Best Ways On How to Get Rid Of Gnats And How To Make Traps
How to get rid of Gnats, the most common name used to refer to the small winged insects that fries around the house. The tiny insects sometimes are dangerous to human beings and also to the livestock as they may bite people and also carry parasites that spread diseases such as the river blindness. Therefore its of great importance to eradicated the gnats by putting up prevention and control measures around our homes to avoid the harms associated with them. The gnats also doesn’t portray a good picture and even may seem to be very unhygienic. No one would like to have them in their houses. Below are all the guidelines you need to make sure that you don’t have any gnat in your house. There have been various campaigns on how to get lid of them after it was discovered that they transmit some diseases. To to do away with the gnats completely you should follow this two important steps. You start with using gnat control technique and then the gnat elimination technique.
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Types Of Gnats
Before you take any step of controlling them you need to know the various species of gnats and where they are found and also the place where they breed in. Here are the various types of gnats:
Fungus gnats.
They are referred to as the winter gnats. They are found in damp environment and also in decaying matter. These places include house plants. They breed in soils that are over watered or in soils that have a poor drainage.
Eye gnats.
These species thrives in areas that has sandy soil and they fly around the nose and eyes of livestock and other animals like pets. They play a role in transmitting human diseases such as the pink eye. They are non-biting.
Buffalo gnats.
These are commonly seen during the wet weather months a they they prevail most in moist conditions.
Midges.
They appear yellow, green, brown and resemble mosquitoes but they don’t bite. They breed in clogged gutters, ponds and damp areas. They breed outside the house but enter the house through any opening. They are attracted to bright light.
Sewer flies.
These hang around the drain pipes and indicate a drainage problem in a house. They breed in the drain pipes.
How To Get Rid of Gnats In Your Home
First you need to know how to prevent household gnats. This is done by destroying their breeding areas. The following are some of the prevention measures that you are recommended to undertake:
-Make sure you don’t leave uncovered food and dirty utensils in your sink. This discourages the gnats as they are know to stay around uncovered food and around dirty utensils at the sink.
-Be pouring dish washing soap and also some diluted bleach in your sink then stopper the sink and leave it overnight then drain it the morning. This drain away gnats that may be breeding in your sink drainage.
-Make sure all your your indoor and outdoor garbage containers are sealed and always covered and also don’t leave your your trash inside the house.
-Make sure your dish towel are dry and that there is no any wet item at the sink and also cover your wet utensils with a dry towel. You should also ensure that your sink is always drained.
-Make sure your windows and doors are closed and that they have tight seals to prevent gnats from getting into your house.
– Use some bleaching agents in the water pans beneath your freezers and refrigerators. Bleaching agents agents kills the gnats. Also clean the water pans regularly to prevents the gnats from breeding inside the pans.
-Get rid of damp areas. Here you are advised to to look around your home for any unnecessary damp area including your bathroom. Drain away the water causing the dampness. Also repair any leaking pipe. This keeps away the gnats that breed and attracted to damp areas.
-You should also change your pot soil regularly in case you have indoors plants at your house.You are recommended to use quality soil that is free from pests and weeds.
Get Rid Of Gnats With Products
Apart from the prevention measures you can use products that are made to control the gnats by killing them in case your house is already infested. Here are some of the products that we recommend you to use:
Use web fly trap
This stick is made up of a UV light that attracts all sort of insects that flies around into an enclosure where they are stuck to a glue board. The fly light can be used with any standard AC outlet which uses a 9 watts bulb. It doesn’t emit any odour and this makes it very ideal to use.
Terro fruit fly
These is a trap made in a fruit shape that attracts fruit flies and eliminate them. They can be used for both indoor and outdoor purposes. They are non-toxic thus they can be used around your food table, kitchen and even in places that your children can reach. The trap is most effective when placed somewhere and left undisturbed.
Gnat stick.
These are sticks that are placed in the fresh pots. They kill adult flies for months as they emerge from the soil. It has an advantage because of its non-toxic nature.
Fogging products.
This is an effective way to control gnat swarms so its advisable for the gnats swarm infestation. There are two types: the Burgess insect fogger which is ideal for outdoor purposes and the hot shot insect fogger for indoor purposes.
Home Made Gnats Trap
There are also home made traps used to trap the gnats. Here are some examples and illustration on how to make them:
Rotten fruit trick.
This is where you stick an overripe or rotten fruit in to a container and put a plastic around the container and make some holes on the plastic and then the insects get into the container and get trapped.
Vinegar trap made up of apple ceder
Gnats get attracted to apple cider vinegar because of its smell. Here you need a small container that has a lid, dish soap and apple cider vinegar
Add 10-20 ml of apple ceder vinegar the container and then you also add some few drops of soap. Stir the mixture thoroughly to ensure the solution mixes completely. Make some holes on the lid and then close the container with the lid and place it it in the area with the gnats. The vinegar will attract the gnats and they will get into the jar through the holes made on the lid.The fluid surface tension is reduced in addition of soap and this leads to drowning of them, this is actually one of the easiest way on how to get rid of gnats.
Wine gnat trap
This trap resembles the vinegar trap but uses wine to attract the gnats instead of using vinegar. You only need a card board, a medium size container, dish soap and red wine.
Pour the wine into the container and then add three to six droplets of dish soap. Stir the mixture thoroughly and see that the two substances have mixed completely then make some small holes on the cardboard then put it on the container and place it it in the area with the gnats. The wine will attract the gnats and they will get into the small container through the holes made on the cardboard. Addition of soap reduces the solution surface tension which lead to drowning of the gnats.
Trap for Buffalo gnats
A research done shows that buffalo gnats are attracted to moving dark objects and this trap uses that factor.
To construct the trap you look for a strong string, dark colored medium sized ball, a fly paper and a stool.
Tie the string to the ball to make a pendulum and attach it to the string the bottom of the stool. Then attach the fly paper to sides of the stool. Now place the stool on the infested area and keep swinging the ball after a while.
The buffalo gnats will fly with the moving dark ball and they will be trapped by the fly paper as they try to fly and landing.
Egg bait trap
This is specifically made to trap eye gnat.
To construct this trap you need multiple one litre plastic bottles, one gallon container and four eggs.
Crack the eggs and put them into the gallon and fill it with water. Mix them thoroughly. Fill the one litre containers to a quarter of the solution. Store the remaining mixture in the fridge. Make some holes on the plastic containers then hang then on your garden at 3-5 feet away from the surface. Change the mixture after every 15 days. This trap is recommended for outdoor use due the odor smell of the eggs.
Gnats Repellents
Apart from the traps, there some repellents that are used to repel gnats. Here are some of the repellents used:
Use of vanilla
Vanilla repels the gnats as they hate the vanilla smell. This is done by applying vanilla repellent over the bodies of the affected pets or person to prevent gnats attacks.
To prepare the repellent you need to have pure vanilla from the market and ensure it sugarless. Use ten millimeters of water to mix with ten millimeters of vanilla and stir the solution properly. Use a cotton ball or a soft piece of clothing to apply the solution to the surface of the exposed area. People who are allergic to vanilla are advised to use other methods.
Citrona oil
Citrona oil is known to be the substance that is hated most by all species of gnats and other insects.
To make this a spray bottle, citrona oil and a dish soap.
Make a solution of two cups of water, about two to four spoons of citrona oil and three to five drops of dish soap. Your spray will be now ready for use. Spray it inside your house and outside your house as it is harmless to human beings, pets and plants.
Spraying rubbing alcohol
This kills the gnats immediately. you can use a spray bottle where you dilute rubbing alcohol and then spray it on any gnat fly you see flying around and it kills them immediately.
Lemon oil.
This is suitable in your kitchen. You purchase some lemon from the market and and spray it around the infested areas with the gnats. This not only kills the gnats but also to add some citrus freshness to you home.
Buffalo gnats repellent.
This is effective on the biting buffalo gnat. It is made from organic compounds and it is non alcoholic. It contains vanilla, mint and a rose scent.
Therefore when you use all those controlling and preventive measures you will eradicate the gnats completely and they will no longer be a problem to you. This will also improve your hygienic status as you will not be having some insects flying around in your kitchen or even flying around when you are taking your meals. It will also create a good picture as no one would like to be in a situation where you have some guests and then you see some flying insects around. Thus you will be very comfortable inviting guests to your homes. It will also ensure no one suffers from disease that are related to gnats and this leads to a healthy family and this will also apply to your pets and livestock.
We are advising to chose the best method from the many outlined ones that will suit your needs and also the one that will favour your financial status and also the one that will make each and every member of your family comfortable.