9 Best Ways to Get Rid of Gnats in Your Houseplants

Do you have a problem with pesky gnats flying around your houseplants? If so, you’re not alone. Gnats can be a real nuisance, and it’s not always easy to get rid of them. In this blog post, we will discuss six of the best ways to get rid of gnats in your houseplants.

Just What are These Things Called “Gnats”?

Common household pests include several species of small flies and gnats, all of which have unique food and environmental preferences. It will be easier to get rid of them if you know what species are invading your home.

As a first example, there are fruit flies, which are typically seen around bowls of fruit since they feed on decaying or overripe produce. They also enjoy open liquor bottles and stinky rubbish bins or disposals.

Our next target is the fungus gnats, an insect I have fought off several times as a lover of houseplants. The females of these annoying insects deposit their eggs in moist soil, which is why they are so abundant in nurseries.

You may usually find these gnats, which are black with a silvery sheen, resting on the soil of your plants or milling about the edge of plant pots. Simply shaking your plant will send them scurrying in all directions.

And last but not least, there are drain flies, which, according to their name, make their house in drains, sewers, and septic tanks, as well as any other places where there is a pool of stagnant water. Their bodies are hairy like a moth’s and their wings are bigger than those of the other two gnat species.

What Do Gnats Look Like?

Inside, fungus gnats, which belong to the Mycetophila species and may be found all throughout North America, are usually to blame. The average size of a fungus gnat is between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch (4 and 7 mm), and their colors can range from brown to black to a yellowish hue. Fungus gnats are harmless insects.

They are most active in the summer and live in damp, gloomy areas outside. Fungus gnat adults lay eggs in the soil, where the larvae will feed on dead plants and other organic debris as they decompose.

Fungus gnats have a reliable food and reproduction supply all year long because of the widespread presence of indoor plants. Be on the lookout for these pests near indoor sources of light and glass.

Yellow sticky traps can be set around the base of indoor plants in pots if you suspect fungus gnats. The presence of fungus gnat activity in the soil may then be ascertained.

No products found.

How Gnat Infestation Starts?

To get rid of gnats you must know how they enter your home. Gnats will often enter your home through any openings in the foundation, walls, windows, or doors.

Trash cans, damp potting soil, rotten fruit, and other sites with decaying organic matter and moisture are common breeding grounds for gnats. They also populate areas with water fixtures, such as bathrooms and kitchens, and may be flushed down the drain.

Get Rid of Gnats

1. Take Away Their Source of Food and Ability to Eat

In the absence of a suitable food source, fruit flies are unlikely to remain. To get rid of gnats keep perishables as cool and dark as possible by storing them in the refrigerator or within cabinets.

Store ripe fruit including apples, grapes, melons, pears, peaches, and plums in a low-humidity crisper drawer. Keep leafy greens, carrots, and broccoli in a high-humidity crisper drawer.

Also keep bananas on the counter. Let banana hanging. Move them once ripe, to the fridge or peeled and freeze them in an airtight container. Overripe fruit should be eaten as soon as possible. Overripe banana should be eaten or thrown out immediately.

It’s also a good idea to wash and dry produce as soon as you arrive home from the grocery shop. The possibility of laying eggs or extremely small larvae is mentioned by Hartzer. Little buggers can no longer access that food supply if you wash and store the fruit correctly.

2. Good Housekeeping On a Regular Basis Get Kill Drain Flies in your House

Drain flies don’t have it easy. Because small flying insects such as drain flies thrive in your house on the germs, filth, and sludge that accumulates in your drain, trash disposal, and rarely-used toilet, you should clear and clean these fixtures on a regular basis, especially when the weather is hot and muggy.

Pour one half cup of a mixture of baking soda and apple cider vinegar into the drain, let it sit for five minutes, and then flush with hot boiling water. Hartzer suggests using a stronger drain cleaner, such as Drano Max Gel Clog Remover of American cleaning institute, to clear up the pipes if the clog persists. Call a plumber if the situation persists; a leak might be the cause of the pests’ persistence.

A dozen ice cubes, a spoonful of baking soda, a few lemon slices, and a few tablespoons of diluted bleach solution are all you need to clean the garbage disposals. You can hear the grinding halt when you turn on the disposal without running water.

Replace the dirt in your houseplant pots if you’ve noticed fungus gnats. “It’s fantastic for the plant, and it’s great to kill gnats,” Hartzer says. However, keep in mind that gnat infestation thrives in humid environments, so you should reduce your watering.

3. Set up a Trap.

Stop gnats with their source using preventative measures. Also there are situations when quick intervention is required. The best methods to get rid of gnats are as follows:

Think of Using Cutting-edge Technology:

Specialists have shown that plug-in traps may be quite efficient. However there are also safe and environmental friendly traps like Trappify Gnat Traps that helps effectively get rid of gnats.

Use a plastic wrap, paper cone, fly paper, some apple cider vinegar, and some stale fruit to set a trap:

Put some apple cider vinegar and a piece of really ripe fruit in a container and shake it up. Next, make a paper cone with a few small holes and insert it into the jar with the narrow end facing downward. Lure fruit flies with the combination of the stench of decaying fruit. They they won’t be able to get out of the paper cone quickly.

Put a few drops of vinegar and dish soap into a cup of vinegar and put it out in the problem areas to drown the flies. A few drops of soap reduces the surface tension of the vinegar, leading to the insect’s sinking and eventual drowning as it attracts gnats.

Set Out a Nearly Empty Bottle of Old Wine or Beer

To a lesser extent than vinegar, the aroma of wine and beer can also attract fruit flies. Don’t worry about the flies getting into the remaining liquid if you leave the bottle open. The narrow neck will keep them within. Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests using stale beer to lure fruit flies as well.

No products found.

Construct a Candle Trap

Put some water into the candle holder and set the candle inside the holder. Blow out the candle and dim the lights. Gnats can either get burnt by the flame or drown if they land in the water. This trap is less practical than a red wine or vinegar trap. All you have to remember to extinguish the candle before going to sleep.

4. Avoid Wet Ground

Many bugs thrive in damp environments. Try letting the soil dry out a bit longer in between watering. If gnats and other pests are a problem in your yard or around your home. Probably the damp soil around your home provides a breeding ground for them.

In order to prevent gnats and other pests from making your plants dry and using your house potted plants as a year-round breeding and food source, you should avoid overwatering them.

5. Mount Reflective Surfaces

Deter gnats with the use of inside and outdoor light traps. Pest populations within your home may be kept under control. You may use the interior light traps for gnats and other pesky insects. In order for outside light traps to deter gnats from entering your home, they must be more stimulating and bright than the lights inside the house.

6. Eliminate All Organic Waste Sources

Many insects that look like gnats are like decaying food. You must deal with a number of potential sources in order to get a handle on the situation. These includes wet potting soil and plant waste, scummy residue in drain pipes, and rotting food in a compost bin.

Compost bins should have secure lids. Scrub drains with a hard brush and drain cleaner. Also avoid overwatering your soil.

7. Don’t Hesitate to Use a Mixture of Dish Soap and Vinegar Spray

In cases when the number of pests is low, a solution of one tablespoon of vinegar and a tiny amount of dish soap in a spray bottle may be sufficient. Use a spray bottle so you can control the amount of solution to put on your plant.

An overabundance of water is likely to blame if gnats with larger wings are bothering your houseplants and scurrying around in the potting soil. Spraying the plant with a mild pesticide like neem oil or dish soap diluted in warm water should take care of these gnats.

After two hours, thoroughly rinse off the dish soap solution. and also remember to water plants with enough water only.

8. Drain Cleaning Sodium Hypochlorite

Pouring a cup of diluted bleach down the sink drains will destroy any gnats. Apply this in your home near your kitchen sink or bathroom tub. Carefully and carefully pour the bleach solution down each drain or garbage disposal until you can see no more gnats.

9. Contract a Professional Pest Control Company

A professional pest control service can assist you in eliminating a persistent gnat problem. The top pest control services can effectively cure gnat larvae and adult gnats. Also they can tailor a treatment plan to your home’s specific needs at an affordable price.

Takeaway

Now that you’re an expert on all things gnat, go forth and banish them from your houseplants for good. But before you do, make sure to grab a few traps from our store – they’re the best way to get rid of these pests once and for all. And trust us, once you see results, you’ll be glad you made the purchase.