Much ado about a gnat
Much ado about a gnat
Before we moved, back at our old house, we had gnats. Lean over to brush your teeth and a gnat buzzed your nose.
I think they came up through the drains into the bath or kitchen. No amount of cleaning or spraying with bleach mixtures stopped them. Once, in desperation, I taped clear packing tape across the over-flow drain on the side of our bathroom sink. Their numbers decreased significantly. This was an old house in an old neighborhood. I learned to live with it.
After we moved to the lake, I thought, “Okay, we’ll have bugs, we’re out in the country, but it won’t be as bad as it was in the hood.”
And it is better. Or maybe I like country bugs better than city bugs.
Actually? It’s not any better, just different. Before, we had a roach or two. I get it. It’s an old neighborhood and they’ve been here since the dinosaurs. Regular spraying kept them at bay. Here? They fly in and land on the porch. You heard me. Fly out of the trees and land at my feet. Regular spraying is taking care of them, too.
But…. we still have gnats.
We’re clean here. Our neighbors are clean. People throw their trash in the trash can and haul it down to the dump here, not toss out the door and hope it hits the open can that’s already overflowing.
When we began this reno last spring, there may have been dead birds inside, spider poo all over the outside, and fly cadavers in the windows, but that was before. Today, everything’s been replaced or cleaned back to new. Cleanliness was not the problem.
I think it’s the water. Gnats like water.
And light. Gnats like bright, shiny light. Like computer screens.
My guy had gnats in his office buzzing his computer screens. We had gnats lined on the window sill at the kitchen sink. We had gnats on the mirror in our bathroom.
I knew we were clean. I can’t move the lake. What would be a deterrent? Google it!
And I discovered apple cider vinegar and dish soap.
Simply mix about 1 quarter cup cheap — gnats aren’t picky — apple cider vinegar in a small dish with a few drops dish washing soap. Swish around to mix.
Sit in on your window sill or shelf near your problem area.
Or place it in an unnoticeable spot, if you prefer. Replenish the solution every 2-3 days.
The gnats are drawn to the smell of the vinegar and drop in for a sip. The soap coats their wings and they can’t leave. They check in, but they don’t check out.
We’ve had a small bowl in the kitchen, my guy’s office, and our bathroom for a month now.
See the gnats? It really works. I took this shot with my cell phone about 30 minutes after I placed it on the window sill and already have two. I’ve counted as many as 20 in one dish on a day when the weather was warm.
It doesn’t get rid of the gnats. They’re still coming inside, but they fall in the juice and stay there.
So easy!
PS
Did you know they’ve (and this would be a scientist with nothing else to do) found a roach can live 9 days with his head chopped off? They starve to death.
No lie. It’s on the internet.
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