How to Prevent Gnats and Fruit Flies in Your House

Gnats and fruit flies are the bane of many homeowner’s existence. As the summer weather continues to heat up, you might notice an influx. These tiny insects aren’t just annoying while you’re in your kitchen preparing food; they can also transfer harmful bacteria when they land on food. Fortunately, gnats and fruit flies aren’t very smart, so there are a few things you can do to try to get rid of them. The experts at Lookout are always happy to help, but this is often a problem that can be solved with some good old-fashioned DIY elbow grease.

So let’s talk about some easy and effective ways to get rid of and prevent fruit flies and gnats in your home.

7 Ways to Prevent Gnats & Fruit Flies

Gnats and flies tend to thrive in certain types of environments. They need access to moist, damp places, such as sinks and garbage disposal drains. Ideally, they can find fruits and other foods that are fermenting or rotting. If you take away these things, you’ve already gone a long way toward preventing gnats and fruit flies in your home.

Here are a few more easy gnat and fruit fly prevention tips for your home:

1. Wash dirty dishes ASAP.
2. Avoid leaving any dirty dishes lying around in the sink. Try to form a habit of cleaning your dishes straight after you are done with a meal.
3. Cover and take out trash before it gets too full.
4. Make sure your garbage is well covered. Get a new trashcan with a secure lid if necessary. The key is to keep the odor contained as much as possible to avoid attracting gnats and flies to the smell of rotting food.
5. Dry up damp areas. Inspect your entire home for any preventable damp areas. It doesn’t need to be a leak; it may just be some damp towels that get left out. Locate the source and fix it.
6. Change pot soil in plants. If you have indoor plants and you are confident that gnats and fruit flies are coming from them, then you may need to change the potting soil.
7. Try natural remedies like apple cider vinegar traps to treat infested areas.

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Gnats and Fruit Flies

With many types of pests, natural remedies are not very effective. With gnats and fruit flies, they can be.

Apple cider vinegar traps and red wine traps are two popular DIY gnat and fruit fly traps you can make from stuff you probably already have at home.

Recipe for Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

Gnats and fruit flies can’t resist the smell of fermentation, and since apple cider vinegar is made from apples, another favorite food, it’s an ideal drink for them. If you really want to get them excited, you can even heat the vinegar in the microwave for 15 seconds beforehand to release more of its tempting fragrance.

• Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar + 1 tablespoon of sugar + a few drops of dish soap + 1 liter of water
• Mix well!
• Pour the mixture into small cups and place the cups in the areas where you see the flies and gnats the most. The insects are caught in the trap when they touch the liquid mixture because of the soap.
• If the problem is widespread, place traps around the house especially the kitchen, bathroom, or near any house plants to get a better idea of where they are breeding.

Recipe for Red Wine Gnat Trap

The red wine trap works on the same principle – attract the gnats and fruit flies to the scent of red wine, then drown them as soon as they make contact. We probably don’t have to tell you this, but just in case, you don’t have to use an expensive wine or anything. Gnats and fruit flies enjoy Two Buck Chuck just as much.

• Pour a small amount of wine into a container.
• Wrap the top of the container with plastic wrap and punch a few holes in it.
• Set it up near the hub of the fruit flies and gnats overnight and let the magic happen.

Get Rid of Flies with Local Fly Control Experts

If you need help dealing with fruit flies, gnats, or any type of fly, contact the household pest control professionals at Lookout Pest Control today. In our region, especially in the summer, it can seem like there’s no escaping flies. Don’t make that mistake – the experts at Lookout have your back.

Call us for a free estimate on your household pest control needs. We have been servicing the homes and businesses in our region for decades, specializing in pest control and we would be happy to assist!