How to get rid of gnats and fruit flies naturally

How to get rid of gnats and fruit flies naturally

How do you get rid of gnats and fruit flies? Do you do it naturally or with pesticides? What causes gnats and fruit flies to invade your home? And how to get rid of them? Gnats, fruit flies and other pains in the insect are in every home especially if you live naturally without pesticides. I thought this post would be fitting as a reference with another post recently written called “11 plants to regrow from cuttings“, noticed when I writing that post, that I neglected to mention growing cuttings from fresh fruits and vegetables has a tendency to attract gnat and fruit flies. But, how to control gnats and fruit flies naturally? I hope to offer some advice on that, please follow along.

Natural remedy to control gnats and fruit flies

We do not use pesticides or toxic chemicals in our home. It’s not good for us, the environment and especially our fur babies, birds, and outdoor animals. Inside the home, we control gnats and fruit flies with apple cider vinegar. I usually pick this up at my local dollar store. It’s not necessary to use expensive organic vinegar for this if you so choose. Especially, since the vinegar may get changed quite a bit in the beginning.

Naturally, control gnats and fruit flies

1. Steps and options:
2. Glass jar with small enough holes for the insects to get in but not out
3. Apple cider vinegar
4. (Optional) a small splash of dish soap-best unscented
5. Place a jar near:
6. Cuttings
7. Bananas
8. On the windowsill above a garbage disposal
9. Leftover stale wine can be used in place of apple cider vinegar
10. No lid with small holes? Use a piece of plastic wrap with small holes punched in with a toothpick, secure with a rubber band
11. (Optional) place a piece of a banana peel or very ripe piece of fruit and place in a jar with apple cider vinegar (change this after 24 hours)

Types of gnats and fruit flies

There are several characteristics of gnats. One type is called a “fungus gnat”. They usually congregate near indoor house plants. They are very small and black in color. Kitchen female gnats (my term for them) can lay up to 300 eggs. The typical adult gnat will usually live a week to 10 days. The baby pests will hatch in less than a week, the larvae will feed for 2 weeks. The gnats are small, slender flies.

Outdoor gnats:

Black gnats are generally outdoors near tree trunks and sewers. Another outdoor gnat is eye gnats, they prefer grasses. Sand gnats, you guessed it, they love the sand.

Fruit flies in the kitchen:

Fruit flies will lay their eggs near the fruit or vegetables that you hope to regrow. They also love dirty dishcloth, sponges or rags. One reason, I hang every towel in our house on a towel rack to completely dry before placing in a hamper. The average fruit fly can live up to 6 to 8 weeks in a warm home, especially during the spring. They thrive in temperatures above 55 degrees. During that short time, the female will lay several batches of eggs that will carry on her legacy. It takes less than 10 days for a fruit fly egg to become an adult. The average fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs! It doesn’t take long to have a problem, they expediently invade your home.

Fruit flies in or near the garbage disposal:

It’s a breeding ground and party for fruit flies to live near garbage disposals. It’s imperative to keep the disposal as clean as possible. Here is where baking soda shines again. Use around 1/2 a cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow up with 1/3 cup of white vinegar. Let that fizzle and do its trick. Follow up with near boiling water while running the disposal. This should be done on a weekly basis. When not using that side of the sink if you have 2 sinks, buy a tight fitting cover and keep the hole closed off. Some may say to use lemons, but I have not had luck getting them to pulverize. I have, however, poured lemon juice down the drain and let it sit overnight, this seems to help too.

Fruit flies in the bathroom:

If you have fruit flies in your bathroom or laundry room, place apple cider vinegar in your drains and don’t wash away. Let it sit overnight if possible. Ensure your drains are clean to start with. Baking soda and boiling water are a good start before adding vinegar to the drains.  Read more about baking soda HERE. Fruit flies love dirty hair trapped with food particles in a dark wet place.  Again, hang all towels to completely dry before placing in a hamper.

Prevention of gnats and fruit flies

I spent a few dollars more and purchased cute little owl containers to house my apple cider vinegar traps. I figure since the jar has to be out in the open, why not have a cute one? But you may be more conservative and use what you have on hand, either way, let’s get rid of those pests!

As noted in my earlier posts, it’s very important to keep the cuttings water changed often.  Flies and gnats love stagnant water. It doesn’t take long for the fresh fruit and vegetables to become slimy with dirty water and emit a luring scent to gnats and fruit flies.

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I also use Rubbermaid Produce containers for the counters. This really cuts down on keeping the gnats and fruit flies off the produce.

Owl glass jars can be found on Amazon

Circleware 66766 Elegant Owl Shaped Glass Mason Salt and Pepper Shakers with Metal Lids, Perfect for Himalayan Seasoning Herbs Spices, 2-Piece Set, 5 oz

Rubbermaid FreshWorks Countertop Keeper can be found on Amazon

Rubbermaid 2031845 FreshWorks Countertop Food Storage Produce Saver Medium, 10.8 Cup Clear/Grey.

• FreshWorks produce saver containers help keep produce fresher, longer* (*in FreshWorks containers vs. produce left on the counter)
• Countertop produce keeper features FreshVent technology that regulates the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide
• CrispTray keeps moisture away from food to help reduce spoilage
• Made of Tritan plastic, the containers are stain- and odor-resistant, which keeps them looking new
• Modular design saves space on your countertop; containers are BPA-free and top-rack dishwasher safe

Do you have gnats and or fruit flies, if so, how do you control them? With or without pesticides? We’d love to hear your feedback! Thank you so much for stopping by and please subscribe for a bi-weekly newsletter. We will never sell your email or information.

If you do decide to try something mentioned in the blog post; always do a patch test on your forearm or side of the hand to ensure you are not allergic or having an adverse reaction to the product(s).