Unexpected Things In Your Home That Attract Gnats

If you've ever had a gnat problem in your home, you know how difficult it can be to get rid of these pests. While true gnats that may invade your home are called fungal gnats, many people loop other tiny flying insects into the gnat category like drain flies and fruit flies. While there are key differences between fruit flies and gnats, both reproduce rapidly. In fact, fruit flies can lay as many as 500 eggs at the same time, making the task of eliminating the problem an often uphill battle. The best way to combat these tiny critters is through prevention and eliminating what attracts them. While rotting fruit, open trash cans, and slimy drains seem like obvious attractors for gnats, some other unexpected things like hampers, personal hygiene items, humidity, and clogged drains could draw them in.

Standing water or moisture attracts gnats, as do sweet smells, body heat, and sweat. Floral body lotions, perfume, laundry detergent, and hairspray can invite gnats into your house and around you personally. Fungal gnats, in particular, are attracted to moist soil, fungus, algae, and decaying plant matter. Blooms brought inside from your cut flower garden can also attract gnats. And putting damp clothes in your hamper or leaving them in a pile on the floor will lure gnats in and become a breeding ground. The garbage disposal can also be a hotbed for gnats, while crumbs and spills left to sit are like rolling out the red carpet for these pests. While those things are not all surprising, shocking gnat attractors you may not expect are moist coffee grounds and dirty mop heads.

To properly deal with a gnat problem, it's essential to find the origin of your issue. You might kill the ones flying around, but unless you eliminate the source, more gnats will hatch. Start the investigative process by eliminating common culprits like taking out the trash, cleaning your kitchen sink drains, throwing away any rotting fruit, dumping your coffee grounds, and wiping up any crumbs or spills. If you offer your pet wet food, that item could attract gnats as well, so don't leave it sitting out after they're done eating. Similarly, the sweet smell of open alcohol containers can invite these flying pests, so throw away or refrigerate any leftover alcoholic beverages.

Also, check the surface of the soil in your potted plants for excessive moisture, decaying plant matter, and fungus. Place sticky traps like these Foofol Fruit Fly Traps in your plants to catch the gnats and those soon to hatch, and ensure your soil dries completely between waterings. You could also spray your soil with insecticidal soap or introduce beneficial nematodes to control the gnat population. If those methods fail, you might want to consider repotting your plants.

Next, check your house for any damp clothing or mops. Wash and dry any suspicious culprits. You also want to do a thorough cleaning of your home. Pay particular attention to any moist areas where the insects can thrive. In addition to the yellow sticky traps, consider making fruit or red wine vinegar traps to draw in and drown the suspects. If all of those cleaning and elimination solutions don't do the trick, you might want to call in professional help.

You've cleaned your home and eliminated any gnat attractors, but they're still flying up in your face. Before calling in the pros, there are two effective DIY gnat traps that can get rid of adult pests — fruit traps and vinegar traps. To make a fruit trap, take a jar, place a piece of rotting fruit inside, and cover the container with plastic wrap. Then, poke a couple of holes in the top. The gnats will go in for the fruit and become trapped. Similarly, you could fill the jar with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The liquid will attract the gnats and they will drown in the jar.

Once you take care of your current problem, your focus should shift to prevention. While fruit might look nice in a bowl on the counter, keeping it in the refrigerator will eliminate pests' temptation. Also, wipe up any spills immediately, clean up completely after every meal, use a sealed trash can for waste, and clean your drains regularly.

For fungal gnats, make sure to never overwater your household plants, allowing the soil to dry completely in between waterings. That will eliminate the conditions they need to breed. Damp clothes and towels should be hung to dry before putting them in the hamper. To keep things dry overall, you might also consider running a dehumidifier to reduce moisture inside. Finally, make sure your screens are intact or consider changing them out for a smaller mesh to keep gnats from entering your home.