How do I get rid of fruit fly, gnat type things?

Hi- megan here. I used to live in an apartment on the 3rd floor and we used to have this problem every spring and summer- drove me crazy till I asked maintenance what to do - answer worked like a charm- 1) if you have a septic system, cover all your drains all night every night. 😊

if you can use bleach in your drains, put 1-2 Tbsp of bleach in b/4 covering them. Smells so clean! Either way, works every time. Keep drains covered in daytime too when not in use- clears up F A S T- aah, relax!

They could be coming out of drains, garbage disposal or trash cans. These will also hatch out of flower pots and if this is the case, let your plants go totally dry for a few days...this kills eggs and hatching bugs. You can then water your plants again.

If they are real bad, putting up the fly strips really does help catch them quicker, it may look but, but will help in the long run. If you keep onions, potatoes or anything like that in a cupboard or closet check them. My mom had them once and it was a potato in her closet at the bottom of the bucket. Mix cider vinegar with a couple of drops of dish soap, put in a jar or bowl, cover with a dream wrap type film and poke small holes big enough for them to get through, it will trap them and they will drown. Put boiling water down all drains, even the ones in the floor in the basement, they like to hang around and breed in damp places. If you see them hanging around a drain, do it again. It takes time to really get rid of them, but you need to be vigilant and make sure all garbage is taken out fairly quickly, even if the can is covered, they can get in when it is opened and will start breeding very quickly. Make sure if you have houseplants that they are not using the soil to breed. This is a different kind of gnat, it feeds and breeds in the soil and will be hanging around the plants. If you have them, you need to repot the plants in new soil, put the old soil in the garbage as it may have eggs in it. Gently rinse off the roots and leaves in tepid water. Clean the pots with bleach water and give them a spray of vinegar to get rid of any fungal spores that may still be on the pot. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before you rinse the vinegar out so that it can do its work. Good luck, don't let the critters stress you out, it takes time, but you can get rid of them.

Hi Shelly,

Very good post from Megan, she is right.

The gnat eggs come in on skin of the fruit, the eggs hatch into the gnats really soon. It is a good idea to wash the fruit right away before refrigerating it, this kills the eggs and washes them into the drain. But, some of them do survive to hatch later. The gnats need the water so that is why they are in the drains.

What also works is baking soda and vinegar in your drains, put about 1/2 cup baking soda and about 1 cup vinegar, let it fizz and rinse with hot water. Good idea to keep the sink drains closed when not in use.

Another way is to put a small piece of decaying fruit on sticky household pest glue boards (in the center of the glue board), you can get these at Walmart about 4-5 in a pack really cheap in the pest control section. If you have flying gnats, they will be drawn to the fruit and land on the sticky part. Just leave it wide open, do not fold.

Best to you.

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!

Hi Shelly, hope this helps you.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/a46626/how-to-get-rid-of-gnats/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_ghk_md_pmx_ca_urlx_20355382514&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA6byqBhAWEiwAnGCA4F-dgb_MkiaCP1BPpkqw0IquvPS7Qk9HTbHIwYAbeK5NpHQD46wlEBoCrGYQAvD_BwE