# Gnats??



## james.w (Jul 1, 2011)

I have been noticing some small black bugs flying inside some of my enclosures. I am assuming they are gnats. What can I do to safely get rid of them? I read that you can use a jar of vinegar with holes poked in the lid.


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## montana (Jul 1, 2011)

Pray for winter ??? 

I think it is probably a seasonal thing that would be easier put up with than dealt with .. 

An apple or fruit in a fruit jar and an inch hole in the top may help you could put some poison like terro ant killer in the jar too or just physically remove them when you see them in the jar ..


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## Maro1 (Jul 1, 2011)

First why are they there? Usually uneaten food attracts them. The best things to use is not good in the house its a stink fly bait but it gets them. I am not sure about vinegar.

I found this. But should be careful what you use next to your animals

Of all the flying pests, gnats might be the most annoying. Though they're harmless, they hover and buzz around our heads, driving us crazy. Gnats are also known as vinegar flies or fruit flies because of their attraction to the smell of rotten food. This explains why they particularly enjoy the areas around drains and trash cans.

Gnats are most commonly found around fruit, saturated house plants, compost piles, and other rotting, smelly food or plants. The problem is there's no such thing as one gnat. In fact, one gnat can lay two to three hundred eggs in its two to four month life span. If you frequently see gnats hovering around your sink drain or trash can, there's a good chance they're laying eggs inside your home.

If you don't want gnats around, you have to cut off their food supply. This means fruits and vegetables have to go in the refrigerator or a bin the bugs can't penetrate. Make sure house plants stay damp, but not wet, and they must have the proper drainage. Gnats just love over-watered house plants. Empty trashcans regularly and don't allow rotting food to sit in the house. Make sure all trash receptacles and sink drains are cleaned thoroughly, and don't have any old rancid food stuck to them. Never let dirty dishes stand in the sink. You can also get rid of gnats by using products found around the home. Since they are attracted to the scent of vinegar, fill a jar with vinegar and poke holes in the lid. The gnats will climb into the jar, but they won't be able to climb out. For those that remain in the house, try putting vegetable oil around your kitchen sink drain. Gnats finding themselves coated in the oil will be unable to breed. If you're not interested in potentially clogging your drain with vegetable oil, pouring a cup of ammonia down your kitchen sink is said to get rid of any flies hovering around that area. Let it sit for a couple of hours before using the sink again.


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## james.w (Aug 16, 2011)

Does anybody else have a problem with gnats?? They seem to be getting worse, I put up some fly strips in my reptile room and it catches them, but I need to find out a way to kill them.


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## Neeko (Aug 16, 2011)

Do you feed fruit? I once baby sat birds and left fruit in there to long and gnats where every where... So many I vacuumed them off of the cage bars. For 2 weeks or so i stoped veggies and fruit for them and I think they went away. It was a while ago so it a bit hazy. They did come from fruit.


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## james.w (Aug 16, 2011)

Very rarely do I feed fruit, my rhino iguana gets it about once a week.


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## Neeko (Aug 16, 2011)

i think most of the time fruit fly egs are on all veggies and fruit. And they hatch after we've taken them home. Try buying flash forzen veggies and thaw them out if your doing veggies. Frozen eggs dont hatch are dead, though that does make me think about another type of frozen eggs now... I wont go into detail on that.


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## tora (Aug 16, 2011)

AUGH! Yes! I had some a few months ago and they were breeding under my tegu's water dish!! They were driving me totally insane, I have no idea where they came from. I had to change out the substrate and hose out the tank.


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## james.w (Aug 16, 2011)

tora, what do you use for substrate?


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## tora (Aug 16, 2011)

Eucalyptus/soil. I'm not sure if this is when I was using cypress or eucalyptus though. I think I switched because eucalyptus is supposed to be bug resistant and those gnats drove me insane.


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## james.w (Aug 16, 2011)

I think I might have brought them in with my substrate, sand/soil. It will be a huge pain to have to change out all my cages substrate.


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## tora (Aug 16, 2011)

Yeah probably, I can't figure they came from any of her food. I rarely feed fruit, and when I do I just feed with tongs so I can get rid of it right away in the highly likely event she wants nothing to do with it.


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## JohnMatthew (Aug 16, 2011)

Might find something that works here:
http://wanttoknowit.com/how-to-get-rid-of-gnats/


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## j.sawyer48 (Aug 17, 2011)

i have just started having this problem and i use cypress mulch i never feed him in the enclosure so it cant be food i dont know in thinkin it has to be the cypress mulch


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## Piercedcub32 (Aug 17, 2011)

Mine aren't fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) mine are just tiny black flies .. only in the Pixie frog enclosure though... think its something to do with the heat and the saturated ecoearth they are housed on. only a problem when I feed the frogs, other than that they stay in the tank.


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## james.w (Aug 17, 2011)

I don't think mine are food related due to the fact that they first showed up in my Sav and Water Monitor cages. Both of which are carnivorous monitors.


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## RamblinRose (Aug 17, 2011)

It is the time of year that if your going to have them, this is it.
The "fungus gnat" is a small, slender, fragile black or grey fly measuring only about 2 1/2 mm in length. It is a close relative of the "sewer fly", which is slightly larger than a gnat, dark brown to black in colour, and is commonly found in the bathroom and around sources of water. 
The adult fungus gnat lays tiny eggs, on the damp soil in houseplants and/or damp substrate dust in the bottom of your enclosures.
The life cycle of the fungus gnat is short, only about 1 week. But that is to mate and lay more eggs, which take about 1 week to hatch. They are harmless, yet bothersome. Trick is, to catch the flyers before they can lay more eggs. 

What I would like to suggestion is take a milk carton , then coat it with a sticky oil. Place or hang the carton near windows or where fungus gnats congregate. When the gnats are attracted to the light, they stick to the oil and die. 
I have even used a small Christmas light inside the milk carton to attract them to it.

Rose


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## james.w (Aug 17, 2011)

I have hanging fly paper strips in my herp room and they are always covered in gnats, but these guys breed like crazy.


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## j.sawyer48 (Aug 18, 2011)

yea they are annoying as hell


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## hoosier (Aug 18, 2011)

james.w said:


> Does anybody else have a problem with gnats?? They seem to be getting worse, I put up some fly strips in my reptile room and it catches them, but I need to find out a way to kill them.



dude i have them. do you use cypress mulch? im almost positive mine came in with the mulch. they are little hard black bugs i dont think they are gnats but i havent been able to get rid of them. im thinking they are a type of mite or something though. my best guess


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## Draco D Tegu (Aug 18, 2011)

Ok ....if you guys are using mulch, open the bags of mulch outside. Spread the mulch out on a tarp. Leave it out for a few hours, stir it up a time or two and Let the sun kill the midges/bugs/gnats and eggs in the mulch. More than likely it's springtails and gnats. They're pretty common in mulches.


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## james.w (Aug 18, 2011)

I am using a sand/soil mix that was stored outside prior to me getting it.


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## james.w (Aug 25, 2011)

I got this advice from a member on another forum and decided to give it a try today.

"Here is a sure fire method that I have used with excellent results.
Take a condement container with lid (little ketcup cup) and poke some small holes in it.
Next take a Shell no-pest strip and cut into 1" squares, place one square in the container tape the lid all the way around...place it in your enclosure hanging from the ceiling on the cool side.
In no time there will be no flying insects left at all!
The great thing about this method is it does not effect the good little work horses (pill bugs, millipedes and centipedes) in the substrate.

Once your enclosure is clear take the container out and leave it on or near your enclosure to keep these little pests at bay.

I have never had any problems with my reptiles useing this method.

I hope this helps you."

I don't know how well it works, but I am hoping for the best. These things are getting out of hand.


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## babyyitslove (Aug 25, 2011)

You all are not alone. I, too, have gnats. Well...my reptile room does. But they aren't too bad.... yet! Just a few here and there in the eco earth.


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## james.w (Aug 25, 2011)

Just a few turns into thousands very fast.


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## herpgirl2510 (Aug 26, 2011)

Mine have cleared out maybe because it is cooler around here.


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## j.sawyer48 (Aug 26, 2011)

mine are all gone now thank god and im pretty sure its cause it got cooler around here just like herpgirl said


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## james.w (Sep 8, 2011)

So after 2 weeks of using the method I posted on 8-25-11 I am about 99% gnat free. There are still a few stragglers that refuse to kick the bucket, but the majority are gone. 

One thing I was worried about with this method, was the no-pest strips killing my Dubias. The guy I got the method from said I could move them if it worried me too much, but I didn't and they are all still alive.


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## Jwcorn126 (Sep 9, 2011)

Could you post a picture of one of these contraptions you made to help out? I do believe these are a seasonal pest...but they have become extremely bothersome around my cresties and tegu enclosure also. I would really like to get some of these things hung up to take care of them!


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## james.w (Sep 9, 2011)

Here you go..


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## Jwcorn126 (Sep 9, 2011)

Thank you much sir! Ill be making some of these tomorrow lol. Hopefully itll take care of them.


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## james.w (Sep 9, 2011)

It took about two weeks to get rid of them for me. Just make sure they are out of your reptiles reach.


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