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How to Get Rid of Gnats & Ants
How to Get Rid of Gnats & Ants. Even though gnats and ants are not harmful to humans or pets, they can quickly turn your once peaceful environment into a stressful situation. If not controlled, gnats and ants can make their way indoors, feasting on your food and infesting your houseplants. Thankfully, you can use several techniques to get rid of...
Even though gnats and ants are not harmful to humans or pets, they can quickly turn your once peaceful environment into a stressful situation. If not controlled, gnats and ants can make their way indoors, feasting on your food and infesting your houseplants. Thankfully, you can use several techniques to get rid of gnats and ants before they invade your home.
Things You'll Need
Bacillus thuringiensis
Dust insecticide containing carbaryl
White table sugar
Boric acid
Cotton balls
Hole punch
Glass jar with lid
Gnats
Mix of 1 to 8 teaspoons of Bacillus thuringiensis for every 1 gallon of water. Bacillus thuringiensis is a safe insecticide that targets species of pest including fungus gnat larva. Use this mixture as a soil drench in your lawn to control gnats.
Avoid overwatering outside plants and lawns. Gnats thrive in damp organic matter such as soggy mulch, fertilizers and overly saturated soils. By eliminating these moist conditions, you will greatly reduce the gnat population in your lawn.
Drain gutters, containers, jars and other outdoor receptacles regularly to discourage annoying insects -- such as gnats, flies and mosquitoes -- from laying their eggs in the standing water.
Ants
Remove grass, organic mulch and plants about 1 foot away from your home’s foundation. This reduces the chance of ants nesting and foraging.
Sprinkle a thin layer of a dust insecticide containing carbaryl over a slightly dampened lawn. Repeat the process no more than once every 14 days.
Create homemade ant bait stations by mixing 4 teaspoons of table sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of boric acid and 4 ounces of hot water in a small glass jar. Place two or three cotton balls inside the jar and secure it with the lid. Poke several holes in the lid to allow ants to enter the station. Place the bait station out of direct sunlight but in the path of the ants’ trail. The ants will take the bait back to the nest killing the rest of the colony.
Tips & Warnings
Wear protective clothing when using insecticides.
Follow the instructions on the insecticide label to prevent damage and increase its effectiveness.
