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Ahh, the sudden influx of insects inside your home. Winter must be ending! As temperatures rise and we spend more time opening windows and going in and out of our home, it's time to level up our bug removal strategies and disrupt their invasion before they disrupt our day-to-day lives. That said, gnats and pesky fruit flies that originate inside our own homes are some of the most determined insects we must combat (and for some of us, it's a year-round battle).
Gnats and flies alike are drawn to the sweetness of these common household liquids. For whatever it's worth, when using a jar trap I find that ACV attracts fruit flies, while gnats prefer red wine. Will a white vinegar trap work? No, it lacks the sweetness of apple cider vinegar.
I mean, give the insects what they want!
In the realm of store-bought traps, plug-in light traps like this one from ZEVO do work well for smaller insects like fruit flies, but I find that the adhesive panel isn't always strong enough for adult fruit flies or gnats. We keep one plugged in next to our fruit bowls, and another next to a houseplant that requires perpetually moist soil (breeds fungus gnats). Taking steps to catch those insects while they're small helps keep our gnat and fruit fly infestations at bay.
At the end of the day, there are going to be flies and gnats in your home, no matter how clean your spaces are. Yes, you may have a manual fly swatter for pesky summertime flies, but an electric fly swatter works better for fruit flies and indoor gnats. Keep one one on hand to use in conjunction with a homemade trap and use it around your compost and other food scraps to manage the population.
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