How to get rid of gnats?

Brenda Airich
by Brenda Airich

There are so many of them. How do I get rid of gnats?


  14 answers
  • Diane Coverdale Diane Coverdale on Oct 05, 2018

    Do you have any food (especially fruit) sitting out in the open? Open garbage can? They maybe the source for your flies. Once you either can bag up the slightly off fruit or replace the garbage, that should decrease the fly population.

  • Joann Gonnella Cope Joann Gonnella Cope on Oct 05, 2018

    Gnats? Little black flies that bite? Are they outside? Nothing you can do about them except maybe bug spray. If they're inside, they could be fruit flies, this time of year they get bad. They go after ripe fruit so get rid of any you have sitting out. You can buy fruit fly traps or make your own with apple juice/ apple vinegar and a couple drops of dish soap in a low saucer. Hope this helps

    • See 1 previous
    • Claudette Claudette on Oct 06, 2018

      I wrote a longer answer to this. But a quick answer is. Mix vanila flavoring and water. Put in a spray bottle.

      This mixture is safe for Babies and Pets. It also makes you smell great. I learned this tip from an old Veterinarain. Put enough in the water that you can smell it. It will keep the knats large and small away.

      it doesn’t keep mosquitoes away. The nice things about using the vanila and water is that it’s safe on people,animals and plants, inside and outside. Repeat spraying as needed.

  • Amanda Amanda on Oct 06, 2018

    In your kitchen or bath? They could be drain gnats. They feed on grease or scum buildup in the pipes.


    Clean your drains thoroughly with whatever method you prefer (chemical drain cleaner, vinegar/baking soda, etc). I would also suggest snaking the drain to get rid of the really bad crud.

  • Scott Watson Scott Watson on Oct 06, 2018

    Outside knats hatch in the thatch of the grass. When I had a sod farm we would find the nests. Little wetter conditions would allow a hatch.

  • Wanda Kirby Wanda Kirby on Oct 06, 2018

    Take a plastic 12oz. drink bottle and cut the bottle into about 1/4 ways down then pour apple cider vinegar in the bottle not a whole lot just enough to see it good. Take the top of the bottle and place it upside down and set it close to the fruit and they will go in the bottle.

    • Joanie Joanie on Oct 06, 2018

      I tried this and my bugs didn't bother or kill them.....a waste of time with these critters!!!

  • Mary lu Mary lu on Oct 06, 2018

    just take a small jar and put in some apple cider vinegar, add a little water and a drop if dish soap, and cover with plastic wrap, fasten the wrap around jar and use toothpick and punch 3-4 holes in top. they go in and never come out. if no apple cider vinegar, just put in some of the fruit you are throwing away and add little water and soap. same results-gnats in the jar


  • Mandy Pontet Mandy Pontet on Oct 06, 2018

    Hi Brenda, Do you have any/many houseplants???? They could be fungus gnats, you will see them on the surface of the compost if you have quite a few....there are ways to check if you can't see them on the surface.....have a look at this web page for more info https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/fungus-gnat-control/

    Otherwise they could be fruit flies, check for over ripe fruit on trees etc near the house or anywhere inside but I suspect you have already done this and have a houseplant causing the infestation!

    Good luck

    • See 3 previous
    • Mandy Pontet Mandy Pontet on Oct 07, 2018

      I too am a collector of plants! The more the merrier! If you can't spot them when watering/looking you can lift the plant to see if you have the little larvae round the roots. They can kill plants or weaken them severely. You can buy chemical free ways to get rid of the little buggers like live predators or soil additives.

  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on Oct 06, 2018

    Gnats inside the house are attracted to moisture. Make sure that the soil in all of your house plants dry out before rewatering and make sure that you wipe down all of your sinks and showers after using so there is no standing water. The gnats should go away when their water source is gone.

  • Claudette Claudette on Oct 06, 2018

    Vanilla flavoring mixed in water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle.You can spray your pets and yourself .its safe for babies. Spray yourself and clothing lightly then enjoy your outdoors. It smells delightful on your body and clothes. I can’t tell you how much vanila to water, but you want to put enough in the water ,tat you can smell it. It doesn’t stain as far as I can remember because you don’t have to use that much in your mix.

    A Veterinarian told me about this years ago after I had lost a coop of baby chicks. We had buffalo knats really bad that year. The knats would completely cover animals and smother them.

    Just an extra hint , stop the fruit flys inside with the mixture .

    Prevent fruit flies by washing your bananas as soon as you get home with them.

    The Vanila and water spray won’t help with mosquitoes.

  • Brenda Airich Brenda Airich on Oct 08, 2018

    Hi everyone,


    I want to thank everyone for their answers. I am doing the apple cider vinegar and dish soap, it appears to be working.


    Thanks again,

    Brenda

  • Everything Pretty Everything Pretty on Oct 08, 2018

    I tried everything. Nothing really worked until I got a FlyLight. They are gone in a day or two now.

  • Dena Dena on Oct 08, 2018

    When I have a little bit of rotten fruit around… I just get some hair spray and spray that on the bugs and then they can’t fly and they die

  • Chloe Crabtree Chloe Crabtree on Oct 06, 2023

    I had a terrible gnat problem and the vinegar traps worked perfectly! Simply place a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, a few drops of dish soap, and a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl and stir. Set your bowl in an area where gnats are prevalent, such as your kitchen or bathroom. This took care of my problem in just a couple of days!

  • Deb K Deb K on Oct 07, 2023

    Hi Brenda, hope this helps.

    In a small bowl, mix a half cup of warm water plus two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, and about six drops of liquid dish soap. Gnats will be lured in by the sugary mixture, but once they dip in for a drink, the sticky dish soap will trap them.