Monday, April 29, 2024

12 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Gnats on Houseplants and In Soil

kill gnats in house

Here's how to prevent and get rid of fruit flies and gnats indoors. There is no scientific evidence that cinnamon fungus gnat traps work. But if you want to try it, sprinkle a layer of cinnamon over the soil of an infested pot plant. Even if the cinnamon gnat trap doesn’t help to get rid of larvae and flies, your room will have a pleasant aroma.

How to Get Rid of Drain Flies

One of the biggest mistakes to avoid when getting flies out of the house is relying too heavily on chemical killers. Not only can these be irritating for your skin and airways, but they can also damage your home. Here, we look at eight ways to get rid of all types of gnats from your home and prevent them from coming back. Numerous bug zappers are available for indoor and outdoor use, many of which were tested in our tested guide to the best bug zappers. Choose one that’s maybe a bit smaller and less obtrusive than others, and pick one that is suitable for indoor use, like our top indoor pick from Aspectek.

How to Get Rid of Gnats on Houseplants and Kill Gnats in Plant Soil

Both are considered effective insecticidal soaps, particularly Castile, which has plant-based oils, killing bugs by suffocation and dehydration. The fungus gnats will be attracted to the aroma of fermentation, land on the soapy film, and drown. The quickest way to get rid of gnats is to use a bug zapper or collection device that attracts the bugs, kills them and collects them in a removable canister. 'This is another tip from my dad, buying a drosera capensis' Says Camille.

Inspect new houseplants

kill gnats in house

Granules are sprinkled over the soil, introducing some bacteria with each watering. Fungus gnats are primarily a problem in nurseries, where many susceptible young seedlings are grown in damp conditions. While you may not be growing your plants in a nursery or greenhouse setting with a large enough population, they can also pose a threat to common houseplants. Although they look like tiny mosquitoes, fungus gnats are small flies of the Orfelia and Bradysia species.

Repot Your Plants

All you have to do is lightly mist the leaves to repel flying gnats. If you’ve got soil bugs, then spray the soil so that the top two inches (5 cm) of soil are moist. While traps help control the adult population of fungus gnats, you still need to treat the eggs and larvae in the soil. Make a solution by mixing 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 4 parts water, then pour the mixture into the pot, making sure to completely saturate the soil, says Royer. Inside the home, gnats can be attracted to unsealed produce, fresh flowers, houseplants, food spillage and open or overflowing garbage cans.

Finally, you can try attracting the flies with a combination of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap, although this will mostly attract fruit flies. Fungus gnats prefer to feed on organic matter, so the potato peel method will likely be more effective. Fly traps are important control tools that continue to eliminate new adults as they emerge. While a pyrethrum-based aerosol insecticide may be used to kill adult flies if you can hit them, it won't take care of any eggs or larvae lurking in your kitchen. Store-bought fly traps will prevent the flies from breeding and can be purchased at your local hardware store. These disposable fruit fly traps, which are baited with a nontoxic lure, can catch about 2,000 flies each, and can last for one month.

kill gnats in house

Let your plants dry out

Woman shares 'genius' hack for getting rid of gnats using garlic butter: 'It works every time' - Daily Mail

Woman shares 'genius' hack for getting rid of gnats using garlic butter: 'It works every time'.

Posted: Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Then, slowly pour the diluted mixture down the drain to kill any gnats and potential larvae. Alternatively, you can use a commercial drain cleaner to produce the same results. Sticky fly traps can catch female gnats around your houseplants, reducing their chances of breeding in the soil. When combining various methods to get rid of gnats for good, it’s essential to make sure that they complement each other.

Drain Cleaner

Here’s what to know about getting rid of everyone’s least favorite household pests. Chiana has been at Homes & Gardens for two years, having started her journey in interior journalism as part of the graduate program. She also has a first-class degree in Literature from Lancaster University.

What are the signs of a gnat infestation?

One of our favorite traps to buy is Aunt Fannie's FlyPunch which is non-toxic and super easy to use. The only way to prevent this migration is to avoid bringing the plants inside. Of course, houseplants, by definition, live indoors, so this is not a permanent solution.

They can be identified by their narrow legs, light gray or clear wings, and segmented antennae larger than their heads. If you notice these gnats flitting about and your plants seem to wilt for no reason, larval root damage could be the cause. If you want to get rid of gnats in your indoor potted plants, you can use common home remedies—like hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and cinnamon—without killing your plants. Read on to find more ways to get rid of gnats in plants naturally. Overripe fruits, veggies, decaying food matter and moisture in drains are all culprits. To get rid of drain flies or drain gnats, simply pour drain cleaner down the drain.

"You may notice that your plant has not been growing quite as well or that the leaves have started to yellow." Gnats breed in damp areas, so check for places where water may be collecting, such as around leaky pipes or overwatered outdoor plants. Overwatered houseplants are a common attractant for gnats, so allowing the soil to dry out between watering can help.

The average lifespan of a fruit fly is 40 to 50 days—aka much longer than any of us would like. Gnats, on the other hand, have shorter lifespans, but their ability to reproduce at rapid speeds means once you swat one, there's pretty much always another one buzzing around. Not only are they a nuisance, but flies can also transport bacteria (think Salmonella and E.coli).

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