How Long Do Gnats Live? Lifecycle Facts On Flies Revealed For Kids!

Anusuya Mukherjee
Oct 20, 2023 By Anusuya Mukherjee
Originally Published on Nov 03, 2021
Sciaridae fungus gnat fly.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 5.8 Min

Some days you come across some company in your kitchen, maybe sitting on the fruit or any moist food.

Due to your presence, the group of tiny bugs starts to fly. They are of different colors like yellowish, tan, or dark brown, some of them are black, while some have shiny red eyes and also have stripes.

Adult gnats are typically very small-sized or less than 0.25 in (0.63 cm) long. Adult gnats have distinctive long legs and long thin wings. This pair of wings help them to fly around aimlessly.

There are some species of gnats that bite human beings. The bite causes tiny, red bumps that are itchy. Read on to learn how long these bugs can annoy you.

After you have understood how to get rid of gnats from your garden soil, do read about Japanese beetle facts and how long do goats live?

How long do gnats eggs live?

Is the lifespan of larvae influenced by habitat? The solution to this query relies upon the species of gnat, their reproductive ability, and the favorability and excellence in their selected habitat.

Habitat favorability consists of things like the quality of food present, the number of meal sources, availability of moisture, which is important for their breeding, and also how safe their habitat is. Gnat infestations last if the weather is warm and there is the availability of food and moisture.

The life cycle of gnats is approximately four weeks. Female gnats keep on reproducing in the available houses or greenhouses wherein heat and temperatures are maintained. Adults stay approximately 7-10 days and deposit eggs at the wet soil floor or even in soil cracks.

The larvae take approximately 4-30 days to hatch. All the species of gnats are alive for more or less 40 days. Gnat larvae feed mostly on plant and organic things and even fungi.

This may stunt the growth of plants. Fungus gnats are fruit fly-shaped insect pests that affect the plant present indoors.

The first way that fungus gnats affect the plants is through their larvae. They get attached to the plants or plant roots and absorb all the nutrients. Gnats feed on the roots of plants which may cause a severe problem in the greenhouses.

How long do gnats live without food or water?

For every species to survive they require food and water. Similarly, for gnats, nourishment is important. Without enough food and water, they may die. Due to less availability of food they change locations.

As gnats are attracted to moisture, thus perspiration, mucus of the nose, and tears out of your eyes may lead to the reason for the entry of gnats. The carbon dioxide and the body heat appeal to the household gnats to enter and lay eggs in the house.

You may find gnats near to the lights of the house, this is because they can't fly thoroughly in the dark, thus swarm around lights.

As gnats are bothersome, you need to keep them away from your house. Thus cast off whatever it is that draws gnats inclusive of rotting fruit, potted plants, waterlogged potting soil, grimy dishes, and decaying trash.

You need to put the fruit in your refrigerator. Because most gnats are attracted towards your kitchen due to the smell of the fruit, leaving fruit exposed can attract them. You can also kill them using the wine trap or using bleaching solutions.

You can kill gnats by spraying on them a mixture of dish soap, water, and vinegar too. If you want to properly treat full gnat infestations, including larvae, the best way is to consult a pest control professional.

Zika Virus Infected Mosquito Insect.

Will gnats eventually go away?

Gnats are periodical as they are mainly found during spring. Once we get a regular summer season with the hot and humid weather, they move away. Their existence cycle is very short. It is typically from mid-May to late June. The adults live for about 7-10 days when indoors.

One of the species of flying gnat, the phorid fly adults may also stay from approximately 8-14 days and their entire life cycle takes a few days, likely eight days to approximately 37 days. Fungus gnat adults live approximately one to two weeks and their entire life cycle in approximately 18-30 days.

Can gnats live in hair? No, they can't. Gnats only lay their eggs on wet sources of food.

They lay in various moist areas like the wet soil, drains, even in a chunk of fruit. Even though they get attracted to hair, they can never lay an egg or live there. The hair and the scalp are not considered a breeding ground for the gnats.

Can we get rid of gnats? In order to get rid of gnats from the hair, there are a few things to be taken care of.

To remove them, you need to wash your hair with a shampoo that has no scent or very minimal scent amount. You will not use any sort of cleanser. You can even use some shampoos and conditioners which are particularly designed and prepared to repel gnats.

In order to get rid of gnats while fishing you need to keep in mind a few things. You need to face your boat to the wind, whilst you're boating as well as fishing.

In this way, you can keep them away from your face. Always remember to wear a hat and keep your body fully covered, so that no region is open to them.

Gnats have a tendency to swarm during the evening. So it is preferred to do fishing in the morning, as at that time it is much less likely you will be troubled by gnats.

Filling a bottle with a combination of some oils and water to spray on yourself is helpful. Some say that sprinkling spices like cinnamon, pepper, cayenne all around your boat also keeps them away.

How fast do gnats multiply?

Gnats live for approximately 7-10 days. They deposit eggs in any moist place like the wet soil floor or even in cracks in the soil. Female gnats lay as much as 100-300 eggs in batches of 2-30 in every possible decaying organic matter present.

The eggs hatch in only four to six days and the gnat larvae are fed for almost two weeks. Gnat larvae are hardly visible. It looks smooth and shiny, white or semi-transparent oval.

Gnats are available in various species. All of them are not dangerous to human beings. However, a few gnats cause ailments and endanger the fitness and wellbeing of humans as well as livestock.

More than 1,000 species of black gnats are present. The fungus gnat is the most common among them. They have a life span of approximately 30 days and they reproduce in houses that are warm inside.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'How Long Do Gnats Live?

Lifecycle Facts On Flies Revealed For Facts!' then why not take a look at 'Buzzard Vs Vulture: Differences Between Scavengers Explained For Kids! ', or 'Butterfly Life Span: Amaze-wing Facts On Life Stage Revealed For Kids.'

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Written by Anusuya Mukherjee

Bachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights

Anusuya Mukherjee picture

Anusuya MukherjeeBachelor of Arts and Law specializing in Political Science and Intellectual Property Rights

With a wealth of international experience spanning Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East, Anusuya brings a unique perspective to her work as a Content Assistant and Content Updating Coordinator. She holds a law degree from India and has practiced law in India and Kuwait. Anusuya is a fan of rap music and enjoys a good cup of coffee in her free time. Currently, she is working on her novel, "Mr. Ivory Merchant".

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