Are These Gnats Inside My House?

Here’s how to identify if the tiny bugs inside your house are gnats – and how outdoor pest control can help.

Have you ever been relaxing inside your house when something very tiny flies past your face? And then another – and another? Before you know it, these infinitesimal indoor UFOs form a cloud and begin circling your sink drain. Or maybe they’re all around your house plants. If this is a familiar scenario, you could be dealing with gnats inside your house. Gnats are common Las Cruces pests and are just as annoying as they are common.

But are these actually gnats or something else?

How to Identify Gnats

It’s extremely easy to confuse gnats with other small flying insects. Knowing the difference will help you tackle your bug problem effectively.

Gnats are slender, dark in color, and usually fly erratically (if a bit slowly), near damp areas, like kitchen drains. They can also be found near your kitchen garbage can, where organic food waste attracts them. Fungus gnats hover around overwatered house plants or close to damp potting soil.

Fruit flies are rounder in body with red eyes. They prefer overripe fruit, sink drains, or trash bins.

Drain flies have an almost-fuzzy appearance. Not surprisingly, they are found near kitchen or bathroom drains.

Mosquitoes are larger with longer bodies. They make an audible buzzing sound if they are close to you, rather than an indoor bin or drain – which is exactly where they prefer to be, so they can take a blood meal from you.

Where Do Gnats Come From?

Gnats thrive near (or in) moisture and organic matter. Two things you might not think we have much of in our climate. However, even in drier climates like Las Cruces, these tiny and adaptive pests will find a way to survive.

You’ll Often Find Gnats in These Places

• Damp potting soil or overwatered plants inside
• Garbage disposal and drains
• Trash cans with food residue
• Compost piles or mulch beds near homes

When outdoor gnat populations rise, especially after summer monsoons or when irrigation systems run frequently, they can easily slip indoors through open doors, screens, or vents.

Outdoor Pest Control in Las Cruces Can Help Prevent Indoor Gnats

It might surprise you, but the key to controlling gnats indoors very often begins outside your home. When outdoor populations are managed effectively outdoors, fewer gnats will find their way indoors.

At Mosquito Squad of Las Cruces, we treat gnats outside with our traditional barrier mosquito treatment, as well as our Essential Botanical Insecticide, a wholly non-synthetic treatment option. These treatments target resting and breeding areas, where gnats, mosquitoes, and other flying pests thrive, thereby reducing the number that buzz near your home’s entryways, windows, and your favorite outdoor spaces to boot!

More Ways to Keep Gnats at Bay

• Don’t overwater plants – allow soil to dry as much as is healthy for the plant between watering
• Clean drains regularly
• Keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator
• Take out trash frequently and rinse outdoor bins as necessary
• Eliminate standing water outdoors
• Do not overwater lawns

Pairing these habits with professional outdoor pest control in Las Cruces ensures that your home remains more comfortable and freer of gnats, mosquitoes, and more throughout every season.

Search for Las Cruces pest control and choose Mosquito Squad.

Mosquito Squad is a trusted mosquito and pest control company! We are eager to help defend your property against mosquitoes, ants, ticks, spiders, and a wide array of outdoor Las Cruces pests – and rodents too.

We stand behind our pest control treatments with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee!

Get in touch with Mosquito Squad of Las Cruces by filling out our form online  or calling us at (575) 221-1787 for a free quote.

Also read: Don't Be Caught Off-Guard by Fall Pests in Las Cruces