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To get rid of gnats


How to Get Rid of Gnats

Gnats are the bane of my existence. They invade my home at least once a year it’s because I left an overripe banana at the bottom of the fruit bowl, didn’t clean out the garbage disposal well enough, or even just brought home a new plant that had them hiding in the soil. Then I'm forced to spend the next few weeks trying to banish them from every nook and cranny of my home.

In the grand scheme of things, gnats are harmless—common fruit flies and fungus gnats don’t bite (though some varieties do), but they always seem to be hovering in your face or flying around your food. If you’re sick of seeing these little bugs all around your home, here are some tried-and-true methods to get rid of them, as well as ways you can prevent them from coming back.

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There are a few types of small flies and gnats commonly found in homes, and each one is attracted to different things. If you figure out which kind are plaguing your home, you’ll be able to get rid of them more efficiently.

First, there are fruit flies, which are attracted to overripe or rotting fruits and vegetables, so they're usually hovering around fruit bowls. They also like smelly trash bins and garbage disposals, and open bottles of alcohol. These little brown bugs are more common in the summer, but you might see them during the cold months, too.

Next up are fungus gnats, which I have personally battled many times as a houseplant lover. These obnoxious little flies lay their eggs in wet soil, and they’re commonly found in nurseries, meaning you can easily bring them home without knowing. These gnats are black and tinged with silver, and you’ll typically see them hanging out on the soil of your plants or around the rim of planters. If you give your plant a little shake, they'll start flying out from around the plant.

Finally, there are drain flies, and as their name suggests, these bugs live in drains, sewers, and septic tanks—anywhere you might find stagnant water, as that’s where they lay their eggs. They have larger wings than the other two types of gnats, and their bodies are furry, similar to a moth.

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It’s not too hard to get rid of gnats, but the tricky part is keeping them from coming back—all it takes is one overripe apple for them to make themselves at home again. In general, the cleaner you keep your home, the less likely you are to have gnats. This means storing food in sealed containers and getting rid of overripe produce. You’ll also want to invest in a tightly covered trash can, and clean out your sink, drains, and garbage disposal regularly.

For fungus gnats in particular, letting your plants dry out in between waterings can help to prevent the bugs from laying eggs. Some people also recommend sprinkling a layer of diatomaceous earth on top of soil to kill them.

If you’re really serious about making your home a no-gnat zone, you may also want to seal cracks and crevices around your doors and windows, repair any ripped window screens, and patch any cracks in your home’s foundations.

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If you have a gnat infestation and don't have the time or luxury of prevention, there are several ways you can eliminate these flying nuisances—many of which involve simple pantry ingredients. Of course, you’ll also want to figure out what attracted them in the first place and get rid of their source of food to stop them from reproducing.

1. The Classic Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

Apple cider vinegar’s sweet smell is appealing to gnats, so you can use it to make an easy trap—a literal thirst trap, if you will. Pour a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a bowl or jar, then stir in a few drops of dish soap. The bugs will be attracted to the sweet smell, and the sticky soap will prevent them from being able to fly away. Some people also like to mix in a little sugar, as well, to really amp up the sweetness.

2. Lure Them With Ripe Produce

If you’re dealing with fruit flies, you can use their favorite snack against them. Place a piece of overripe produce, like an apple slice or mashed banana, in a bowl and cover it with a plastic wrap. Poke a few small holes in the plastic, and once the flies crawl inside, they won’t be able to get back out.

3. Put Empty Wine Bottles to Good Use

The next time you finish a bottle of red wine, leave it on the counter with dregs in the bottom to help trap gnats. They’ll crawl inside because they’re attracted to the smell and won’t be able to get back out. Some people also like to mix in a few drops of dish soap, but I’ve found the alcohol works pretty well on its own.

4. Flush Drains with Bleach

If fruit or drain flies are hanging out in your pipes, you can use a diluted bleach solution to kill them and any eggs. Mix ½ cup bleach with a gallon of water, then carefully pour it down the drain. Flush with plenty of hot water, and repeat as necessary.

5. When in Doubt, Use Sticky Traps

When I have a particularly bad fungus gnat infestation around my plants, I turn to sticky traps to capture the dozens of bugs flying around. Gnats will get stuck to the yellow sticker—just be prepared to be grossed out by how many you catch.

What are your best methods for keeping bugs at bay? Tell us below!

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

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How to Get Rid of Gnats

If you've ever spilled sugary juice on the counter and didn't wipe it up right away, overwatered plants inside or outside, or waited a day too long to take out the trash, you know this feeling. One simple household mistake, and all of sudden your house seems to be covered up in bugs—tiny gnats, to be exact. Here are eight ways to help you get rid of gnats once and for all.

Before killing gnats, the first thing to do is make sure that they are, in fact, gnats. There are many different types of itty-bitty flying insects, and each requires a slightly different elimination tactic. You may actually find yourself needing to know how to get rid of fruit flies or how to get rid of drain flies instead. If you know what to look for, it's easy to distinguish between bugs. Fungus gnats look black and feature long legs while fruit flies are typically brown and rounder in shape. Drain flies have a fuzzier appearance and larger wings, and as the name suggests, they hang out around sink drains.

Once you’ve correctly identified what bug is, well, bugging you, you can start to take the necessary steps toward getting rid of gnats, flies, and any other bugs once and for all with vinegar solutions, store-bought remedies, and even rotten fruit (really!). For longer-term success, invest in one of the best bug zappers on the market.

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Pour boiling water down your drain.

Natasha Bes / EyeEmGetty Images

Kitchen sink drains are common spots where gnats lay eggs, especially in garbage disposals. They love the warm, moist environment and any food and bacteria build up that occurs there. Kill any eggs in your drain by pouring boiling water in the sink.

6

Use a wine trap.

Getty Images

Now, we're not asking you to sacrifice your wine collection to kill gnats! Instead, for this nifty trapping trick, you'll want to use an expired wine—one that's nearly turned into vinegar. You can use it in nearly the same way that you used the aforementioned apple cider vinegar trick: Pour some of the stale wine into a small vessel, add in a couple drops of dish soap, then place the mixture in gnat-filled areas of your home and wait for the bugs to drop in.

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Lure them with rotten fruit.

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Yes, the very thing that caused the infestation in the first place might be your best bet when it comes to ending it. Add a few pieces of overripe fruit to a large bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Use a toothpick to poke a few holes in the top. Soon, gnats and fruit flies will flock to the fruit, making their way in through the tiny holes—but they won't know how to find their way out.

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Amy Mitchell Amy Mitchell is the managing editor at Country Living Magazine.

five proven ways

Many people run away from the city to their dacha in the heat. However, they are waiting for gardeners there - mosquitoes and flies, which seem to be created in order to spoil a person's life. The Internet project "Ideas for your home" has collected five effective ways, using which you will forever forget about mosquito squeaks and bites all over your body.

Tip no. 1

Getting rid of pools of water

It's no secret that still water is an ideal place for mosquito larvae to lay and grow. Therefore, first of all, the summer resident should cover all the water containers that are on the site with special awnings or ordinary film. And, of course, do not forget to renew the water in the baths or the pond. Mosquitoes hate clean water!

Tip No. 2

Use repellent odors

Not all smells attract mosquitoes. For example, these insects try to fly around bushes with tomatoes. And you can take advantage of this weakness of theirs by planting repellent tomatoes in different parts of the dacha. Also, mosquitoes do not like mint, lavender and wormwood. But you can also use aromatic oils (cedar, anise, eucalyptus). It is enough to put a couple of drops on your wrist, and that's it, mosquitoes won't fly up to you even half a meter.

Advice No. 3

Lure mosquitoes with sugar and yeast

To repel mosquitoes, you can build so-called traps or traps. They are easy to make. We take a plastic bottle, cut off the neck and pour sugar mixed with yeast to the bottom. Turn the cut off top and insert it back like a funnel. We fasten the structure with adhesive tape. Mosquitoes will be attracted by the smell of carbon dioxide released during fermentation. Thus, the insects will fall into the trap.

Tip #4

Buying repellents

Today, store shelves are literally bursting with all kinds of chemical repellents. And rightly so, because not everyone wants to spend time making traps. There are lotions, sprays, aerosols, strips, coils and liquids. In theory, of course, it is better to try out all types in order to choose the most suitable one in the end. But experienced summer residents recommend taking aerosols: they can be sprayed on the body, hair and clothes. In this case, the cheapest option would be spirals that need to be set on fire. This method is suitable for the street - who wants to breathe toxic fumes indoors?

Advice No. 5

Treating with chemicals

Do you want to forget about blood-sucking insects forever? Then decide on a chemical treatment of the site. First of all, places of possible reproduction of insects are irrigated: ditches with water, ponds, storm drains, and so on. And only then should the living quarters be processed. It is better to use the services of specialists, but you can cope with this task yourself. The main thing is to buy protective clothing and carefully study the instructions for using chemicals.

#Yellow news #Anastasia Nazarova

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Effective ways to destroy mosquitoes in the apartment

Published: 11/22/2018 Explore: 01.08.2022

Summer is not only warm hot days, delicious vegetables (fruit) and fruit) and fruit) and fruit) lush blooms all around. This time of year also has its drawbacks. One of them is the dominance of mosquitoes.
These bloodsuckers give a person a lot of inconvenience. They leave a lot of itchy bites on the body, can cause sleepless nights and even infect with dangerous infectious diseases.
In this review, we will talk about the harm that these insects can cause and how to get rid of mosquitoes in different ways.

A few words about the lifestyle and nutrition of mosquitoes

A mosquito is a two-winged insect belonging to the long-whiskered category. There are about 3600 of them around the world. different kinds. At the same time, only 100 varieties of mosquitoes were found in Russia.

Before the appearance of an adult, the mosquito goes through 4 main phases: egg ー larva ー pupa ー imago.

Features of the life of mosquitoes:

Female mosquitoes have one remarkable feature ー they choose their prey by smell. They are attracted to lactic acid contained in sweat, carbon dioxide exhaled by a person or animal. That is why they can completely bite one person, and leave only a couple of small ones on the other. bites. The reason is the individual smell of each.

What harm can be done to a person?

It is important for a person to provide reliable protection against mosquitoes, since their bites entail the following unpleasant consequences:

  1. Physical discomfort ー A mosquito bite is always accompanied by unpleasant symptoms in the form of severe itching, redness and swelling of the skin puncture site. The reason for the appearance of such a reaction is associated with saliva. mosquito, which he first introduces through a cut in the skin. It contains anticoagulants, which are called prevent blood clotting.
    In addition, mosquitoes in the apartment emit a loud buzz and squeak. They begin to become more active closer to the night, therefore, these sounds interfere with sleep and cause insomnia. The next day, the person feels overwhelmed.
  2. Allergic reaction ー is another negative effect that can occur after a mosquito bite. In particular, chronic allergies are prone to such a reaction.
    A mosquito bite can lead to extensive rashes all over the body, swollen lymph nodes, severe swelling, an increase in body temperature and even difficulty breathing. In this case, the person should be given urgent medical assistance.
  3. High risk of contracting dangerous diseases ー the most serious consequence of a mosquito bite. Some species of these bloodsuckers are carriers of such dangerous infectious diseases, like: malaria, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis, tularemia, dengue fever, etc.
  4. Possible secondary infection ー as previously noted, mosquito bites severe itching. A person begins to actively comb this place, resulting in a wound. If it is not treated, then an infection can get there and aggravate the situation.

To date, some types of malarial mosquitoes have been recorded in Russia. These are the genus Coquillettidia, Uranotaenia Toxorhynchites and Orthopodomyia. To a greater extent, these varieties predominate in the western part of the country.

Causes and factors provoking the appearance of mosquitoes in the apartment

It is generally accepted that the problem of mosquitoes is more relevant for residents of rural areas. with lots of animals, rivers, lakes and swamps. However, in reality, these bloodsuckers are exactly the same can terrorize city dwellers in their own apartments.

In dwellings located on floors, mosquitoes penetrate the following main ways:

To a greater extent, attacks from mosquitoes are subject to residents of the lower and middle floors (up to 6). Bloodsuckers reach the uppermost floors less often.

There are several factors that provoke the influx of mosquitoes in the apartment:

  1. Dampness and humidity in the basement is a common problem in many high-rise buildings. Due to leaking pipes periodic flooding and lack of sunlight, moisture in such places does not evaporate, creating favorable breeding conditions for mosquitoes. In the future, along the ventilation shafts and the garbage chute they go up to apartments.
  2. The presence of ponds near the house ー although this is a rather rare occurrence for the city, nevertheless, this is also Maybe. Moreover, even a large, non-drying puddle near the house can provoke the appearance of mosquitoes.
  3. Sometimes the microclimate in the apartment itself acts as a provoking factor. For example, if you have high humidity, then on hot summer days, bloodsucking raids cannot be avoided.

Fighting mosquitoes in the apartment

The problem of bloodsuckers has always been relevant and vital for humans. Therefore, today A large number of different methods of protection against mosquitoes have been invented. This includes technical inventions, special cosmetics for skin treatment, barrier methods of protection, folk methods, etc.

Below we divided all types of mosquito repellents into 4 main groups and gave a detailed description of each of them.

barrier method

The basis of this method is the arrangement in the apartment of structures that prevent the penetration of mosquitoes inside.

The most common and easiest option is to install mosquito nets on all windows. Such a design is a canvas in a fine mesh, stretched over a special frame. It fits the window and inserted into it.

In order for mosquito nets on the windows to give an effect, the following nuances must be taken into account:

Mosquito nets on windows have some disadvantages:

It should be remembered that babies love to lean on mosquito nets. As sad statistics show, every year a large number of children fall out of windows for this reason. So if you have a small child, then more attention should be paid to this issue. It makes sense to look for alternative ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes.

To solve the problem of mosquitoes in the apartment in a more modern, and most importantly safe way, buy a breather. Use it to ventilate the room will be possible without open windows and vents. And this means that mosquitoes are simply they won't be able to get inside. Moreover, the supply ventilation system from TION is equipped with powerful filters that purify the air from dust, allergens, plant pollen and other pollutants from the street, as well as neutralize unpleasant odors.

Technical solutions

Modern manufacturers have come up with different types of equipment that also help get rid of mosquitoes in the apartment. Consider in more detail the main types of such equipment:

  1. An ultrasonic repeller is a special piece of equipment that transmits ultrasonic waves. A person does not hear them, but they scare away mosquitoes. The affected area varies within 20-5000 sq.m (depending on model).
    It has not yet been possible to confirm the effectiveness of sound repellers 100%, as some scientists pointed to the absence of any evidence of the effect of such sound waves on mosquitoes.

  2. An anti-mosquito lamp is an ultraviolet device that destroys mosquitoes through an electrical impact. An open current passes over its entire area, upon contact with which insects die. For a person, such a lamp is absolutely safe, since it uses a weak current.
    Since mosquitoes do not like light, there is an opinion that it is ineffective against bloodsuckers. However, it will help get rid of butterflies, flies and other unwanted living creatures in the apartment.

  3. An electric fumigator is a small appliance that is connected to the mains. Their meaning is to highlight poisonous substances that kill mosquitoes. Such formulations may be in the form of a plate or a gel. After turning on the device, they begin to heat up and evaporate into the environment.
    The main disadvantage of electric fumigators is that they capture a small area (up to 12 sq. m).

  4. Anti-mosquito bracelet - has the form of a flat narrow ribbon that is worn on the wrist. This bracelet is fastened with a button or Velcro.
    Such a device works according to the following scheme: it contains substances that, by their smell repel mosquitoes. Damage radius: up to 100 cm (in diameter).

Mosquito Repellents

Protection against mosquitoes can also be provided through repellents. This name refers to a group of natural or chemicals that have a deterrent effect on insects, including bloodsuckers.

All varieties of repellents on sale today can be divided into two groups:

The main feature of repellents is that they only repel mosquitoes. Moreover, the latter do not die upon contact with such substances.

On average, the duration is 2-6 hours. Here a lot depends on the brand, the type of repellent, composition, price range, etc.

Folk methods

Many folk remedies for mosquitoes have long been proven to be effective.

To repel mosquitoes, the following methods are well suited:

  1. The use of essential oils in the apartment - with their aroma, they scare away bloodsucking. For this it is necessary Take any essential oil (like lavender, eucalyptus, mint, etc.) and apply it to your skin. You can also soak a few napkins with oil and place them throughout the house, add this composition to an aroma lamp or put a couple of drops on the locket and wear it around your neck. There are many options, so choose whichever you like.

  2. Mosquitoes can't stand the smell of vanilla, so it's also great for killing mosquitoes. Dilute a few tablespoons of this fragrant additive in warm water, soak a cotton pad in it and wipe the skin. As a result, the body will exude a pleasant aroma that will simultaneously scare away bloodsuckers.

  3. There are certain categories of plants that also protect against mosquito bites with their smell. For example, on window sill you can plant citronella (a common ingredient in many insect repellents), rosemary (better known as a spice, but it also works well against mosquitoes), geranium, etc.
    If there is no desire to mess with the ground and plantings, then you can simply arrange dry bunches of wormwood around the apartment.

  4. Use the well-known old Asterisk balm. It should be applied pointwise in different parts of the body. It also heals existing mosquito bites well and relieves itching.

Bitten by mosquitoes: what can be done?

When bitten by a mosquito, the first thing you want to do is scratch the bite. However, this is not the correct action. which in the end will only increase the itching and can lead to the formation of a wound. She'll take a long time to heal and deliver discomfort. In addition, damaged areas of the skin can easily become infected.

Thus, if you are bitten by mosquitoes, then you should take the following steps:

Today, a lot of effective ways to fight mosquitoes have been invented, so you can definitely pick up something.

Learn more