A gnat infestation can be a significant issue for some homeowners and business owners alike. Gnats tend to swarm during the summer months when people are outdoors trying to enjoy their backyard. They are annoying because they can fly in your mouth, eyes, and into your food and drinks. If you notice gnats in or around your home or business, it’s essential to have them removed before they lay eggs and get even worse.

At Titan Pest & Wildlife, we offer gnat control services in and around the Kansas City & Kansas City area. With over 15 years of experience in the pest control industry, we can eliminate your gnat infestation and help keep them away.

What Are Gnats?

The term “gnats” can be confusing. Depending on where you live in the U.S., people use the term broadly when referring to little flying bugs, some that bite and some that don’t. What many people call “gnats” are actually several different species of insects with one general label. Gnats are typically confused with other bugs like midges, biting midges, no-see-ums, sandflies, and others.

Gnats are tiny, long-legged insects that tend to be black or dark gray with two small wings. They are weak fliers, so they don’t travel great distances and have trouble flying in a straight line.

Gnats eat fruit, vegetables, and other organic matter in a stage of decomposition and fermentation. They also eat the slime produced by wet, organic matter that accumulates in drains, trashcans, and other sources of waste products. They are attracted to fruity smells from things like gardens, garbage cans, and perfumes or lotions.

They are more common in the spring and summers months and spend a lot of time around water sources where they lay their eggs. Gnats fly in swarms, are attracted to light, and are a great source of annoyance and damage.

One of the most common types of gnats in the Kansas City & Kansas City areas are Fungus Gnats. These are found around damp, decaying vegetation, algae, and fungi. They can threaten greenhouses, nurseries, and interior plantscapes—their larvae feed on organic matter and roots.

How to Get Rid of Gnats

Gnats thrive in similar settings as mosquitoes. Look around your yard or garden for possible breeding areas, which is likely the cause of the infestation. Remove decomposed plants and stagnant water to deny gnats the habitat they need to reproduce and thrive. Even if you live around a pond, lake, or river, you can control the gnat population around your home.

Birdbaths, tire swings, fountains, and other garden fixtures can hold water. Make sure to clean these areas frequently. Spraying bug repellent or gnat spray made from cedar or using citronella candles may be effective for a few gnats.

Some additional preventative measures you can take include:

• Don’t leave fruit out in your house
• Seal openings around your windows, doors, and garage
• Clean up spills and old food right away
• Keep windows and doors closed as much as possible
• Eliminate moisture – clean up any damp areas and fix leaks

If you are dealing with massive amounts of gnats, the most effective way to get rid of them is to call a pest control company capable of handling an actual gnat infestation.

Integrated Pest Management System

Pest control is essential whether you want to protect your home or business. By utilizing an integrated pest management program, we ensure that we eliminate your current pests and prevent future outbreaks. These methods include:

• Planning – We conduct a thorough inspection of your home and consider any factors contributing to current or future pest issues. Following this, we will create a customized treatment program specifically designed for your situation.
• Initial pest control service – Our initial visit will focus on targeting and eliminating any current pest problems you have. We will ensure that any future issues are a matter of pest prevention.
• Regularly scheduled service – At Titan Pest & Wildlife, we provide preventative maintenance programs to ensure that your home or business is and remains completely pest-free.

Contact Titan Pest & Wildlife

At Titan Pest & Wildlife, we make it our job to protect your home or business. Our residential pest control solutions provide a thorough pest management process designed to eliminate the bug problems you have now and, more importantly, prevent future infestations from happening.