If you’re dealing with pesky little insects buzzing around your home, chances are you have gnats. Even though they are harmless to humans, the more they breed, the more they can create an ongoing, frustrating problem for your home.
So, how do you get rid of gnats? In this article, I share the necessary steps to get rid of them and prevent future infestations. I also look at where gnats come from and some of the more common varieties that can quickly become a nuisance in your life.
What exactly are gnats?
Before I go over how to get rid of gnats, let’s first explore what this pesky household pest is all about. The gnat is a small flying insect that includes fruit flies, fungus gnats and drain flies. However, there are some differences between the three main species:
Fungus gnats: These are a dark colour, have long legs and mostly live in the soil.
Fruit flies: They have a round shape, are brown in colour and love hanging around over-ripened fruit.
Drain flies: These have larger or moth-like wings and are attracted to water.
Whether you have fungus gnats, fruit flies or drain flies, they all breed quickly. This means that if you have gnats starting to invade your home, you must take care of them immediately before they get out of hand.
Getting rid of a gnat infestation
Gnats are outdoor insects but can quickly make their way into your home. They do this by finding small cracks or even a few small holes in your foundation, doors, windows and even walls. However, eliminating any food source or standing water outside your home can keep the gnat population at bay.
Fungus gnats, drain flies and fruit flies love to hang around your trash cans, fruit or any other wet places where there might be rotting fruit, vegetation or organic matter. This includes areas within the house such as sinks, drains, toilets or other areas where standing water may be present, like overly damp potting soil.
Don’t panic! Here are some of the more common ways you can prevent and even kill gnats.
Top 5 ways to get rid of gnats
There are various ways to get rid of these small flying insects. You can try to prevent gnats from taking over your home by yourself, or you can reach out for professional help from a pest control service. You may need to repeat or do multiple treatments to get rid of them.
#1 – DIY apple cider vinegar gnat trap
A vinegar and dish soap trap is one of the most popular methods of dealing with a gnat problem. It’s cost-effective, safe and simple to make. Simply stir a few drops of dish soap, a tablespoon of sugar, and a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a bowl.
Place the bowl in the area where you notice a high population of gnats. This could be in your bathroom, kitchen or any other area with water or rotting organic matter. Sugar mixed with apple cider vinegar is meant to attract the gnats, but the dish soap traps gnats in the solution and eventually drowns them.
If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar at hand, you can use a mixture of stale wine and dish soap instead. If you want to use this method to control a gnat infestation that seems to be getting out of hand, you can set out a few bowls of this red wine mixture in several areas around the house.
Another version of this is the fruit trap. The idea is to use rotten fruit like an overripe banana and a sheet of plastic wrap. Place plastic wrap over a bowl filled with overripe fruit and poke holes into the wrap’s surface. The gnats will smell the fruit, enter through the holes in the plastic and eventually become trapped. This trap is not only good for keeping gnats away, it also works incredibly well with fruit flies.
#2 – Use a spray
Spraying gnat-filled areas can be both quick and effective if you have a smaller infestation and making the spray bottle solution is easy. Simply place one tablespoon of vinegar with 10 drops of dish soap into a plastic spray bottle. If you find gnats hovering around your trash bin or indoor potted plants, all you have to do is spray the mixture directly onto the swarm. It will kill them quickly
Another way to treat the infestation is to use a gentle insecticide spray containing a mixture of dish soap and neem oil diluted in warm water. Spray directly onto your house plants. Ensure you wash any solutions made with dish soap off of your plants at least two hours after spraying to protect the plants.
#3 – Pour bleach down your drains
One of the more popular hangouts for gnats is around kitchen sink drains, bathroom sinks and bathtubs. To take care of gnats collecting in these areas, pour a mixture of one-half cup of bleach and warm water down the drain to kill the gnats. Make sure you pour the diluted bleach solution slowly until all gnats disappear.
#4 – Make a candle trap
To make a candle trap, place a candle in a candlestick holder and fill the holder up halfway with water. Turn the lights off and light the candle. The gnats are naturally attracted to the candle’s flame. Once the little critters get too close to the flame, they burn and fall into the water below.
This type of trap may not be as effective as the vinegar trap since there are a few factors to consider for it to work correctly. It only works at night, and you’ll have to turn all lights off to get the gnats to flock toward only the candle. As a safety precaution, make sure you blow out the candle before you go to sleep.
#5 – Hire a dependable pest control company
One of the most effective ways to stop gnats from taking over your home is by hiring a local and dependable professional pest control company. These companies are well trained in dealing with a gnat infestation. They will help prevent them from laying eggs, control adult gnats from reproducing and create a customized treatment plan designed to take care of your problem.
Most companies offer affordable prices and free estimates on all pest control work. Contact a couple and compare. You’ll soon find a company that knows your gnat situation and will offer you the best products and services to get rid of them.
Other ways to get rid of gnats
There are other basic methods you can try to control, remove and prevent gnat infestations in your home and garden. These methods are relatively affordable and easy to make and use. Read the products’ labels and ensure you keep them away from children and pets if they contain harsh toxic chemicals.
Flypaper
Flypaper and sticky traps are widely sold. You can even buy them bulk online. This is a trusted method that has been used for decades and using them is simple. Unroll the paper and hang it like a ribbon from areas where insects hang out.
The bugs fly into the paper and get stuck, eventually dying. The only drawback is that these yellow sticky traps can look unsightly and catch all types of insects such as flies and wasps, but also beneficial insects like bees.
Boiling water
Boiling water is one of the most common methods of dealing with problematic insects. Just pour boiling water down infested drains. You can also pour baking soda, vinegar, salt and bleach down the drain first, then follow it with a generous amount of boiling water. It will kill the little darlings instantly.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is made from ancient diatom remains and crushed into a powder. Diatoms are single-cell algae such as plankton. This powder works wonders as a natural insect repellent. For it to be effective, sprinkle the powder on the ground or on the soil in house plants where you see gnat activity. Gnats such as fungus gnats love to make their home in potted plants.
The powder works by sucking the moisture out of the soft-tissued insects, eventually drying them out. This powder will dry out the fungus gnat and reduce its chances of laying eggs. However, this method is messy, and you will have to reapply it to be effective.
Drain cleaner
Like pouring hot water down a drain, pouring drain cleaner can also help control these pesky flies. Pour it down drains where you suspect gnat infestation. However, most cleaners will only kill the adult gnats. You may have to combine drain cleaner and hot water for it to be more effective.
Mosquito bits
This is another way to control soil-loving fungus gnats. This product is sprinkled into the soil of a potted house plant or mixed into the soil before planting.
It releases a biological larvicide called BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis), which is a naturally soil bacteria. The larvae feed on the BTI and eventually die. You can also sprinkle it in standing water to kill any outdoor larvae.
How to prevent future gnat infestations
Once you have taken care of your gnat problem, there are a few things you can do to keep these irritating bugs from coming back:
- Clean up any leftover food or spills from sweet beverages such as wine and sodas.
- Take out the trash nightly and place it in a tightly sealed trash can.
- Let your plants dry out for a while, and water plants only when necessary. Overwatering your indoor plants will provide moisture that makes the perfect environment for gnats to live and lay eggs. Make a drainage hole in your pots so that excess water can escape.
- Put ripe fruit in your refrigerator. The smell of ripening fruit attracts gnats. If you leave pieces of fruit lying around on counters or tables, you’ll soon have gnats and fruit flies swarming over them.
- Gnats love moisture. Keep your home less humid, repair any broken or leaking pipes and clean up damp or standing water.
- Keep your drains clean and free of food particles.
Final thoughts on getting rid of gnats
You don’t have to share your home with gnats. You can easily take care of most of the gnat problems you’ll face with a few simple steps and some easy-to-make gnat repellent recipes. By ensuring areas are clean and dry, most of your gnat problems will be gone.
However, if gnat problems persist, you may have to seek outside help from a local pest control company to help you trap gnats and keep them at bay. It may take a few treatments and diligent cleaning in high gnat traffic areas, but soon you’ll have your gnat-free home back.
