How To Get Rid of Gnats

If you notice tiny, flying bugs hovering around your fruit bowl, sink or trash can, you may have a gnat problem. Most of the time, you can get rid of gnats by disposing of food or trash outdoors and cleaning the area where it was originally kept. If that doesn’t do the trick, you may need to consider more aggressive methods to clear gnats from your home.

This guide will identify which types of gnats you’re dealing with and share strategies to get rid of the pests yourself. We’ll also recommend leading pest control companies that can help diagnose and treat recurring infestations.

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What Are Gnats?

“Gnat” is a generic term commonly used to describe several different species of very small, flying insects. Gnat could refer to a fruit fly, fungus fly, or drain fly. While there are different types of gnats, these bugs generally tend to lay eggs in similar damp environments and have a quick reproduction cycle—so they multiply fast. Similar physical traits across gnats include a small body that’s usually smaller than 1/4 inch and dark in color with wings, typically flying near human eye level.

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7 Ways To Get Rid of Gnats

Fortunately, homeowners can often exterminate minor to moderate gnat infestations with simple do-it-yourself (DIY) methods and thorough cleaning. However, if you have a severe gnat infestation, it may take more than one of these methods to eradicate the pests.

1. Make a DIY gnat trap: For fruit flies, the easiest DIY option is a vinegar trap, which is simple and cost-effective to create. Place a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap, and a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and stir. If you don’t have vinegar, you can substitute red wine. Set your bowl in an area where gnats are prevalent, such as your kitchen or bathroom. The sugar and vinegar combination will attract gnats, and the dish soap breaks the surface tension on the liquid. When the gnats land to drink, the liquid traps and drowns them. For larger infestations, you may want to set out a few bowls of this mixture around the house. You can also cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it, forcing any curious gnats to stay near the liquid. Finally, a fruit trap can prove similarly effective. Cover a jar of overripe fruit with plastic wrap and poke small holes into the wrap’s surface. The gnats will smell a food source and enter the jar, becoming trapped. Of course, this won’t kill the gnats, so you’ll need to cover and throw away the jar after a few days.
2. Use a spray: If the gnats are infesting your houseplants, you can either purchase a mild insecticidal spray or make one yourself. Fill an empty spray bottle with lukewarm water and mix in a few drops of mild dish soap. Spritz this lightly on gnat-infested plants, but be sure to come back two to three hours later to rinse the leaves thoroughly. Otherwise, you could damage the plant. Note that commercially available sprays designed for houseplants are less likely to damage the plants than homemade sprays.
3. Bleach your drains: Mix half a cup of bleach in a gallon of water and pour it slowly down the drain to kill drain flies and their eggs nesting in pipes. Make sure there’s proper ventilation in the room when you do this and for an hour afterward. Also, scrub infested drain pipes with a wire brush and enzymatic cleanser for best results.
4. Make a candle trap: If the gnats don’t appear to be attracted to fruit or vinegar, you can also make a trap out of a candle. Place the lit candle in a dish of soapy water to attract the gnats and turn out the overhead light. They may burn up in the flame or drop into the water and drown. Although this method works best at night, never leave a burning candle unattended, especially while you sleep.
5. Buy a glue trap: Glue or sticky traps are strips of paper or tape with an adhesive coating that traps gnats. You can set these traps anywhere in your home where there is gnat activity. Note that the traps will need to be replaced often and may have limited effectiveness for large infestations.
6. Install a bug zapper: For outdoor infestations, you can purchase an electric insect killer or bug zapper to install on your porch or patio. These products kill gnats with an electric charge when they fly into the device. Bug zappers are an excellent way to deter biting gnats in your yard but will not fully eliminate their population, only reduce it. Also, you shouldn’t install a product that’s meant to be used outdoors inside your home.

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Types of Gnats

Fruit flies, drain flies, and fungus gnats tend to be the most common household pests. You can often tell which species you’re dealing with by where you find them and how they behave.

Fungus Gnats

Fungus gnats thrive in damp conditions and feed on decaying plant matter and fungi. They often inhabit the soil of overwatered house plants. Fungus gnats do not bite, but their larvae can damage your plants, and the adult gnats can be a nuisance.

Drain Flies

Drain flies earn their name from their attraction to standing water. If water and organic matter collect inside a drain, drain flies will feed on it and multiply quickly. You will most commonly see these gnats in bathrooms and near kitchen sinks. Drain flies do not bite.

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies love to feed on fruits and vegetables and can quickly infest homes with easy food access. Other gnats prefer outdoor spaces, but fruit flies are notorious for multiplying indoors. Fruit flies do not bite.

Eye Gnats

These gnats live in areas with sandy soil and are especially common in coastal regions. Eye gnats do not bite, but fluid secretions in the eyes attract them, causing significant annoyance to humans.

Black Flies

Also known as buffalo gnats, black flies are small biting gnats that nest near small bodies of water. Some people have adverse reactions to black fly bites.

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How Do Gnat Infestations Start?

Gnats commonly live outdoors, but they may enter your house through doors or cracks or holes in your foundation, walls, or windows. However, you can also inadvertently bring them in yourself if their eggs are on purchased products or new houseplants. These eggs are too small to see, making them difficult to avoid.

Once indoors, gnats often infest trash cans, rotten fruit, and other moist places where decomposing organic matter exists. They can also be found near sinks, drains, and toilets since they can reproduce in the grime inside pipes.

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How To Prevent Gnat Infestations

Once you have treated your gnat infestation, the key to keeping it from coming back is to clean thoroughly and reduce available food and moisture sources for the gnats.

1. Clean up food and drinks after meals: Don’t leave food or drinks sitting out, and clean up any spills shortly after they happen.
2. Take out your trash every night and use a sealed trash can: Gnats are often attracted to items in the trash. By using a sealed kitchen trash can and emptying food waste frequently, gnats will be less likely to make their homes in your trash.
3. Store fruit in your refrigerator: Because gnats are attracted to the smell of fruit, leaving it exposed on your counters can attract gnats. Storing fruit in the refrigerator can also keep it from ripening too quickly.
4. Reduce humidity inside and outside your home: Repair plumbing leaks and sink drain stoppages as soon as possible. To prevent outdoor gnat problems, clean up any damp areas around rain gutters and birdbaths.
5. Set up preventive yellow sticky traps: Place these near any trouble areas, such as near ripe fruit or houseplants, to keep an infestation at bay.
6. Keep your drains clean: Perform regular drain maintenance with diluted bleach or a specialized cleaning solution to keep them free of grime and fungus. For a more eco-friendly drain cleaner that targets gnats, drain flies, and fruit flies, opt for a product such as Natural Armor All-Natural Drain Fly Killer or Green Gobbler Fly Goodbye Drain Treatment.
7. Don’t overwater plants: Indoor plants are often home to gnats, and overwatering them leads to damp potting soil that’s the perfect breeding ground for an infestation. Ensure your plants are in a pot with a drainage hole, and cut back on your watering schedule if you notice gnats buzzing around your houseplants.

When To Call a Professional for Gnats

In most cases, you should be able to get rid of gnats using one of the DIY methods discussed above. If you’ve cleared your home of waste, stored food properly, cleaned the area and notice the number of gnats continues to multiply or bugs return frequently, it may be time to call a professional. A recurring subscription for pest treatments may not be necessary. Call a local company and ask if they offer one-time or ad-hoc treatments for gnats.

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FAQs About Getting Rid of Gnats

What causes gnats in a house?

Gnats are attracted to sweet scents, moisture, garbage, houseplants, and other warm, moist environments like your bathroom or kitchen. Gnats also live and reproduce in sink drains and garbage disposals due to the food residue, water, and shelter that drains provide.

What are the signs of a gnat infestation?

Visible swarms of gnats are the most obvious signs, but you may also spot the following:

• Houseplants wilting, losing leaves, and yellowing
• Slow plant growth
• Gnats flying up from your sink when you turn on the water
• Colonies of gnats found in drains, birdbaths, or other damp areas

Why are there fruit flies in my bathroom?

Even if there’s no food present in your bathroom, flies and gnats may be attracted to this space because of its warmth and moisture buildup. Alternatively, these gnats may be drain flies that live in the sink or tub drains. To get rid of flies, try fly traps made with vinegar and dish soap, clean the drain with bleach, or call a professional pest control.

Our Conclusion

If DIY methods fail or if you want to skip right to a guaranteed solution, call a professional pest control provider to get rid of flies, gnats, and other pests. A service provider such as Terminix or Orkin is likely available in your area and can help with stubborn pests. Both of these companies can implement a customized treatment plan for your home and educate you on ways to prevent a future gnat infestation. We always recommend getting quotes from at least two companies to ensure you’re getting the best price.