To prevent drain flies, it's important to clear and clean those plumbing lines frequently, especially during hot, humid summer weather. This means you'll usually find in kitchen and bathroom drains, garbage disposals, and seldom-used toilets. ✔️ Drain flies prefer bacteria, sewage and gunk. While bananas are best left on the countertop, ideally on a dedicated banana hanger, you can transfer them to the fridge once ripe, or peel and store them in the freezer in an airtight container. Fruits that ripen quickly - like apples, grapes, melons, pears, peaches and plums - can be kept in a low-humidity crisper drawer produce that is prone to wilting, including leafy greens, carrots and broccoli, belong in the high-humidity crisper drawer. "By washing them and storing them properly, fruit flies can't find that food source anymore," says Chelle Hartzer, an entomologist with Orkin. To prevent fruit flies in your home, rinse and dry your produce as soon as you get home from the store, then keep them inside bins or in your fridge as much as possible. ✔️ Fruit flies feast on decaying fruits and vegetables. To prevent fungus gnats, it's important to regularly repot your houseplants in new soil and ease up on overwatering them. Jim Fredericks, a board-certified entomologist and senior vice president of public affairs at the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). "Fungus gnat infestations are often caused by sources of damp soil, such as houseplants, or decaying or damaged plant roots," says Dr. ✔️ Fungus gnats are usually found near houseplants. "Just keep in mind that a dehumidifier won't cure the underlying source of the humidity." You'll also want to fix any leaking pipes and make sure your home's gutters and downspouts are channeling water away from the foundation walls to keep moisture out.īeyond that, the easiest way to prevent infestations in your home is by eliminating the insects' "food" source, which varies depending on the type of gnat: "In damp basements, keep relative humidity below 50% and make sure bathrooms are well ventilated," says Dan DiClerico, the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Improvement and Outdoor Lab director. Generally speaking, gnats - along with many other pests - thrive in moist, humid environments, so you may want to consider running a dehumidifier in particularly dank areas of your home. You'll first need to get up close and personal to identify which gnats you're dealing with in your home, in order to best understand how to solve the problem. Three of the most common types of gnats found in homes are fungus gnats, fruit flies and drain flies. Gnats are teeny-tiny flying insects that are often found in swarms and are known for their ability to hover in place. One of the most shocking tips below: You may have to skip watering your plants. Plus, we share some of the best preventative measures to stop gnats from coming back in. This includes using kitchen ingredients, like baking soda and vinegar, along with a few recommended (and inexpensive!) store-bought traps. Luckily, we spoke with pest control experts to learn everything there is about killing these winged creatures for good. This means that the first step on how to get rid of gnats is to identify which gnats you're dealing with in your home. Unfortunately, each type, not only looks different, but they also have a different way to stop their swarm. You may find fungus gnats and drain flies, too. Fruit flies aren't the only type of gnats that can invade your home.
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