We’ve all been there: mistaking a fruit fly for a gnat, or vice versa. Despite their similarities as tiny, unwelcome intruders in our homes, these pests have distinct differences that are important to recognize. Getting rid of these pests requires an understanding of their differences.
Both fruit flies and gnats are nuisances, but where they come from and how they behave are different from one another. Fruit flies typically hitch a ride into your home on fruits and vegetables, while gnats often come in through soil in potted plants or moist environments like sink drains. By understanding these differences, you can accurately identify which pest you are dealing with and apply the appropriate strategies to eliminate them.
In this guide, I’ll delve into the unique characteristics of fruit flies and gnats, helping you to accurately identify and manage each type.
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How To Tell if You Have Gnats or Fruit Flies in the Kitchen?
Identifying whether you have gnats or fruit flies in your kitchen can be tricky, but it’s important for pest control. Understanding entry points and their behavior patterns — gnats forming in groups and fruit flies hovering near a bowl of fruit — will help you accurately identify and get rid of gnats and fruit flies.
Read on to learn the key characteristics that distinguish these pests to make sure you’re targeting the right one.
Fruit Flies Everywhere, or Is It Gnats?
Both fruit flies and gnats seem to invade suddenly, but through different channels.
Fruit flies usually ride into your home as eggs embedded on the surfaces of fruit and vegetables, whereas gnats generally enter the home in the soils of potted plants.
Gnats like to hover in groups, whereas fruit flies only congregate together when lots of food sources are present (for example: a bowl of fruit sitting on the kitchen counter).
Are There Fruit Flies in Your Drains (Or Something Else)?
You have a fruit fly problem if you spot a few fruit flies hovering around your kitchen counters and trash cans. They can’t bite or chew, so they eject their saliva and then take a slurp of a fruit’s juices. While this is disgusting and leaves bacteria and germs behind, they may not be the only type of fly in your kitchen.
It’s easy to assume that fruit flies will fly into the sink drain to take a sip of water after they’ve fed. And yet, this isn’t necessarily the case. There’s another type of fly that lives primarily in sink drains called the drain fly. To the casual observer, these two species of insects can look very similar.
Fruit flies have very sleek bodies, while drain flies, on the other hand, have wings that spread out like a moth and a huge tuft of fur on their heads. One key to getting rid of drain flies is that they tend to feed on organic matter that is fermenting in your drain.
Fruit Fly Infestation or Gnat Infestation Throughout Your House?
Kitchens aren’t the only place that fruit flies can live, but it’s the most likely spot.
If you’re seeing swarms of small flies in a room other than the kitchen, it’s probably a hoard of adult gnats.
The reason is that fruit flies love fermented food. Some attractants are overripe fruits, beer, wine, and vinegar. They’re usually not going to venture too far from the source of all of that, which is primarily found in the kitchen. Fruit flies won’t bite, but they do carry bacteria and germs.
Gnats, on the other hand, have a much more varied diet. While they do love the taste of fruits and vegetables, they’re also attracted to mold, damp soil, houseplants, and even blood. They have varied habitats, and are not limited to the kitchen, so if you’re seeing a swarm elsewhere, look out, you’ve probably got gnats.
Read Also: What’s the best trap for gnats?
What Causes Fruit Flies in Your Home?
It may seem as if fruit flies seem to just show up. Fruit flies have one primary way of getting into your home — through fruit fly eggs.
Female fruit flies lay eggs in fruit that’s on the cusp of turning, when ripeness is at its peak. This fruit is the primary source of fruit flies. Eggs are laid all the time in grocery stores and especially in outdoor markets, where pest control with insecticides is nearly impossible.
Once you bring home a fruit or vegetable with fruit fly eggs inside, you’re opening up your home to these pests. They hatch quickly and begin their life cycle immediately, causing an infestation to occur.
Another way fruit flies enter your home is through wall cracks. Windows and doors with loose seals are also culprits. You should inspect your home regularly and maintain it. Seal cracks found in the walls and make sure your doors and windows have tight seals. If you notice damaged screens or weather stripping, repair them quickly. Stay on top of home maintenance to reduce the chances of fruit flies finding their way inside.
Need help getting rid of fruit flies? Check out our detailed fruit fly control guide or get estimates for treatments below:
What Causes Gnats in Your Home?
Now that you’re familiar with fruit flies and distinguishing them from gnats, understanding the specific characteristics of gnats will help you keep them out of your environment. By identifying their habitats, such as moldy areas, damp soil, and standing water, you can implement measures to deter gnats from entering your home.
Where Do Gnats Come From?
Gnats typically find their way into your home in organic material, like the soils of a potted plant you pick up from a gardening store.
However, this isn’t the only way. Because some types of gnats are drawn to mold and slime, they can reach your home via drain pipes and eventually, make their way inside through the drains in your sinks, bathtubs and your garbage disposal.
Also, never underestimate the small cracks in the structure of your home. It may not even be apparent that you have tiny openings, but little bugs and pests will always use that as an entry point to the warmth of your home if it’s available to them.
Read Also: What are some good gnat repellents?
What Attracts Gnats?
A warm home is always an attractive place for gnats to take up residence. However, these insects also favor moist soil, moisture-soaked crevices, stagnant pools of water from overwatering, and sometimes, blood.
Because there are several different types of gnats, it can be difficult to generalize what exactly each species finds alluring. However, it’s a solid bet that if you have moisture or standing water of any kind present over time in your home, gnats will be present.
This means that more humid cities like Atlanta or Houston, TX, can have gnat issues throughout the year. Whereas a city like Omaha, NE, which experiences most of its’ humidity in the summer, will have a peak gnat season.
Gnat Infestation: Should I Be Worried?
Most gnats feed on rotting animal carcasses, decomposing plant matter, sewage and waste, and mold or slime. However, female black gnats have been known to bite humans and pets to feed on their blood.
If you spot a swarm of gnats in your home, there are simple ways of removing them. In a way, it can be advantageous — a gnat infestation often serves as an indicator of underlying moisture or mold issues within the walls that homeowners might otherwise overlook.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies and Gnats
If you know how to identify a fruit fly vs. a gnat, you can take the appropriate steps toward evicting them from your home. Let’s get into some methods for elimination…
How To Kill Fruit Flies: Home Remedies
There are a few different products and quality gnat traps on the market to get the fruit flies out of your way, but more often than not, it can be more cost-effective to go DIY and use some stuff you already have lying around.
One trick to catch fruit flies is to simply leave a bottle of red wine out, uncorked, with a bit of wine in the bottom. The fruit flies will dive right down into the nose of the bottle to get to the wine and be trapped.
Another quick way to grab the fruit flies is to chop up some banana slices and place them in a jar or a glass. Cover the opening with a piece of plastic wrap, and puncture a few holes in the top of it. The fruit flies will be lured in by the scent of the banana, and not be able to find the top holes to fly out of the trap.
While it can be daunting to try and eliminate every last egg, larva, pupa, and adult fruit fly that’s moved into your home, there are things that you can do to make your kitchen less hospitable to these pests.
- Thoroughly wash your produce before eating
- Seal fruits and vegetables in plastic, or keep in the fridge
- Place some fruit fly traps around the kitchen to catch them in action
Read Also: Where do fruit flies even come from?
How To Kill Gnats: Home Remedies
In much the same fashion as getting rid of fruit flies, removing gnats from your home will probably involve a quick homemade remedy out of staples you already have.
Gnats are generally attracted to animal waste, sewage, mold, and moisture. Needless to say, these aren’t the kinds of things you’re going to want to put in a jar on your countertop. To catch gnats, you can use fruit or vegetables, just like you would for fruit flies. While gnats don’t go for these types of baits naturally, they’ll fly right toward them if they’re offered out in the open.
If you’re looking for professional pest control help, use the tool below to get estimates from local professionals:
So, Do I Have Fruit Flies or Gnats?
Identifying whether you’re dealing with fruit flies or gnats is important in determining how to get rid of them. Fruit flies typically enter homes through infested fruits and vegetables or through cracks around doors and windows. They are attracted to fermenting foods like overripe fruits and wine or beer. Gnats, on the other hand, often come indoors through soil in potted plants or damp environments like sink drains and are drawn to areas with mold and standing water. Understanding these distinctions in behavior and habitat will help you remove them from your home.
To determine if you have a fruit fly or gnat infestation, observe their behavior patterns and the areas of your home you find them in. Fruit flies tend to hover around kitchen counters and trash bins where food sources are abundant, while gnats may swarm in moist areas beyond the kitchen. I recommend taking proactive steps such as sealing entry points, maintaining cleanliness, and using DIY traps to remove these pests. If you find these steps don’t fix your problem, I recommend you contact a pest control professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have fruit flies in my kitchen?
Fruit flies are attracted to extra-ripe, fermenting fruits and vegetables. Female fruit flies lay eggs in fruit. Once you bring home a fruit or vegetable with fruit fly eggs inside, you’re opening up your home to these pests.
How do I know if I have gnats or fruit flies?
Gnats like to hover in groups, whereas fruit flies only congregate together when lots of food sources are present. Gnats are found in places other than your kitchen and are attracted to mold, damp soil, and houseplants.
Do gnats turn into fruit flies?
No, fruit flies and gnats are different from one another.
