Help with Gnats

I got so tired of them that I got a 'trap' for them (you can do a search on it: Insector, The Bug Collector). To see one: http://www.theapplecollection.com/iMac/iStore/Insector.html

I found a couple home remedies on the web at eHow.com.
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_rid-gnats-home.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_rid-gnats-fruit-flie...
I have heard the apple cider vinegar trick before, so that may work best. Let me know what works!

I had gnats from houseplants - they laid eggs in the dirt of the plants and then just kept coming back. I doused the plants with a fungicide and then covered the dirt with aquarium gravel to prevent more (per advice I found via google). It worked like a charm. So if it's plants causing this problem, you may want to give it a try. :)

I have the same problem around this time every year. A neighbor told me that the gnats come up through the pipes in the kitchen sink. I have since made certain that I keep the sink stopper closed when not in use therefore preventing the gnats from entering my home. I also keep a small bowl of apple cider vinegar with "Dawn" dish liquid on the counter just in case one gets in! I am so greatful my neighbor mentioned this as I have definetly noticed a difference. Hope the suggestion helps!!

My brother gave me this hint a few years ago and it worked like a charm. He said the gnats are attracted to light, so to leave a bowl of water under a light overnight. After you have put water in the bowl (2-3 inches) drizzle a little dish soap in it. Don't stir, to make bubbles, just drizzle it in. It doesn't seem to matter if the dish soap is colored (like Dawn) as you're only using about 2-3 tablespoons. I used a large Tupperware bowl, so they'd have plenty of room to land! The foaming kind of dish soap wouldn't work, as that would alert the gnats to it's presence. The soap destroys the 'surface tension' of the water so when the gnats land on it they sink (and drown). If you have a light with an adjustable neck that you can aim right over the light in the middle of the room that seems to work the best, but I also had luck putting the bowl on the stove (off) and leaving the stove light on overnight. Whatever light you use for the bowl should be the only one on in your house overnight. It may take 2-3 nights to attract all of them. I hope this works for you!

Just noticed your post and thought I'd add my 2 cents in....These GNATS do not come from NOTHING...
If infact nothing you have done helped so far to cure this problem then you seriously need to go through your pantry and throw every boxed food away (((already opened or not))))and bleach down your shelves and empty your kitchen pail often...using a plastic liner in it.....if you are also using a compost pail in the house...get rid of it. Also time to get rid of your house plants, pots and all and wait until you get rid of the problem before replacing them. When you vaccume get rid of the vaccume bag (((out side the house))))before putting the machine away...

Also since you mention having grandchildren...look under your furniture for opened bags of chips, candy, unfinished eaten anything that might be causing or adding to the problem....

Hi D.. Due to the monsoon I have had my share of infestation. EEEWWW! I went a little crazy but have found some proven results persay.
1st- seriously it may look like a gnat but it can be several tiny pests that look similar..fungas gnats,white flies, I cannot remember the others but this can help if you just do a google image search to make sure it is what it is.
The bowl & liquid soap trick: fungas gnats & others are extremely attracted to yellow (reason for yellow dish soap) lemon scent for the potent attraction..LOL..Depending on your areas you are seeing them in & how big of an area you are looking to have the bugs attracted to the bowl is key. If you had a yellow dish/bowl/saucer etc this would just make it better but not necessary..if not just use white and enough dish soap to **A** attract to the bowl because of the scent & color yellow & **B** when the bug reaches the water to land the soap will stick to the body & make him stay & drowned..nighttime seems to work best--message me if you want me to suggest best for your needs =)
fruit seed & jar trick- eat a piece of peach,papaya etc that has the nug of seed & lil fruit endings on it-pop it into a mason jar or any glass jar & poke BB size holes on top or use alluminum foil-goal is to attract the bug in & they are dumb & cannot figure out how to get back out-too big of holes you will have less success- sames goes for a fruity wine cooler (or wine bottle) leave less than half full- set it out & watch the bottle fill up GROSS! sorry- lol
fly traps from store that are sticky pads
I did my own sticky traps that I did for free that worked great- pretty easy-if you are interested in it I can message it to anyone who messages me- I do realize my reply is pretty long already.LOL
No spam or bussiness scheme..honest..
GOOD LUCK & hope you get rif of these annoying pests. I was at my wits end & my next option was to rent a few frogs & lizards for a few days.LOL

Hi D.,
This happens about the same time every year - the end of June. I do a load of laundry (to flush the system) and after that has finished I put a cup of bleach in every drain (including the sewer drain in the basement)and let it sit. I have boys so doing laundry frequently (boys will be boys) usually keeps this problem at bay! I don't have indoor plants in the summer anymore because the little buggers like them as well! Good Luck, S.

I never saw you first post....We had that exact same problem last year...it is disgusting, I know how you feel.get some old fashion fly paper....I know that sounds strange, but hear me out, put a glass of juice, or wine if you think that will work under your kitchen cabinet, and hang the fly paper so it is resting on the glass or cup, it takes a few days but this really did work...we are gnat free, and have remained so since. I did see 3-4 thjis season, but not the infestation we had last year, thank goodness. Let me know if this works for you, and good luck.

I had an exterminator come when we first moved in and he said they were mold mites. They can get in plants and they can get anywhere that there is mold. If you have moldy drains or even a dehumidifier that has moisture in it or around it. Our well pressure tank in the basement was sweating and that was causing moisture and mold so that's where ours were coming from. They also like fruit too though so they're either the same thing or closely related, lol.
The cup of vinegar with a drop of dish soap works good for me. Also spraying the wet area with bleach or vinegar works to get rid of them. Make sure to dump some down your little drain return holes in your bathroom sinks. Either that or get some scrubbing bubbles and fill the area with foam :o)
Good luck,
J.

If you have gnats and not fruit flies, they are coming from your over-watered houseplants. I bought some of that diatonaceous earth (? spelling)and treated according to directions, which got rid of the gnats.

J. B.

Hi D.,
If you have house plants-try setting them outside for a few days and see if the gnats are still in your house-if they aren't, before you bring the plants back inside, mix Ivory soap and water and spray the plants (soil especially) well probably several times before bringing them inside.
If you DON'T have plants, might want to check your garbage, we have gnats more if we pop the garbage in the garage (which we have had to do b/c some hooligans have torn up our mailbox and strewn our trash around the street) it makes for gnats in the kitchen. Also if you have compost matter, dump it and clean the surfaces in your kitchen with Pure Vinegar-I have a small child so I clean with this mostly anyway and it disenfects/cleans/ and when it dries it's Odorless (I Promise :-)-hubby Hates the smell so I clean when he's at work). Also if you have grandbabies and they get into it-it's non toxic, but it will give them an almighty stomach-ache. Usually if it's taken internally, it tastes so Foul that they don't drink much :-).
I have gnats that end up in my disposal-I Love limes in my water and try and cut up about 1/2 a lime and put it in the disposal every few days (you can store the excess peels in the fridge) the natural acids/oils clean the interior of the disposal.
Good Luck,
Please let us know what happens-when you fineally find something to get rid of them for Good!
:-) C.

I had them once and it wasn't because of bad food. They're called "drain gnats". They live and lay eggs in your drains. You need to pour bleach down all of your drains a couple times a week for about two weeks or so. That got rid of mine.

Hope this helps.

R.

I secomd the drain flies advice. Just a tiny amount of bleach, or even using a sink cleanser than contains bleach will keep them under control. They seem to prefer drains that have food (like from the garbage disposl) or some kind of other food source (even from toothpastes or fruity shampoos, etc.) though if they are a big problem, it's best to treat all drains as if they are contributing to the problem.

I have also had good results with pouring boiling water, at least 1/2 cup if not more, straight from the tea kettle, down all of the drains. This worked until I could get some bleach.

We had that problem last year and they are back again. We made sure there was no standing water anywhere. (We hadn't looked in the coffee pot for a few days and that was a small problem.) We made sure all the trash was taken, sometimes we forget the basement trash. Then my husband calked around the windows in the kitchen, there was a gap they could get in. Then my husband or bug killer, can't remember which one, sprayed bug spray. It took a few weeks but finally they went away and stayed away for a year. We also have a muddy, wet backyard that didn't help the situation. Maybe make sure there is no standing water close to the house. I hope some of this helps. Good luck.

Lay a piece of fruit that is cut up on a plate in infested area over night. this is your bait. in the morning, take care not to disturb the pests. take a can of hairspray and spray the hound out of the fruit. i use hairspray becaue it gums their little wings up and they just drop on the counter. its better than bug spray because it leaves harmful chemical residue on your things and in the air. repeat this process until they are gone.

We have those things all over our house right now too. They have invaded us 3 years now, each year around the same time in the summer. We kept the kitchen as clean as possible because that's where they all were. This year they are all over the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, everywhere. I've had pretty good luck each time with those Hot Shot bug strips (the white plastic ones with the yellow insert). They are kind of expensive (about $5.50 each), and they suggest using them only in places like garages and attics, but they have never been harmful to us, our kids, or pets, and work pretty much overnight. They also help with any flying bugs that get in when you open the doors.

A friend of mine suggested using a garlic and soap mixture. Get some Garlic like in a jar, minced or whole hearts, add just a small amount of water and a tsp or 2 of liquid dish soap. Mix it in your blender until completely pureed.
Put this in a spray bottle, (or my friend actually uses her weed killer bottle that hooks up to the hose) and spray it all around both the front and back lawns.
Don't worry the garlic smell will disappear within the hour/
Then for those gnats that are already, try the same mixture in a couple small necked vases set around the house. The gnats will fly in and gets stuck.
Good luck!

Gnats are soil born so they could be coming from your house plants. There are things you can put in your water the next time you water your plants just check with your garden center for what to use. Try not to overwater your plants to the more moist the soil the more problems you will have.

You have already had some wonderful advice and I know that I am late with this, yet this cured my problem. I put bleach and hot water down the sink and stood guard with the hose of the vacuum cleaner. Yes, I sucked each and everyone of them away and they have never come back. I saw this suggestion on TV and at that point I was willing to try everything. Have a go, it won't hurt you or the darn bugs!!

We had the same problem and tried most of the suggestions here and none of them work for very long. But what finally worked was putting a couple of tablespoons of baking soda down the drain and then add a cup or so of vinegar let it finish bubbling and then run really hot (or boiling) water to flush the drain. We did this to all of the sinks in the house a few times over a couple of weeks to makes sure that you get all of the eggs and no more pesky flies. Hope this helps.

I know I am late on this but I have the same problem and the only thing I have found to work is a small dish of Balsamic Vinager set inside another dish of soapy water. I set several around the house Kitchen, table and living room. You can get the balsamic vinager at the Dollar Tree.

Hi - I've had trouble with those little pesks quite a bit over the last few years. Being an "older" mom and grandma myself, I have to keep the toddlers in mind for any remedies I might use of course, but the simplest method I've tried that seems to work pretty well is the vinegar as others have suggested. Also though, I add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to help draw them to the dish or small glass. I prepare about 4 very small jelly jars with the dish liquid (drop in first), fill the jar about half to 3/4 full of vinegar, then set one on the kitchen windowsill, one on the back of the stove, and one in each bathroom nearest the backsplashes. It seems to take a few days at first to get their attention or something, but once it starts working, you can check the jars before bedtime and there may only be a couple of gnats in there, but when you check again in the morning - the bottom of the little jar is almost covered! Anyway, that's what I do and it works for me. I think I'll try that bleach idea too though - I hadn't heard of that one before. Thanks for that advice to all that gave it! 8-)

Hi D.,

My parents had this issue last year...it was awful for them. They did all of the suggestion pretty much already listed to you...had terminix involved, the town looking into the sewage pipes, etc. They finally figured out that it was the mulch surrounding the house. It was quite a task but they had to remove ALL the mulch around the house...soon enough the gnats were all gone!

I've recently had them surfacing in my house as well...now that I saw the post abut Terminix I think I will try them since the vinegar and dish soap thing is not working for me!

Good luck!

Hi D.,

Call Orkin Exterminating company.

www.Orkin.com

Hope this helps. D.

D., I didn't see this answer, so I thought I would add my 2 cents. For another non-toxic soultion, go and buy fly strips (like we used years ago). They are attracted to it and get stuck and die. Hang several of them where the largest p9opulation exist(you probably want to hang them from the ceiling). It's not immediate and will take a few days. I did this and no longer have the problem. I only found these at Walgreen and they are very inexpensive.
Good Luck,
C.

Something different...try getting a venus fly-trap. The plant gives off an odor that the flies like and they land in the trap and the plant eats them. It's not fast but it does work. Beware that the plant is poisionous so keep it out of reach of little hands :)

I had a problem once when my son put the rainbow vacuum cleaner away without emptying the water basin. Try looking for sitting water.

Pour LOTS of boiling water down the drain all at once. I worked in an insectary in college and that is what we did to get rid of them.

We had that problem a few years ago and the pest control company actually called them sink bugs. They said that they live/breed in the drains of the sinks around the home; specifically the kitchen.

What they recommended we do is plug up all sinks at the same time and pour a little bleach in all of the sinks. BUT WAIT! That came from the girl at the "desk" and then the actual technician called and said that bleach will eat off/stain the finish on the drain. Too late. And he was right! I have done it in the kitchen sink bunches of times and it helps.

I had the same problem and couldn't find the source! I finally thought to check my potato bin. There was the problem! One rotten potato (hadn't formed the usual horrible odor enough for me to smell it) had hatched tons! I threw the whole bag out. And away went the gnats. See if you can find the 'incubator' and getting rid of that usually gets rid of the gnats.

Hi D.. I just wanted to say a few years ago I had a similar problem, started in my kitchen, then into my bathrooms. I just thought it was so odd. I called Terminix and found that they were some kind of sewer bug coming up through the drain. I don't know exactly what they did, but I never saw them again. At the very least, this might help with a google search. Good luck.

I had gnats (or fruit flies or something) a few weeks back. After nearly going crazy, I finally found the source - a sack of potatos in the bottom of my pantry. The bugs were hanging around the sink to get water.

Gross. The potatos were new from the store, too. So I brought them home with me....

This site has lots of info that may help
http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-gnats.htm

My mom had the same problem and I'm almost positive that used this remedy: (so simple!) put a little vinegar on a saucer and leave it out in the kitchen (or wherever they are) and I believe they're attracted to it and just get trapped in there. It worked wonderful for her, hopefully or you too! Gnats are so annoying!

I had this problem earlier this year. I did use the fruit traps that others described, but you must destroy the nest wherever it is. I used Drano in my drains and the traps to get rid of them. I remember being so annoyed with these things as they were in my bathroom. It was so awful. Good luck!

I always use a small vase or oil and vinegar glass container - you need something with a small neck so the gnats can get trapped in there. Fill it half way full with Red Wine and set it out on your counter. It seriously works!!

Boil as much water as you possibly can at one time. Pour all the water in the sink. Get it as full as you possibly can. If you have 2 sinks, like I do, have someone help and pour the water in both sinks at the same time. What you want is for the boiling water to stay in the pipes as long as possible. I had the same problem and when I went to a "home" store to ask for help, this really old gentleman told me this trick. I did it one day, then 3 days later just to make sure, and so far, no more gnats/fruit fly things!Good luck.

D.,

The only thing that has worked for me is foggers. You can get them at Walmart or Lowes. Leave them on before going to work in the areas where you have them. Do follow the directions on the can and make sure to check all over the house for fruit or leftover peals etc. that might be causing these little pests to stay put. Good luck!

jc

The was also driving me nuts, and finally found the perfect thing to get rid of them. You put either a mashed bananna or some apple cider vinegar(worked a little better) in a tall glass, cover it with plastic wrap, pop a few holes in the palstic wrap not to big so the nats can get in but not out. Leave it near the source at least over night and you will be amazed how many of those little critters you catch. It was the only thing that worked for me. Just plan on drinking your red wine. That works ok, but not like the glass trick

I just got rid of gnats in my kitchen and bathrooms and here is how. First I poured bleach down EVERY drain in the house. Then I take a bowl and poured wine in it about halfway, stretched plastic wrap over it very tightly and then used a fork to poke a bunch of holes in the plastic wrap. It took a couple of days to really attract them but then they all were going into the trap and couldn't get out. Put one in the kitchen and in each bathroom. It's the only thing that worked for me!

Roll a piece of paper into a cone shape with a small end (size of small finger) and big end, looking like a funnel. Pour apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a glass or cup. Place the cone/funnel in the glass, small end down. Make sure the cone does not touch the liquid. The gnats/fruit flies will fly in but won't be able to get out, then they'll drown. Leave it out in the rooms you have the most problem.

Get a venous fly trap. That's what they feed on.

we had the very same problem because we were doing some landscaping and for some odd reason when theirnoutside environment got disturbed they moved indoors. Anyway there are gnat traps that you can buy from a pest control service of your choice and you set them in the vicinity of the sinks and they fly into them and die. We had a lot and these traps got rid of all of them within days. Hope this helps.

If you put a little bit of dish soap liquid and water in a small container, it seems to draw them and they drown.

A friend told me that if you get a green lightbulb and put it in a lamp on the floor with a bowl of soapy water under it (have the light enough of a safe distance away but have the light shinning on the water and leave it on all night. She said it pulls out all kinds of bugs living in the carpet, gnats, fleas and even flies and spiders. Might try that.

I have occasional problems with these flies too. Do you have a cat? I realized they like my cat box. Also pour bleach down all your drains for a few days. They lay eggs there.

http://www.pestproducts.com/fliesdrains.htm

I use plain white distilled vinegar, pour it in a shallow dish,
It's takes a few days, but it works.
Hope this works. You also need to find the source, old fruit, potatoes etc..

Put out a small glass of white wine overnight. It worked for me!

Fill a glass about in inch full of Apple-cider vinegar. Make a funnel out of paper and place it in the glass. The gnats will travel down the funnel and then when their in the glass, take them outside and let them go. Keep doing this until you catch the little buggers!!

Are you sure they are gnats? They could be drain flies. You might want to do an online search. There are products you can purchase online to get rid of them. We had that experience once - tried vinegar, bleach, almost everything you can think of. It wasn't until we treated them as drain flies that they went away. Good luck!

You probably have drain flies. They look like fruit flies, but are just a hair larger and they don't respond to anything fruity. They lay their eggs in drains ... or in uncaulked cracks around showers and tubs. Try the bleach again in your shower/tub ... and also carefully pour some bleach around the caulking. Do this every few days, and hopefully they'll disappear.

J.

honey welcome to florida living, some think we dont have seasons, BUT we do.
we have gnats season, misquitos, rainey, hurricans, humidity,extreme heat, moths, carpenter ants, termites, flu due to the short cold snaps, i could go on and on, the best thing is they all have their season and soon their time will be over until their next time. any sweet liquid will attract them. i put jar lids around with a little red wine in them. also i use the old fashioned fly strips. they work great for all kinds of flying critters. take care and good luck. J. c
GMAJ

I had this problem in college and tried every home remedy there was... i ended up getting a friend who studied bugs to come check it out. The best result was to pour boiling water down, but they returned in a few days. they actually are some kind of gnat that nests in the pipes...until my landlord had an exterminator come in, nothing i tried lasted more than a few days. Hopefully you have already found a solution!

Not sure if anyone suggested this or not, but...take some Mason jars and poke holes in the lid (small to medium size nails work good) then put about an inch or so of apple cider vinegar in the jars and put the lids on. The gnats are attracted to the apple cider vinegar and fly into the holes then cannot get out and drown. It takes some time to get them all, but if you place them all around the house you'll eventually take care of them all. Good Luck!

You might check if you have a broken pipe or some such, causing standing water, such as under your house. I had a similar problem once, and discoverd work I had done5 YEARS PRIOR on my bathroom had been done incorrectly, resulting in the bathtub emptying directly under the house, causing a virtual "lake" under my house, which I only found when investigating the flying insects that it was attracting....
S.

I know this is a late post but I had this same exact problem a few months back.I was especially worried because I have two severly handicapped children and one of them has a trach and with the danger of one of the gnats flying in her trach it was especially pressing.My friend told me of this old english trick. Take a tall glass and fill it half way with apple cider vinegar,cover it with plastic wrap,taping the edges around the glass.Poke holes in the plastic wrap and set in high place. I put a glass in every room and within a week everyone was gone...ours started when our neighborhoods water kept getting shut off because the pipes needed "fixed".Turns out "fixing" these pipes gave me and a few other neighbors these gnats.For good measure i also puored bleach and boiling water down the drain.Good luck to you

The Apple Cider vinegar and joy liquid dish soap does work if they are Fruit Flies!

You pour in a shallow dish the Apple Cider vinegar then add the joy dish soap. You want more Vinegar than soap. The trick is:
The Apple Cider vinegar attracts them with the smell, and the Joy drowns them.

Good luck!

J.

D.,

To me, it sounds like have drain flies. They like the gunk inside our drains. They look like this: http://vector.ifas.ufl.edu/graphics/filter-6-6a.jpg .

The cure is to clean the gunk out. Here is some more information about them: http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef615.asp .

I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one that has these things. I was embarrassed. Now I know that it is nothing that I've done. I have some solutions. Yoohoo! :-)

hope i'm not to late, red wine works better, they seem to like it more. I didn't read the other responses so if this is a repeat, sorry. I get them every time I buy banana's for bread, i get a small glass of red wine, roll a piece of paper into a cone shape with very small end and place over/in 9but not touching, the glass. They seem to be able to get in but not out.
Good Luck, this is the ONLY thing that I have found to work

I know this is really late, but my dad (who is outside 75% of the day) swears by Skin So Soft. He smells like a girl, but it works :)

Also the bug spray at Wal-Mart or Dollar General for flying insects indoors, flies and gnats spray.

Hi D., I haven't read any other responses but short and sweet. I had gnats from some grape vine plants I had put in my sunny window. It was insane the amount of gnats that came out of this immature plant. I couldn't figure it out until I moved it one day and the gnats moved too. The wine works but then again, if you can locate a plant that might be the problem. Get rid of it or lock it away for a week. Ours died while we were on vacation. I locked the plant in the bathroom! Came home to hundreds upon hundreds of dead fruit flies. Nice hu? Hope it helps...

I just had this issue. I took a used wine bottle with a small bit of the wine left at the bottom, added some slices of banana, the fruit flies went in and drowned. It took about a week but I finally got them all. They make my skin crawl.

Ok, this is hubby writing... We had a fruit fly problem and though they aren't the same thing, my entomololgy instructor said that any type of insect will need water, and that is why they congregate around water sources. So it will be hard to work with the toilet, but if you wipe out the sinks and plug it I think that it will help you. at least it worked miracles this year after having a problem for several weeks last year. But our kids are notorious for leaving half eaten apples around the house and we found a couple under the couch... Good luck!

I worked in an office once that had knats in the potted plants and I sprayed raid on the dirt and it killed them and did not hurt the plants.

do you have plants... you have to totally let your plants dry out.. as they lay their eggs in the damp soil.. if you let them dry out then they can't reproduce..it may take a few wks.. I had to do it too...

The VERY best thing you can do is buy little yellow sticky strips (they sell them at garden supply) place them all around the house. The gnats are attracted to the color and get stuck on them. It works like a charm!

Hi, sorry you are having to deal with this. First of all, try to find out where they are coming from. It could be from a drain, but for us it turned out to be that the tiny gnats were crawling in THROUGH our window screens. We live in an older home, and the screens just weren't as fine as they should be, and gnats were coming in.

To get rid of the ones you have, find something yummy (like an apple slice or an old banana) and leave it out on a hard surface (like your counter or kitchen table) for half a day. Then sneak up with a can of cooking spray and start spraying. The oil coats the gnats' wings and they cannot get away, and then they can be easily wiped up with a paper towel. It's a little more hands on than drowning them, but much more effective.

Good luck!

D.,
I had the same problem as you and I couldn't get rid of them. We'd always used the cone w/apple cider vinegar method and it worked every time. This went on for months and I searched my house high and low and couldn't find the source. I finally remembered I had some onions in a box in the kitchen with a lid....sure enough, when I opened it up, that's where the source was. I took the box out into the garage, doused it with Raid and then threw it away. The gnats/fruit flies were gone within a day or two after that.
K.

Could be drain flies - we had them in all our drains last year. They live and breed in the scum that accumulates on the inside of your household drains. If you google drain flies, you will be led to some pesticides comapanies and can buy a something to treat your drain with. You have to pour the stuff down all your drains everyday for about 10 days or so. After we followed this treatment, the flies went away. Buy the gallon size - you'll need it. We had the flies everywhere and went through stip after strip of flypaper. Tried all the home remedies. When a neighbor fed our turtle while we were on vacation, she said she thought we might have drain flies and told us to look it up on the internet. Thanks to her, we finally got rid of them. zgood luck!

I have found that the insect smoke bombs always worked for me. It may be a little bit intrusive, but it works. I used to have that problem every year in the summer. I'd buy about 8 bombs, evacuate the house, cover any food in the open, and set them off. You have to be out of the house for a couple hours, but when you return, you're not disappointed. One year when I had them really bad, I had to do two applications on consecutive weekends. You can sometimes find the bombs two in a pack at any hardware store.

we had the same problem & hung one of those fly paper things up. it is very ugly but seems to have worked. I have heard that they can live in your drain and to pour bleach down kitchen drain every so often. good luck:)

hang fly strips everywhere. Put away any fresh fruit or anything that attracts. Clean up stickies on the counter.

For some reason a shot glass filled with Taquilla works. They land in it must get drunk and drown.

I had gnats earlier this year and I found the sack of potatoes in the back of the pantry that brought them hear. I still had gnats until I sprayed a mix of water and Peppermint and Thieves Essential Oil blend on them. They die on contact and don't want to come back! Check out testimonials from oilers like me at www.oil-testimonials.com. It's also good for a lot of other things, but you have to get it through a distributor. You can purchase them through me if you like and I'll send you whatever money I make off of it. www.youngliving.org/amoreyr. Good luck!

OH YUK Bless your heart. My friend in FL had this problem last year. It got so bad that they were in her laundry room also. They were septic-sewer critters..

Just was this and thought I would add my 2 cents.
Had em in a bathroom sink. Used tea tree oil with good results.

Also fly strips.

best regards
E.

Do you have a plant in there?
even a SMALL one?
Thats where they were living when it was happening to me.

check your house plants to see if you have bugs living in them.

I have seen that you have received some really good advice as to how to get rid of little flying insects. The only thing that I would stress is for you to go through all your opened foods in your pantry. Like your cereals, rice, crackers, chips, pastas, check potatoes & onions ~ if kept in your pantry. You may even want to check your spice cabinet to see if you have any open tapioca boxes or anything similar to that. Sweet smells could be attracting them to stick around even if that is not the main reason they showed up.

My husband and I had this problem not to long ago and found out they were living in our cereals, rice and crackers. After we threw out all opened containers them seemed to disappear within a few days. We now store all open food in plastic containers, fridge or our freezer. Since then I empty our trash can every 2 days~but I also have a household of kids and I am unsure what they have put in our trash. Good Luck and I hope you find a way to rid yourself of these bugs.

I am using the vinager and soap for the fruit flies i have, but you have to keep putting a fresh dish out every couple of days. When I take the dish completely away, I notice them coming back again by the dozens. But, don't know if you have the same bugs or not, but good luck and ehjoy the wine! LOL!

My aunt had the same problem. She said someone told her to mix honey and vinegar in a bowl or glass. She did this a few weeks ago and she doesn't have nats anymore. Good luck!!

Not sure if this was an idea given but here it is. We have had the same problem before and we used amonia, just poured it down the drain and it worked. Just something to try.

D., Those are "sewer flies" not gnats. You need to check for broken pipes in your basement or crawl space these pesky critters breed in open water much like other insects. I tried everything to get rid of these pests finally I decided to have my crawlspace sealed thinking that they were breeding in the dirt under my house. When I had my crawlspace sealed the person who did told me that we had a broken pipe and that was their breeding ground. Pipe fixed and drains cleaned problem solved and I haven't had a single bug since then in 7 years.

We had a gnat problem when we moved into our house. We replaced the disposal (needed to be replaced anyway), that didn't work. Removed all fruit and vegetables from the fruit baskets, that didn't work. What finally got rid of them once and for all was removing all of our house plants and flowers.

I noticed they were attracted to a little house plant arrangement someone had given us as a house warming gift. They took up residence in it and started to multiply. Removing this from the house got rid of them after a week or two. Once you get rid of them you can then start to bring plants back into your home.

Hi D.

Found this site that might help...

http://www.pestproducts.com/fliesdrains.htm

I'M with you. I have a problem with ants for the first time and I have these fly like things in my garage for like six months. They don't bite or come at you they just fly. It is so aggravating.

They are not gnats--- they are actually flying ants. My pest control guy got rid of them the first time.. i was infested in my bathroom coming from under the tub. I do not know where you live but Kevin Sullivan came and took care of them.. He is in Sunrise ###-###-#### .. Good luck-- I know how you feel.

Hi D.,
I know you posted this a long time ago, but thought I would still offer some advice. We had a major problem with gnats a couple years ago. We even called an exterminator. What the exterminator told us was that there was some static water somewhere that was letting the gnats breed. Other than getting rid of the standing water, there was nothing we could do. Took us a long time to figure out where the standing water was (turns out it was our gutters), but once we removed the source the gnats were gone. Nothing else worked.
Good luck!!

Are they fruit flies? You mentioned keeping fresh fruit. We got invaded by those little buggers and they reproduce so AMAZINGLY fast! If you put something out that gets almost every single one, but one or two get missed, then in a couple days you have another swarm. Maybe you could put away all the fruit you may have out and then put
an overripe banana right outside your kitchen window and open the window (and screen) for half a day. Of course, flypaper was created for just this purpose, although you'll want to remove it before company comes over.

My husband got some kind of gadget that uses colored lights to attract bugs and somehow traps them. Mega Catch Alpha Mosquito Trap or something like that. Expensive for just a few fruit flies, though. (We have lots of woods and serious mosquito issues.) It has these hypnotizing flashing lights, and you can't help staring at it and getting mesmerized, so there's a lot of jokes around our house about Mom or Dad staring too long at the mosquito trap and about how embarrassing it will be to die that way and what we'd write on the tombstone. "

I have heard that sitting a small bowl of vinegar out works but have not personally tried it. Try looking around on the net too! Good luck...those things are super annoying!

As I'm sure you've already heard (I didn't go back and read! :) apple cider vinegar in a small dish. The vinegar takes a little while but they are eventually drawn to it. nAlso mix a spray bottle with dishwashing detergent and water and spray them...they'll go away.

I know this is a really late reply. -- but hopefully this will help. We fill up a little container with vinegar and poke holes in the lid. I use one of those little plastic containers from a restaurant that they put salsa or sour cream in. My sister in law used a baby food jar. Anyway.... just set it in the area where you have gnats and they climb in the holes because they're attracted to vinegar, but can't climb out again. This has really worked for us - hope it works for you too.

Hello. I had a problem this summer--they were coming from my house plant! I guess the babies love moist soil so I let the plant get as dry as possible without killing it off and I haven't had any further problems! You'll know if they are coming from a house plant b/c they'll be jumping all over the rim of the pot and flying around the leaves. Good Luck -J. F

ur cooking vanilla i kno if u rub it on ur face and hair outdoors

If they are coming out of your drains they are called sewer flies. They feed off of the muck that grows in the pipes. We tried all the remedies and nothing worked for long. I thought the bleach would do it but after a while they were back. We had a plumber come out and snake our drains and now they are goine.

what about a bug zapper? i love wathcing those buz because i hate bugs

do you have red wine vinegar on hand. I have had luck building traps with it. I just used an old sour cream container and poured in the vinegar then replaced the lid and punctured it a few times with a knife. its been fairly sucessfull so far