Home remedies like vinegar traps or dryer sheets work wonders
If you don’t have access to a floor fan during your camping trip, there are some home remedies that might just do the trick. Vinegar traps are easy to make and super effective. Simply pouring some apple cider vinegar into a ramekin with a bit of sugar to attract the bugs, and a dose of dish soap to prevent them from flying out has been known to trap gnats and other insects. Another method is to pour pure apple cider vinegar into a ramekin, cover the lid with cling film, and then poke dozens of tiny holes through the cling film. This way, gnats can get in, but they can’t figure their way out, slowly dying in the vinegar.
Another home remedy that works has a bit of science behind it. In 2010, HortScience magazine, a peer-reviewed journal about horticultural science, published a study conducted by Kansas State University which found that Bounce dryer sheets — yes those inexpensive laundry sheets that prevent static cling in your clothes dryer — were effective at repelling fungus gnats. The study reported that it was the presence of chemicals linalool, benzyl acetate, beta-citronellol, and hedione in the dryer sheets that repelled the gnats. So if you’re heading deep into the bush, don’t forget to raid your pantry for vinegar and laundry sheets first!
