You may be asking yourself, how do I get rid of gnats in my house? Well, there are a few things you can do to get rid of those pesky critters. First, you need to identify where they are coming from. Are they coming from outside? If so, you need to find the source and eliminate it. If they are coming from inside, then you need to figure out what is attracting them and get rid of that.
In general, gnats are attracted to moist organic matter. Soils that are rich in organic material like leaf piles, dead plants, compost, manure, and mulch piles will attract gnats.
Even though there are many ways to get rid of gnats, the most common way is to find and remove their food source. If their food is eliminated, they will disappear as well.
With that said, in this article, I will be outlining exactly how to get rid of gnats in house, regardless of which location in your house these pests have found their home!
Table of Contents
What do gnats typically look like?
The first step you should take to get rid of a gnat infestation is knowing what these pests look like.
Therefore, if you didn’t already know, gnats are small, winged insects that are dark brown or black and have long, thin bodies. They’re about a quarter of an inch long. They look like small flies but can’t fly well.
These pests usually breed and live in wet areas such as soil and garbage. They can also be found near drains and other places where water collects. Gnats breed in large numbers, and when they fly, they often do so in large groups.
Given that they make their home in the garbage, they carry harmful bacteria into your home if they enter. And that’s why you must know how to get rid of gnats!
Why do you have gnats in your home or around it?
Gnats are a type of fly that is attracted to rotting fruit or any other rotting organic matter. They can also be attracted to other things, such as sweat and urine. They lay their eggs in unripe fruits, and the eggs hatch into larvae that eat the fruit.
Adult gnats eat rotten fruit to grow into adult gnats. Gnats can also enter your house through an open door or window if they detect the presence of a food source in your house.
This is one of the main reasons a bin is a perfect place for a burgeoning gnat infestation. The fact is that all the sources of food that a gnat would need and want can be found in your bin.
It will have a high moisture content and poor hygiene and an abundance of rotting or discarded organic matter like leftover food or other cooking ingredients.
Do remember that gnat bites are itchy and can cause a rash. More seriously, an infestation of gnats can trickle inside your home if you have a nearby bin with an infestation of gnats.
What is the difference between typical gnats, fruit flies, and drain flies?
Gnats are small, flying insects that are often mistaken for mosquitoes or other insects. They can be a nuisance in indoor and outdoor environments and bite humans.
There are a variety of species of insects that are collectively referred to as gnats, but the most common types are fruit flies, drain flies, and typical fungus gnats.
At this point, I’ll remind you that a gnat is a specific species and is not a collective term for fruit flies, drain flies, or any other similar insects.
Fungus gnats
While fungus gnats are tiny pests that tend to gather around moist and decaying areas such as drains or garbage cans, they can be a nuisance around your kitchen and your dining table. They are also distinctly different from fruit flies and drain flies.
Fruit flies
Fruit flies are another type of pest that you will generally find in your house. These insects resemble miniature versions of regular house flies. They have a pair of large red eyes that go well with their brownish hue. As the name suggests, fruit flies are typically drawn to fruits.
They also find their way into your house through fruits and vegetables that you buy from an unhygienic location.
When they gain access to your house, they generally flock toward your garbage disposal system, where they will find an abundant amount of organic matter to feed on.
Drain flies
Drain flies are attracted to dirty water and will lay their eggs in it. They are very light-colored and hairy, making them easy to identify. If you have a gnat infestation, you likely have a drain fly problem as well.
If you store a lot of water open to the air such that it stays stagnant for the most part, you will have a drain fly problem on your hands.
They essentially derive their name from the slimy substance that develops in plumbing pipelines in drains when they’ve not been used for too long.
How to get rid of gnats in your dining room and kitchen?
There are a few different ways to get rid of gnats that have infested your kitchen. But, personal experience tells me that the best method of all is to use apple cider vinegar and sugar in a bowl. The vinegar will attract the gnats, and the sugar will kill them.
The best bit about this method is that you don’t even have to introduce harmful chemicals to your kitchen. However, if that doesn’t work for your gnat infestation, the next best method that you can try is using a bug zapper or spraying the area with insecticide.
How to get rid of gnats in the bedroom?
A close friend of mine once told me that wine also works extremely well at killing gnats. I vowed to try this home remedy out the next time I had a gnat infestation in bedroom. And sure enough, when I did, she was absolutely right!
Gnats are particularly attracted to red wine because of its highly fermented properties.
Therefore, if you pour a little red wine into a glass, mix it with a little bit of dish soap, and leave it out overnight in the corner of your bedroom, the gnats will fly into the glass and get stuck, then die from alcohol poisoning.
How to get rid of gnats in the bathroom?
If you begin to notice gnats consistently hovering about in your bathroom, it means that the gnat infestation is fairly severe. And at this stage of an infestation, simple home remedies are unlikely to work well.
But that doesn’t mean you have to call in the big boys at your pest control company yet. You can use diluted bleach to get rid of this infestation!
Although bleach is a powerful tool in getting rid of gnats, it can also be harmful to both humans and the environment when not diluted. Therefore, make sure that you dilute the bleach by adding roughly half a cup of it to about four to five liters of water.
Now, pour this solution into your drainage openings in the corner of your bathroom and in your sink. This should effectively kill the gnat infestation in your bathroom.
You may have to repeat this process a couple of times in order to get rid of gnats in bathroom!
How to get rid of gnats in the pantry?
Gnats in the pantry directly point to an existing issue of some food or fruit rotting in your pantry. Therefore, there are two steps that you need to take in order to get rid of gnats in your pantry.
The first is to clean up any leftover or rotten food from the pantry so that you prevent these gnats from being able to access any sustenance.
Once you’ve done that, you need to bait these pests with some rotting fruit. Gnats are attracted to overripe fruit, which is why it is used as bait to get rid of them.
The bait is placed in a mason jar with a transparent cover. This prevents the gnats from flying out and keeps them trapped in the jar until they die.
How can you check for gnats or an infestation of gnats in your house?
To check for gnats in your house, you can look in a few different places. One place to look is near any rotten fruit or vegetables. You can also check near any trash cans or dumpsters.
Additionally, you can look in areas where there is moisture damage, such as leaks or standing water.
Gnats often invade homes when there is water damage, so it is important to address and fix any water-related issues as soon as possible if you have a gnat infestation.
In addition, gnats can be found outside of soil and potted plants. To check for fungus gnat larvae in your yard and plants, slide a few potato wedges into the soil and leave them there for a few days.
Then, pull them out to check for larvae; if you see them, then you have contaminated soil.
Under what conditions does a gnat infestation thrive?
Gnats can survive in cold temperatures as well as in hot and humid environments, which means that an infestation can last year-round. They are also resistant to many types of pesticides, so it is important to take a multi-faceted approach to get rid of them.
However, most typically, gnats thrive in temperatures between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is important to take action when the temperature rises.
You can use a number of methods to get rid of gnats, but it is important to identify the source of the infestation first.
How to get rid of gnats in the house using easy home solutions?
Gnats can be a nuisance in the home because they reproduce in cycles, increasing their populations quickly. You may need to use more than one method to get rid of them completely.
For your reference, I have discussed some general methods that you can implement to get rid of gnats in your house!
Gnat traps
Gnat traps are used to capture and kill gnats. They can be made from a variety of materials, but typically use some type of bait or attractant to lure the gnats in. Once they are inside, the trap will either kill them or contain them so that they can’t escape.
The way gnat traps work is that they lure the gnats in with a sticky adhesive. Once they’re caught, they can’t escape and eventually die.
These traps can be attached to potted plants or twigs and will lure in the gnats with bait. Once the gnats are trapped and dead, they can easily be disposed of, and you can reuse the gnat trap!
Diatomaceous earth that is food-safe
Diatomaceous earth is a powdery substance made of fossilized remains of diatoms. It is organic and abrasive, making it an ideal choice for getting rid of gnats. You can sprinkle it over the dry soil around your plants to kill any gnat larvae that may be present.
In addition, you can use food-grade diatomaceous earth to trap the adult gnats themselves. The diatomaceous earth will absorb the moisture from their bodies and cause them to dehydrate and die.
Be sure to keep the DE dry by putting a layer of sand on top of your potting soil before applying it.
Flypaper ribbons
Flypaper ribbons are created specifically to trap pests in your house. Their functioning is very similar to gnat traps, and they can be used safely around your house to trap gnats and dispose of them in a manner that ensures they don’t return to your house again.
Drench the soil of your potted plants in Bti
Bti is a bacterium that occurs naturally in the soil. When ingested, it kills the larvae of fungus gnats. You can buy this bacterium in powder or liquid form and drench the soil around your potted plants with it to get rid of any existing gnat infestation.
This will coat the plant roots without harming them and kill any fungus gnat larvae that try to feed on them. You should also let your houseplants or outdoor plants dry out slightly between waterings; this will discourage the adults from returning and laying more eggs.
Conclusion
There are several ways to get rid of gnats. Some people use bait, such as rotting fruit or vinegar, to attract the gnats and then kill them. Others use traps, such as flytraps or sticky paper, to catch the gnats. You can also use an insecticide to kill the gnats.
In conclusion, the safest way to trap gnats and get rid of them is by baiting them with wine or vinegar. You can also use a homemade trap by filling a jar with apple cider vinegar and securing a piece of fruit such as an orange or grapefruit at the top. The fermented apple cider will lure the gnats in, and they will be unable to escape.
If you follow all the methods I have outlined for your reference in this article, you have a great chance of getting rid of these pesky pests. All the best!
