Getting Rid of Gnats

[Kernel]

I had a problem with gnats a couple of months ago when I left a meat container in the trash can. I make it a point to get rid of any trash with raw meat or the trays that come from the grocery store. I kill them in the kitchen and on my computer screen, but they are still around. I can't find where they are coming from. Does anybody have any tips for getting rid of them?



Scott

 

[Bob Wagner]

kernel, same problem here in seattle, I believe its typical this time of year and it drives us nuts



I am ready for a few tried and true remedys :{

 

[Sojourner]

I had a similiar problem with fruit flies. Are you sure these aren't the (fruit) flies that feed and breed on fermenting waste?



Regardless, what I found out is that you've got to find the source where they are feeding and reproducing. Taking out the fresh garbage like you're doing is the best place to start. They need a moist environment, so the next place to inspect is all your drains. Plugging them when not in use would be a good measure. A careful inspection of your environment will reveal other possible sources.



What I did to finally get rid of the very last of them was to create a trap by rolling a sheet of paper into a cone, fastening it with a paper clip at the top to hold the roll, and sticking it into the mouth of a mason jar so that the sides of the paper cone were snug up against the mouth of the jar. The bottom end of the cone will be about 1/2 to 2/3's of the way into the mason jar, which is fine. The most important thing is that the paper cone/jar mouth seal have no gaps that will allow the flys to escape. Inside the jar I placed a juicy slice of peach, but banana works just as well. It took about three days, emptying the jar once a day of 2 to 4 flies, but finally I did not see anymore. I learned my lesson about taking the trash out on a daily basis.

 

[The patriot]

I dont have them in the house in any real numbers. Only the ones that hitchhike a ride on me after mowing the lawn.

When they swarm outside, I just fire up the truck. Goose the throttle a few times and that puts up a good cloud of smoke.

Even @ idle my truck with the 370's puts out a slight haze.

Eric

 

[BarryG]

Had a probelm with them a couple years ago. Turned out to be as Turbo Dawg mentioned fruit flies. They were hanging in the kitchen sink drain. A good thorough flush with some bleach and let it sit in the trap/s overnight should take care of it if it is in the drain/s. Might also check the house plants for critters.

 

[Kernel]

They only seem to be attracted to meat or blood left around by it. I have seen them coming out of the drain though. The reason I believe it is a gnat is that the only thing in the trash was hamburger platers and beer cans and some empty frozen pizza boxes (yea, I'm single... ) and the gnats had multiplied by the hundreds and were concentrated around the meat packages. Going to try and do the bleach thing here shortly. Thanks.



Scott

 

[BarryG]

Scott:

It may take a couple treatments over a few days due to the fact that they will not all be in the drain, there may very well be some johnny come lately's that will start the population growing again. You might also put some bleach in a spray bottle and hose out the trash can then spray the inside of it with the some bleach as well. Also make sure that you keep all your trash outside tied up good until your infestation goes away. All you really are trying to do is remove their water and food source. It worked for me, the tip came from a pest control guy we use at work.

 

[MrWinkey]

I second the bleach down the drain. Worked great. Just dump some down the sink before you leave for work every day and some down before you go to bed. Rember if you have more than 1 sink to do them also. Lil buggers moved into the bathroom sink. Thank god the lid was down.