How to Get Rid of Gnats

Gnats are tiny flying insects that include drain flies, fruit flies, and fungus gnats. These creatures breed at an alarming rate triggering an infestation in the affected house.

A gnat infestation, especially that of gnats that bite, is a major challenge for many homeowners. Here are the five most effective ways to get rid of gnats.

How to Get Rid of Gnats in the House

Before we delve into the specifics of how to get rid of gnats, let us first understand where these creatures come from, how to fight them, and how to prevent a gnat invasion.

Naturally, gnats – including fungus gnats – make their entry into a house from the outside through cracks or holes that are mainly found in doors and windows.

Once inside the house, they look for trash cans, fruit baskets, toilets, sinks, drains, and other moist places where they feed and breed at a dreadful pace causing an infestation.

This makes the house very uncomfortable for the residents, especially in the case of an infestation of gnats that bite.

Here are five effective ways to get rid of gnats.

1. Set up a candle trap

This is a simple technique that requires you to place a candle in a candlestick and pour some water into the holder. Light the candle and switch off the lights.

Attracted by the candle flame, the gnats will flock to the candle trap and be consumed by the flame or fall into the water and die.

2. Pour dilute bleach down the drains

This method is used when you find gnats around your toilet or kitchen sinks. It requires you to dilute some bleach before pouring it down the drains to kill the insects.

3. Set up a fruit trap

This involves covering a bowl of decomposing fruit with holed plastic wrap. Attracted by the smell of rotting fruit, gnats will get into the bowl and get trapped to their death.

4. Set up an apple cider vinegar trap

This technique requires you to pour some tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, drops of dish soap, and a tablespoon of sugar into a container and stir the contents to make a paste.

RELATED: Why Garbage Chutes Are a Must for High-Rise Buildings

Place the container in an area of infestation. The sugar and apple cider vinegar mixture will lure gnats into the container, while the dish soap will trap the insects causing them to drown.

5. Call pest control professionals

If the above methods fail to eliminate the infestation, you may need to call a professional pest control company. These specialists have the skills and tools to get rid of gnats.

How to Avoid Gnat Invasions

A gnat infestation can easily return if proper measures are not taken to prevent future invasions. Here are several powerful strategies to avoid gnat infestation.

1.) Clean up the kitchen and dining table after meals.

2.) Remove trash every night and use a sealed trash can. This will make it less likely for the insects to get into your house and lodge inside the trash can.

3.) Get rid of moisture inside and outside your house. Repair any plumbing leaks and sink stoppages. It is also advisable to eliminate moisture build-up from the rain gutters.

4.) Store fruits in the fridge rather than keeping them in a fruit basket.

5.) Avoid watering plants, especially indoor floras, daily to avoid creating a moist area in your house for gnats to inhabit and breed.

Join 15,000+ pros getting our weekly digest of news and insights.