What does gnat infestation look like?
When you have an infestation, you’ll see them flying around in large numbers near rotten fruit, trash, and wet areas. Look for spaces in your home where you may have water damage to check for gnats, such as a leaky roof or crawlspace. Your pet may also be plagued by gnats.
How do fungus gnats appear out of nowhere?
Where are Gnats Coming from? Fungus gnats lay their eggs in moist organic material like compost, mulch, and dirt. After hatching, the larvae consume decaying matter, fungi, and algae in the soil. After about two weeks of feeding, they pupate and emerge as mature flying pests.
What do flying gnats look like?
Gnats are small, winged insects that are dark brown and have long, thin bodies. They’re about a quarter of an inch long. They look like small flies but can’t fly well. Fungus gnats, another type of gnat, are black and have long legs.
How do you know if you have fungus gnats?
If you’re finding dark-colored flies lying dead near your plants, it is likely that you’re looking at fungus gnats. If fungus gnats are flying around inside your home, it is hard to tell them apart from fruit flies or some other type of gnat, but they give themselves away when you find them on a table surface.
How long does it take to get rid of fungus gnats?
Eradicate your fungus gnat infestation for good with the following method: Put up a bunch of sticky traps, top-dress the soil with sand and do nematode soaks every 10 to 14 days until the problem is resolved. Also, stop overwatering your plants and eliminate any unnecessary sources of moisture. That’s it.
Can’t figure out where gnats are coming from?
Moisture: Moist breeding grounds for gnats include food spillage, moist potting soil, overwatered grass or plants, garbage cans, puddles in the kitchen or outside your house, leaky pipes under the sink, and condensation around windows and vents.
What does an adult fungus gnat look like?
Appearance: Adult fungus gnats are a grayish-black color and have gray or see-through wings. Their long legs and long antennae give them a mosquito-like appearance, though they are much, much smaller in size. Compared to a fruit fly, fungus gnats have a thinner body with longer legs and antennae.
What do fungus gnats look like in the soil?
Fungus gnats often remain near potted plants and run across (or rest on) growing media, foliage, compost, and wet mulch piles. Females lay tiny eggs in moist organic debris or potting soil. Larvae have a shiny black head and an elongated, whitish-to-clear, legless body.
Will fungus gnats go away?
The thing about fungus gnats is that you have to stop them at every stage of the life cycle to eradicate them. If you kill only the adults flying around by trapping them, some will get the chance to lay another round of eggs in the soil, and the cycle begins anew.