What Attract Gnats?

You may have seen gnats moving in your yard or houses. What attracts them?

Is it moisture or something else? In this article, we are going to talk about all those things that could attract gnats.

Outdoor as well as indoor attractions, we are going to cover each of these topics. This article will also talk about the relationship between gnats and humans. 

Whether humans attract gnats or not, let’s find out.

Do Humans Attract Gnats?

It’s the scent of humans that attracts gnats. Whether it’s perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, lotion, body spray, all these things have the capability of attracting gnats.

Gnats are attracted to certain smells, especially fruit and sweet smells. Most of us use lots of personal hygiene products which have the smell of fruits and sweets. This is the reason why gnats can be found around humans.

Gnats are attracted to the scent of laundry products, so our clothes could also be the reason for the attraction. Along with the scent, sometimes it’s our body heat that causes gnats to be around us.

Gnats look for moisture and they get this from the areas around the eyes and nose.

As you can see, there are various reasons available for gnats to come close to humans. So it’s better to be cautious to prevent any kind of damage from gnats.

Outdoor Attractions for Gnats

As we have discussed in the above section, gnats are attracted to the scents of fruits, so just think about what will happen if there are fruits themselves available.

The reason why you are seeing gnats in your yard is because of the availability of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. All these are sources of food and moisture for them.

When homeowners do overwater, it just does not provide moisture but at the same time, it creates fungus. Fungus is the primary source of food for gnats. This overwatering is also one of the reasons that attract gnats towards gardens or yards.

Indoor Attractions for Gnats

All the things that we have discussed in the previous section are also available inside the house. Vegetables and fruits are there, kept open, and can attract gnats. 

Gnats can get high moisture content from potted plants and they are likely to be present there too.

The spoiled food, dirty drains, or sinks, can provide shelter and food to the gnats.  Hence, they should be treated and cleaned regularly to avoid the presence of gnats. 

Preventive Measures

The things that attract gnats are mostly available in gardens or yards. We cannot use chemicals there because of the presence of plants. The chemicals might kill them.

At the same time, gnats are attracted to humans also, you cannot expect anyone to use chemicals to protect themselves from gnats. In both these cases, we have to find some natural ways to avoid using chemicals.

Here, we are listing some natural ways to get rid of gnats.

• Botanical oils like garlic, cinnamon, lemon mint make the best natural gnat repellent. You can mix these oils with water and then using a spraying bottle, spray it on the targeted areas.

• Planting pennyroyal or lavender can keep the gnats away. You can plant these around your living area so that when you and your guests gather, they won’t get troubled by gnats.

• Crushing the leaves of lavender or pennyroyal and rubbing them over your skin also helps in repelling gnats. This reduces the chances of getting bitten by them.

Conclusion

With this article, we hope you have got an idea about the things that attract gnats. You can use this knowledge to prevent a gnat infestation. Make changes in your yard and house using this knowledge and reduce the chances of gnats invading your house.

You can protect yourself using the preventive measures mentioned above and always try to go natural when treating gnats.