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If none of these solutions seem to be working and the gnats keep returning, it may be time to call in a professional. A pest control company can help you tackle a serious or persistent infestation. Whether you're dealing with gnats or one of the many pests mistaken for them, you can prevent an ongoing issue by focusing on sanitation.
How to Get Rid of Gnats, Indoors and Out
Fruit flies, drain flies, and fungus gnats tend to be the most common household pests. You can often tell which species you’re dealing with by where you find them and how they behave. Once indoors, gnats often infest trash cans, rotten fruit, and other moist places where decomposing organic matter exists.
Spray them with vinegar.
This technique requires you to be on standby after dark, but it’s an easy solution. Fill a pan with water and a bit of dish soap and add a candlestick with a tall, tapered candle in the middle. After a while, you’ll notice that the gnats have been drawn to it and ultimately perish by the heat or by dropping into the soapy mixture below. Biting midges, commonly referred to as no-see-um bugs, are found living in swampy areas.
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) To Kill Gnats
It uses geraniol and lemongrass oil, which are bio-insecticides that don't need to be registered with the EPA, to kill gnats on contact. Though safe around people and pets, don't allow the spray to come into contact with eyes or skin, and the flammable liquid should never be used near electrical wiring. These pests are frequently referred to as gnats, even though they don't look much like them up close. Both are generally outdoor pests, but they can end up inside, especially during summer evenings when it is warm, and they are attracted to sources of light around the home. Even a leaky pipe causing minimal mold or wood rot can provide gnats and other pests with food and water sources.
Use Yellow Sticky Traps
Noticing more flies and gnats? Experts say it could be because the weather - KFSN-TV
Noticing more flies and gnats? Experts say it could be because the weather.
Posted: Wed, 13 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Neem oil has many uses when it comes to natural, organic pest control. A neem oil spray is useful for getting rid of many types of houseplant pests and bugs—including gnats—from leaves. Neem oil is highly toxic to gnats and fruit flies but won’t harm you or your plants. Even if there’s no food present in your bathroom, flies and gnats may be attracted to this space because of its warmth and moisture buildup. Alternatively, these gnats may be drain flies that live in the sink or tub drains.
Gnats breed in damp areas, so check for places where water may be collecting, such as around leaky pipes or overwatered outdoor plants. Overwatered houseplants are a common attractant for gnats, so allowing the soil to dry out between watering can help. Gnats are attracted to moisture, so they are often found near bodies of water, moist soil or even freshly cut grass. Female gnats bite people because they require a blood meal to produce eggs, while males feed on plants. Symptoms of a gnat bite may include itching, discomfort and localized swelling.
Drain flies can be found buzzing around your home's drains, while midges are more likely to gather around standing water, such as your backyard's water features. Gnats are any of several species of small flies that swarm in great numbers. Kyle Morgan, owner of Care Pest Pros in Spicewood, Texas, says the bugs are mainly a problem outdoors in spring and summer, but they’ll hang out indoors all year round. Not only are these “clouds” of gnats generally annoying, some species also bite humans and pets. Some gnats lay their eggs in soil, where the larvae can damage plant roots. Fruit flies are another pest commonly confused with interior or fungus gnats.
Let your plants dry out
If pests are hovering around the sink drain, grab a bottle of bleach and mix a half cup of it with a full gallon of water. Then, slowly pour the diluted mixture down the drain to kill any gnats and potential larvae. Alternatively, you can use a commercial drain cleaner to produce the same results. “While I lean towards natural remedies, products containing Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) can be used to target gnat larvae without harming plants,” O’Neill says.
Many of the modern bug zappers on the market are safe for indoor use, so placing one on the counter or near plants can take care of a gnat problem quickly. There are a few other simple tips you can use to control gnats in your home. One of them involves mixing sugar, water, dish soap, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl to attract and kill the flies. That's because as the larvae develop, they can feed on and damage your plants' roots. "To get rid of gnats, we need to prevent the larvae from maturing into adult gnats," she says.
These tiny, flying insects reproduce quickly, so it's important to take action immediately. You can eliminate gnats, their eggs and larvae by using pyrethrin sprays. Pyrethrins are natural organic compounds with insecticidal activity. All you have to do is lightly mist the leaves to repel flying gnats. If you’ve got soil bugs, then spray the soil so that the top two inches (5 cm) of soil are moist.
Adults have long legs and are a grayish-black color, with thin, long wings that feature a vein pattern. This usually means waiting until the top layer of soil is dry before watering. Also, thoroughly water plants in pots so that water drains out the container.
Take steps to prevent an infestation, and act quickly if the invaders set up shop in your home and garden. Gnats are highly unlikely to go away without intervention, says Morgan, which is why it’s important to know how to get rid of gnats. Drain flies can sometimes transmit disease, especially when the fly issue is severe. If they fall into food, they may cause an asthmatic reaction, adversely affecting swallowing and breathing.
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