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Drain flies are about 1/8 inch (4 mm) long with long antennae and light tan to gray coloring. They have faint black and white speckling on their heart-shaped wings and tiny white hairs on their body. Don't overwater your soil; clean your drains with a stiff scrub brush and drain cleaner, and ensure your compost bin has a tight lid. Pepper Moran is a pest control expert with over five years experience in educating homeowners on affordable and earth-friendly ways to protect their homes from pests.
Yellow sticky traps
They can be identified by their narrow legs, light gray or clear wings, and segmented antennae larger than their heads. If you notice these gnats flitting about and your plants seem to wilt for no reason, larval root damage could be the cause. One eco-friendly option for preventing and removing gnats is by strategically placing plants with natural repelling properties around your home. Lavender, geraniums, lemon, and thyme are all examples of these helpful plants, which exude strong odors that are unappealing to gnats and other small insects while smelling great to us. You could also try spraying essential oils diluted in a spray bottle or creating a homemade bug spray.
How to Get Rid of Gnats
Gnats are attracted to the smell of vinegar, so that will draw them into the soapy mixture. The soap works by breaking the surface tension of the liquid, ultimately preventing gnats from being able to stay afloat. If this doesn’t work, you can also target the gnats with a spray-bottle filled with water, vinegar and a little bit of dish soap. If your infestation is extra stubborn, you can always hire a pest control company to come take a look.
Keep your home clean
This helps to prevent the adult gnats laying eggs in the plant soil. Fungus gnats tend to remain near their source of food—the organic matter and fungus in the soil. The adults lay their eggs in the soil, and the emerging larvae feed on the soil's organic material and the plant's root hairs. The larvae are 1/4 inch-long, translucent white or gray worms with shiny black heads.
To kill drain flies and their eggs nesting in pipes, mix 1/2 cup of bleach in a gallon of water and pour it slowly down the drain. Make sure there’s proper ventilation in the room when you do this and for an hour afterward. For best results, also scrub infested drain pipes with a wire brush and enzymatic cleanser. Once indoors, gnats often infest trash cans, rotten fruit, and other moist places where decomposing organic matter exists. They can also be found near sinks, drains, and toilets, since they can reproduce in the grime inside pipes. Plug-in traps, like the Zevo Flying Insect Trap, can be extremely effective.
Where do gnats lay eggs?
If you have some stale wine, Price suggests pouring it in a small vessel and then adding two drops of dish soap. "Place the mixture in gnat-filled areas of your home and wait for the bugs to drop in," he says. Say your plants are dry and gnat-free — that’s the time to start investigating potential sources of mildew or mold. Look for leaky windows, roofs or other cracks that might be letting extra moisture into your home. Repairing these spots could reduce or completely eliminate your gnat problem, as they will lose their food source. If you're wondering how to get rid of gnats quickly, look no further.
If you’re looking for a gentle solution to your gnat infestation, here's how to get rid of gnats in plants without harming your leafy friends. If you’ve exhausted your options and still have a gnat infestation, it’s time to call in the pros. If your plant soil is infested with gnat larvae and you’re having trouble getting rid of them, repot your plants. As an ongoing prevention method, be careful not to overwater your houseplants since soggy soil and a full runoff saucer are just what the gnats are looking for. Let the soil dry between waterings, but only as much as the plant will tolerate; this is no reason to threaten your plant's vitality. Hydrogen peroxide will kill the gnat larvae and not injure your plant.
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Remember that traps and zappers only kill adult gnats, not eggs and larvae. Thus, if you have a lingering gnat infestation, a professional pest control company can help address it. Licensed professionals have access to better equipment, insecticides, and training, so they’ll be able to spot the source of the infestation and treat it efficiently. The best companies have expertise in ridding your home of eggs, larvae, and adult gnats.
Trap Fruit Flies with Vinegar and Sugar
If you have an issue with drain flies a mixture of baking soda and vinegar will take care of the problem. An inexpensive remedy, the combination of these ingredients will quickly kill any gnats in your kitchen sink drain and garbage disposal. Just like white vinegar, wine is an excellent home remedy for gnats. Like the vinegar fruit fly trap, the sweet smell and taste of the wine attract gnats and fruit flies.
Although they’re tiny, gnats can cause a great deal of annoyance inside your home. You may have noticed some floating around your fruit bowl or your favorite houseplant and wondered how they got there in the first place. Gnats love moist places for breeding, so keep all areas as dry as possible to prevent gnat infestation. If you notice that gnats are coming up from your drains, pour rubbing alcohol in the drain to kill off any larvae or eggs that may be in your drain. Dealing with gnats in your home can be incredibly frustrating because of their rapid reproduction. These home remedies for gnats can help you get control of a gnat infestation and prevent more gnats from invading your home.
Getting rid of them might be as easy as using this household cleaning product. Dilute a cup of bleach with about one gallon water, pour it down the drain, and your gnat problem will be history. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of sugar in 1/4 cup of vinegar and pour it into the bottle.
The gnats will go crazy for the decaying fruit, but the extra-small holes mean they won't be able to escape. To say see-you-never to gnats near your drains, combine a 1/2 cup of bleach with a gallon of warm water. Slowly pour it down the affected drain, and be prepared to repeat if needed. If you have houseplants, ensure they are not being overwatered, as this creates a year-round breeding and feeding source inside your home for gnats and other pests. If the soil in or around your home tends to be overly moist, try letting it dry out more between waterings to discourage gnats and other pests from being attracted to it.
This is often because plant soil is moist, which can be a breeding ground for gnats. To eliminate your bug problem, you sometimes have to bring them right to you. Combine two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, half a cup of warm water, six drops of dishwashing liquid and a tablespoon of sugar into a mixture. The sugar is especially important, as it will lure in the bugs, leaving them trapped in the sticky solution. Gnats are attracted to damp spots to lay eggs, particularly affecting houseplants since they like to lay eggs in moist soil.
Both the eggs and the larvae will eventually die off in dry soil. Another easy tip is to use a sterile potting mix because there is not as much organic matter for the young to feed on. "Gnat" can refer to a number of different species of small flies. In North America, gnats are most commonly black flies, midges, fungus gnats or fruit flies. Using simple and natural remedies, you can effectively get rid of gnats in your home. Remember to be patient, as it may take a few days to see a significant reduction in their population.
Toward of gnats in your garden and potted plants, sprinkle some cinnamon powder around your plants, and anywhere there are gnats to prevent an infestation. Make your own natural version by combining a cup of water with a tablespoon each of vinegar and baking soda, adding in a drop of dish soap. Shake the mixture in a spray bottle, and spray where gnats seem to congregate in your house. The solution is even safe to use (sparingly) around houseplants.
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