How can I get Rid of Gnats?

I cannot believe i have gnats in the middle of the winter. It is six degrees out there!I am clean, no dishes lying around, no houseplants, no open fruits or veggies. They are swarming everywhere, even in bedrooms. I checked everywhere and still cannot find the source. Help!

I am a college student and I have had gnats for a week in my dorm. I finally found the source today: box full of rotten persimmons. There is a stain on my carpet but I am afraid to try to scrub the area because I don't want to pay for damaged carpet. At the moment, my roommate can take the blame for it if the stain remains.

In addition, I live in an area where it is hard to get rid of moisture and everything mildews. I don't need moldy carpet and that won't help with the bugs either. What can I do? I don't have vinegar. I mixed water with sugar and dish soap but I don't know how well it is working. In addition, my dorm reeks and I don't know if I can cook after this. It is weird that there wasn't really a smell until I found the box and lifted the lid and then disposed of the fruit. Now it won't go away.

Worst and longest time with gnats in the canadian home, middle of winter. Plants completely dry and fruit put away. Garbage is always clean. I don't get where these buggers are coming from. Every so often one flies by. I don't have a clue and it's been months! I quit!

We're talking about two or three different kinds of gnats or flies: fungus gnats in plants, fruit flies in food and drains, and drain flies in drains. That is why some remedies work wonders for some people and do nothing for others. I looked up the names of these different flies/gnats to help me know which things to try and which ones not to bother with.

I wrote a few minutes ago to say I thought I had drain flies and fungus gnats. I also mentioned in another post in this blog that I thought mentioned drain flies. I remembered incorrectly. The post mentioned drain gnats.

After further reading, I am sure that what I have is not fungus gnats, but drain gnats-- Phorid flies for sure, and possibly Sphaerocerid flies as well. Looks like I'll be doing extra cleaning in the crevices where cabinets meet the floor, as well as looking for some drain gel.

My first move was to put the potted plants outside. Then I noticed the gnats were concentrating in the bathroom and around the toilet, so I dropped bowl cleaner (bleach) tablets in the tank to poison their water supply. That didn't work, so I put diluted dish detergent and bleach in a small adjustable hand pump spray bottle and went "big game hunting." )

I looked at the gnats I killed under a 16x magnifying glass, and noticed most of them had tapering abdomens like mosquitoes. Shortly after the gnats showed up, I started getting these small flies that flutter about like moths, and have over-sized wings that look like they were designed by an artist to be more cute than functional.

Finally getting sick of the mess, I did some research and found this site, and others that have identifying photos. Most of the gnats are indeed fungus gnats, and the flies are the drain flies mentioned in another post on this blog.

The suggested answer: clean the drains of all the organic matter in which these pests breed. As a temporary measure, I just now tried pouring in some chlorine laundry bleach and drain opener (concentrated bleach) where it will sit in the drain traps until I can go out and find some drain gel (DF-5000 or similar), which is what is indicated for drain pests. I hope this works.

To stop them from entering your home in the first place, be careful of the onions you buy at the grocers or fruit shop. If you notice the onions in particular have the small black flies hovering around them, don't buy them, or fruit nearby, as it will probably be infested with eggs.

i poured vegetable oil in my sink drain and that got rid of the gnats in my house, but they still are in my house coming through my walls.

Masking tape works like them sticky traps. The gnats like to walk around the pot rim so put a little loop of masking tape in the rim of each plant where you are having problems. Wife's orchids got loads all the sudden. I've killed hundreds with just masking tape in a few days.

i need help i have gnats i tried vinegar but it doesn't seem to help. what do I do? there's so many gnats.

I read through many of the posts and am trying the vinegar thing as I type. Has anyone ever tried one of those sonic things you plug into the wall? They're supposed to make a sound that only pests can hear? Does that include gnats?

Used open jar method with vinegar but find gnats just lie on top of the rim. What is the key to get them to go into the vinegar?

arg, nothing works! and i don't have any cider vinegar!

so happy we're not the only ones fighting these little buggers! is there a united gnat club to join?

We had them inside all over, I think due to overwatering our plants this summer. We used the all methods above and finally they are gone- we occasionally see one and I spray the plants again.

the best remedy was the TAT paper from Ace Hardware and the indoor plant spray from Schultz (about $5 for a small sprayer) and it worked.

After watering my plants I sprayed the top dirt for two weeks - no more bugs! We also did the bleach in drains, fruit in frig etc. So a combo attack is probably the best way.

The entire front of my house is covered with gnats or gnat like insects. They aren't very active once they squeeze through the screen and most seem to just stick to the curtain if they get past the window.

I did some research and found that they are not gnats or fruit flies, they are called Hackberry Gall Psyllids. We have a hackberry tree in our front yard and apparently these locust like insects are tough to kill or prevent. Going to try Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Control, found the advice on the Nebraska University horticulture site. Just thought I would share.

this time of year I have a hackberry tree outside they love. I can't even open my windows because the screens and windows are covered. Is there something I can spray on the tree? Otherwise it is chop chop time.

If you are infested with them, fogging wipes them out completely.

I find that the gnats are drawn to a strong white russian but you must use the finest vodka. Don't ask! They die instantly my friends.

Thanks for all those who suggested the TAT fly paper / sticky strips. After trying a few of the other methods, this one has been the most effective.

I found so many helpful comments posted. I tried the vinegar with Dawn and found that white vinegar works also. Had no success with the cheap red wine. The gnats probably got a buzz, but most took a drink and flew away!

I found the all time *best* solution at Ace Hardware. It is called Tat Flypaper. A value pack has eight tubes with an extremely sticky surface which unroll into long twirling ribbons which can be hung from a little tie at the top. Can be used indoors or out for flies, mosquitoes, on trees for moths, etc.

Once insects land on the flypaper, they never leave. When it gets full, wrap it in newspaper and discard. This is the answer. Pouring boiling water in drains in addition, is a good idea.

I get a can of hair spray and wherever they fly, they get it and good. It sticks to their wings and can't fly and are dead in less than a day. It takes about a week and they are gone.

When I figured out that I had a major problem with these horrible gnats, I started researching how to get rid of them. I tried all kinds of mixtures to attract them and most of them worked by catching a few here and there, but I found one that works great. I put a couple of teaspoons of apple sauce, about a 1/2 cup of apple vinegar, and a couple of drops of dish detergent (mixed well) in a shallow container with a wide open top. I caught TONS! I replaced the mixture every night. It took a few days to get rid of all of them, but I think I have gotten rid of them for now.

I also put bleach down my kitchen and bathroom drains, plugged them, and let them sit overnight without use then flushed them out with hot water in the morning. I also kept all of my drains plugged while I wasn't using them just in case they were still trying to reproduce.

I wake up at 4am every morning for work. Once I turn on the light the gnats swarm around the lights. There is no food in the light fixtures but they hang out around there. How do I get rid of them because I have to turn on the lights to get ready for work?

Wow, this is great! We are in the process of trying almost every single thing suggested. vinegar/dish soap: worked okay. Got maybe 20? Cool, but not enough when there are a hundred more!

Used draino in all my sinks, then a few hours later poured boiling hot water down and pour bleach after every use. If that sounds like overkill, I assure you, the problem is still not completely solved. There are fewer gnats, but still too many.

I'm trying to find the source - that seems to be key. I'm hoping it was the drains - which hopefully got taken care of with the draino, boiling water, and bleach treatment.

It's been weeks now since the swarm of gnats started. This past week was our first serious effort to get rid of them. Seems to be slowly working, but will need to keep it up until completely eradicated. thanks for all the tips!

The apple vinegar, two healthy drops of dish soap, and water in a plastic picnic cup worked like a charm. Much appreciation for this thread.

There is a time to 'attract' the existing gnats in your home when you need to eliminate as many as possible. But don't plan on 'attracting' them for long! The goal is to eliminate all sources of fermented anything including your dishes of vinegar as you are attracting them from all over, not JUST those in your house! Eliminate all sources. Possibly the tacky strips attract them too, like from all over the neighborhood -- yum! Your house is a gold mine!

Use them for what is existing, then take them out. Don't use them indefinitely!

Do the multi-attack approach, focusing on thorough cleaning and eliminating those things in your house that need to go. For example, consider the lids of bottles in your pantry. A sticky bottle of soy sauce, vinegar, wine, etc. can attract them to your pantry. Empty beer bottles or soda cans in the trash or recycle container. Think hard about what foods are aged (cheese, parmesan is likely on your shelf) or things fermented, or cultured. That's why they like vinegar! It's the 'spoiling' or aged aspect of it that they like!

Though some of these are excellent sources of health for humans, they should still be stored properly, openings of bottles cleaned, etc.

Could your fridge need cleaning? Someone mentioned the drip pan underneath. Our apartment management over-waters the yard so we get them, but essentially they are drawn to the yard, not inside. Give them nothing to 'enjoy'. Where else might you have spoiling foods - between the cushions of the couch? The carpeting? Do you have seepage of water around your faucets into the wall or under sink areas? These may sound ludicrous, but the point is you have to think of what's going on in your environment. Think like a gnat!

I'm wishing you success, and peace again, as I know how annoying that 'helpless' feeling can be.

Use the sticky strips that hang from a tack. They are made by Tat. Within a week, they are gone. Change the strips once they are full of insects. No pesticides are on these strips.

I have been seeing gnats for a week or so (not fruit around) and tried suggestions on this post. Used a little Palmolive Dish Detergent, a little water and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in a plastic container. Within 15 minutes I went to check on it and there were three dead gnats in it. It worked!

I found that a half wine glass of Barefoot Riesling captured more than the apple cider vinegar or cheap red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon).

I just tried mixing Bud Light and the apple cider vinegar. We'll see how that goes.

I found that organic apple cider vinegar works better than regular apple cider vinegar. I used Eden Organic Apple Cider Vinegar in a non-soakable paper bowl and I put three fly strips across the top of the bowl. When the bowl is full of dead gnats I throw the bowl away.

the vinegar trick for me worked okay. i used a large cooking oil jar. they went in but they wouldn't go into the vinegar so once i got a few in i put the top on quickly and disposed of it.

But a trick that worked better was when i took a bowl and used the vinegar but put fruit in the bowl. they loved that. went right in died instantly.

To prevent the problem altogether indoors, eliminate all overripe fruit or eat it before it begins to decay (That's the only time I see gnats, and they disappear when I do this).

Keep plants you want to thrive in clay pots with holes in the bottom beneath trays. Also use window screens if at all possible and please, please, please do not use pesticides! Check out a reputable eco-friendly garden supplier in-store or online for a safe alternative.

A little known secret: Pesticides don't just kill insects and other pests; they also kill us, just more slowly. Not all diseases are caused by a virus or bacteria. A healthy immune system is is sufficiently equipped to efficiently handle these.

Between the chemical companies and the pharmaceutical companies, we just could be heading towards a premature extinction. Please act now or pay later. Hope this is helpful to everybody. Love, peace and light.

A little trick for the vinegar/dish soap mix (for me, raspberry wine vinegar seems to work better). I get more gnats in my traps if I put them by a night light for the night shift!

We have gnats at work, and if I wave an alcohol wipe in their direction they drop dead instantly!

Haven't tried this yet, but I think it will be a futile attempt on my part. The yard is slam full of gnats! Can't be helped, high water table here. I mean, I have crayfish holes all in the yard, if that tells you anything!

Guess I'll give this a try, but for any one I kill, 100 more follow me in the house!

Yes, the vinegar traps work to some extent. I used a mixture of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and water to give a moderate odor of overripe fruit. Killed dozens.

My problem was indoors, and started with a houseplant that had no drainage. However, I noticed that some didn't find the traps. thought I had them beat, but working on the computer late at night with no other lights on, one appeared. I killed it. Then another. I killed it. Then ten flies and fifteen minutes later, I knew I still had a problem. So I bought Hot Shot Natural Flying Insect Killer at Lowe's. Unbelievable! It kills on contact, is all natural (lemongrass oil) and was only about $4 for a big spray can. Safe for pets and children, and smells great. Buy that stuff and take the fight to the gnats!

Spray all your plants and anywhere you have a problem. Then go around the house and hunt them down. They like to stay near the ceiling sometimes so look everywhere. You don't have to spray them twice. One shot will do it. Then keep after them for two weeks (their reproductive period) - spray every one you see. It was such a good product, I had to tell everyone!

After coming home from vacation, I found gnats for the first time in my kitchen -- a lot of them. I immediately went online and found this website and tried the apple vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of dawn dish soap (or baking soda) in a small car (didn't use a lid). I put one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen where the gnats were. Within minutes they were many dead.

Next I tried the boiling water down the drains (also used ammonia) this will kill the eyes I guess. I am happy to say after three days of this I am gnat free! (Find the source of what is bringing them, ours was the garbage we left in the garage while we were on vacation! We had never had a gnat problem before.)

I don't have trash or fruit around. I am sure it is because of my house plants so how do I get rid of them without killing or throwing out my house plants?

just put 1/2 glass full with cheap red wine. it does the trick every time. Forget about vinegar and other unpleasant odors. Change the wine two times a week.

Last summer I had the same problem! I almost had to pull all my hair out from being stressed and embarrassed when people would come over and start swatting.

Granted, we are not the cleanest family, but by far not the dirtiest I have ever met. We found that if you take an old pair of jeans and cut a hole in the seat then wear around the house that they will actually buzz around the seat and follow you outside to where you can eradicate them. Hope this helps. Really helped us!

I worked in a nursing home many years ago, and the gnats were terrible hanging around the med cart that had applesauce for crushed meds, and two gallon cans of supplement nutrition drink. These drew the gnats to my cart and was bothersome and gross.

The maintenance men told me that these gnats breed in the drains, water pipes, tub drains, etc. Standing water, dirty dishes in the sink, warm humid weather brings them out. The maintenance men say anything sweet down the drains makes a breeding ground for gnats because even when not running water down drain, there is always some standing water in the drain and drain pipes.

These are the fruit fly type gnats. He said it is extremely important to pour boiling water down the drains where ever there is a drain, laundry drains, sinks everyone in the house, tub, shower. And they used full strength bleach, and ammonia down the drains as well. Keep all fruit and sweet drinks covered not open to air. No standing dish water soaking dishes, they will start things going if dishes are not done daily, especially with the standing water.

Don't let sinks stand with sweet things poured down drain, soda pop, milk, anything sweet. You must pour boiling water down drains where sweet liquids have been poured. The sticky fly rolls hung over sinks catch them, but stopping the breeding process is key. Probably why summer is the season most trouble starts.

Moist, hot and humid conditions accelerate the rotting process of garbage, foods etc. The rotting process always starts, and creates a sugar base with the breakdown of rotting, creates a process in almost all things, even plants, that causes fermentation. Almost all fermentation occurs in the rotting process.

Reading all these posts, the apple cider vinegar, is a fermenting of apples, wine, a fermenting of grapes, and beer, a fermenting as well. These attract the gnats, drowning is the death of the attraction, along with the suggested soaps, or oils to trap and suffocate the bugs.

So, sugar and heat with humidity seems to be the main environment. Garbage, of course, is the rotting food thrown away, etc. Using the eradication suggestions may work for some and not all. I don't have even one plant, no cat box, no soil in house of any kind, yet I get gnats every year when heat, high humid days and window opening weather and air conditioning are in place. Remember: standing water is always part of the environment, and air conditioners create moisture in outside dripping etc. So just a long post of FYI on where these problem insects come from. Breeding area, all drains and what gets them multiplying in large numbers, adding sweet to create the fermentation process in garbage and sinks. Once they get into the kitchen drain. the whole house pipe drain system gets involved, hence the bathing areas and laundry areas Boiling water and bleach treatments down all drains everywhere in the house. Hope this info was helpful.

no.65: You described what I am being plagued with. They are awful. Buffalo gnats! Bite, itch, make you run into the house, but you have to shake your hat off first and brush them off you shirt. They are ruining my summer. I live in W. Central Indiana and never had these before. Thank you, and I really mean it.

#58: I've tried everything. The vanilla extract works. I rubbed it all over my hat, front back and top. But some on my shirt collar, sleeves and back of my hands. Just dug onions from the garden. Not a gnat landed on me. Earlier, they ran me out in a couple minutes. I'm looking forward to my morning walk around tomorrow morning. Haven't been able to do that is a week!

I live on 22 acres. I wish I could afford to spray the whole place with vanilla extract. It works.

I was having a gnat problem all over my apartment, but particularly in the kitchen and bathroom.

First, I put all fruit in the refrigerator, left nothing wet around - I even made certain that my kitchen and bathroom sinks were totally dry; no garbage. Then I used the posted comment about using apple cider vinegar and Dawn dishwashing liquid. I put 1 tablespoon of Dawn in and small containers with some apple cider vinegar; set them out in various locations all over my apartment.

In the morning my apartment was virtually free of gnats and in the little containers are dead gnats. It really works. Good ridance!

I am in the midst of gnat eradication now. I tried vinegar w/ dish soap. Capturing 20 gnats when you have hundreds is worthless. I sprayed Garden Safe Fungicide. Seemed to help. I have tons of sticky yellow gnat traps which work great in the pot.

I've been putting raw potato slices on soil in the pot, gnats lay eggs on slices, then throw out after two days and replace. Today I got the brilliant idea to coat slices in vegetable oil-apparently gnats covered in oil can't breed. So far my method seems to be working great as the gnats are greatly reduced but not eradicated yet.

My wife uses apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dishwashing liquid in an open cup. They are drawn to the smell and sink in the liquid. It seems to work really well.

I am going out of my mind! I'm having a serious problem with gnats, for months now. I don't ever keep out fruit, don't even go grocery shopping anymore because of them. They are in my fridge, my freezer, my bedroom and my bedroom closet. I don't even eat at home because of the problem.

I have tried everything: pouring bleach down the drains, vinegar, boiling water -- everything. I have set out bowls with vinegar and dawn, nothing seems to help.

I have tried setting out glasses with beer, still no good. I don't know what to do at this point. I don't have house plants, I don't have pets. I live in an apartment. Someone please help me. I've even tried Raid for flying insects, which specified gnats, that didn't help. I tried Bengal drain cleaner, still not good. I don't know what to do anymore.

Please someone, give me some suggestions. My trash is taken out every day no matter how full it is. I don't know where they are coming from! This is making me crazy! Please help!

I happened to almost be out of dill pickle spears once day and figured that the juice might work to trap the gnats by attracting them with the vinegar and organic matter. The remaining spears were eaten, a few squirts of hand soap went in with the juice, the jar was swirled about and left in a corner of the room.

I checked on it the next day and dozens of gnats were dead at the bottom of the jar. No lid necessary.

the best way to get rid of gnats is to not have food or trash. problem solved.

I used a product called Organocide to get rid of the fungus gnats that were breeding in my houseplants. It's safe, natural and effective.

Live in desert and have a major gnat problem. No water lying around- we don't even have a lawn, just some weeds. No food out, no indoor plants.

They seem to live in the weeds and when it gets too hot they cling to our house for the shade, mostly hanging around windows, in garage. We keep out windows closed, but they get through anyway, also coming through cracks in floorboard.

Handheld fogger really works! Sprayed floorboards, around windows inside and out, outside around the base of the house where they hide, and in some of the weeds that we will be pulling up soon.

Also have hung Hot Shot pest strips in our house. We've hung it in the hall and every morning when we wake up out floors are covered in dead gnats. Most gnats are gone, though we still have some. I'm going to clean the house and then set off a few foggers inside. Hopefully that will get rid of the rest of them.

every summer we are tormented by gnats outside. we don't have trouble inside the house, but we are unable to work in our gardens or do anything outside. we live in the country and we have tried everything except chemicals. we don't use them.

the only thing that does work is smoking cigars, or what my grandpa used to do and that is starting a fire in a metal can with rags and then snuffing it out so that it smokes. it will keep them away.

Gnats live on the outside. People if you have those little black bugs in your house that look like gnats. Those are fruit flies, not gnats! I need a solution for the gnats outside. They are eating us up alive.

We can't even enjoy the outside this year. We sit at our daughter's softball games and they attack in swarms. Help people. What helps?

Wild Irish Rose. Open a bottle, set it out. It'll work, every single time.

I am using the red wine in a cup now. Just filled a big cup up half way and there are about 10 - 15 dead ones. I just started 10 minutes ago! Thanks!

vanilla keeps them away. imitation vanilla woks OK too. use a spray bottle and apply to skin, clothes and hair! keeps them away. you will be amazed.

Do you know why red wine is quite effective to "drown" gnats? because they are strongly attracted to the "fruity" odor of the wine.

To get rid of gnats, pour cheap red wine in a deep glass, fill it 1/2 way and leave it alone. Within few hours it will be full of gnats! and you don't have to put up with the ammonia odor.

Using well rotted compost in large pots, I do get a gnat problem. So I lightly spray the pot's once around midday with Jayes fluid, and repeat when needed. There is an old saying gnats come out in first light, and last light. I do hope this helps.

Last year, I used apple cider vinegar, which I placed next to a house plant, and it worked very well. Each day I would see 20 or 30 new gnat corpses floating around. I would change the vinegar regularly.

Then, suddenly, it stopped working -- they must have gotten wise to me. The only thing that ultimately got rid of them was the onset of winter.

Now that it's spring, they're back and the cider vinegar isn't working. Actually it caught one, but he probably had a flame out and fell in. Help!

Update: We tried multiple things and what we found is that to effectively kill them in large numbers fast is to use several things at the same time.

Windex kills immediately, as others said, if they're where you can spray it safely. Spraying on electronics or food obviously not good. Can use this in trash cans and such.

Hanging flypaper strips work excellently, especially if by sinks or tv or monitor, or bug zapper, wherever they're flying a lot. Have one in each room and between the five of them, many hundreds on the strips.

Apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap in jars is excellent also. Using baby food jars cause we happen to have a seven month old right now. And using without lids with little holes works better we found. The lids with holes seems to make it harder for them to get in. Without lids, the five jars have over 100 at least total. They like that vinegar and it kills them well.

Bug zappers, I guess are OK. Don't like they have to be plugged in and on constantly but it does attract them like crazy. Wish it didn't take so long to kill some of them, but it does kill them and if you hang fly paper strips real close to it, that works great too.

Using Bengal on doors and windows so that should help but hard to know for sure. Would use that when going out or in to keep more from getting in. Crack door and spray to clear the area before going out, and spray the door area well before coming in to keep them from flying in like crazy. A hassle but worth it to keep dozens from getting in to replace the ones killed.

The outside fogger is great. If you see where they're flying en masse during the day: grass, debris, water, dumpster, etc., saturate the area every day till you see none. The fogger sprayed into a flying mass of them literally drops them like flies.

After a week, we see no more flying outside, not even on the light outside at night and they were all over it a week ago. So taking the fight to them is a huge help. Every one you kill outside is one you don't get bothered by inside your home.

Not too impressed with bug sprays/wipes you wear like Deep Woods Off with DEET, and I guess similar products would be the same. When we got it, I put it on my face and arms and legs and they still landed on me like it wasn't there, and felt nasty having it all over.

Don't know if they died after landing on it, on me, but it didn't repel them from what I saw.

Old fashioned fly swatter is hell on them on the TV when it's on. You can mess up your screen like a windshield in no time, but you have to do it yourself obviously. Still get to kill a bunch, but it's not like set something out and let it kill them. Worth it to kill more though.

Couldn't find incense but seems like that would work well. Didn't do inside fogger because with pet cat and two small kids that put so much in their mouths that wasn't practical or safe for us, since they'd get residue in their mouths.

And we didn't want to get run out of our home, cat and all, to do it.

Seems like the big thing is do as many of the above things as possible, as no one or two things will get it done, but all of them together kill them a lot.

Just see some stray ones now and then during the day and not hard to kill that few spread out in a day.

Using ammonia in sink at night and keeping kitchen really clean, spraying windex or lysol in all trash cans, and not putting any food scraps in trash cans until taking trash out.

Using 2000 flushes type tablet in toilets to remove that as a water source, since it has bleach and that will kill them. Doing this seems to help also.

But like I said, doing as many of these things together as possible seems to be the key. Just wanted to mention all this so anyone who is starting to have this problem will know exactly what to do.

You'll have to spend $90 or so to get all the stuff, but within a week they're very nearly all gone.

I have struggle for the past two weeks with this problem. Not for sure what to use. Just tried the Windex in my kitchen and daughter's bathroom, it kill them instantly. Thank you for the info. Still going to try the vinegar in the jar, and the ammonia down the drain tonight.

We started seeing these five days ago and we feel totally overrun! Other than a local river being high in its banks and it starting to warm up for the first time this year, we don't have a clue! We have no plants inside and keep no food of any kind out in the open, even bread is in the fridge.

We haven't changed anything and have never had these more than a few now and then, months apart, usually when we have tomatoes or squash on the kitchen table but when it's all gone, so are they, so it has to be the river.

We have a cat, but had her for 10 years and never ever had anything like this living in two places hundreds of miles apart so it's not her.

We got Bengal spray for the doors and windows, hanging flypaper strips, one, and now two bug zappers, and doing the apple cider vinegar in bowls with lids and tiny holes poked in them in each room, going to use ammonia in the sinks at night, and Windex when we can in places.

Also getting some DEET lotion and incense. Don't know what else to do. They're freaking near molesting us at the computer all over the monitor, and the tv screen is a mess!

Since we haven't changed anything about what we do or eat or habits or anything at all like that, it has to be the stinking river being so high with it getting warm now. It better be because after just four days I am so sick of these things.

Never do leave our doors or windows open at all. I don't understand how there's a constant, never ending stream of them inside when we have never had windows and doors open. With the number we aggressively kill when seen, it's frustrating they seem to keep on coming as though their numbers aren't depleting. Besides the things below, any suggestions?

Deet lotion, Bug zapper, Windex, Flypaper strips, Bengal (strong bug spray), incense, ammonia in sinks, apple vinegar with drop dish soap in jar with small holes on lid.

I'd rather have these stupid little things than roaches or ants but they're a really high up third, and I want them gone and it seems hard to make headway.

I wish the bug zapper played a happy tinkling song when one died because the hate I'm developing for them is growing so much I take sadistic pleasure in killing them. Primarily because I intensely do not want them harassing my kids. They're 2 1/2 and 7 months and way too young to do anything about it.

I found that a mixture of coffee and vodka in a cup attracts and kills them very effectively. The coffee alone works fine but does not kill them immediately - instead they struggle on the surface for a while (few hours?) before drowning. The strong concentration of alcohol kills them right away. I recommend roughly six ounces of very black coffee and two ounces or more of vodka.

well, i moved into a condo and the previous tenants left two giant flowerpots with soil still in them. it was way too heavy to move so i decided to plant some green onions. once i put some old fruit in there and maybe four days later we had an abundance of gnats.

I've been going crazy because they're in my house now. I looked online for help and i tried the vinegar thing. It maybe killed 30 of them so i tried spraying bleach and i think that just pissed them off because they were flying everywhere. There were hundreds of them!

I saw an ad about windex about 15 minutes ago and i went straight for the windex and sprayed the crap out of them. From what i saw they were dying. Yes! Finally i can open my windows.

Most of these posts are about fruit flies, not gnats. The small black bugs in house plants are fungus gnats and vinegar covered bowls will not attract them. Fruit flies will go for the vinegar. I know -- I had thousands last summer due to messy kids leaving stuff out to rot in late summer.

Cups with wine vinegar and plastic wrap with tiny holes poked in really helped along with vacuuming up thousands from the bathroom mirrors. Put the vinegar traps in the bathroom or somewhere to draw them all that's easy to corner them. I killed a thousand in under 24 hours with a vacuum in 2,000 square foot home. Bleached all drains and cleaned the whole house. It wasn't fun but they were eradicated.

I've found that only the apple cider vinegar and the beer idea to work for me.

i take the little red lobster butter bowls and add dawn dish detergent and apple cider vinegar and place one in every room of the house, including in my cabinets and linen closet where i keep the dirty clothes hamper.

To make sure i cover each and every room, I pour vegetable oil down the drains at night and when i wake up and check my little traps there's like at least 100 in each one. I'm talking gnats that i didn't even know existed.

Although you don't see them all it doesn't mean that they aren't there. i hope this helps.

I had a gnat problem too and tried using wine, but I drank it and ran out.

Help. I see no gnats flying around like I used to but some of my plants (esp. baby tears) are still dying and I think they have gnat larvae.

Someone told me to put some potato slices in there overnight to draw the larvae. I see tiny little creatures on the potatoes--i think its baby gnats?--but I never see the adults.

What are these little bugs? They seem to be eating the roots of my plants!

Post 127 was absolutely right on! My gnats were gone in 48 hours.

The method that worked for me was running hot, hot water through each and every houseplant (the source of the problem). My gnats were gone within 24 hours. No kidding! And all the plants survived, even the orchid.

I have to buy Windex. will it be available in the nursery? Also if i spray on the plants and the gnats are dead on the soil, will it harm my plant?

I keep getting these gnats every six months or so. I believe they're breeding in my yard. Vinegar and a drop of soap in glasses has worked wonders as I'm dumping vinegar with hundreds of them in there daily, but it seems like they double in population every single day.

The last time I got rid of them for good (well, until the kids left the door wide open again), I burned two sticks of scented incense in every room and left the house to go grocery shopping. Smoked them all to death instantly. No more vinegar traps necessary.

Just found this when I looked up "gnat problem". Unlike all of you I was not aware of my gnat problem. I had seen a few flying around occasionally, but I figured out my house had them when I rescued a dog from a shelter and it had fleas!

I bought a flea fogger w/IGR made by Zodiaq and fogged my house and all I found were a thousand dead gnats! Needless to say i've never seen another gnat or flea. Maybe some of you can give this a try.

I only had to leave the house for a couple hours and it's safe for pets.

So I, like everyone else, have tried everything. My problem is in my plants, the worms laid by the flies are killing them and multiplying every day.

I think the soap trick only makes it harder to see that they are still in there! so i contacted a friend of mine whose advice i know i can depend on, and she says to kill the worms the only trick is tobacco tea -- one smoke per quart of water poured into the dirt. I'm going to try it now, and you should too!

First and foremost if you see any gnats in your house get rid of them ASAP.

I'm currently dealing with a a gnat problem and it has been hell. I've had to use fly strips, which caught a ton, but didn't seem to get rid of enough of them. Then I tried pouring ammonia down the sink (they were hovering near there). This seemed to do nothing, as three hours later, they were still all over.

Then I tried the vinegar in a jar trick (filling up a jar with vinegar, water and dish soap and then poking holes in the top). This worked well too, but there were still a lot of the little pests all over the place.

Finally I broke down and sprayed some chemicals. Long story short, it took a combined effort all the methods above and I'm just now almost rid of them. If you do have a problem, don't procrastinate. Set up fly strips, make vinegar traps, pour ammonia down drains and if you have to start spraying the chemicals.

I need help. I have gnats in the kitchen, in my quest bathroom downstairs and now they have invaded my laundry room.

I have tried so many suggestions like: Wine and dish soap in a soda bottle (catches tons but they keep coming every day). Tried vinegar- doesn't work as good as the wine. When I see them I spray them with lysol and then clean up the counter afterwards.

I don't even want to eat. I feel like there are so many that I'm eating them by the thousands. There gross and I need serious help before I burn down my house! I keep everything clean the trash emptied and still they haunt me. Someone help me please!

Windex is THE answer! Thank you post 114! Two birds with one stone: it gets rid of them and I clean my kitchen at the same time.

...knats were a *problem* when I moved in to my apartment. Of course I have never liked plants or fruit and did not have gnats where I moved from. Here is the deal...I found that there was a water leak under the sink. I contacted the office to get rid of the problem. I waited for a few days. The gnats did not go away per se but they were less in numbers. So I began pouring clorox in the sink before bed each night (bathroom and tub too!) and before I knew the knat problem was no longer. Also what will rid the problem is to keep your trash to a bare minimum (In fact, no trash in the kitchen/bathroom works!!). When I leave in the mornings I take the trash out. Keep the refrigerator and pipes under the sink sprayed with a bleach solution. Keep a bug zapper at the front and back door of your home.

Take a zip loc baggie open it up and place a piece of banana inside. In no time the baggie will be full of gnats. Simply zip up and dispose.

I have gnats all over my window screens, and on nice days can't open my windows unless I want an invasion. The screens are clean, I don't understand the attraction, can anyone help?

I have a gnat problem in my kitchen so I have been keeping things super clean to no avail. Then I realized they are in my freezer, more specifically my ice box, dead all over the cubes and some even frozen in the cubes. I've read many cases and nothing like this pops up. Where are they coming from?

Tried three of these tips. 1-Wine and soap: didn't really work. 2-Beer and soap: worked a little. 3-Windex: Stops them dead in their tracks -- even in mid-flight! Windex smells great, kills them, and you can clean your walls/windows at the same time.

I'm the person from post #112. I'd also advise you to put away your coffee pot, toaster, dishes that are left out before you start zapping. Put the items away that you don't want dead bugs to fall into. Once you zap them, they fall (obviously). Seeing the carcasses on the counter is kind of icky, but it's even ickier to find a few in your coffee maker (I leave the top up so it dries out after using it) or in the dishes that are in the drying rack you just washed. Oh, and this little zapper is pretty powerful. Uses two D batteries. Don't think just because it's not one of those *huge* zappers you'd hang outside that it doesn't have much juice. It really hurts if you use it on yourself. So please don't let this in reach of a kid (or your buddies that like to drink and play practical jokes once the silly juice hits them).

I've been dealing with these annoying things several times a year as well. I've tried ginger ale in a glass with a little dish soap to break the surface tension, tried the same thing with various beers, and vinegars as well. Those do work, but more of the little buggers show up. Today I found this site, read all the suggestions, and did the boiling water down the drains, plus ketchup, plus wine. Today I had a brain storm. I've had a bug zapper for a few years and never used it. I dug the thing out of storage and have been having a grand old time for the past half hour. Zap! Zzzzzap! Stupid little bugs. Fry! Pick one of these things up. They're great if you work in the yard or just like to sit on your porch. It looks like a tennis racket. You hold a button in and swat the annoying flying pest. If you hit him, he fries. Keep this thing away from your drunk buddies and kids. I don't know how to get rid of the bugs for good, but this is fun, it's therapeutic, it'll make you feel a little better. I got mine for maybe $5 from Harbor Freight. But they are for sale everywhere.

I live in an apartment and never, never see a gnat until I pour a glass of wine. It's as though they come out of nowhere. Recently, I have been purchasing the single serve bottles and drink directly from the bottle replacing the cap between sips. Such a pain and what a lousy way to try and enjoy a glass of wine. I'm curious if these disgusting things are always present (never see them) or if somehow they materialize with the presence of wine?

Take a glass and put in wine (I used red -- not sure about white) cover the top of the glass with clear plastic wrap and secure with tape or rubber band; poke holes in it with a tooth pick. Make a few of the holes a bit bigger by slightly stretching them with the tooth pick, I caught three gnats in the first two minutes.

I have never met such an annoying pest! My boyfriend told me that "at times" gnats invade the house. Well I didn't expect to be going to war with such a minute insect! For the past month or so, I've had to suit up for battle with the gnats! I've bought stock in vinegar and dish soap -- What a waste of money! I have intelli-gnats. They know what I'm doing and seem to multiply because they know that I'm trying to end their race. They love milk! My cereal milk is like their olympic pool and they find every opportunity to invade (as soon as I eat my last Lucky Charm marshmallow). My boyfriend's cereal was invaded yesterday! To make matters worse, my freshly pumped breast milk was invaded on the sly by one of these buggers in the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say my one week old newborn was *not* happy when mommy had to set up shop all over again and re-open the milk factory. Our Wal-Mart stopped selling fly paper. Boo! I'd fog the place if it weren't for our newborn. Help! In the meantime I'm playing Whack a Gnat on my 32-inch. What fun!

Ketchup is great for gnat bait. I am new to this problem but for the traps I have set, I found ketchup to be sweet and vinegar enough to attract them. I have lived in my house for five years and this is the first time I have had a problem with gnats, but I now have three kids ages 5, 2, and 10 months, so any other moms out there can probably relate when I say that sometimes you find food, sippy cups, etc. in unexpected places. I haven't located what started my problem but I suspect the diaper genie was what added fuel to the fire. I am just trying anything at this point (except fogging or sprays) because my daughter has a health condition and I don't want her to be subjected to any possible poisons or toxins.

I had a gnat problem when I left garbage too long in the house. Here's how you catch 'em: Get a cup and pour just a little beer in there. Add a dab of hand soap with the beer and mix them well. The gnats get in there and die instantly. I have noticed that a fresh cup of beer/soap works better than a day old one.

I love my family, but I've got to move

The gnats are really driving me crazy.

Six people live in my house and the gnats

just affect me. Why? My neighbors think

I am losing it. I have to walk around

with something on my head at all times

because the gnats *physically* love my ears.

Why do they only attack me? What can I

use on my skin? I do not have this problem

in the winter.

Help! Please help me stay with my family.

I have a gnat problem at the moment, and vinegar and dish soap seem to be working, but it appears that a lot of the gnats have taken up residence in my dogs fur. She has them all over her, and I have tried gnat shampoo and everything, but they just won't seem to die. How can I get them off my dog, and prevent them from biting her and sucking her blood?

I read through this and tried vinegar with dish soap and very few of the gnats were attracted to that. So, I decided to try beer - put out a glass of dark beer with the fly paper hanging right above it. I guess our gnats like a good beer, because they all came running. A few days have passed and most of the gnats either got drunk and drowned or decided to join the party on the fly paper. There are a few left, but at least they are all congregated in one spot. I think I will keep a glass of beer on the kitchen counter until winter!

Why do gnats land on mirrors? Are they vain? LOL.

I found tiny thread-like creatures in my aquarium which I found out were gnat larva. I have gnats in my house. I been told that I may have hundreds of gnat eggs in aquarium, but I don't know what they look like. I have dwarf frogs, laying eggs all over, snails laying eggs, and two kinds of shrimp. Believe me, they are all breeding. What do I look for?

Well, my kitchen now looks like a lab. The vinegar in a jar works really well. However a trip to Wal-mart seems to have helped to solve our gnat problems. First I took the offending plant out of the kitchen window and sent it outside which seems to have been the origin of the problem. I found a Fly Stick for $2.16 which comes out of the box ready to hang. It has a sticky tube down the middle with a cup at the bottom to put "bait" to lure the insects. Instead of putting a teaspoon of honey in the cup at the bottom but I substituted vinegar and flicked a few drops of vinegar on the tube. I had hardly hung it before the first victims arrived. By morning at least 100 little buggers had met their fate. The directions say that as soon as some critters are caught more will come- that is true. They sure did have a party during the night. I also got the sticky fly paper rolls and flicked a few drops of vinegar on them as well. That also worked really well. We are almost back to normal within three days.

i have a small terrarium set up for a burrowing animal. the problem is the gnats take over. i need to get rid of them i would like to do so without disturbing my pet.

Wow! What an eyeopener. Thank you for all the information. We have been overrun by these little buggers since I retired and I think I have figured out why. One of my "parting gifts" was a plant. After reading all of these posts I truly think the plant is the source of our little "friends". Well, the plant is going outside tonight. Although it is a little bit of a stress reliever to see how many critters can be swatted in one swing I would prefer to get some much needed sleep. My only successful "trap" was fly paper baited with pineapple juice. I am going to now go put out the plant, boil the drains, build a vinegar and sugar jar, and go to bed. Thanks for this valuable information.

i have been dealing with gnats almost every summer. i was told to mix three parts apple cider vinegar to one part dish soap. i put it in an uncovered bowl in every room and within a day these pesky critters were gone! no need to cover because the dish soap makes them unable to fly away! hope this helps!

Add a teaspoon of dish washing liquid to a 1/2 cup of vinegar. I don't use a jar, just a small bowl will do.

I am using a bread knife to try rid my house of those darn gnats! I got four just this morning but they just keep coming - they are relentless! I think I might buy a sword on my lunch break - They'll regret feasting on me!

Only other solution I can think of is to remove all of the blood from my body!

Went to TSC (tractor supply center) store and they have several applications to get rid of these annoying pest. For 99 cents, they have 4 to a pack, sticky fly paper rolls that work! I tried everything with some success but this did it. Just unroll and hang near trash can, sinks, bath and plants. Just keep out of pets' reach, especially cats! Not harmful, just a sticky mess. It will get full in two days. In case you don't want to see these trapped pests, then opt for the larger traps! Thanks TSC! Oh yeah, look in the horse section for stable fly prevention! Good luck!

I tried the vinegar idea and it didn't work. I did find a similar idea where you get a 2-3 liter soda bottle, cut off the top, add half cup of sugar, half cup of vinegar, add water until the bottle is half full. Then you stir it and leave it out for the gnats to enjoy.

I have a bunch of jars in my house. here's the catch: I don't have any lids to any of the jars. I do have an empty Gatorade bottle that I can use, though. Can I use it?

We constantly spray around the house trying to kill the adults and eggs but no success! We even tried the vinegar but only caught three! Help!

I think that if you live anywhere that's on a crawl space, that is the biggest culprit. Lord knows it's hard to keep that area moisture free. I would be interested to know if any of you have crawl spaces. I tried the vinegar thing yesterday to no avail, not one capture. It's the white vinegar in a bowl with pencil size holes in it. I just now stuck some duct tape up like fly paper and sprayed my sink and tub with some potent cleaner. Crossing my fingers!

I have lived in my apartment since February. Just in the past two weeks we have had a problem with gnats around our kitchen drain on the garbage disposal side. I was told by a guy at Walmart to do the Listerine but I'm going to try the ammonia down the drain first to see if that works. Then I'm going to go to Home Depot tomorrow and find the disposer cleaner that the person mentioned earlier. I'm hoping this works. Thanks.

Thank you for this info! I have a new baby at home and we are using a diaper genie to dispose of his soiled pampers and low and behold it has attracted a swarm of annoying gnats. I just got rid of the diaper genie and will invest in some small plastic bags to dispose of the diapers. I will definitely be trying the vinegar today!

Every summer, no matter how clean I keep my kitchen, I seem to get gnats around the trash can and the sinks. After reading these posts, it occurred to me to look under my refrigerator. There is an evaporation tray under there for condensation, and the little suckers were breeding there. I was able to solve my problem by putting a little mineral oil in the tray. It was just the first thing I thought of, and it seems to keep them from breeding there. Thanks for the tips!

I am so happy I found this page! I was so annoyed with the gnats in my house I was about to go stay with my sister until I could get rid of them. It seemed as if there were thousands! Every minute I was swinging my arms are hitting myself because I thought one was on me. I decided to give it 24 hours. I went a bought some white vinegar and poured it in containers I had around the house (bowls, storage containers, etc.) I put aluminum foil over the containers and made sure they were sealed. I used a fork and later a toothpick to poke holes in the aluminum foil. I put one in each room and was amazed at how well it worked. In one bowl along I had 19 gnats in it. The vinegar really worked and I am so grateful!

I got a gnat problem when I brought in an ironwood branch into my bedroom and tried to root it in a pot. I guess the gnat eggs were on the branch. I'm going to try the vinegar jar solution first and see if it gets rid of them. My bedroom seems to be the only room with the problem. Thanks!

well, i'm going to try some of these suggestions and tell you all which ones work the best for me.

I have gnats that come to light into my house. As a result, I do not leave any lights on where they come in. Now they are coming through my ceiling can lights. They die and drop down to tables below or into my bath tub. These lights are not on!! I can't find where they live outdoors. I have sprayed and sprayed but never see where they live, It is driving me crazy to clean them up every day. I even stopped using night lights - didn't help. Any suggestions?

Someone said they used glass cleaner. In an effort to quickly get rid of a whole swarm of gnats around my sink today, I sprayed 409 like there was no tomorrow. They all died instantly. I then poured some 409 down my drain and let it sit overnight and then used a disposer cleanser I found at Home Depot to fully clean out the drains. Haven't had a problem since!

We've had gnats for the first time over the past two weeks. We just got rid of them in less than 48 hours (literally 1.5 days). Here's what I was told to do and it worked:

Buy Hot Shot Kitchen Bug Killer which is specially formulated for several insects including gnats.

Before I go further no product or process will work if you have a leak or something of that nature. That needs to be fixed first. This process kills the gnats and their eggs and prevents them from coming back - but areas of moisture such as leaky faucets need to be repaired.

OK, here we go: First clean your kitchen or area of concern thoroughly. You *cannot*leave food out anymore if you have a practice of doing so. The same with dishes - no more dishes in the sink or left out overnight - at least until the problem is resolved or winter comes (most people don't have gnat problems in the winter since they are not out seeking moisture).

Now, before you go to work or bed, clear the areas of concern (e.g. toasters, coffee makers etc.) and spray the entire area including countertops, sinks (don't forget the drain), window sills, refrigerator, microwave, and cabinets. Also, if you eat on the living room table like we do, be sure to spray those tables since there are most likely eggs all over these areas (do not use the product on fabric furniture - it will damage that type of furniture - however glass, wicker, and wood furntire is pefectly fine).

Do this process both in the morning before you go to work and at night before bed. Our problem was resolved by the third spray - but we are being careful to keep the areas clean and wash dishes immediately as we are afraid of the problem returning.

The most important things is to not leave food out and make sure dishes are either washed and go straight into the cabinets or straight into the dishwasher. Also, filling your dishes with hot water and then going to bed or work is a big no-no. The water will eventually cool and gnats are attracted to water sources. Also, be sure to spray your trash can and take out the trash regularly while doing this process. We use to leave bottles on the ground next to our trashcan because they go in a separate bin outside. Nope - now they have to go straight to the bin outside, do not leave them on the ground next to the trash anymore.

If this doesn't work you should have someone like a plumber check out your area of concern. If you haven't had gnats before than you may have a problem.

One more thing, when you spray put your pets outside and cover fishbowls and fishtanks - put any kind of pet outside. This only needs to be done while you are spraying. Wait about 20 minutes after spraying then you can bring your pets back in. This is not like a fogger - its just spray - but you don't want pets (or people) around while you are spraying.

Hope this helps!!!

We had a huge gnat problem. They were in our bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living room. We searched everywhere for something that was attracting them and there was nothing. We thought he had killed them all but then more would come up. They drove me nuts so finally we decided to set bombs. These were "hot Shot" brand bombs and they worked wonders. We set two off and no more gnats!!!

I have recently been successful by using listerine diluted a little with water in a spray bottle. You can spray the outside area where you'll be sitting and it takes care of both gnats and mosquitos for a few days. I read about it in an organic magazine. Good luck!

I had a small gnat problem after returning home from vacation. Like most females do I called mom to ask what to do. I use sugar, water and regular white vinegar. Worked for a couple of days, a little bit but they never went away.

After seeing these posts I see my problem was no top or anything to cover the bowl/jar. Hopefully it will work better now. Cause they have really multiplied. They went from being in just the kitchen to being in every room except my bedroom.

Only if i could find the source now.

Use Glass cleaner--like Windex with ammonia

I sprayed it into the sink and killed them instantly and left some in the drain. This was easy and fast and I didn't need to see them dead in a glass. Yah!

thanks but...is the a sprayable thing to get them gone in less than 5 days?

Thanks for the great article. I posted a link to your information on my site. My readers will find your insight very useful. --Ted Curtis

I have a gnat problem! It appears to be ONLY in my room, there are so many! I don't have any rotten food around my room, my garbage only has papers in it, and they are constantly flying around my light and my computer and in my face. Is it possible that so many (Maybe like 20, every time I kill one two seem to come in it's place), are coming through my window? I have the windows open (with the screen on them) and a fan in my window.. I am trying the vinegar in a container trick but they don't even seem to even acknowledge the container. Is there anything else I can try?

we came home from vacation and i found my cactus dead in my bathroom and i got rid of it

now i have a few gnats in every room

i think i might use some syrup and cover it with a plastic wrap.

I am having a big gnat problem in my kitchen..It came as a surprise one day!

For a trap I used: Some water+Strawberry Syrup and covered it with plastic wrap.

I put some holes in the wrap with a pen. This morning I found hundreds of the irritating beasts floating on the surface. Hopefully, a lot more tomorrow and then I will be all right. This seems to be working for me!

How can you say "gnats are harmless" and then talk about how dangerous their bites can be?? Any bug that bites is not "harmless"; neither is any that can drive you to distraction by buzzing into your eyes, ears and nose.

this is my second summer with a bad gnat problem. last year, i tried all the apple cider vinegar/water/dishsoap mixtures that are out there. pouring bleach down the drains helped for a day or 2. mostly i had little to no luck. this year, i've had my drains snaked & poured straight Ortho Home Defense down the drains as well.

today i nearly went crazy trying to kill one these little buggers that is attracted to my monitor. i just sent my b/f to the store for more bleach. the only trick i haven't tried is the boiling water. i'm going to give that a shot.

i think it is a matter of staying on top of your game with these insects. i'm going to bleach/boil them out every couple of days even if i haven't seen them. kill them like it is your job!! good luck to us all!

Does anyone have gnats that are attracted to light bulbs? We keep finding little black flying bugs by our two table lamps and on the mirror (w/the lights above) in the bathroom. I will try the vinegar "trap." Thanks.

Basically, two things cause's gnat issues: Excessive water and rotten or moldy things. I would check under the house for a leaky pipe, dead animal, and unsealed areas of the flooring. If your home is on a slab it could have developed a crack that is allowing moisture/mold to seep in. Check attics for the similar problems. Find and repair holes in screened porches. A screened in porch should have a screen under the porch if constructed from decking boards. If your yard holds excessive water treat with small amounts of sand or in some cases a drainage ditch or French drains may be needed.

Keep the length of the grass short as possible. Flower beds and plants should be watered in the mornings and fully dried by the end of the day. Keep in mind that some mulch can hold water for weeks, even during droughts. Gnats like to harbor in most types of mulch. Pour bleach down all drains and let sit for a few hours. Use a spray to remove gnats from inside home or use one of the many home remedies available. Check your plants for excessive water. Check and clean anything that is rotten or moldy.

The most important part is finding the source first and then treat for gnats. If found in potting soil, you can use many chemicals available to treat the soil such as seven dust. Just read the label and follow the directions. Re-potting the plant is also another way.

Sources: 10+ years exterminating

I just tried several suggested gnat trap "recipes" and a couple of my own concoctions, as I didn't have all ingredients. After one hour, the winner, by far, was *balsamic vinegar.* The apple cider vinegar and soap had one, the others, none; but the balsamic vinegar has about 20-25, plus others resting on the lid of the cup(two straw-sized holes in top), waiting for their turn. Yea!! Hope this one helps someone else. Thanks for all the great ideas!

try mean green, i killed a few that way..you can buy it anywhere from 1.00-2.00 at least in my area.

Please...Need help...We are being besieged by Buffalo gnats that are so thick that when we go out into the yard they try to get into your mouth and nose and ears. You can feel them in your hair!!!! But wait, it gets even worse! They bite and they raise terrible welts or bumps for days that itch and hurt like no mosquito bite ever did. It is horrible and my dogs are trying to find places to hide. Have tried Vanilla and Listerine. Anything else that anyone knows about? Makes it impossible to enjoy flowers, animals, anything outside. No gnats inside house at all. This is a different thing all together than the fruitfly gnat that you have inside the house sometimes.

I also have problems with gnats outside, I've found cooking vanilla to keep the gnats away from me.

I have had a problem with these things for at least four days now. I really started to notice them on Thursday morning, and I thought that perhaps I was a bit smelly. Also, the night before I had to throw out a pound of rotten meat. Because Friday is garbage day, and there are usually two or more dogs in our yard I decided to wait and throw out the trash until Thursday.

Well I woke up bright and early Thursday, got rid of the trash and then cleaned the apartment top to bottom; spotless (though it wasn't too bad before). Then I took a shower. But they are still here.

It is not a ton of them, but every time I kill one (which is all I have seen at a given time) another one shows up out of thin air. They don't even bug my roommate, but are driving me nuts. And so far, I have had more luck catching them with a glass of water rather than the vinegar.

Also, our pipes are old and the bathroom sink and tub back up very badly (another problem with seemingly no solution). I'm going to try the boiling water trick tonight to see if that works for us. I just don't understand. I use bleach to clean because we don't have pets or kids and I like the clean scent. None of our plants are over watered, and we are generally clean people. Could the people living downstairs be attracting them for both apartments?

No one seems to answer the questions about outdoor gnats. I can't even sit out on my porch without the things driving me nuts. I don't have them in my house, what do I do outside so that I can have some peace?

I tried this apple cider thing and it *does not* work. I'm at my wits end with these things. They are driving me nuts! Please help...

This has been kind of helpful... I have a ton of house plants. I also have a very severe gnat problem... I have tried everything to get rid of these pesky little buggars.. Potato skins and vinegar. I have also used bug spray etc. I can't seem to get rid of these pesky little intruders... Please help.

I saw that you can use sand? Also I'm going to try the apple vinegar and fly paper trick... I don't want to throw my plants out.. I do not over water. I just would love to kill these creatures.. Thank you Leah

P.S I tried the soap water yesterday.

we have been bitten by buffalo gnats, but after hearing they do not like the smell of vanilla i put imitation vanilla spice on the bill of my cap and they left me alone. also vanilla candles work.

I have had these little monsters for about a week and they are maddening! They are all over the apartment but they seem to be focused in my bathroom, in the other bedroom. Ive taken all the tips here and put them to use, so far I'm not sure. I hate to call an exterminator before I try all home options. Thanks to everyone here for the great advice.

If you don't mind wasting a beer, pour half to 3/4 of any beer into a tall glass and leave it on the counter. Gnats are attracted to something in the beer but can't swim, or they're just too drunk to! Either way they die. This might take 2-3 days but I've done this many times and it always works for me! Good luck!

If you have gnats or fruit flies in your house, pour full strength chlorine bleach in all sinks and tub drains and let it stand a while before turning on the water. And if you have a refrigerator ice maker that dispenses Ice through the door, make sure to clean the ice dispenser in the door. If there is a removable grill where you set the glass to receive ice, clean it and underneath it. A small place, but drinks spilled there collect and fruit flies love it!

*Thank God for this blog!!* I have been fighting these pesky bugs for at least two months now with no clue as to where they were coming from...until yesterday. We have a pretty large fish tank and I opened the lid to feed the fish and about 40 gnats flew out!!! After closer inspection, I found that there were *hundreds* of eggs on the inside ledge of the tank. Normally I can't see it because the top of the tank is above my eye level. I normally just open, feed and carry on. But after what I am assuming were newly hatched gnats flew out, I pulled up a step ladder to find the ledge literally *covered*! Of course now I have the task of removing the fish and scouring the tank.

I am seriously considering just giving the fish away and leaving the tank empty. These things are such a pain! So, if you have an aquarium or tank, check there as a source for these pests as well. In the meantime, I will definitely be doing the boiling water/clorox solution down all of my drains and fogging to try and get rid of the ones flying around.

Gnats in plats. Let the pot become very dry, to the point the plant starts to wilt. Then pore 1/4 teaspoon to one gallon of Murphy's Oil Soap, into the soil. Cover soil with one inch of sand.

The gnats larva live off the roots of the plants, and will stay there for about five days.

Also, the gnats leave larva in the drainage tray of the plant, change this daily.

Another trick, slice up a potato, and lay on the soil, the larva will raise up, and eat the potato, throw potato away.

Just two weeks ago, I found these very small black insects that look like gnats or little mosquitoes in our kitchen by the door. There are probably a hundred of them. Some are still babies or maybe eggs and some have little wings. I have houseplants, but I don't believe they attracted the gnats because they are far away from the kitchen door. I checked the plants and there are no gnats on them either. I do however have potted plants outside about 4 feet away from the kitchen door. I wonder, how did these little creatures get in the kitchen? The door was always closed esp. during Winter. What I did was I always swept them into a trash bag and threw them in the bin, but in the next two days a new group has come in in the same spot and formation as if the ones I swept away came back. I think that I will try the apple cider vinegar. I will let you know what happens.

*Boiling water is the answer*!!! In all fairness, I did not try the other suggestions. I went with the simplest solution, first. Immediately, they were gone. Really!!!

Thank you!!!

After leaving town for 3 weeks, I returned to colorado mountain home to a room with a closed door that has millions of dead gnats all over the floor, from corner to corner, with some survivors around. The room is completely empty of food, water, plants, furniture. What are they eating, how did they explode in 3 weeks, what do I do to prevent after cleaning and bombing? This is so weird.

I have a ton of gnats in my home. Tried the vinegar idea and it did not work for me. I want to try putting dish washing soap in my water when I water the plants. Anyone know is there is a particular kind of dish washing soap to or not to use?

I tried the cider vinegar in the bowl trick and it caught a lot of them, but the thing that finally got rid of them was the simplest solution. I poured a big pot of boiling water down my two kitchen sink drains twice a day for a week. I also kept the drains sealed with those little rubber drain stoppers 24/7 unless I was using the sink for something. I am pleased to say they are gone! We had such a bad swarm that I was very close to calling an exterminator. Try boiling water....it worked for me.

We have a gnat problem around our windows. I went to clean our windows and they were just everywhere around the windows. We have noticed a few flying around every now and then but today i spotted where they are coming from. Our windows. I don't know what to do. I cleaned the windows really well and just went back to check the windows and there was some already on the windows. My husband suggested we buy some clack and put around the window screens so they can't come in under the screens. Is that a good idea. please help. they are really bad in my daughters window in her room and i noticed her with little bites on her legs. I want to get this problem solved.

My gnats seem to be coming from my washer. There is a tiny herd of them atop my washer lid when I do a load of laundry. Can I pour bleach down there to get rid of them or what's the best route to take? Help!

I have a real Christmas problem. Our fresh Blue Spruce Christmas tree must've been home to some gnat nests. I discovered this when I had my fireplace up full boar and I was finishing trimming the tree. They were on my lamp, the window, the table, the ceiling...etc. I don't know how to go about getting rid of them? I need water at the base of the tree to keep it alive and I can't spray the tree with anything because it will ruin my ornaments! I'm going to try the vinegar in the jar, but if anyone has any better suggestion please let me know.

Thank you!

Hello ladies and gentlemen with Fungus Gnat problems like me! I tried the Green Works (1/8 cup), lime(1 tbs.), and water (1 & 1/2 cups) recipe today. I wanted to add mint, but didn't have any on hand. Even without the mint, the mixture smelled pretty good. I was following the recipe of a previous poster, but I made a half batch. I really hope it does not hurt my plants. I will post again in a few days and let you all know if it worked. I have never had this problem before and hopefully this will be the last time. Happy houseplant tending to you all.

Okay I have these lil pests in my house plants.. After reading a few of these posts I am going to try the Green Works mixture first.. I'll replace the first few inches of soil with sand and hope it works.. Thanks for the site..

Wish I read this first...we've had a few gnats for a while and always wanted to know where they came from. My son was growing a potato plant, noticed it was rotting at the top, and figured the gnats were coming from it. Checked my house plants and noticed a lot of baby gnats crawling around one and threw it out. Really liked that plant...wish I read this blog first...

came home to find tons around a banana peel that had missed the trash can.. in a panic i reached for the safest chemical i could find. WINDEX!!

worked like a charm and it left a pleasant smell that could be wiped up. they really did 'drop like flies'

For everybody who tried vinegar and it didn't work, you need to use Apple Cider vinegar (or just cider vinegar as it's the same thing). That is the only kind of vinegar that will guarantee success. Also the hole in your trap may have been too big so that they were going in and then flying back out (sneaky critters). Vinegar traps will quickly wipe out an infestation of hundreds in the matter of one to two days if the traps are changed a couple times a day and the holes made so that flies or gnats go in and not out. Also there are several different bugs all classified as gnats but that are actually very different. I am not sure of all of them, just that the most common are mosquitoes and fruit flies (which are not the same species for he who said mosquitoes were just female gnats) but also several other types of small flying insects are under the category. The vinegar will work great for fruit flies which is most likely the problem, but I'm not sure about other kinds of gnats. It's possible you will have to kill one and compare pictures.

how can you get rid of the gnats that fly around your face when outside we have them on the playground at school so much that they drive us all crazy ..no food or standing water out here?

to anon15232, it sounds like some kind of mold. Something that might have become a different texture with the moisture from your pipes.

I tried the vinegar in a jar too. I grabbed an old glass pickle jar (smelled like vinegar already) and added 1/2-inch of white vinegar to it. I poked holes in the steel lid and put it by the sink. No joke, within 2 minutes a gnat had flown across the room and into the jar! Too funny.

Thank you, everybody who posted their experiences. I tried the fruity wine/fly paper remedy for gnats with limited success, although it did work better than the fly paper alone. (Actually I use Victor Indoor Fly Traps.) Then one day I poured boiling water down the drains and shazam! that worked great. Dozens of tiny black specks showed up on the fly trap and bathroom counter (dead baby gnats, RIP). So I poured boiling water down all the drains in the house and all we see now is the occasional gnat which rides into the house with one of us or comes in on plants. -- Gail

My husband and I have spent the last half hour squirting hoards of gnats with hairspray. They drop on contact. It smells better than bleach... and it's very satisfying!

OH my so glad to see im not the only one, this is my 1st new built home and its still a construction building area and I've got them in the kitchen I was told it was my fruit but there no where near where I keep it, but to make sure I put all fruit in the fridge, I took out the trash can and was told to pour bleach down the drain as just using a rain flying spray didn't seem to work well, but so far the bleach seems to have done the most its the second day of trying to rid my kitchen, definitely go for bleach down the drains and stop there food source, as a preventive measure we sprayed the flying raid stuff around the drain hose of my washer as who knows if the water is stale back there as you often get small drainage there and we did the bath room sinks to, there a real pest, I apologize to the fly i thought they where the most annoying pest ever but im wrong!

We have gnats due to my love for houseplants. I don't mind them but it drives my husband insane.

So I created the AllNatural Gnat Destroyer potion! =D Seriously, take an empty spray bottle. Put in a NATURAL dishsoap (I use Green Works by Chlorox)- about 1/4 cup. You need to use one that is all-natural or it will kill your plants and not be safe to mix. 3 cups water. 2 tablespoons crushed mint. 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice.

Spray on soil of houseplants, and hit those darn gnats directly in the face with it. Because it has mint in it, it also deters them from coming back (and makes your house smell good). Doesn't hurt plants (I spray it directly on the soil), doesn't hurt children, pets, or even if you have beneficial insects (I have a tiny "pet" spider that I keep by my window to get little bugs that might get in through where the window got stuck and doesn't shut all the way. I sprayed it near him and he didn't mind a bit.)

I have cups sitting all over my house with vinegar and dishwashing liquid and dead gnats. But, I think they are coming back through eggs in the drain. So do I just pour vegetable oil or ammonia down the drain and let it sit all night? Should that work?

I guess my gnats were different than most. They really only seemed interest in water and my plants. The dish soap water in the plants was no help what so ever. And NONE of the traps of vinegar, or beer, or lemon, or wine, worked AT ALL, not one gnat. But I tried the tip from another anonymous post to put sand over my plants and it worked! I repotted them first though, and outside, then put 1 inch of sand. The next day there was only five gnats that I killed by hand and now they are gone. Yippee, at least one tip worked. So if you live in Colorado and have gnats around and in your plants the traps might not work, but it was easy to try. Repotting and sanding all my plants was a lot of work, but it was worth it! Gnats are sooo annoying.

I tried the suggestion posted by robinson6553 about the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice combo in the coffee can with a fly strip and it worked miracles!!!!!! I'd suggested it to everyone!

Years ago my mom had a large old fashioned ceramic pitcher which we used as a decoration in the kitchen. Somehow, without our realizing it, a banana had fallen down into the well of the pitcher. We kept seeing these little bugs everywhere but couldn't locate the source. It was just driving us crazy. Then, in a frenzy of cleaning everything, my mom looked into the pitcher and was horrified to see hordes of these things. Of course the banana had gone bad and attracted the gnats, or whatever they were. It was really disgusting, but we got what was left of the banana and began to clean the pitcher. It took repeated washing with bleach to clear them out completely. When it was clean we removed the pitcher from the kitchen so nothing like that could happen again. After that there wasn't a problem. Thank God for bleach!

I've had problems this time of year 3 years in a row. I left stale beer with Dawn dish soap in it on the counter this morning and about 1/2 hour later it had about 20 in it and drawing more all the time. Works much better than vinegar with Dawn. I didn't have any luck with that one. Good luck!

EXPERIMENT: Take some sticky duct tape. Using a magic marker put black spots all over the sticky side. Make it look like flies with wings. Hang it up and see what happens. Scientists say that gnats are attracted to other gnats congregating in one spot (which is true). This fakes them out and they get stuck to the tape - maybe.

There are a group of annoying gnats that are not interested in food, sweets, vinegar, etc. They are small and fly around your face but hardly ever land on you. They come out of your sink drains. They are called drain gnats. They are most common within 1-mile of a waste treatment plant in your town. They are the product of poor waste handling techniques and you need to bring it to the station's mgmt. Canvas your neighbor's to see if they have them too. You can only keep the drains plugged up or use a special insecticide to kill them. They come from a long way out of your sewer line back to the processing plant. They are VERY common but people are not aware of their origin. Try Googling DRAIN GNAT.

BTW - The mosquito is a female gnat in case you didn't know.

I am sooo freaked out. There are tons of these little things flying around my kitchen. I fogged my house last night only to wake up to find some of these gross little things still alive. Some one please tell me what to do. I don't understand what is causing them or where they are coming from. I'm about to pack my stuff and move out!!!

I had a professional spray for those little irritating and disgusting winged creatures. He sprayed everywhere. They were mostly hanging around the kitchen sink. Our garbage disposal had been out of order for about a week and the gnats were attracted to the things stuck in the drain. He said the spray should kill the gnats that were flying around. He also told me to pour boiling hot water (actually boiling not just hot) down every drain in the house to stop the eggs and larvae that he thinks are probably in the drain. I also poured bleach down the drains after the boiling water. This was just today and already I haven't seen those nasty little critters flying around. Good luck to you all.

This is the most precious blog and I haven't had this much fun laughing in years. What a spirit lifter! How funny. Actually, it's not that funny because I have gnats; one is flying around my head as I'm typing this right now. I don't understand why they follow me when I wake up in the morning. I'm clean, my bedroom's beautiful and clean, but there, there is Mr. Gnat, in my face and following me to the bathroom and kitchen as soon as I get up. Are they after any chemical scent or oils in the human body? Nevertheless, I'll be employing many of the suggestions here, right away. Think I'll get 'em drunk off the wine, first. Very funny site. I never thought I would end up on a Gnat blog site, blogging about this, but you never know.

My kitchen had been taken over by gnats. We went away for the weekend and had left apple peel in the disposal without disposing it. It was awful. After reading this article I Took a container about the size and shape of a large coffee can and poured vegetable oil in it and turned it so that all of the inside was coated. Then I poured out the excess into the sink drain. After that I poured apple cider vinegar and lemon juice into the bottom in equal parts. It really smelled like rotting fruit! Then I hung a flystrip almost touching the liquid right in the center of the container using butcher twine to extend it from the ceiling. In about 20 minutes I didn't see anymore gnats flying and the fly strip was practically covered. There were a few gnats stuck in the oil on the sides of the container but it really worked! I'll probably keep it up for a couple of days just to make sure I get them all. I will keep pouring the vegetable oil in the sink for about a week since that covers the hatch time for the eggs.

Put a layer of sand on top of soil of all potted plants. The gnats can't lay eggs and it keeps the soil moist for the plants. It worked for me, though I found you need a good half inch of sand. The quarter inch suggested to me would allow for soil exposure when watering. I had to add more to get rid of the nasty little buggers.

my gnat problem started in my cat's litter box. now they are everywhere!! in the kitchen sink and her litterbox! i was so shocked when i was cleaning out the litterbox because hundreds of these nasty things were swarming and i don't even know where they came from! but they are soooooo nasty!!! uuuggghhh!

these little critters are the worst. i use lemon slices in a small dish or ramekin, covered with plastic wrap, and with a 1" diameter hole at the top. Leave it open for a few hours, mid day works best, and then cinch the top when enough gnats are trapped inside. You can repeat this process a few times. Caught about a 100, I kid you not, in a few hours time. Totally gross, but works. Lemons people.

Gnats do not have to lay their eggs in dirt - I picked up an old sippy cup left in our bathroom, opened the top and was horrified to see a few gnats come out and TONS of tiny brown eggs! I immediately took it to the sink - filled the sink with scalding hot water and strong bleach (because it was a good sippy cup!) and let it soak! Then I flushed everything down the sink and sprayed out the sink - BAD IDEA!!! 2-3 days later we had a ton of gnats around our kitchen sink - I should have just taken the cup outside immediately! I did not know that the eggs could live after scalding hot water and bleach! No sooner do we thoroughly sanitize one area then they go to another area! The vinegar idea did not work for us - but we plan on trying the fruit wine and hanging the paper fly trap over it!

I have gnats coming out of my bathroom sink. I tried pouring diluted Clorox down the drain and that seemed to work for awhile but now they're back so I'll try ammonia next. They also are occasionally on my office wall (which shares a wall with the bathroom). I live on the 2nd floor of an old 3 story building and have had a smell/oily residue type thing going on for a couple of years. It seems strongest near walls that contain pipes (kitchen/bathroom) It causes my cats to sneeze and be congested. I've had plumbers, the gas company, environmental companies. etc in here and no one has a clue as to what it is. When I lay on my couch for awhile, when I get up I feel it on my face. Any ideas?

My mom gave me the idea to put dish soap in the water that I use to water the plants. It worked for me a couple of years ago and it kept me from having to throw my beautiful plants away. I have the pesky things back this year; however, they do not seem to be swarming my plants this time. I did use the dish soap in my plant water and am going to try the vinegar idea.

we have what we think are gnats all over our back porch, whenever we go outside they crawl all over us, it's disgusting!!!! they are tiny and black and have the tiniest wings. we are not sure if they are gnats or not, but we just got them today. we live out in the country in kansas and it's not an apartment. we have never ever had them before.

we live in nyc. since november we have been plagued by gnats. very puzzling. they do not go near any food. we have a dog who eats promptly and has her bowl picked up for washing. trash is taken out daily. we have a few bromiliads and cacti....no standing water or overwatered plants.

the gnats sit on the walls in the kitchen and living room. i find dead ones on the window sills. the windows are all double glazed and shut. we've closed off the kitchen exhaust fan.

i'm trying the vinegar remedy today.

Gnat free! I figured it out. Gnats love fruity wine. put about 1 inch or so of wine in a straight-wall glass, perhaps 2 or 3 inches or so in diameter. set the wine glass on a counter. buy a tube of fly paper, the kind that pulls out in a curly ribbon with the glue on the paper, hang that fly paper over the wine glass, with the fly-paper ribbon bottom hanging down in the glass, almost touching the wine.

In about 3 hours, I rid my house of gnats that flew into that glass and got stuck on the paper, I had hundreds, if not thousands of those critters.

I tried:

Just hanging fly paper in the open doesn't work... you might catch a few, like I did, but you won't get rid of many.

OMG, I have gnats everywhere, in my bedroom on the walls I spray, spray, spray and they just will not go away. In my kitchen that I was forced to bleach real good they are on my cabinets but not near my sink and they are on my ceiling. In my bathroom on my washcloths and on the walls. I can't spray too much because we have 1yr old twins in the house, so we pretty much can't do a whole lot of spraying. I mean every 5 minutes I swatting and trying to catch them banging my hand on the walls and they just relocate from one spot to another, please HELP!!!! before they run me out my own home.

it seems like these annoying pests just spring out of thin air! your bananas start turning a little brown, and there they are! do they come in from the store, or just simply find their way in from outside? it never ceases to amaze me how these little critters just come from nowhere. i live in the midwest, and don't tend to see them during the winter...do nats and/or their eggs go dormant during the cold weather?

gnats in my bedroom.....

i found using apple cider vinegar in a soda bottle works really well, its draws them down into the bottle and then they drown in the vinegar. also using fly strips near areas where they tend to be most of the time works REALLY well.

P.S. if you have pets that use a litter box, ie cats or ferrets make sure to change their litter daily because the gnats will lay eggs in their poop which can actually harm your pet when they hatch into larvae.

We get gnats every year, but they are particularly bothersome this year. I have found that gnats love a good cocktail. I make a Manhattan and cover if with saran wrap and punch holes in the wrap. This works better than the vinegar.

i have gnats in the bathroom, but cannot tell from where they are coming from, checked all drains and have no live plants. i'm baffled!

Help we have gnats in and around our screened porch and we are also finding them in our master bath. (in the tube, in the sink and on the floor)

I have tried the spraying and the vinegar in a jar and nothing seems to work.

They are driving us crazy and my husband has sprayed under the porch and all the surrounding areas.

We live on 5 acres and have many trees and plants outside. We have lived here for 11 years and never had this problem before.

We have no inside plants, we have no standing water as it has not rained here in Georgia for over a month.

hi there, i had these gnats in my BATHROOM SINK!!! i live in an apartment, and this infestation could be one of two reason.... those being: i sometimes pour my pet's water down the bathroom sink, to save time from running across the house, and perhaps the pet's water is better smelling???

and the other factor is: i believe we need a new sink. the plug on it doesn't work, and i think that causes the water not to drain properly(seems as it takes forever). i think that this is the landlord's fault. perhaps some pipe cleaner is in order,after the ammonia i will try tonight at work.

how can i get rid of the adult gnats that are laying eggs. Can i just change soil to organic how do I know they won't lay eggs there. Help. Got the vinegar thing down and catching the gnats but need to get the larve.

i tried the vinegar & it worked very well.

When using the vinegar in a jar, can we use a plastic cup with a lid on it? How many would you use?

I thought that gnats laid their eggs in the dirt. If that is so, how do you kill the eggs in the soil? What if it's a house plant?