How To Stop Attracting Gnats To Your Charlotte Home

When reading the word “gnats”, it likely conjures up memories of being outdoors, perhaps in your backyard, trying to enjoy a lunchtime meal - while also frantically waving your arms in attempts to disband the swarm of hovering gnats. The truth is, gnats are hard to avoid when you’re outside, as they’re attracted to moisture in the air. As you may have noticed, the more it rains, the more gnats there are. However, it’s one thing to avoid gnats teeming in nature, but it’s another to be dodging them while in the comfort of your own home and property - something which also involves a level of risk.

The females of some gnat species, such as the black fly or the black gnat, feed on the blood of humans and animals, including pets and livestock. When these gnats bite and draw the blood of their source, it’s possible for the parasites and diseases these gnats are carrying to be transmitted, albeit unlikely.

Most gnat species don’t bite, but instead, they’ll undoubtedly pose a nuisance to your family and houseguests. Characteristically, gnats are teeny-tiny insects with thin bodies that measure a quarter inch in length; though close up, they are similar in appearance to mosquitoes. Although they are winged, they can’t fly very well, especially in the dark. Because of their small size, gnats resemble fruit and drain flies, and they are often mistaken for each other.

What Is Attracting Gnats To My Home?

Gnats are attracted to the sweet smells of fruits - and we can’t fault them there. But for this reason, they’re drawn to fruity aromas, from scented perfumes, soaps, and lotions, to garbage cans containing fruit or sweet-smelling food waste and in gardens growing fruits, vegetables or flowers. Gnats will infest any fruity foods they can access, including rotten fruit and trash cans containing food waste.

Gnats are also attracted to moisture. In addition to following fruity smells, they’ll also congregate around areas where moisture is present, especially in bathrooms and particularly around toilets, drains, and sinks.

Tips For Preventing Gnats From Being Drawn To Your Home

The best and most effective way to remove gnats or other flies from your Charlotte home, and prevent them from returning, is with the help of professionals. But for a few easily preemptive measures, you may consider the following:

• Keep windows and doors closed: Make necessary home repairs; gnats aren’t the stealthiest insects, as they’ll often enter homes through open windows and doors, in addition to cracks in window and door screens, foundations, and walls.
• Set traps: To catch gnats in your home, you can place a piece of fruit (the riper, the better) in a dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Prick a few holes in the plastic wrap using a toothpick, earring back, or something accessible and similar in size. The gnats will be drawn to the fruit, enter the bowl through the holes in the plastic, and become trapped inside.
• Keep food stored and sealed: Gnats are drawn to homes because they smell something sweet and delicious inside. It’s much like when fresh-baked cookies are cooling atop the stove, and suddenly everyone in the house is swarming around, eager to take their pick. Dissuade these pests from entering by keeping food stored and put away, especially ensuring that fruits, and anything fruity or sweet-smelling, really, is held in the refrigerator or an airtight compartment - and especially kept away from open windows and access points.

The Way To Eradicate Infestations

Homeowners can prevent gnats from entering their homes by considering the above tips. Still, the best way to completely rid of gnats and other fly infestations is with the help of professional assistance. With more than 20 years of experience - and many face-to-face encounters with gnats, flies, and other common pests, Aruza Pest Control offers comprehensive pest control services and solutions for homeowners. Contact us today for pest control in Charlotte.