Lifestyle

Ways to Prevent/Remove Pesky Insects Inside Your Home

Carnivorous plants make excellent house plants. Why? Because they attract, catch, and digest insects! They thrive on windowsills and the outdoors in a saucer during the warmer months. Bye bye pesky flies, mosquitoes, gnats...be gone and land on my plant for lunch not my lunch.
You can hand feed the plant insects but not necessary. All you do is keep the soil moist with water and do not use insecticides or fertilizer. Pick up your kit at any Lowes or Home Depot and grow your own Venus Fly Trap!

Tips on PREVENTING GNATS:

1. Get rid of the gnats' food supply. Like so many other insects, gnats feed primarily upon the food scraps yo leave out in the open. The best solution to preventing gnats is to not "feed" them in the first place. By cleaning your kitchen and dining room regularly: CLICK HERE for tips on keeping a clean home. Quickly disposing of leftover food scraps and cooking remnants, you can prevent gnats from invading your house before they ever become a problem. 

2. Don't over-water houseplants. Certain species of gnats love hanging around over-watered house plants and laying their eggs in the soil. You can prevent this from happening by keeping an eye on the soil and making sure it is damp rather than  wet. Also ensure that the plant has adequate drainage. 

3. Watch out for dampness. Gnats love moist places for breeding, so look out for damp corners in the kitchen and other areas of the house. Wipe these damps spots with a green household cleaner or another kind of disinfectant regularly to prevent gnats from invading. Never leave moist towels or clothes lying around, and keep rugs and mats in sunny spots to prevent dampness from developing.

Tips on GETTING RID of Gnats:

1. Make a homemade gnat trap. One easy way to rid yourself of a gnat infestation is with an easy and cheap DIY gnat trap. Find a used can or jar. (Mason jars work especially well) and fill it with apple cider vinegar or any type of vingar. Gnats are extremely attracted to the scent of vinegar. After you fill your can or jar, seal the lid and poke very small holes with a nail or screw. Leave the jar in a space gnats usually inhabit, most likely your kitchen or dining area. You can make several of these jars to leave in multiple locations, if necessary.

2. Gnat-infested plants? Some types of gnats are attracted to the moist soil in house plants and even lay their eggs in it. There are several things you can do to get rid of the gnats and save your plant. First, stop watering your plant until the top two inches of soil become completely dried out. This will cause the gnat eggs and larvae to dry out and die. Unfortunately, the plant may start to look a little sad, but it should quickly perk up once you start watering it again. 
  • Grow or invest your own Venus Fly Trap and place it on a windowsill next to other plants.
  • Make a homemade gnat spray by mixing a couple of squirts of lemon-scented dish soap with water in a spray bottle. Spray this liberally all over the infected plant-on the leaves, the stem and soil.
  • Leave the spray to sit on the plant for an hour or two, this should kill off the gnats. You may then want to spray the plant with plain water to rinse off the soap, to avoid causing damage to the plant.
  • If you have taken all of these steps but you still notice gnats hanging around the plant, you may need to repot the plant using fresh soil.

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