May 19, 2011 – A Gnat By Any Other Name……..
QUESTION:
How to control gnats?
ANSWER:
“Gnats” would be a simple name we might apply to just about any kind of very small fly, and there is the first step in successful control – you must determine exactly what kind of fly these are. If they are outdoors they could be midges, mosquitoes, or one of many kinds of little flies found in and around the landscape. If they are indoors they could be fruit flies, phorid flies, fungus gnats, drain flies, etc., and each of these really requires a different protocol for eliminating them. The worst First Step would be to take a fogger and spray the place. You get a very satisfying knockdown of adult flies, but no control at all over the source, and that is always Key in fly management.
So my answer has to start with capturing a few of these small flies and determining exactly what kind they are. You can use a small hand magnifier to see key characters on them that will tell you which kind they are, and until you do know it would be hard to proceed to locate the source, which is wherever the larvae are developing. If it is fungus gnats their name gives you a clue, and you look for moisture sources where small amounts of mildew and fungus grow that the larvae feed on. This could be a wet crawlspace, potted plants, leaking plumbing, or even adult insects coming in from outside. If it is drain flies look for wet areas with a buildup of organic crud, and drains are often suspect. If it is fruit flies then some damaged, fermenting fruit or vegetable or spills of sugary liquids must exist somewhere in the account.
You could use a UV light trap to capture specimens for closer examination, or just get a few in a jar and freeze them to kill them so you can do a proper ID. The light trap may also be useful in guiding you to where the source is if this is a large account. But, do not focus on the adult insects. In a way they are only a sign that something else exists in this account that is a problem – something unsanitary and decaying that is supporting the larvae of these gnats, and no baseboard spray or space spray is going to affect this source. It has to be discovered with a careful inspection and eliminated in some manner.
Pest QuestionsMay 21, 2011
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