Gnats (or more likely fruit flies) that seem to appear from the kitchen are likely to lay eggs on decaying food waste. Over time, food and waste builds up in them, and gnats see them as a good place to breed and lay eggs. Female fungus gnats lay approximately 200 eggs during her 7-10 day life cycle and are active all year long. Lifecycle of Buffalo Gnats: Buffalo gnats have a unique lifecycle. The best way to get rid of gnats in your house is to treat your drains and garbage disposal. After laying eggs, maggots will hatch out and eat their way through the decaying organic material before pupating and then emerging as an adult fly a few days later. If you’re overwatering your plants, these bugs will find their way there and start laying eggs. The black head of fungus gnats sits closely on the thorax and centered between the wings. These eggs are yellow or orange in color. Female buffalo gnats lay several hundred eggs in running water streams. Adults range in size but are generally no bigger than 33mm. Gnats are attracted by the smell of ripe foods or decayed plant matter. Females lay up to 100 to 300 eggs in batches of 2 to 30 each in decaying organic matter. When they pick up these scents, they will swarm the available food source. Eggs hatch in 4 … Eggs of Gnats are hardly visible, oval, smooth, shiny white and semi-transparent. Since females lay eggs on the surface of fruit or the “slime” that occurs in their developmental sites, the key to preventing and controlling fruit flies is to maintain clean, dry and sanitary conditions. Not only are fruit flies a nuisance, they also may contaminate foods with bacteria and other organisms that can cause food-related diseases. Why Do My Indoor Plants Have Gnats? They usually lay their eggs inside foods such as carrion meat, fruits, and vegetables and will also feed on these foods. Leftover Food Waste. Gnats, especially fungus gnats, are attracted to damp soil and that’s where they lay their eggs. There is a distinct “Y-shaped” pattern on the forewings. They lay their eggs either on land or water. Where do gnats come from? According to UC IPM, fungus gnats lay their eggs in soil, and their larvae feed on decomposing plant material and other organic matter found in soil. Generally, gnats lay their eggs near organic matter in a wet environment. All types of gnats hatch from eggs laid by a female. The eggs develop in running water and hatching can take from 4 -30 days. You may inadvertently bring them home with a new plant pal (they can become a problem in greenhouses), but they may also sneak into your house through other cracks and crevices. See, gnats have a total life span of about four months, and a female can produce as many as 300 eggs, in small batches, in fermenting or decaying organic matter. The larvae are small, wormlike and translucent, with a black head capsule. They have a relatively short life cycle, only living for about four weeks. Larvae or maggots are legless, thread-like, white, shiny blackheads, up to 1/4 inch long. When they develop into larvae, they find a stable surface to rest on. The egg laying, female adult gnats will lay up to 300 eggs, in the top two to three inches of potting soil during their short life. Depending o the species, they can be biting or non-biting and feed on plants, other insects, or blood. They can lay up to 800 eggs in one breeding cycle so this can become a major problem very quickly. Your local pest inspector will almost always look to the drain first when you have a flying insect issue. A female may lay several hundred eggs or more during her lifetime. However, other gnats, like the Hessian, are crop pests themselves. The eggs will be laid in masses on the slimy surface and take a few days to hatch. Cleaning the bathroom pipes is an important part of gnat prevention. 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