Although gnats are not dangerous but they are not your pets either. Naturally, human beings are annoyed by insects and nats are by no means any different. Following are some of the methods that will help you get rid of gnats inside and outside your home.
Gnat extermination starts with identification of the problem. To completely eradicate gnats, you first need to understand what brought them to your house or kitchen in the first place. Once you have understood their pathway to your place, various methods can be applied to kill them. We have sorted out some of the best methods that would aid you to prevent gnats in the kitchen affairs.
Gnats, commonly known as flying pests, feed on stems and roots of plants causing significant damage to the seeds. For that reason alone, gnats in plants are a huge cause of concern. They augment in size rapidly and lay their eggs in water. They are often found in damp and soggy places. They are attracted towards food, specially any sort of waste material of kitchen and quickly spread wherever they smell and identify eating material.
Most of these pests are harmless but there are others which bite. Gnat bites can cause the various type of skin disease so it is essential to get them out of your homes before they cause more distress to you and your family. Following are some of methods that you need to follow in order to learn how to get rid of gnats inside kitchen, house and garden. It would require you to make just a few change in your household.
Identify the source: Why are gnats dwelling at your place!
The first step to cut off their food supply. It’s time to start using bins that insects are unable to breach. Empty all trash cans on regular basis. Ensure proper drainage system as any leakage would wet the place and would eventually fuel the population of drain gnats at your home. Drain Gnats grow quickly in number and before you know, it becomes a tedious task to kill them
Rotten food is another incentive at which these pests just love to hedge on. So make sure, rotten food is disposed of immediately. Also, monitor all the places now and then to find any food crumbs and clean them as soon as possible. Especially in kitchen, never leave dirty dishes in the sink. At least soak them once in water to remove and remains of food on the utensils.
Usage of aerosol insecticides to kill gnats – Pest Control
There is a reason why insecticides and pesticides have been invented. Using aerosol insecticides is one of the most recommended ways. Use of chemicals like tetramethrin, pyrethrin or resmethrin lead to complete gnat extermination.
These insecticides would instantly kill pests they come in contact with. Do not spray these chemicals directly on plants or food. Spray these insecticides every week for at least a month to guarantee the obliteration of vexing creatures. The life span of a gnat is usually not more than a month. So, regular application of these insecticides for a couple of weeks will completely exterminate their existence from your place.
Set up a Vinegar trap to kill gnats
Getting rid of gnats through vinegar is certainly the most used home remedy. Follow these steps:
a. Take an empty jar, fill it with vinegar and poke holes in its lid.
b. After doing this, gnats would be able to climb to the top of the jar.
c. Once they reach the apex, they won’t be able to come out.
d. Keep the jar a few meters away from your place and let it be there for a while.
e. After sometime, most of the gnats are going to gather around the jar. Due to their incapacity to climb out the jar, they will slowly die.
How to Get Rid of Drain Gnats
Use vegetable oil and spread it around the sink drain. The drain gnats will get themselves trapped in oil and halt their breeding process.
If you are not comfortable in clogging the drain with oil, pouring a cup of ammonia down the kitchen sink will kill drain gnats for you. Let the chemical stay there for a while before you use the sink again.
Killing drain gnats was just a beginning, now you need to pay attention to the Fungus gnats:
Get rid of Fungal Gnats (Home Remedy)
Fungal gnats thrive in warm, moist environments. Allowing the soil to dry between watering’s kills gnat larvae and makes your plant less hospitable to adult gnats looking for a place to lay eggs.
Moist and warm environment thrive fungal gnats, and household plants provide that environment.
• Place placing apple cider vinegar or wine in a small bowl near the problem plant
• Pour apple cider vinegar or wine in a bowl or a jar and put it near the problem plant
• That would certainly get rid of these fungal gnats
You can also use different sprays available at the super-market for the removal of insects like gnats. Any one of them will solve your problem. Certify the product by reading the back label and choose the once that is not harmful to pets.
Preventive Measure
• Use fiberglass screens at your window. Common screens provide a practical space for gnats to get through.
• Reduce the amount of standing water anywhere in or near the house. Gnats population is amplified in these environments.
• They are also attracted to bright colors and lights. If possible and easily feasible, try changing your outdoor lights to orange sodium instead of using white or yellow bulbs. These would keep the insects away.
It is pertinent to figure out and identify the type of insect you are dealing with. Mostly these insects feed on organic material in damp places. If you see mostly in kitchen, check your drains at the very instant. They may spread more quickly than you imagine. An easy way to deal with this is to put a plastic wrap over the drain before you leave the drain free of its use. When you return, check if there are any gnats on the bottom. If there are any insects creeping and crawling around the sink, use any one of the above given methods.
I would also recommend you to make your home pests free. You’d be amazed to know where the bed bugs, cockroaches, ants, and fruit flies are hiding behind your back.
Let us know if you found this guide useful or not. If anyone asks you the ways to get rid of gnats, just guide them to this page and share this article with them.
