Dear Mavens of Fabulosity,
Our family went on a 3 week vacation only to come home to flock of little tiny gnats in the kitchen. The sink was clean, dishwasher clean and empty, but alas they were there and from where, I don’t know. I cleaned the sink again with Clorox.
We don’t have a disposal, so that was not the culprit, and the garbage was empty. I’m still not sure where they came from. We did the ole’ bait and spray to get ride of them. Placed a bit of ripe banana on a paper plate on the counter and when they came to rest on the banana we fumigated them. We got rid of them all, for about 2 weeks, and now they are back with a vengeance. Suggestions on how to rid my (mainly kitchen) of the little menaces? Thanks!
Signed,
“Gnat” more flies!
Ivy says:
Oooh, I’ve had the same issue before, it sure is annoying. Putting gnat heads on tiny little stakes doesn’t work. I’ve never found stakes small enough for a gnat’s head, that’s part of the problem.
The first thing you need to do is find out where they are coming in from. Check to make sure you don’t have any windows open, then make sure there are no cracks or other ways they could possibly be getting in. If you find nothing, they may be living in your plants. Otherwise, try putting all your fruit except bananas in the refrigerator. Keep bananas in a covered bowl.
There are a couple of ways to kill them. Heather leaves a sink filled with soapy water every night, during gnat season. The gnats are attracted to the soapy water and will drown themselves in there.
I like to leave a bowl of white vinegar out half-covered with plastic wrap. I change out the vinegar every couple of days. Eventually all the gnats should die. Just make sure you keep places they can come inside closed, otherwise they will keep reinfesting.
Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
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