Gnats are annoying insects that haunt your summers when trying to chill outdoors (a bit like mosquitoes).
Not only do they fly towards and around you, but some gnats will feast on your blood supply, leaving some of us with a very itchy red spot!
I have had to answer a few times, ‘ why are there so many gnats in my house?’, so I thought I would answer that question here.
There are some clear reasons why some folks have so many gnats when others do not suffer from the influx of gnats. There are some confirmed reasons for that.
To reduce the number of gnats in your house, check out these reasons why they are there in the first place.
What you will learn in this post:
- Where there are so many gnats in your house
- Frequently asked questions
Why Are There So Many Gnats In My House? 7 Reasons.
Below I have identified the 7 most common reasons why you have so many gnats in your home.
With the information below, you can make some changes to reduce the number of gnats or even remove them altogether.
Fruits
Fruits are one of the biggest things that attract gnats! So, if you ask yourself, ‘why are there so many gnats in my house, it could be because you have fruit lying around in your kitchen, etc.
Rotting fruits are high on the list of things that attract gnats, so make sure to get rid of those in the garbage can ASAP.
You can use fruits to your advantage! Using apple cider vinegar is a great way to trap these annoying gnats.
Vegetables
Similar to fruits, gnats are also attracted to vegetables. Primarily, they are attracted to rotting vegetables!
Like the advice given above, any vegetables need to be stored correctly, and if they are rotting, throw them away.
Flowers
Gnats are attracted to flowers, especially male gnats.
While female gnats suck on your blood supply, male gnats feast on plant nectar.
If you want to know why there are so many gnats in your home, then you should take a look around and check to see if you have a lot of flowers in your home.
It would be best to look at other objects with a floral scent, such as air purifiers, scented candles, etc. These also attract gnats.
Stagnant Water
Some gnats lay eggs in stagnant water, which means there are two reasons why gnats like your home if you live near stagnant water!
First, the gnats are there to lay eggs. Secondly, there may be tons of gnats that have progressed through the pupa and larva stages to become gnats. The first thing they are attracted to is your home!
If you have small water collections (in pots, etc.), you should look to get rid of those ASAP, as these are perfect for a female gnat to lay eggs!
Garbage
There is likely to be rotting fruit, vegetables, and other matter inside your garbage. These are all attractive to gnats, which is why many are near your home.
It would be best to store your garbage correctly in bins with strong lids to cover the entire top area.
If gnats cannot get into the trash bin, they can’t lay eggs, and there will not be as many gnats in your home.
Perspiration
Gnats are attracted to water, and other fluids, which means, believe it or not, gnats are attracted to your perspiration!
The danger is that when gnats land on your body to drink some sweat, they may also decide to suck on your blood.
Body Scents
I know; this goes totally against the item above.
To combat sweat, us humans like using products. Unfortunately, these products can sometimes smell sweet or even floral. Those are 2 scents that will attract gnats to your home!
Frequently Asked Questions
What smell do gnats hate?
I use citronella to ward off gnats in my house and my yard. It is a scent that they do not like.
A word of warning, though, when the citronella sticks run out, they dive-bomb you!
They sit at a safe distance until it is safe to fly down and suck your blood.
Where do gnats come from?
Gnats like to lay their eggs in the soil or standing water. You should check in these places if you have many gnats in and around your home. Also, you should look for gnat entry points and seal them up where possible.
How do I get rid of gnats in my house?
The best way is to set up traps. Put some cider vinegar or fruit in a glass or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke some holes through with the top of a pen. The gnats will enter the trap, and they will not be able to get back out!
Conclusion
If you ask, ‘why are there so many gnats in my house?’ then the 7 reasons on this page will help you and give you an idea of how to improve it!
When you know what attracts them in the first place, you can use that knowledge to reduce the number of gnats in your house, or even get rid of them completely.
I suggest using a homemade trap to catch the gnats that come into your home.
All you need is a glass or plastic bowl, some plastic wrap, some fruit or apple cider vinegar, and a pen.
Add the fruit or apple cider vinegar to the bowl and wrap the plastic around the top. Break a few holes in the plastic wrap using the pen.
Not only will this catch the gnats, but it will also catch any other pest attracted to fruit and apple cider vinegar. Flies, wasps, and gnats will all be caught in this trap!
You could also invest in an electric fly killer to catch the flies as they enter your home. Pests will be attracted to the ultraviolet light given out by the unit. As soon as they touch the lights, they will die instantly.
Also, some folks use a sticky trap to catch flies. These traps attract flies by giving out a scent. As soon as the flies land on the sticky trap, they will be unable to escape.
Good luck!
We live beach side central fl, none of the reasons listed pertain to are home. We are using vinegar traps and electric traps all are working very well. No indoor plants one kitchen garbage can kept very clean, drains flushed with hot water, chlorine in traps that are rarely used no pets. In and out kept to a min. Two adults in a large home kept very clean. Very few gnats outside. We can kill as many as 100 in a day with three traps. Entire neighborhood seens to be having the problem. Thank you Gary 954 629 7935
Hey Gary – sorry to hear you are having some issue with gnat! It’s good to know that you are doing well catching them though.
Sounds like you have checked your house for the obvious places, that’s good. The next step (if it were me) is to strategically place the traps around the home and narrow down where you are catching them all. After a few days, you should be able to identify the areas where you have the most gnats and can narrow down the search.
You live beachside central fl (lucky you!), there will naturally be more gnats in this area because of the water supply (lakes, etc). You just need to find out where they are getting into your home, and the next step is to figure out where they accumulate the most.