Monday, April 22

Do GNATS Have Any Redeeming Purpose?




Do you ever wonder about incredibly insignificant and stupid things? Well I do. A lot. Take your ordinary common house gnat. Where did it come from? Why is it here? In my house no less. And dear Lord, What in the WORLD could possibly be the purpose of a gnat? This is where my thoughts have wandered to in the wee small hours of this fine Monday morning. 

I'm sure you don't need me to point out the obvious, but for being incredibly tiny, gnats are possibly one of the most annoying things to have in our homes. They constantly buzz around your ears and your face and give the illusion that your house may be dirtier than it is. Nobody wants that. They are extremely pesky creatures. Luckily, getting rid of gnats is not that difficult.

The FIRST STEP is to eliminate living, eating and breeding conditions of your common ordinary house gnat.


Get rid of their food supply. Gnats feast primarily, like so many other insects, upon the food scraps you leave out in the open. The best solution to removing gnats is to not "feed" them in the first place. After preparing food, quickly cover and put away leftover food. Make sure to wipe down your counters and wash or put dishes into the dishwasher. BTW: If your kitchen looks like this you may have bigger problems than gnats!


Cover your trashcans. Why don't you just put up a gnat motel sign...with neon lights! You can prevent a gnat invasion by covering your garbage cans in and around your house and property. If the garbage cans outside your home are open, gnats can feast there and similarly follow their noses into your home. 


Throw away old fruit. I usually have fresh fruit and veggies sitting out in my kitchen, this  is NOT a picture of my counter. If you notice the brown spots starting to take over your bananas, out they go! Gnats LOVE old fruit. They feed and breed here, kind of disgusting.

Don't leave water to stagnate. Yes, this includes those dirty dishes in your sink. Pour the water out and wash and put them away. Also DO NOT over-water your house plants, gnats find that soggy soil a nice nursery for their offspring. 


The SECOND STEP it to eliminate the gnats entirely from your home.


Lysol® Disinfectant Spray. The gnats that live and breed around your houseplants can be easily killed by Lysol or a store-brand disinfectant spray. Spray directly into the dirt and work it in and around the top soil, I use a fork. That's it. Pretty simple and works like a charm every time.

Make a homemade trap. One easy way to rid yourself of a gnat infestation is with an easy and cheap DIY gnat trap. Gnats are extremely attracted to the scent of vinegar and yeast. Find a jar that has a metal lid and fill it with equals parts of  water and vinegar. After you fill your jar, seal the lid and poke small holes with a nail. Leave the can in a space where you usually see gnats. The gnats will fly into the jar, but will be unable to leave. Pour out the liquid and gnat. Rinse jar and save to re-use.


Pour vegetable or olive oil in your kitchen sink to catch any gnats that remain. The gnats will fly into the oil but will be either unable to free themselves of it, or simply unable to mate afterward.  


Pour a small dose of ammonia or bleach into your sink to kill any gnats in the general vicinity. Just make sure you let the bleach/ammonia sit and dilute itself for a few hours before using the sink for any other purpose, because bleach/ammonia is just about as harmful to humans as it is to gnats. This is NOT my favorite method.


If all else fails use an insect spray. Simply spray the insecticide onto the gnats themselves, or in the usual areas they inhabit. This will immediately kill any and all gnats and other insects. This is an option that I don't personally use...I don't want bug spray in the area where we prepare and eat food.


You probably didn't think anyone could possibly have so much spare time on their hands as to write about the pesky GNAT, did you? Fight back fellow home owners....
....you'll be glad ya did!



ENJOY!
~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~
RONDA

Gnats on parade!
The answer to the above question is a simple one.
Gnats feed countless species of other wildlife.



2 comments:

  1. Thank you for the advise, BUT what purpose do gnats have on this earth? :)
    I guess I have too much time on my hands too but not enough to do the research...

    ReplyDelete
  2. And mosquito feeds dragon flies 😀🙌

    ReplyDelete