Gnats are the species of one of many tiny flying insects. They belong to the dipterid suborder Nematocera in the families Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae, and Sciaridae. Gnats are of biting as well as non-biting types. Mostly one can see them flying together making a cloud. There is no science base on what forms a gnat.
There is a thought among entomologists that only non-biting flies are gnats. The Smithsonian Institute has described them as ‘non-biting flies as small as few grains of salt, attracted to fluid excreted by your eyes’.
At dusk, male gnats gather in large malting swarms or ghosts. Some gnat larvae are aquatic but mostly they are free-living. Some are carnivorous but most feed on plants. Some species of gnats are pests of mushrooms and roots of potted plants in houses and greenhouses.
1.1 Life Cycle
Non-biting gnats are active in summer and prefer wet soils near water. In moist coastal regions, however, they can be found during any time of the year. When the females enter swarms, the mating takes place. The females lay many eggs on water or near to watery vegetation.
The hatching takes a longer time and the larvae drop to the bottom to build tube-like structures in debris. The small worm-like larvae feed on organic material. The species pupate for a few days after the larvae stage for about a month. The pupa becomes a nutritious food for fish as they surface water.
The metamorphosis of larvae from the pupal stage turns out to become winged adults. However, this stage lasts less than a week or so. The adults live for another one and a half weeks and in this period they produce as many as 300 eggs. In its entire lifetime, a female gnat can lay up to 1000 eggs.
1.2 Control
The adult non-biting gnats can cause severe plant damage while they are in large numbers. They can alter the growth of the plant and damage its roots. If they are less in numbers or single, they do not harm the plants. If the species are controlled at premature stages, it is possible to limit their population.
Preventing the favorable conditions, removing the decaying organic matter, controlling the moisture, and not allowing pools of water can be effective steps to control their growth.
1.3 Types of Gnats
All types of gnats are not harmful to humans. However, some species are known to spread disease and risk human health. Gnats are flying pests and they do not leave their eggs unattended, therefore, one must understand this to get rid of them.
- Fungus or Houseplant Gnats – Fungus gnat is the most common species of about 1000 species around. They are also known as winter gnats and are 1/6 to 1/8 inch in size. Adults have very long legs, are grayish-black, and transparent or gray wings with visible veins. They feed on fungi and the roots of plants.
Fungus gnat eggs are smooth, shiny white, and oval, and difficult to locate. During the larvae stage, they do not have legs and appear white and thread-like. They reproduce in homes in warm conditions and live up to a month. The females fly around windows and lamps due to light’s attraction. They lay up to 300 eggs that take 3 days to hatch.
- Drain Flies – Drain flies can grow up to 5 mm long. In the larval stage, they are 4-10 mm long but have no legs and eyes. With a dark stripe on the dorsal area, they have a breathing tube on the end. While sitting, they fold their wings over their bodies.
As the name suggests, the drain flies hang out on drains and sewage and can block pipes because of the filth, they collect while living in it. They reproduce in drains and sewers itself or on any decaying matter they find to live on. It takes 3 days to mature. They live in large numbers; however, they are not known to spread disease in humans though they carry bacteria. - Midges – These are biting species and they live in swampy areas. They extract blood from whoever they bite. The non-biting midges, chironomids, look similar to mosquitoes. The adults are gray and about 1/8 inch in length.
Females have long proboscis through which they extract blood while biting. They have segmented antennae. They are aquatic and like to live in fast-flowing streams and deep lakes. They halt the development in the fall and winter. Adult midges feed on sugary substances and nectar and die in five days. Their full cycle from egg to adults lasts just about three weeks in warm weather.
- Sand Flies – Sand gnats grow about 1/8 to 1/10 inch. They are called sand flies because of their sandy color. They have big black eyes and thick hair on their body and legs. They prefer the humid environment of a dry area because that protects their eggs.
Females feed on blood before laying eggs, however, both males and females feed on sugary substances from plant nectar. Some species are known to feed on reptiles and mammals too. Their life cycle is of 20-40 days of which 1-2 weeks are spent hatching the eggs. Pupae become an adult in 10 days. Some sand flies cause disease in humans.
- Unique-Headed Bug – Unique-headed bugs have around 130 species and are also called gnat bugs. These small creatures grow 4 mm long with elongated heads constricted at places.
They are found under litter, bar, and rocks and may swarm in sunny woodlands too. Their proboscis and antennae have four joints. The front legs catch the prey and they have very different membranous membranes made of thick base areas. Most of these gnats have a life cycle of less than four weeks. - Buffalo Gnats – Buffalo gnats, also called turkey gnats or black flies, grow 1/8 inch. Females bite birds and humans but males feed only on nectar. They are seen in late spring or early summer.
Buffalo gnats are tan, gray, or green and breed in fast-moving streams and rivers. They live just 2-3 weeks and are drawn to moving objects. Outside, they are a nuisance to people. They bite around the neck and head and can even kill animals through their aggressiveness. Chicken can die of suffocation due to their clog on the respiratory tract.
- Gall Gnats – Gall gnats cause infection and interrupt plant growth. They inject their larvae in plant sap for nourishment but this gives an adverse effect on the plants.
The gall gnats mosquito look alike but non-biting. The hair on their body and wings sheds quickly and they have a main cross-vein with multiple longitudinal veins. The eggs are often with bright red or yellow shades and hatch in tapered maggots. The pupa is always in a silk cocoon. Adult females eat animal sweat, pus secretions, and blood to provide proteins to their eggs. In 3 days, females can produce around 400 eggs. - Hessian Fly – Reportedly, the hessian flies came from Europe with hessian soldiers. During its larvae stage, this species live in wheat. It is understood that millions of dollars of worth of wheat crop is damaged by hessian flies every year.
Initially, these gnats feed on the seed, and once fully grown, they come out of closed florets. They creep out of the plant till they fall on the ground to form hard and ovular cocoons. The pale orange pupa becomes a hessian adult fly in about 10 days. They come in large numbers to feed on white clover and destroy the crop in the US.
- Eye Gnats – Eye gnats are also called grass flies. They fly around the face of humans and animals because of the secretion they smell and like. This is the reason they are known to spread the pink eye.
Based on the moisture, temperature, and food availability, their life cycle changes but commonly, it is 28 days. The adult female feed on blood, sweat, and secretion to provide protein to the larvae ad pupa. Females lay 400 eggs in 2-3 days.
Any small bug flying around may not be necessarily a gnat. The three most common types of gnats are fungus gnats, fruit flies, and drain flies. These three are often seen around the houses, buildings, offices, factories (especially food units).
- Fruit flies – Fruit flies are brown with red eyes, and more round in shape. They are mostly observed in kitchens. They will not be active in the areas where they do not get food.
To get rid of them, one must follow the procedure of washing fruits and vegetables properly before taking for preparation. It is quite possible that these may contain very tiny eggs entangled within them.
- Drain flies – Drain flies have wings like moths. They can be always found around the drains and sewage. Drain flies prefer bacteria, sewage, and dirt in your drain, garbage, and toilets which are not used regularly. To avoid drain flies, care must be taken to have a clean and free-flow drain to avoid stagnant water.
- Fungus gnats – Fungus gnats have long legs and they are black in color. They can be specifically found near the potted plants. Fungus gnats like the humid and moist places. If you are overwatering the potted plants, you are inviting the fungus gnats. If the potted plant is long-serving, it is a good idea to replace the pots with new soil.
2. How to Get Rid of Indoor Gnats?
If you want to get rid of an indoor infestation of gnats, first you need to learn the types of gnats and their habitats. It will be quite easier to take the necessary actions if you know the types of gnats contaminating your house. If you know what you are dealing with, then only you can find the best solution to get rid of them.
There are many easy ways to control the pests in the house. If you are taking a bit extra effort to keep your house in top condition, you will seldom face the insect infestation problem. A neat and clean house where all things are mannerly arranged will rarely have the invasion of pests and insects.
Another important thing is how your awareness about various bugs and their habitats is. If you have gnat infestation, then what is needed to be done? All these things matter as when you have knowledge, then, you can take the necessary steps to get rid of or avoid the recurrence of them.
Though the life cycle of gnats is known to be short, they can create a nuisance in your house till they are alive. You can study some following methods to get rid of them.
2.1 Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Indoor Gnats
- Soap and Water mixture – In a cup of water add few drops of dish wash soap. Spray this on the observed places of activity to kill larvae. The procedure needs to be repeated after few days to confirm the complete elimination of larvae.
- Vinegar – Add two tablespoons of vinegar in one-liter water. Add one tablespoon of sugar and few drops of dish wash. The smell will lure the insect to the solution but because it’s soapy, they will drown instead.
- Wine – As gnats are attracted to sugary, fermented beverages, put wine in a glass and add little dish wash soap to it. The gnats are bound to come to have a taste but they will get trapped in a solution containing a dash of soap.
- Bleaching Powder – Mix a little bleaching powder with water and pour it along the corners such that it will affect only the target pest. Ensure to wear protective gloves while making and pouring this liquid as it is hazardous.
- Plastic Wrap trap – What attracts them can be used to trap them. They like rotten fruits and you can use them to catch gnats.
In a container, put mashed rotten fruit and cover the container with plastic wrap. Puncture small enough holes on this plastic so that gnats can enter but they cannot come out again.
- Home-made spray – Use a home-made spray with a mixture of a cup of water, few drops of dish soap, and one tablespoon of vinegar. Spray the solution directly on the gnats if you see them around. The advantage is that this solution is harmless to indoor plants.
- Potato chunks – The raw potato will attract the gnats as they think it is a plant root. This will also drive them away from plants and potatoes will trap the larvae away from roots.
Once infested, you can replace the potato chunks.
- Gnatrol or BTI – This naturally occurring fungus is toxic to gnat larvae. Apply this frequently over the potted plant to control gnats. It is non-toxic to humans.
- Candle trap – Fill the candle stand with water while a candle is placed in it. Light the candles and turn off room lights. The gnats fly to the candle and will either get burned or get drowned in water.
- Apple cider vinegar trap – Mix a few drops of apple cider vinegar, few drops of dish wash, and a tablespoon of sugar and place in a container at places where gnats are seen. You can place this in the bathroom, kitchen, or potted plants.
Because of soap in solution, they will get drown when they come for sugar.
2.2 How to Get Rid of Gnats with Pets in House?
The indoor gnat infestation can be a worry for your pets in the house. They can be very irritating to them and can make them itchy and annoyed. They will swarm around the pets and hide in their fur. If you want to keep your pets pest-free, then, you have to control the gnats outside of your house.
If gnats are already inside, find out their breeding spot and destroy it. Do not allow anything in the house that can attract them to come indoors. You can also opt to have a gnat repellent which can be applied on the body of the pets. There are such pet-specific sprays available in the market.
Taking care of what attracts gnats indoors will also help like changing the type of lights you are using in the house, clearance of the garbage in a timely manner, and not allowing the waterlogging in the house can be effective measures to protect your pets from gnats.
If you are doing chemical treatment for gnat infestation in the house, then, you must be aware of the product you are using. If it is harmful to pets, then, knowing what are the precautions to be taken to keep your pets away from accidental ingest is necessary. If the product is a pesticide, it may be harmful to the pet, so, it is always used where the pets won’t be going or resting.
Some chemicals like boric acid may be of low risk to pets but there is some limit to how much to be used. If you are using too much quantity, it is quite possible that it may harm the pets because of consuming it.
2.3 Chemical Treatment to Get Rid of Indoor and Outdoor Gnats
What chemicals can be used to get rid of indoor gnats, one has to make sure that the chemicals are out of reach of children and pets don’t swallow it.
- Pyrethrin Insecticide – It contains an extract of 2% and is also approved by many regulatory authorities. It is effective for both indoor and outdoor applications.
This chemical has been dubbed the very best in the industry, in getting rid of gnats, both indoors and outdoors.
3. How to Get Rid of Outdoor Gnats?
If you want to get rid of or prevent the gnats from coming to your place, you can follow the simple things as given below –
- Do not let any food lying outside
- Avoid overwatering the plants
- Keep the top layer of soil decay-free
- Fix the leaky pipes
- Cover the garbage can tightly.
3.1 Natural Home Remedies to Get Rid of Outdoor Gnats
- Sand or Gravel – Gnats lay their eggs only on about an inch top of the soil. Replacing this top with sand and gravel will create a dry atmosphere for them, hence, they won’t lay the eggs there.
- Dispose of the soil – By not keeping any soil in the area, you can prevent even the little risk of gnat infestation. Instead of working on pets, this is the better option.
- Watering from the bottom – This will prevent the top side of your soil from getting watery and discourage the gnats from laying the eggs on your property.
- Remove dog waste – Do not leave any dog waste lying as it will immediately attract the gnats around it.
- Change light arrangement – The insects get attracted by bright white or incandescent light. This is like an invitation to them, hence, you need to manage your lights with LED-type warm lighting. The LED emits a yellow hue which is known to be a bug repellent.
- Clear garbage – It is very important that you remove all the rubbish around your house on regular basis. This will prevent the food waste as well as smelly substances to attract the gnats around it.
Food waste with sugary substances particularly needs to be taken care of.
- Insect traps – If you want to try a quick method, you can place some insect traps where your feel gnat activity is more. This will trap the gnats fast, if you place a small fruit part on it. This is not a long-term method but will allow you to control lesser gnat infestation.
- Essential oil repellents – There are numerous essential oils that are natural insect repellent and are very effective. This includes cinnamon, citronella, lavender, clove, and many others. You just need to mix it with water in appropriate proportion and spray around to get very effective results.
Since they possess a strong odor, the insects hate the smell and usually keep away from your place.
3.2 How to Get Rid of Gnats in Your Yard?
If you experience the gnat infestation in your yard, you need to make a proper inspection to find out the reason and the source of their entry. If you do a proper audit of the yard area, it will be easier to chalk out the perfect plant to get rid of gnats and also prevent them from coming back.
Usually, our yard area is the one that remains unattended most of the time. Moreover, we dump a lot of material there and forget about it later on. If you take care of this material and clear your yard once and maintain it thereafter, you should be able to keep the gnats away from your yard.
Also, you can try the following things which can help you to do so –
- Find out the entry point of fungus gnats
- Trap them with vinegar treatment
- Use strong smell materials to repel them
- Use gnat traps
- Use candles and Tiki torches method
- Plant the gnat repelling trees or plants
- Use bug zapper
4. How to Get Rid of Gnats from Trees?
The fungus gnats are the creatures you will find most around the trees. They are specifically attracted to fruits plants. Though these plants give you freshness and fruits to you, maintaining them pest-free is the major hurdle one always faces.
Fungus gnats are the most annoying and irritating pests that can damage your trees. They like the damp places and decaying vegetation. These gnats feed their larvae on the roots of fruit trees that will stop the growth of the plant and result in yellow leaves instead of green.
This, thus, disturbs the environment and additionally, they spread pathogens that cause serious disease to plants.
4.1 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Gnats from Trees
There are many pesticide products specially made to be used for plantation. Such products are safe to apply on trees and it will not have any negative impact on them. One can easily use these products as per the guidelines on the label and make your trees free from gnats.
However, they can be controlled biologically. There is a bacterium insecticide called Bacillus thuringiensis which is known to control gnat larvae without harming beneficial insects. This insecticide is not toxic to bees, fish, and birds while it is sprayed on the foliage of the fruit trees and hits specific pests. Nematodes also kill fungus gnats and can be used as soil drench where fruit trees are infested.
5. How to Find Gnat Nests?
Where there is moisture and decaying organic material, the chances are high that you will find gnats there. This particularly is true during winter as the conditions are moist and damp. The gnats won’t live in a place that we can call a nesting spot. Instead, they breed in places where waste fruit or decaying matter is lying.
They also lay eggs in damp soil and water outdoors. They enter the houses in search of food and reproduce. Once they find a favorable place and food, they will start their activity. Moist grounds, fruits, vegetables, decaying material, humans, and pets are the places where they can have their food and shelter.
You can also find them near the lights of the house indoors and outdoors since they are poor fliers in the dark.
6. How to Treat Gnat Bites?
It is very common to have gnats flying around your face and on your property. The gnats, when it comes to biting, are of two types, biting and non-biting. Usually, gnats look like mosquito. The bite symptoms are caused due to gnat saliva and they are minor.
The gnat bite will produce a bump that are
- Red
- Small
- Very itchy
- Painful, and
- Swollen
You might observe bleeding at the place of the bite. The treatment for gnat bite is very simple as follows –
- Soap and water – Mildly wash the bite with cool water and soap. Pat lightly to dry and soothe the irritation.
- Cold-compress – This will ease irritation and you can use a soaked cold towel, ice pack, ice cubes, or frozen bags for at least 10 minutes to get maximum effect.
- Anti-itch cream – Apply a thin layer of hydrocortisone cream at the bite area. One can also use calamine lotion to soothe the area.
- Antihistamines – It treats the allergic reaction of the bite. It provides relief from irritation and itchiness.
FAQs
How to Get Rid of Gnats under Pavers?
One can put the sticky pads to catch the gnats if they are hiding under pavers. You can hang the small pads nearby and get the gnats caught.
How to Get Rid of Gnats around Pool?
Using a vinegar-soap trap around the pool can be a better solution as the gnats falling in the pool can contaminate the water.
How to Get Rid of Gnats with Wings?
Placing the sticky traps along the walls and windows can work well to catch the gnats. The gnats fly around the light, so, one can also place dip solution under those lights where gnats can fall and drown in water.
How to Get Rid of Giant Gnats?
Gnats are a very small creature and the biggest of their size, maybe even small for us. However, the gnats can be devoid of food and shelter by keeping the areas neat and dry.
How to Get Rid of Gnats under Carpet?
Gnats are very small, so, to get them out from the carpet, one has to use the vacuum. The vacuuming can effectively clean the carpet of any insects.
How Vegans Get Rid of Gnats?
By trapping them on the strip pads, vegans can shove them away from the house. But gnats can’t live after they get caught on the sticky surface.
How to Get Rid of Gnats in Refrigerator? Using a light bleach solution to clean the refrigerator. It will help to prevent the gnats from coming there.