Many facts can attract gnats to your home, from the smell of garbage to the humidity to the darkness; silver can attract and harbor different insects, including gnats.
The safest thing is that once the mosquito is attracted, more can appear and in a large quantity, thus affecting the space where they are.
People can shake the area, dispose of trash, or clean plants, but sometimes these measures are not enough to eliminate them.
Once they find something they like in your home, it is somewhat difficult to get rid of them completely. Although there are effective options on the market, such as chemicals, insecticides, repellants, and others, many people prefer other options to get rid of gnats naturally.
There are many ways to eliminate gnats from your home efficiently. Still, before knowing which the most convenient way is for you, it is advisable to learn a little more about this small but annoying insect.
What Are Gnats?
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It is essential to identify the small insect that invades your home correctly. In this way, you can choose the appropriate and safe method to get rid of them permanently.
The physical characteristics of these insects can be described as small, two-winged flies that normally come in swarms. Gnats are generally considered unwanted pests, both indoors and outdoors. This is because they always arrive in large quantities and are attracted by different smells, such as humidity, puddles of water, moldy plants, dirty dishes, and recent garbage, among others.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of these insects is very short compared to that of other animals, but there are always in large numbers because they reproduce very easily and quickly.
The reproduction cycle consists of the deposit of eggs. Female gnats deposit their eggs in large quantities in the water. It takes seven to ten days for an egg to develop into an adult mosquito.
The mosquito’s life cycle has four distinct phases: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Only in the adult phase can they fly and live on land, while they are only aquatic in the other three phases.
Why Does Your Home Have So Many Gnats?
There are many things that gnats like and attract, so if you found something they like in your home, be it in a humid area, an uncovered trash can, standing water. Also, because of sugary foods, dirty, mold, and mold, so if your house has any source of dirt, bad smell, leaks, humidity, the most likely thing is that the gnats will always stay concentrated and very close to there.
If you frequently find gnats in your kitchen, you should also check the fruits you bring from outside, as these usually also serve as a repository for mosquito larvae.
In any case, if you want to know what is attracting gnats to your home, it is best to do a good review and eliminate the sources that attract them. This is the only way for them to disappear from your home permanently.
Where Are They Coming From?
When finding gnats accumulated in your home, the most common is to wonder where they come from or what attracts them. It is common for gnats to come to your home from a nearby source outside; for example, if you leave the windows open and outside are uncovered garbage containers, water tanks, among others.
Fruit trees also attract many gnats, so if you have some in your yard, it’s best to keep your windows closed to keep them out.
They also enter your home from the fruits you have bought, as adult flies lay hundreds of eggs on fruits and vegetables even when they have not ripened. Then as they mature, the larva begins to develop.
So, your home doesn’t necessarily have to be dirty for gnats to come and take up residence in something they are attracted to. So it is very important to check everything, even if your house is especially clean, to do a good inferior inspection that allows you to identify the source that attracts them and where they come from to invade the interior of your home.
What Do They Eating?
Gnat larvae get most of their nutrition directly from decaying organic materials like flowers and fruits. All-female and male gnats feed on the juice of the sweetest fruits and the nectar of flowers.
With their stinger in the shape of a trunk, they can access these foods and take advantage of all their substance rich in sugars. With that same stinger, females bite humans and animals to obtain the blood they need to develop eggs and reproduce.
What Are They Attracted To?
Almost anything attracts gnats; many things can be a source of attraction for gnats to settle in your home. The kitchen is one of the spaces where gnats can be found most regularly in the home.
But gnats are also especially attracted to certain chemicals in the human body, such as lactic acid in sweat and the carbon dioxide that results from breathing.
Gnats are also attracted to dark colors, humidity, and light. So it is recommended to close the windows at night while you have your lamps on.
Strong, sweet smells are also very attractive to gnats and some species of flowers and plants.
Are Gnats Dangerous?
The gnat itself is an insect that seems very harmless, but the truth is that its proliferation can be the cause of very serious diseases.
Some claim that they are very annoying and potentially dangerous insects since they are vectors for transmitting serious diseases to humans and animals.
There are different species of gnats; some of them can be more dangerous than others, depending on the pathologies they can transmit. In addition, it must be taken into account that just as they can be positioned in fruits, vegetables, and other foods, they also do it in the garbage, in stagnant water, in sewers. So they always serve as vectors for many diseases such as yellow fever, malaria, and dengue.
Types of Common Household Gnats
Although there are over 3,000 different species of gnats worldwide, only a few hundred of them feed on blood. But there are only four domestic species that represent a serious problem for humans. They are the following:
The tiger gnats or Aedes albopictus
This species of mosquito is the one that transmits yellow fever, Zika, and dengue. After its appearance, little by little, it has spread in many regions.
The Aedes aegypti gnat is the main carrier of the dengue virus, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. easily grows in stagnant waters
The Anopheles gnats
It is one of the gnats best known for being the only transmitters of malaria. Unlike other species, this one prefers clean waters.
The gnats Culex pipiens or common gnats
And the most common species, the mosquito that can be seen very frequently. It is the most common and numerous species since the females can put up to a thousand new ones while they live. It can live perfectly in sewage.
How to Eliminate Gnats inside the house naturally
Once you have identified the source that brings gnats into your home, it is important to try to get rid of them by the best means. For many reasons, many people avoid the use of insecticides and chemicals.
There are also home options that allow you to eliminate the plague of gnats from your home with natural remedies such as:
A rotten fruit trap
You only need a piece of fruit of your choice, with a piece of paper and vinegar. By forming a paper cone containing the other elements, the gnats are attracted, but they cannot easily move away once they enter.
Spray
Spraying a swarm with a mixture of water, vinegar, and dish soap kills many gnats.
Apple cider vinegar trap
This trap attracts gnats, and when they bend over to drink, they are trapped by the other components, such as liquid soap.
DIY wine trap
It works the same way as the apple cider vinegar trap, but the result maybe even better, as gnats will have difficulty getting out of the stem of the wine bottle and flying back.
Candle trap
At night when turning off the lights, light a candle. In this way, flame attracts gnats, and some will die from the flames or fall and drown in the liquid sperm below.
Also Read: How To Keep Gnats Out Of Compost
How to Keep the Gnats Away
There are different natural and effective ways to keep gnats away from you and your home; some of the most effective are:
Eliminate the sources that attract you
Checking for standing water, mold, decaying fruit or food, uncovered trash is a good start that allows you to eliminate anything attractive to gnats in and around your home.
Use natural repellents
Camphor is a natural option that scents the environment and repels gnats. Using a garlic spray will also keep them out of the way, thus preventing them from invading your home. Essential oils are the favorite of many people.
Final Words
In general, many things can be done to prevent gnats from entering your home. In this way, you prevent many diseases and keep your home free of possible bacteria and microorganisms that are harmful to health.
Natural options are available to everyone, making it easy and safe to choose any of them and keep gnats out of your home.
