Not Hydrogen Peroxide: Get Rid Of Gnats From Your Leafy Greens With A Kitchen Staple

If you have a thriving kitchen garden and grow lots of scrumptious leafy greens, you may sometimes be confronted with a pest problem that you'll desperately want to get rid of – gnats. These tiny black bugs in your home that aren't fruit flies love to hang around your vegetables and fruits, and essentially get in your face if you disturb them. While some people might reach for the hydrogen peroxide to solve the problem, there's an easy kitchen staple hidden in your pantry you can use instead: Apple cider vinegar.

You'll actually use this to make a trap because the gnats are attracted to the pleasant aroma of the amber liquid. In fact, sweet smells are one of those unexpected things in your home that attract gnats. With the right ingredients in your gnat trap, the flying insects will get stuck inside and eventually drown. This is a great way to get rid of these pests because it doesn't use any nasty chemicals. Plus, you have everything you need for this right in your kitchen.

First, you'll want a small receptacle like a yogurt container or a jelly jar. In the base of the container, pour in around one inch of apple cider vinegar. Add just a drop of dish soap and mix well. The soap will help to coat the gnats and trap them so that they won't be able to fly and get back out of the jar. You'll also want to cover the top of the container with some plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it using something small, like a toothpick. What you'll find is that the gnats will be so focused on the scent of the liquid that they'll work their way through the holes to get to it. However, if you don't have any plastic wrap, just make a cone from a piece of paper and place this inside the jar, making sure the bottom isn't immersed in the liquid.

Put your trap near where you are growing your leafy greens to attract the pests away from your produce. Be sure to empty and refresh your trap regularly to ensure that you get rid of all the gnats, including the ones that are still hatching if the adults have laid eggs among your greens. If you want to make the liquid trap even more attractive, you can add a little honey or sugar to increase the sweetness. Finally, you might like to consider growing a carnivorous plant that banishes fungus gnats from your home, known as butterwort.