or rotten.
Put your fruits inside bins if youre not going to eat them immediately.
Also, clean your toilet, drain, or garbage disposal.
check that theyre free of gunk, sewage, and sources for bacteria.
Use foaming drain cleaner to flush out your pipes.
If there are leaks, have the plumber take care of them.
Dont overwater your potted plants either.
Remove leaves and flowers that have fallen as well.
Related:Why Is Garbage Disposal Leaking From Bottom?
What Is The Best Way to Get Rid of Gnats?
The best way to get rid of gnats is doing a combination of the above mentioned home remedies.
They range from preventative to insecticidal.
However, more often than not, cleaning up is your best bet.
When you leave produce in the open, fruit flies will follow.
This is especially true of sweet-smelling fruits.
Even if theyre not yet rotten, fruit flies will appear.
However, theyll especially come in swarms for fallen or rotten fruits in your garden.
Clean those up and store your fruits in the fridge.
Dont forget to clean your fruits and vegetables before storage.
Some gnats or fruit flies might already have infested them in the grocery.
Its better to be safe than sorry.
You have the option of using insecticides on them but more often than not, thats just overkill.
Cleaning up your home is more effective.
Kind of Sprays to Kill Gnats
Any insecticide is enough to kill gnats.
In fact, particularly strong insecticides can kill most any bug within your home.
Make an environment-friendly spray as gnat pesticide.
You just need a spoonful of vinegar for every cup of water.
Afterwards, spray it on these gnats on your plants, drain, or fruit.
Just a few sprays will suffice.
It can also be a soap solution.
you’ve got the option to soak the plant with your soap spray this time around.
Mix a gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap.
Preferably, get the lemon-scented variety.
Theres also the alcohol solution.
Also mix together rubbing alcohol or wine with water inside the spray bottle.
It can be 112 cups of water with 12 cup vodka.
Or mix 1 cup rubbing alcohol with 1 quart or liter of water.
Let the soil dry.
If theres dead material atop the soil, remove them.
Dispose of dead flowers, twigs, leaves, and so forth.
Dont leave your food out either.
If youre not going to eat, place them in your refrigerator.
Clean your drinking glasses and dirty dishes ASAP.
The leftover food there can attract gnats as well as flies and rats.
Even a hint of sauce, wine, or juice will attract these insects.
Mop your floors whenever there are damp spots.
Fix your faucets and pipes that leak.
Use foam insulator so you can get rid of pipe condensation as well.
Your trash cans should be covered.
Take the trash out as often as you’ve got the option to.
Dont let them stay put in your home, especially if theyre rotting food.
Stinky dumpsters attract gnats and many other creepy crawlies.
Their presence does however serve as alarm bells for the state of sanitation and cleanup in your home.
You havent done a good enough job at maintaining your home if there are gnats running about.
The two things that attract these three different gnat species to your home are moisture and decaying organic material.
By getting rid of these in every way possible, you should be able to lower their populations significantly.
