Gnats are a real nuisance to have around your house and everybody can agree on that. These annoying little pests constantly fly about in your kitchens, living rooms, or other parts of your house floating in front of your face causing irritation and poor hygiene.
To make sure these insects do not annoy you incessantly as you cook or eat your meals or try to relax on your couch, you need to make sure to get rid of these in the early stages.
Gnats are notorious for reproducing quickly which is another reason why you need to take a proactive approach when dealing with these pests.
If you are noticing these tiny winged insects in your house frequently then don’t worry because this blog will show you how you can get rid of these in no time. This information will help you stop the infestation and create a more hygienic indoor environment so keep on reading till the end.
- What are Gnats?
- The Main Types of Gnats and The Places You Normally Find These
- Effective Ways to Get Rid of Gnats Inside Your House
- Use Bug Zappers
- Create Vinegar Traps
- Identify and Eliminate Breeding Sites
- Use a Candle Trap
- Pour Boiling Water Down the Drains
- Hire a Professional Pest Control Service
- Employ Sticky Papers or Cards
What are Gnats?
Gnats are extremely small-winged pests with brown, black-tan, and sometimes yellow coloring. Most gnats are no larger than 1/4 inch in size. The main feature of these pests is that they have wide and flat wings and, compared to their bodies, their legs tend to be considerably longer.
Unlike other pests like rats or cockroaches, gnats are less dangerous to your property as well as your health. However, some of these pests can actually bite and transmit disease. In most cases, these are no more than a mere nuisance that can make your indoors quite unbearable.
The Main Types of Gnats and The Places You Normally Find These
Gnats come in several types where each is found in specific parts of your house. The most common types of gnats are as follows
- Fungus Gnats
These gnats have darker or black-colored bodies with very long legs. You can normally find these near watery surfaces or overwatered plants. This is because their larvae thrive on overwatered plant roots. The adult fungus gnats can also land on the soil and leaves of these plants and grow.
- Drain Flies
These gnats have fuzzy skin and their wings resemble a lot like that of moths. These gnats thrive on moisture as well as the decaying organic matter in or around the drains. Drain flies are found in kitchen or bathroom sinks, sewers, or near septic tanks.
- Fruit Flies
These gnats are round in shape with red eyes and brownish skin. These gnats feed on decaying fruits or vegetables in your kitchen. Fruit flies usually scatter when you lift up or throw a fruit into the dustbin.
Effective Ways to Get Rid of Gnats Inside Your House
Following are a few gnat pest prevention tips that you can use to stop the infestation effectively
- Use Bug Zappers
Bug zapper works by attracting gnats using ultraviolet light. The gnats come close to the zapper which traps and kills them with electrocuting. You can place the bug zapper near areas where you notice the presence of gnats and it will do the rest.
- Create Vinegar Traps
You can create homemade traps with vinegar to eliminate gnats. There are many ways you can execute this residential pest control treatment.
- You can create a trap with a plastic wrap and apple cider vinegar. Pour the vinegar into a glass with a wide circumference and cover its mouth with a plastic wrap using a rubber band. Poke small holes in the plastic which will give the gnats an opening to enter the glass eventually trapping them.
- You can also use a trap made using a paper cone, old fruit, and vinegar. Take a jar and place a small amount of vinegar and the fruit in it. Now create a cone from a paper and place it so that its narrow side is in the jar. The gnats will be attracted to the fruit and the paper cone will trap them.
- This is the simplest method which involves mixing about three drops of dish soap in a bowl of vinegar and leaving it uncovered. Gnats enter the bowl and sink and drown as the soap reduces the surface tension of the vinegar.
- Identify and Eliminate Breeding Sites
You need to clean gnat breeding sites like indoor plants and drains. You can also seal gaps in the walls, windows, and doors to further ensure these pests have no place to breed.
- Use a Candle Trap
You can make this trap by filling a pan with about 1/4 inch of water and adding a few teaspoons of dish soap. Then you can place a candle holder along with a candle in the water and set it near the place where you see gnats.
Now light the candle and make the room dark. This will cause the gnats to move closer to the candle which will kill them and cause them to fall into the soapy water.
- Pour Boiling Water Down the Drains
You can pour boiling hot water down your drains to kill the gnats in that area. This method also cleans excess food or bacteria build-up from the drains which prevents future infestations.
You can also use a drain cleaner to get rid of gnats and their larvae from these locations.
- Employ Sticky Papers or Cards
You can use yellow-colored sticky cards or papers that gnats are extremely attracted to. Gnats land on these cards and their adhesive force traps and dehydrates these pests.
- Hire a Professional Pest Control Service
If the gnat infestation still persists even after using all these methods, it is time you contacted an expert common pest control service. These professionals can quickly analyze the extent as well as the root cause of the gnat infestation. They can thus devise the most suitable and quickest treatment plan that can help you stop the infestation as well as prevent it in the future.
Conclusion
Handling a gnat infestation before it gets out of hand is extremely important. The gnat control methods we have discussed can help you eliminate these pests and prevent them from rising up again any time soon.
Using these strategies along with the assistance you get from a professional gnat extermination service should be enough to keep your house safe and hygienic even during the peak gnat seasons.
Just make sure to stay aware of the possible gnat infestation signs and take the necessary preventive and treatment measures to effectively stop the infestation from escalating to avoid major risks.
Visit Lulu Pest Control and Cleaning Services today to get the best gnat and other pest infestation control treatments in Dubai, UAE.