Ultimate Trapping Method for Gnats

My plan was to add information to my existing post on trapping gnats. I decided the information was good enough to warrant a post of its own.

I mentioned in a post that I found the vinegar traps, especially balsamic vinegar, to be of no use to me. I also spoke of a lack of success using cranberry juice.

After keeping a cranberry juice trap in place for a couple of weeks. I did manage to catch a very few gnats. I was disappointed and forgot about the trap. Then when observing the trap again, maybe two weeks later, I did see several hundred gnats caught in the trap.

While these results look good, I have to consider how long it took to accomplish them, and how long hundreds of other gnats were flying around before being trapped.

Then I happened on the idea of suctioning the gnats from surfaces, such as cabinet doors, by using a vacuum cleaner. I found this very effective. The gnats seem to literally jump into the vacuum hose. But again, catching all or most all gnats at one time seemed illusive as there are always strays about.

I bought some peaches grown in my home state. I peeled a couple and made fresh peach smoothies. So good. Bad me, I did not discard the peelings right away and left them at the sink in a small microwave container used to hold such til trashed.

Later, when I lifted the container to dump the peelings into a plastic bag, I noticed a swarm of gnats rising into he air. The peelings in the open container were attracting the gnats from all around the kitchen to one central spot. I returned the container to where it sat at the sink and walked away.

An hour later, I returned with vacuum hose in hand. Holding the hose end close to the peelings (but not close enough to suck up them up) and tapping the container with a finger from the other hand, set off a stir in all the gnats. As they rose into the air, they were all sucked into the cleaner.

I think this method is the best to date. Rather than going around the kitchen looking for gnats, create a central spot for them to congregate. When you are satisfied you have caught all or most all gnats, remove the peelings as they would serve to attract more gnats from the outside. As I seem to be troubled with gnats so very much more than the average person, I am pleased to have discovered this latest technique.