An infestation of gnats and biting flies in your home can be both an annoyance and a potential health risk. If you are looking for some ways to get rid of gnats in Mississippi, you are in the right place. There are some homemade and professional solutions to deal with this growing problem in our state.
What Are Gnats and Biting Flies?
Gnats are a wide category of small flying insects, including drain flies, fruit flies, and fungus gnats. These pests can look a little different, depending on what species they belong to. If you see a brown and round gnat, it might be a fruit fly. Fungus gnats, on the other hand, are dark and long-legged. You are likely to find drain flies near water, and these have wings that are similar to moth wings.
Some gnats bite, while many do not. If you have a lot of biting flies around your home, you are probably more than ready to find a working solution to help you to get rid of gnats. Before we dive into some of the approaches you can use, it’s crucial to understand what causes these insects to swarm to a certain area. Starting with the source can help you choose the right method to use.
All the flying insects that fall into the gnat category are attracted to moisture. They love to feed, live, and breed in any moist location they can find. Some examples include food waste, spilled food, rotting fruit, leaky pipes around your sink, garbage cans, sewage, and puddles of water in your yard, to name a few.
Most types of gnats are not known for carrying any particular disease agents, but there are a few species that might pose a greater health risk than others. Gnats are very small, but when the ones that are classed as biting flies get to you, you are likely to develop itchy and irritating tiny red bumps. In some cases, this has caused an allergic reaction. These pests are more prevalent in some places than others, and the warm season is the worst one when it comes to gnat infestations.
Why Are There so Many Gnats in Mississippi?
In the last few years, we have experienced an increase in gnat infestations in the state of Mississippi. One of the most prevalent species here is buffalo gnats. These pests are also known as black flies, and they are a type of biting flies.
When you are bitten by a buffalo gnat, it feels a lot like a mosquito bite. Some people have even ended up with bleeding bites from these pests. There have been several reports of buffalo gnats attacking and even killing chickens in a few Mississippi counties. These gnats usually attack during the day, so that is one thing to remember if you are planning to spend some time outdoors.
It’s time to tackle this growing problem and make sure that your home is free from biting flies and other types of gnats.
Best Methods to Get Rid of Gnats
The first and best method to deal with gnats is to figure out what is attracting them and get rid of it. It could be that you have too much food waste or overripe fruits laying around. You can look into digging up any food waste in your garden to keep gnats away. This is also a great idea to help you start composting. You can also look into alternative storage for your food, such as your food cooler.
Other things you can do to attract fewer gnats include filling up water puddles and cleaning up your sinks and drains with detergent more regularly. You can also look at some of the more proactive methods and traps discussed below.
- Repel gnats using citronella candles- Citronella is another name for fever grass or fresh lemongrass. Extracts from this plant are often used in various products because of the herb’s insect-repelling properties. You can get rid of gnats by lighting a citronella candle in your home. This method also works very well for mosquitos.
- Use some vanilla extract- One of the easy ways to get rid of buffalo gnats and mosquitoes and stop these biting insects from getting to your skin is also a little surprising. As sweet and pleasant as vanilla extract is, it also doubles up as a powerful gnat repellant. You can mix one tablespoon of the extract with one tablespoon of water and use the solution all over your skin with the help of a cotton ball.
- Tweak the dish soap and vinegar method- Preparing the commonly-used mixture of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap is a very effective way to trap fruit flies. In some variations, you can even add some sugar to the mix. If the gnats you are talking about are the more annoying black flies or buffalo gnats, this method might not work as well as it does with fruit flies.
- Try a natural insect repellant- There are quite a few repellants on the market that you can try out on your skin to see which one works the best. If you are dealing with a buffalo gnat infestation, you are probably going to test out a few brands because these pests can be very resilient.
Closing Thoughts On Gnats and Biting Flies
You can play around with all of the methods mentioned here to get rid of gnats around your house. Some approaches are more effective with certain types of gnats than others. If you are dealing with biting flies, you might also have to think about how to protect yourself from getting bitten. When there is a major buffalo gnat infestation in your area, you should try to dress accordingly as much as possible. Long sleeves and pants are recommended and you should also wear light-colored clothing because buffalo gnats are attracted to dark items.
All the methods outlined here can help you deal with gnats and biting flies. If you need professional extermination service, be sure to get in touch with our team at Synergy² for additional information.
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