What smell keeps gnats away?

Author: Magali Baumbach  |  Last update: Monday, December 8, 2025

Citronella is a natural bug repellent that will help ward off more than just gnats. If you don't have one, try using lavender or lemon-scented candles. It could be just enough to keep gnats from interrupting your outdoor gathering.

What smell do gnats hate most?

Peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, vanilla, and lavender essential oils all have scents that gnats dislike. Place a few drops of any of these essential oils on cotton balls and set around entryways to your home or areas where gnats are a problem.

How do you stop gnats from flying around you?

Insect Repellent: Use a good-quality insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Apply it to your face and exposed skin, avoiding the eyes and mouth. Wear Light-Colored Clothing: Gnats are attracted to dark colors, so wearing light-colored clothing can help reduce their attraction.

What is the best gnat repellent?

10 Best Gnat Repellents June 2021
  • Insect Repellent 100% Natural With Fresh Lemongrass, Peppermint And Sweet Orange: Repels Biting.
  • Dr. ...
  • Sawyer Products Picaridin 20% Spray Repellent Mosquito Ticks Gnats Biting Flies.
  • Buggins Natural Insect Repellent.

What gets rid of gnats asap?

Use a small saucer to mix a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a few drops of dishwashing soap and a little sugar. Put the saucer near the gnats. Use more than one saucer, if needed. The gnats will be drawn to the sweet solution, fall in and get trapped.

What smells repel fruit flies?

Why am I getting so many gnats in my house?

Gnats are attracted to anything that smells fruity and sweet. Therefore, fruit-scented hygiene and beauty products tend to draw gnats into the house. Rotting food in the drain. A buildup of food in the drain would, over time, result in an infestation of house gnats.

What kills gnats and their eggs?

For hydrogen peroxide, mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide with four parts water. Carefully pour this solution onto the top of the soil, ensuring it reaches the root zone. The hydrogen peroxide will help kill the gnat larvae and any eggs in the soil without harming your plant.

What stops gnats from biting you?

The best way to avoid getting bitten by gnats is to wear an insect repellent.

What color do gnats hate?

Bugs are naturally attracted to bright colors like white, yellow or orange. Colors like green and blue won't register as vividly when seen in the UV spectrum, deterring bugs away from these colored objects.

What attracts gnats the most?

Most varieties of gnats are attracted to the combination of moisture and heat. They're particularly attracted to overwatered gardens and water features like ponds or fountains.

Do dryer sheets keep gnats away?

Conclusions. Based on the results obtained from our study, it is evident that Bounce original brand fabric softener dryer sheets repel fungus gnats.

Does pine sol keep gnats away?

✌️ Did you know you can use baking soda and pine-sol to get rid of those pesky drain flies? #gnats #drainflies #hacks #cleaninghacks #cleantok #thingsishouldhavelearnedinschool.

What annoys gnats?

Draw them with Vinegar.

This is a great way to eliminate a gnat problem, especially if they find their way into your home or swarm around your deck.

How to stop gnats from flying around your skin?

Use an insect repellant on the clothing you wear and on your skin and in your hair. Many lotions contain insect repellant that will keep gnats away. Use a nontoxic spray in and under your hair and around your neck. Use insect repellants only as directed for safety.

What scents attract gnats?

Gnats are primarily attracted to sweet and fruity scents, but many species of gnats are also drawn to water and body heat. Perspiration and even the moisture of your eyes and nose can draw in gnats. Fruits, vegetables and flowers growing in your garden or food residue in your sink can attract these pests.

What can I spray to keep gnats away?

Make your own natural version by combining a cup of water with a tablespoon each of vinegar and baking soda, adding in a drop of dish soap. Shake the mixture in a spray bottle, and spray where gnats seem to congregate in your house. The solution is even safe to use (sparingly) around houseplants.

What do gnats turn into?

In general, gnats go through the four life stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult, similar to other flies. The fungus gnats lay their eggs in moist organic debris or soil, which hatch into larvae. The larvae feed on organic matter such as leaf mold, mulch, compost, grass clippings, root hairs and fungi.

What makes gnats worse?

Additionally, houseplants can harbor gnats, particularly fungus gnats, which lay their eggs in moist soil. The larvae then feed on organic matter in the soil, potentially harming plants and causing an infestation. Overwatering plants only makes this situation worse.

What makes gnats go away fast?

They also are attracted to unsealed produce, flowers, and house plants. How do I get rid of gnats quickly? The quickest solution to getting rid of gnats is to clean your space and remove any trash or unsealed food. Wipe down counters, clean drains, and make sure there is no standing water in your sink.

Do gnats bite you in bed?

The types that you're most likely to find in your home (fungus gnats, fruit flies, and phorid flies) are all non-biting. They don't possess the proper mouthparts to bite and penetrate the skin. Some types that do bite are biting midges, sand flies, and black flies.

What foods stop gnat bites?

Many dermatologists now recommend that the skin can be made much less attractive to biting insects by taking Vitamin B supplements whilst at risk. So, we recommend that Vitamin B complex, 2 tablets twice a day, or Vitamin B-1, 100 mg daily, is a good way of helping to reduce the risk of being bitten.

What is a natural killer for gnats?

Chamomile Tea & Cinnamon

Chamomile and cinnamon are powerful natural fungicides, which kill off the gnats' primary food source, therefore making the soil inhospitable.

Will baking soda get rid of gnats?

Baking soda and vinegar work together as an effective natural remedy to get rid of gnats because the combination produces carbon dioxide, which suffocates the gnats.

What eats gnats?

Parasitic wasps (Synacra flies) are a natural enemy of fungus gnats and may be seen on yellow sticky cards, especially in unsprayed greenhouses. Entomopathogenic nematodes, soil dwelling predatory mites, rove beetles are all part of a biological control program for fungus gnats.

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