Please help, the gnats in my kitchen are getting out of control. I have to be careful what solutions I use because I have two dogs.
Cookie
If they are in the kitchen are they gnats or fruit flies? If fruit flies, put your fruit in the fridge. Fruit flies are larger and "juicier" than gnats. If they really are gnats maybe they are multiplying in the sink trap. Put oil down the sink to coat the trap before you go to bed.
I too had that problem with gnats and fruit flies. I put water, cider vinegar, and a drop of liquid soap into cups and bowls and left them around the house on counters, the entertainment center and so on. This trick really helps and in 3-4 days, we caught them all. Good Luck to you. (12/22/2004)
By Toni
There is a really simple way to get rid of them. Open a can of any kind of fruit, as long as its in its OWN juice, Scoop out the fruit, and just leave the juice. Take some plastic wrap, enough to cover the opening of the can, and then secure it with a rubber band.
The simplest and most effective gnat-trap I've found, consists solely of using a near empty bottle of wine ('Merlot' here), with maybe an inch, or at least 'some' wine left in it. Use the same punctured clear-wrap method as above to seal the opening, (one hole slightly larger than the toothpick hole so it won't matter how fat the gnat is) and a rubber band. Results are immediate, if not over night......at most, a few days and more gnats than you realized were even available are floating,-deceased,- on the surface of the wine which you will undoubtedly want to dispose of after 2-3 days....
By Ignatz
I was about to move out because of gnats. I tried putting saran wrap over a small jar with cider vinegar in it and then a rubber band around the edge. Poked a few holes in the wrap with a toothpick- not near the edge though. I have caught a lot of them this way- I also tried beer and applesauce. the cider vinegar works best. hopefully I am on the way to killing all of those darn pests. good luck (10/16/2006)
By terri.
A good trap for fruit flies can be to get a plastic bottle, cut the top off. Then make a funnel with a piece of paper that has a very small hole, like smaller than a pencil. put a piece of banana or tomato (I think those work best, but other fruits can work as well) into the bottle and then put in the funnel, point inside the bottle. tape around the edge so they can't get out. But right now I have a major gnat infestation and I dunno how to get rid of them :( the fruit fly trap is not working. (10/31/2006)
By ashleigh0212
I am currently trying both the liquid method and the food method. The Bottle with food is doing a better job at this point. I have white grape juice in one bottle and a mixture of salsa, apple slices, and ketchup in the other that was heated in a microwave for about one minute. (05/31/2007)
By Hector Delgoto
I have gnats in the bathroom. I have set off 3 defoggers within the last 2 days. Killing many gnats. Next morning "their back". It is a very small bathroom. I have all baseboards and toilets fully caulked and window is sealed. Not sure where they are coming from Help anyone out there. CMWnenna
Editor's Note: They are probably coming out of the drains. (07/28/2007)
By CMWnenna
I did the trick mentioned earlier. Take apple cider vinegar. Put it in a small dish, like a custard cup/small clear cup. Put in about half a teaspoon (a good squirt) of dish soap. Stir the soap up enough to dissolve it but not to make bubbles. Leave it out in places where you see the gnats.
But use something clear so you can really see how many of those dead little buggers you get in the bottom! (07/28/2007)
By mark mathias
You guys have so many great ideas for killing gnats I'm going to try them all. Try leaving out an open beer they seem to get drunk and drown in it. They must be to stoned to find their way out of the bottle. Good luck killing those little @#$$#!%$#. (12/29/2007)
By Cory
I'm going nuts here! We have 2 cats and we've been dealing with a huge amount of gnats the past 4 days now and it's driving me nuts. We don't own any live plants or flowers. We only notice them in the kitchen and in the bathroom (a relatively small one). I originally started with the apple cidar vinegar and Dawn dish washing liquid concoction which DID kill a crazy amount, evidenced by their dead carcasses in the bottom of the bottle.
I also had 2 fly sticky traps hanging in the kitchen and 1 in the bathroom and one of the ones in the kitchen DID catch a great deal of gnats, that would be the one that was hanging over top of our stove. I have washed down all the countertops, stove, sinks, toilet, tub/shower, and sprayed all around the baseboards of the kitchen and bathroom.
I also have been dumping Clorox bleach down all of the drains on a daily basis. I STILL SEE GNATS! Every time I think they are dwindling down I see 2 - 3 more that I end up having to smack to kill. When does the insanity stop?! What else can be done? How long does it take to kill them all? HELP!( (01/15/2008)By CincyJen
Whatever you guys do, check under your stove and refrigerators for a dropped (lost) potato or some other long lost piece of fruit or veggie. I LMAO when a friend of mine found one after a battle with those varmits. and GOOD Luck. (06/08/2008)
By Paula
I have the solution. 50/50 Simple Green/Water. Drops em, 5 seconds later their dead. But gotta keep killing them every 20 minutes or so, they are everywhere. Left my kitchen super clean and smelling good.
(06/16/2008)
By Crib225
I have the same problem.
I have a ferret that I give fruit to & have water dishes for her & the 2 cats in the house. My sister told me to use lavender oil. They hate that nice smell. I put it on my cat & got rid of his fleas too. And put some on cotton balls all over the house. And wiped it around the edge of the food & water dishes & pured it down the drains too.
It is 100% all natural & safe for all pets & people. The gnats only like things that are wet and/or rotten. That put off a vinegar smell. So vinegar wont work.
Good luck! (06/24/2008)
By mbowdy
I don't have pets but I did have gnats in my house which I soon discovered were coming from my plants. I replanted all of my plants in new soil and purchased pots that had draining holes for the ones that did not and the next day I seen a couple of gnats. I was sick over the whole thing because I love all of my plants, but if the gnats continued I was going to get rid of my plants. Anyway, I read online about slicing up potatoes and putting them in the bottom of the soil and changing the potatoes about every 3-4 days. Apparently, the gnats lay their eggs on them. Since I did that (3 to 4 slices per plant depending on the size) I have not seen a gnat since. I have been doing this for about a week now and so far no gnats. (07/08/2008)
By Debbie
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I often wonder if anyone reads the question thoroughly!!!! I have the same issue at the lake, not in an indoor space. The gnats wont leave my dogs alone even with lemongrass spray on them. It's not as simple as putting a dish out with something in it
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