Plant Owners, You Need Some Sticky Gnat Traps

My indoor plant obsession led to a war between gnats and myself over who lives in this apartment. With Garsum sticky traps, I’m winning.

Like so many others during the start of the pandemic, I got bit by the plant-buying bug. I went from zero indoor plants to about a dozen within a couple months. Then the gnats came.

Gnats are a common downside of owning houseplants. The little pests look like miniature mosquitoes, but thankfully don’t bite. They are, however, still incredibly annoying and enjoy taking laps around my head, like a taunt. Trying to squish one in the air is about as easy as trying to catch a speck of floating dust. Gnats are drawn to moisture and decaying organic matter. The initiated plant parent, as I was, tend to overwater their plants, providing the perfect breeding ground for more gnats since the little buggers love to lay their eggs in damp soil. If you see one gnat, you’re in for a home full of nuisances.

Tyler Chin

The internet gave me two solutions for combatting gnat infestations: gnat-killing sprays or gnat-trapping stickies. Using sprays on my plants freaked me out, so I went with a 12-pack of traps from a brand called Garsum, which specializes in natural insect control.

Tyler Chin

Garsum’s traps come in what the brand calls “cute designs”— the sun or a butterfly — that try as hard as they can to detract from the fact that your planter is also home to a gnat killer. The double-sided traps are easy to get into soil, and because they’re waterproof, the traps are good for as long as there’s space to catch more gnats. Since I’ve been using the Garsum traps, I’ve noticed a significant decrease in the number of times I’ve swatted at a gnat whizzing by my head. It’s also less annoying now because I know one my traps will take care of the gnat sooner or later.

Price: $9 for a 12-pack

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