They are annoying, irritating and they hang around your
house just to bother you. Can you guess who are they?
No, they are neither your neighbours nor your in-laws.
They are small pesky Gnats. Personally, Gnats are some of
very few insects that I hate the most. They are small, very hard to catch and
can reproduce like crazy. There are different types of gnats like:
- Fungus Gnats
- Eye Gnats
- Buffalo Gnats
- Sand Gnats
While Fungus gnats are mostly attracted to moist soils, Eye
gnats are attracted to human eye fluids whereas buffalo/sand gnats are mostly attracted
to animal blood (Yes, I know its creepy.)
Today, I am going to share some natural ways that can help you to get rid of these pesky gnats:
Effective Physical Control:
This is probably the best and the safest way to get rid of
gnats. As you might be knowing that Fungus Gnats thrive on damp or moist soils.
So, what you have to do is to create a physical barrier between the soil and
the gnats. The best thing for creating this physical barrier is sand.
Gnats cannot break this physical barrier and hence cannot
lay more eggs in the soil and hence there life cycle stops. You can cover your
soil with a 2 – 3 inch thick layer of soil. In addition to it, in market there
is a product called Gnatnix. It does the same job but it is made from recycled crystals.
Anti Gnat Sprays and Lotions:
Vinegar can be used against adult gnats as a spray and it
works quite effectively. You just have to make a solution with equal amounts of
vinegar and water and then using a spray bottle you can spray this mixture over
the infested area.
Apart from this, you could also make a solution by using
mixing some essential oils like Lavender oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lemon oil with
water and make a gnat repellent. I have also heard that gnats hate the smell of
vanilla like mosquitoes so you can also use this to protect you from gnats.
Beneficial Nematodes:
Beneficial nematodes are small microorganisms that are
specially designed and genetically altered to specifically feed on gnat larvae
and eggs in the soil. These micro organisms do not kill and other useful insects
in the soil and are specially designed to selectively consume gnat larvae and
eggs.
Once installed it they can protect your garden for as long
as 18 – 24 months against gnats.
Apple Cider Vinegar Trap:
This is the most common trap that can be used to trap adult
gnats. To make this trap:
- Take a small deep bowl, and fill it ¼ with apple cider vinegar.
- Next add few drops of dish soap or vegetable oil.
- To make the trap more effective add 10 – 15 drops of red wine (I actually hate doing this.)
And your gnat trap is ready. You can now set this trap in
the infested areas. Gnats will get attracted to the smell of the liquid and
will drown in it as its surface tension is greatly reduced by adding dish soap..
Thanks for reading!
