--- title: "Help! I have been fighting a gnat infestation for over a year now and…" description: "Help! I have been fighting a gnat infestation for over a year now and nothing seems to help. I have tried everything, gnat traps, sticky traps and have replace…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/64fa4b3720e2203dfcac4bdb" community: "Anything about plants" author: "Plant/catlover" published: "2023-09-07T22:14:15.557Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md) # Help! I have been fighting a gnat infestation for over a year now and… _Posted by Plant/catlover on 2023-09-07_ Help! I have been fighting a gnat infestation for over a year now and nothing seems to help. I have tried everything, gnat traps, sticky traps and have replace the soil multiple times to no avail. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to help elevate the gnats? Thanks in advance ♥️ ## 12 comments ### Sunny commented on 2023-09-07 Soapy dishwater works for me. I have been gnat free over 2 months. I got a new plant in the mail today. Then, found 3 gnats hovering around the plant before I could finish unpacking. It’s a constant fight. #### Plant/catlover replied on 2023-09-08 With the soapy water, what ratio do you use it? Also, do you just use this to water the plants and how often? Thanks for the advice ♥️ #### Sunny replied on 2023-09-08 I use a couple of drops of Dawn liquid to 10 ounce of water. I have empty hand sanitizer bottles left from COVID. The have alcohol residue which also kills bugs. I spray the leaves and top of soil once a week until they are gone. Took me a few weeks last time because I had spider mites and mealy bugs too. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/wefqOljjhEOiS9LRzOB1-QhxkVJiB4A5DGumXhnNrhs/e32394d881574e4a83bd685c4ed1a049.webp?size=large) ### Em commented on 2023-09-08 I used a combo of sticky traps and hydrogen peroxide diluted in the water 4:1 and it worked! #### Plant/catlover replied on 2023-09-08 How often do you use the hydrogen peroxide mixture? #### Em replied on 2023-09-08 Every time I watered, but I don’t think it took more than 2 or 3 times! ### Murray commented on 2023-09-08 After fighting an infestation for a good year, I finally used nematodes to eat the larvae and sticky traps for the adults. Been good ever since. The nematodes were slightly pricey on Amazon but definitely worth it to me to be rid of those pesty fungus gnats! #### Plant/catlover replied on 2023-09-08 The infestation is in my house and it’s in the soil of some succulents, what size of package do you recommend? I have most of my succulents in 2x3 sized pot and I have about 25 plants, so the area I am watering is very small. And did you use these nematodes once? This one way of fighting my infestation sounds super interesting. ### Bz commented on 2023-09-08 Bti added when watering takes care of them in a few weeks. You mix it in the watering can and then pour over the soil. Kills the larvae, no more gnats. #### Plant/catlover replied on 2023-09-08 Is that what Captain Jacks dead bug brew is? One person above recommended the Captain Jack stuff and I was wondering if it’s the same. Thank you for your help ♥️ ### Betsy commented on 2023-09-08 So there is a girl on instagram her page is called “happy happy houseplant” She has a small business where she developed a product called “death drops” This is what I use and it has helped so much. She has a highlight bubble that talks all about white flies and fungus gnats. I highly recommend checking her page out. I have read a little into using worm casting as a repellent for the adult gnats so they won’t lay eggs. I haven’t tried it yet but curious if anyone else has. #### Plant/catlover replied on 2023-09-08 I will check it out! Have you heard of Plants with Krystal, she doesn’t talk about infestations or anything like that, she’s just super funny and loves plants (my kind of peeps ☺️) But thanks for the recommendation ♥️ --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_