This guide will cover multiple ways to get rid of gnats—from your garden, your home, and even your houseplants.
I won’t force you to follow my methods for getting rid of gnats, but I will share an unpopular yet truthful opinion.
I stopped using pesticides last year. Now my garden is infested with a lot of Gnats and other pests. I did this willingly.
I have an unpopular but truthful opinion. I don't use chemicals. The first year, my garden was buggy. Then the next year, the predator bugs to get here to equal our playing field. It is a cycle to get the land used to it, I guess.
Remember, Gnats are of various types, and a specific method might not work on all types of Gnats.
Organic ways to get rid of Gnats
If you can stand to wait it out, then do. Nature will find a balance. The natural predators of those things may have stopped visiting your yard because they had no safe food to eat. Now that their food source is thriving again, they will return and do their job. It just takes time for the ecosystem to rebuild.
It takes time and patience for an organic garden. You need to expect a few years of not having a great harvest. Just keep at it, you will get there. It will be very rewarding.
If you were using pesticides, then you destroyed your ecosystem and have no good predators to help you fight the bad guys. So your first line of defense needs to be building it back up by focusing on healthy soil and planting plants that will bring in your good guys like ladybugs, wasps, lizards, birds, etc.
In the meantime, you can try using BT. It’s an organic spray that you can use to help control your pests.
Note: Bt israelensis is a specific type of BT that is more effective on Gnats.
You can also get yellow sticky traps, and I use a product called Systemic by Bonide in the soil, which lasts 2 months.
What to do to get rid of Gnats before bringing plants inside
If you are about to bring the plants inside and do not want the Gnats to follow your plants, you can do what I do:
"I heavily sprinkle the plants and soil a week before with Food Grade DE and Cinnamon.
Make sure not to water and the top layer of soil is dry before sprinkling. Works well for me. I also wait another week to water when indoors, so if eggs hatched they die. The watering allows me to rinse the leaves. Then once a week I sprinkle the cinnamon on the soil.
It makes the home smell nice as well."
For some specific plants, I brought them into our screened-in porch and have been spraying them with neem oil for several days before I actually bring them inside.
For potted plants
Until you find and eliminate the cause/source, you will have to learn to live with them.
Are they gnats or fruit flies? If they’re gnats, they’re either fungus gnats or drain gnats. If they’re fungus gnats that originate in plants, use diatomaceous earth.
If you have pets or children, get a food-grade product for safety. After watering each plant, spread an even ¼-inch-thick layer of diatomaceous earth over the entire soil surface. Water only as needed, as overwatering is typically the origin of the problem.
That diatomaceous soil will kill gnats on contact as they emerge from beneath the soil level, life cycle. It works only if the soil is dry, so reapply after each watering. Fungus gnats require thorough cleaning of drains. Many online sources explain how.
You can use the sticky gnat/fly traps to find the source of the problem (the type of Gnats). Place them near plants, drains, and fruit bowls, etc.
Some other methods to get rid of Gnats on plants that actually worked:
Soap solution method
A very mild soap solution can kill fungus gnat larvae.
But you have to be careful with this method.
Use plain liquid dish soap (no degreasers, bleach, scents, or antibacterial additives). I usually mix ½–1 teaspoon per gallon and apply it as a soil drench, not on leaves.
Do not go with this method repeatedly. It can harm the roots and beneficial soil microbes.
Mosiquito bits
Get some mosquito bits and water your plant with them.
I put sticky strips on the soil because they will come out of the soil in DROVES. You might have to do it a couple of times. Then get new soil and take your plant out, rinse all the soil off the roots, and replant in the new soil.
Get a soil moisture tester and only water when needed. Gnats are caused by the soil being too wet: it’s a breeding ground for them.
Get rid of Gnats from your house and garden (quick tips)
I will not write 100 lines or methods. Just a few genuine tips that worked for me:
Yellow sticky and Zevo traps for the adults.
Hydrogen peroxide and water 50/50 in the soil.
They also can’t survive above 90 or freezing. Run hot water down all your drains throughout the house once per week.
Put a sticky trap near your fruit.
If you follow these few tips, you will hardly see Gnats.
Good Luck!
