If you’ve noticed hordes of tiny insects flying around your home — especially in damp areas or around houseplants — you probably already know you have a gnat infestation. What you may not know is how to get rid of them. We’ve enlisted Matthew Orwat, the Dallas County agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, to offer some simple tips for a bug-free house.

Step 1: Identify the type of gnat that has invaded your home.

“Gnat” is a general term for a small winged insect, and there are typically three types that invade Texas homes: fruit flies, fungus gnats and drain flies. And while they’re harmless to people and pets, they are definitely a nuisance. They are so small that it’s hard to detect what kind they are from appearance alone, so figuring out where they live and feed is a must. They multiply quickly, and the only way to get rid of them is to eliminate their food source.

“The most common type of gnat is a fruit fly,” says Orwat. “These gnats come in on fruit that we purchase. The larvae is on the fruit, and when you have a piece of fruit that goes bad or rots, those hatch and make a colony.”

The second most common type of gnat is the fungus gnat. “They live on fungus attached to soils,” explains Orwat. “If you have soil that has fungus or dust that has fungus, that area can host gnats.” You’ll see them around your potted plants. “They are small flies called Sciaridae, and they look like mosquitoes.” These gnats can also live and breed in moist areas such as drains.

And speaking of drains, there’s also the drain fly (otherwise known as a moth fly). “They like to feed on organic matter or fungi,” says Orwat. “Because it’s wet in your sinks, there can be algae growth.”

Step 2: Clean and treat the areas where gnats are breeding.

Things like UV light devices (such as the Zevo flying insect trap) and adhesive cards will catch the pests, but you really need to attack them at the source. Here’s what to do for each type of gnat.

Fruit flies: A deep clean of the kitchen’s pantry, fruit basket or vegetable tray should do the trick. “Fruit flies will proliferate until the substrate [the surface where the organism lives] can be cleaned,” Orwat explains. “They grow really quickly. For instance, I’ve had a personal experience that I traced to my onion bin. Be sure to check your fruit, too,” he says. They can also be found near syrup that has a leaky top, sticking to spilled apple cider vinegar or wine, or on rotted food in the trash.

Once you’ve done a top-to-bottom inventory of your pantry, trash and other food storage locations, deep clean the area.

Fungus gnats: There are a few tricks for eradicating fungus gnats. “You can buy a biological insecticide, or Bt [named for the active ingredient, Bacillus thuringiensis], at any garden store,” says Orwat. “If there’s a big infestation, spray the soil of the plant with that Bt spray.” You can also top-dress your plant soil with sand and treat the soil with beneficial nematodes (microscopic organisms that kill fungus gnat larvae).

For fungus gnats that might be breeding in your drains, a thorough cleaning of drains is in order. “A lot of times the stopper for the sink gets that black fungus covering it,” Orwat says. “Scrub that with bleach or Comet.” You can also pour the bleach down the drain, or use a solution of vinegar, baking soda and water. Follow the cleaning with hot water.

Drain flies: For combatting drain flies, you’ll want to take the same drain cleaning steps. “Clean inside the garbage disposal, too,” Orwat advises. “Scrub vigorously with a cleaner like Simple Green to ensure it’s clean. It can take a lot of effort to get all that gunk out. Then run hot water through the system.”

If those approaches doesn’t work, you’ll have to look under the sink and inspect the elbow trap, also known as a P-trap. “The trap can sometimes be clogged with food residue. If you undo that and clean it out, that can fix the issue,” he says. “If you’re a DIYer, you can take it off, clean it and put it back.” If you’re not comfortable with DIY plumbing, call a trusted plumber to undo the trap for you and replace it after a thorough cleaning.

Step 3: Take steps to keep gnats from coming back.

Once you’ve experienced a gnat infestation, you know how frustrating it can be. To avoid a recurrence, follow these simple practices.

• Regularly clean out the pantry and refrigerator. Toss out old food, leaky bottles and wipe down surfaces with a cleaning spray and cloth.
• Check your fruit to make sure fruit flies didn’t hitch a ride home from the store.
• Immediately throw out rotting vegetables and fruit. Take out the trash as soon as possible.
• Deep clean your trash can and lid regularly with a cleaning spray.
• Wipe countertops daily.
• Wipe new house plants with diluted rubbing alcohol.
• Avoid overwatering indoor plants and make sure the soil dries out between watering.
• Scrub the garbage disposal with a long brush and cleaner, even adding ice cubes to clean off the blades.
• Clean drains and stoppers regularly with a diluted bleach mixture.

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