Hey everyone - I'm living off campus this year for college, and I was wondering for any of you home owners/renters have a quick solution for me and my 3 roommates. We have a lot of gnats in the apartment, but we can't figure out where they are coming from. They are attracted to our lights and notice a lot on our ceiling during the evenings. We have emptied the trash, have no fruits or vegetables lying around, and can't seem to find them coming from any of the cabinets where our food is stored.
So two questions - what's the best way to kill them? and what is the easiest way to figure out where they are coming from?
If you had any bananas or cantaloupe that's a very quick way of getting gnats, even grocery stores have them around the fruit area - i.e.; that's why they're called fruit fly's and why fruit should be rinsed before bringing it into the house.
Check window screens for tears and repair any, also window seals even if you don't open the windows. Don't know if you can caulk any gaps in the window seals though since you don't own the property - perhaps something to ask the landlord. Then again they may be small enough to go right through a window screen.
Search around the place for any gaps which could allow the ingress of these pests.
Any pipes coming into the premises which aren't tightly sealed could allow them in, so the answer is a tube of silicone sealant or decorators calk to block any gaps.
It's surprising what can get in through gaps you haven't noticed.
I found a method using hair spray - apparently it stiffens them up and kills them. It works really well - thanks for everyone's advice!
AJ
This reminds me of an old joke by Tommy Cooper(english comedian) who didn`t want to kill the flies..so he sprayed them with starch...and they glided out of the window...just like that....
Hair spray kills bugs, interesting, I didn't know that. Just don't use it with a lighter or match!
Of courseee
The trick is not to put the hairspray on your hair though CT.It's really a turn off talking to someone and then noticing that they have a head full of dead flies