Household candle

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You’ll know this feeling if you’ve ever spilled sugary juice on the counter and didn’t wipe it up right away, overwatered it indoors or out, or waited too long a day to take out the trash.One simple household mistake, and suddenly your house seems to be covered in bugs — little mosquitoes to be exact.Here are eight ways to help you get rid of mosquitoes once and for all.
The first thing to do before killing gnats is to make sure they are actually gnats.There are many species of flies, and each requires a slightly different elimination strategy.In fact, you may find yourself needing to know how to get rid of fruit flies or how to get rid of drain flies.If you know what to look for, it’s easy to distinguish errors.Fungal gnats appear black and have long legs, while fruit flies are usually brown and more rounded in shape.Drain flies have a blurrier appearance and larger wings, and as the name suggests, they hang out around sink drains.
Once you’ve properly identified what bugs are, well, what bugs, you can start taking the necessary steps with vinegar solutions, store-bought remedies, and even rotten fruit (really!).For long-term success, buy one of the best bug exterminators on the market.
There really isn’t a more trustworthy or odd solution than fly paper, which simply catches flying insects on its sticky surface.You can hang “ribbon flypaper” in mosquito-prone areas of your home, or try window flypaper, which covers the entire window with adhesive tape.
Although it works better against larger bugs, such as mosquitoes, a bug zapper is always a good option.Today, there are many brands and designs that can be used safely indoors, such as the KATCHY device pictured here.These noiseless machines should be able to catch most mosquitoes and flies in your home, and best of all, you don’t have to lift a finger to make the magic happen.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup warm water, two tablespoons apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon sugar, and about six drops of dish soap.Mosquitoes are lured by the sugary mixture, but once they’re in the water, the sticky dish soap traps them.Simply place the bowl with the solution in the area where you notice the most mosquitoes and wait for the results.
If things get really bad, you may find yourself in need of a more serious bug killer.Insecticide is an option, but we warn against using it if you have small children around (and as always, you need to make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions).In addition to several other household pests, this Hot Shot Kitchen Bug Killer is a mosquito-specific option.
Kitchen sink drains are a common place for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, especially in garbage disposals.They like warm, moist environments and any food and bacteria that accumulate there.Pour boiling water into the sink and kill any eggs in the drain.
Now, we’re not asking you to sacrifice your wine collection to kill mosquitoes!Instead, for this nifty trapping trick, you’ll want to use expired wine—one that’s almost turned into vinegar.You can use it in much the same way as the apple cider vinegar trick above: Pour some old wine into a small container, add a few drops of dish soap, and leave the mixture in your home to wait for the bugs to come in.
Here’s a trick that looks too good to be true (and simple and old-school): put a tall candle in a candlestick, then place the candlestick in a small saucepan filled with water.Turn off all the lights, then light the candle and wait for the mosquitoes to enter the flame.They either hit the flame itself or fell into the water below.However, as with any lighted candle, you must stay in the room and handle the flame carefully until you need to blow it out.
Yes, the thing that caused the infection in the first place is probably the best thing to do when it comes to ending it.Add a few slices of ripe fruit to a large bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.Poke a few holes in the top with a toothpick.Soon, gnats and fruit flies will be swarming through these tiny holes—but they won’t know how to get out.
If you notice mosquitoes in your home congregating around your sink drain, they may actually be drain flies (in which case the other traps we’ve discussed here may not do a good job of eliminating them).Drain flies are best treated with bleach.Properly protect yourself and your lungs, then dilute half a cup of bleach with about a gallon of water and pour into the affected drain.