How to Get Rid of Gnats | Simple Home Strategies

Gnats are certainly among the most annoying insects in existence! Although they usually don’t bite, once they get into your house they just keep multiplying and getting rid of them can be incredibly hard. In this article, we’ll show you how to get rid of gnats successfully.

What Are Gnats?

We all know that gnats are annoying little bugs, but what exactly are they? To an entomologist, the word gnat actually represents many different species, but they are all a member of the family Nematocera. This is a family of small flies that also includes mosquitoes and midges.

Although the family of gnats includes a number of species, fungus gnats are certainly the most common and they are the ones you’ll most likely find in your home or garden. They are often confused with fruit flies, but in fact, these are two completely different insects.

Video Guide: How To Get Rid Of Them

The video guide below shows some innovative home remedies for killing these pests.

Fungus gnats do not bite. According to The Washington Post, they thrive in warm and humid environments.

Temperature and humidity are also the main factors that determine the length of the lifecycle of these insects. They thrive at temperatures above 77 degrees Fahrenheit and in these conditions, their life cycle lasts from three to four weeks. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden website, the life cycle of a fungus gnat has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

A single fungus gnat female can deposit up to 300 eggs during its life. While adult gnats are just annoying, larvae can actually damage plants.

Gnat Infestations

As we have already mentioned, gnats require humid and warm conditions in order to reproduce. More importantly, gnat larvae need to feed on organic matter (Source).

Decaying organic matter, such as rotting produce, attracts gnats, but they can also feed on plant tissue. For these reasons, gnat infestations are quite common in closed spaces like homes or DIY greenhouses, as well as in open spaces where plants are grown such as backyards or gardens. Once they find an adequate spot, gnats will quickly reproduce with females laying a large number of eggs which are invisible to the eye which easily turns into an infestation that can be hard to get rid of.

What Causes Gnats?

When it comes to home infestation, gnats can simply enter your home through an open window or door. However, their eggs and larvae can also be present in fruits and vegetables, so you might essentially bring them into your home with your produce.

According to the Do-It-Yourself Pest Control website, gnat infestations can also appear when there is fungus growth in dark and moist corners of a house with improper ventilation. Attics, crawl spaces, and even insides of walls with wooden construction are all places where fungus growth can occur, which then serves as food for gnats and thus fosters an infestation. Furthermore, since gnats generally like humidity, they might appear near plants that are overwatered.

Other places that can become a breeding ground for gnats include trash cans and drains that aren’t cleaned on a regular basis.

How to Get Rid of Gnats in Plants

Some common methods for fighting gnats include glue-coated fly traps and different versions of homemade fly traps. For example, a fruit trap can be made easily by putting some rotting fruit into a jar to lure the gnats in. Cover the jar with a piece of plastic wrap a poke small holes into it. This way, the flies will remain trapped inside. This solution might work when you are dealing with gnats outside of your house, but hardly anyone wants to keep a piece of rotten fruit in their kitchen. Alternatively, vinegar or wine can also be used in gnat traps.

Video Guide: Gnat Plant Removal

All of this methods have a chance of reducing the number of the annoying insects, but the only surefire way of getting rid of gnats is finding the breeding source and removing it. According to the Do-It-Yourself Pest Control website, gnats actually feed on the roots of the plants.

Therefore, if you notice gnats flying around a specific plant, they are most likely breeding in the soil around this plant. According to Planet Natural, carnations, African violets, and geraniums are all especially sensitive to gnat infestations. If you notice one of these plants starts turning yellow and wilting, and infestation might be the cause.

Once you locate the specific place, you can either remove the soil or try drying it out which will most likely kill larvae. However, eggs might still remain in the soil. If the infestation persists, you might need to apply a top coating to the soil or to the plants. Various solutions for this can be found in gardening equipment stores.

How To Get Rid Of Gnats In The House

Whether you have them in the bathroom, kitchen, or living room, there are some natural ways to get rid of them.

First of all, there are some measures you can take to prevent gnat infestations from occurring in the first place. If you notice these little buggers flying around your house, try to not leave any fruit or produce within their reach. Keep products in closed containers or in the fridge, instead. Cleaning all trash cans, drains, and any food containers on a regular basis might also help prevent gnats. For example, a fruit bowl can easily have remnants of fruit on it which attract gnats.

If the infestation persists, it’s necessary to find the source and remove it. It could be anything – check potted plants inside your house, drains, and any places where there is excessive moisture. If the gnats are coming from your drains, the Organic Lesson website recommends pouring bleach into the drain in question (don’t mix with ammonia)

Eliminating With Apple Cider Vinegar

Making an apple cider vinegar trap is one of the easiest and most popular ways to deal with gnats on your own. Gnats are attracted to the sweet smell of vinegar. You could just leave a container with some apple cider vinegar outside, but you can also try adding a couple of drops of dish soap to break the surface tension (WikiHow) and to make the solution poisonous to the gnats.

Insect List

According to InsectIdentification.com, these are some of the most well-known flying insects, which is generally what a ‘gnat’ is:

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Hi, my name’s Elena Coolidge. I’m a DIY enthusiast who loves building fun woodworking plans. These DIY plans are fun hobby projects for enthusiasts or even more advanced builders that want to build things like bunk beds, end tables or even a duck box!