I have a gnat problem; in my bedroom. I have not seen any in the kitchen. They come out in the evening when the lights are on, or on my computer. The plant's soil seems fine. I do not have fruit out. This is a problem when trying to sleep, you feel gnats. We put fly paper out and it has helped a little.
Chris
We are having the same problem. They were bad last year but disappeared over winter. Now they are back with a vengeance and driving me nuts. And no, I don't have fruit/food laying around but I do have houseplants!
If you look at the archives, you'll see there are a lot of posts by people with this same problem. I haven't read the archives until now, but there are some good ideas to try - I didn't know about the vinegar and am going to try this 1st thing tomorrow.
As a temporary fix, I have a spray bottle in the kitchen with water that has a few drops of dish soap added. It will kill gnats and ants, etc on contact. I'm thinking they are in my houseplants and maybe the pots of herbs in my kitchen window.
I know my mom used to make 'tobacco tea' by taking the tobacco out of an unused cigarette and soaking it in a quart jar of water. Then she used the water on her plants to kill aphids and other bugs that might be in them. I don't smoke and don't want to bum a cigarette off someone who does, so I think I'm going to try the soapy water bath for my plants first and see if that helps. (06/02/2010)
Stick with using the Apple cider vinegar and dish detergent...it works. Besides, vinegar is a natural "odor eliminator" and helps get rid of cooking odors, too, so it has a dual purpose. Just put the jars out in whatever room you're being bothered by them. I don't even bother covering them, and gnats never returned.
Has anyone tried filling baggies of water with 5 or 6 pennies inside and pinning it in front of windows to keep flies and wasps away? (Or horse trailers or wherever you want.) (06/02/2010)
By Diane
I just tried a recipe from this site. No measurements, ok? In a plastic disposable dish, pour around 1/4-1/2" apple cider vinegar. Then add a few squirts of Palmolive Lemon dishwashing liquid. It must be Palmolive lemon I don't know why, but it won't work with Dawn, for example, I tried it already.
Place the plate on a table, away from children and pets, and in the morning you should see them floating around. Throw it out and start with a fresh dish for next time. I use this method outside too in the backyard where I read day and night; works like a charm!
Good luck! (06/07/2010)
By metroplex
Gnats come out at a certain time of the year. Flea spray kills them. I found that out by accident when I was using it for my dogs. (06/16/2010)
By Nan Corpe
I noticed the insects I have seen in my kitchen are originating from the rotting part of the bottom cabinets. I don't know if they're gnats but they fly around my head from time to time in the house and are driving me crazy! I tried spraying them but now I have two kittens in my house and I don't want to expose them to insecticides. I HOPE that the apple cider vinegar concoction works!
Anyway, can anyone tell me why they are congregating in the wood at the bottom of the cabinets? I don't leave fruit or anything rotting out. (07/10/2010)
By Punzee
Hey everyone, I found a proven method to get rid of gnats, once and for all.
1. Pour ammonia down every one of your drains, and immediately put the stoppers in them, leave them in overnight. Make sure you don't run any water down those drains after you have put in the ammonia. Gnats lay their eggs in the drains of your sinks and tubs.
2. Make sure you don't leave any trash out overnight. Take out all garbage every night. Ladies: if you have bathroom trash with any feminine products disposed of in there, you MUST take out the trash daily. It's a great idea to buy a garbage can with a lid. Also, if you have garbage in the can, pour a little ammonia over the garbage, this helps. They hate that smell.
3. DO NOT leave wet towels laying around. They love wetness of any kind. Also, it's a good idea to cover your wet dishes drying in the drain board with a dry bath towel. Remember: Standing water is a NO, NO!
4. Once you have done these things, go to Home Depot and buy a product called EcoSmart flying insect spray. It is safe for kids and pets and uses organic products like peppermint and cinnamon oil. It smells good and it kills the gnats.
**Now, if you have a gnat problem that is really bad, once you have gone through steps 1-4, I suggest using a fogger to kill all the gnats still flying around. This is a good way to kill them quickly. Please be safe when doing this and follow instructions on the fogger to a T.
Hope this helps, it worked for me!! (07/26/2010)
By Cecegirl
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