Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Getting Rid of Ants and Gnats


It's that time of year again. Pesty little ants and gnats everywhere!
Getting Rid of Ants
Terro is essentially borax mixed with sugar water. You can buy a small bottle for about five bucks at your local hardware store or supermarket. When your home is invaded by ants, you take a business card and sprinkle it with drops of Terro. You place the business card near whatever it is the ants are devouring, and then you wait. It may take a day. It may take two. And during that time, the ants will swarm all over the area (keep adding more Terro!), but gradually they’ll carry this sticky sweet poison back to their nest, and the entire colony will perish like some freakish doomsday cult. It’s delightful.

(I don't remember the source of this information)

Getting rid of Gnats (advice from Yahoo answers)
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.

Your best recourse is chemicals. The supermarket and hardware stores have several flying insect spray options for you to choose from. Just about any one of these will take care of your gnat problem. Be sure to check the back of the label to make certain it isn't harmful to pets. If your home is experiencing an all-out infestation, you may need to look into a fogging product. This will require you to seal off cabinets and anywhere else food and eating implements are stored. Be sure to take the pets and leave the house for the day.

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.


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_get_rid_of_gnats#ixzz1Ob2BKGoD



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