Common topical antiseptics include alcohol, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide

Swelling of the throat, tongue, or mouth. Difficulty swallowing or talking. Shortness of breath, wheezing, or difficulty catching your breath. Itching around the eyes, lips, ears, throat or roof of your mouth. Flushing (a hot, red sensation of the skin). Stomach cramps or nausea. Weakness or dizziness. Collapsing or passing out.

Soak a cotton ball in the vinegar and apply it to the affected area until it feels better.

When traveling out of the country, bring your own insect repellant. Sprays sold in other countries may contain potentially hazardous chemicals not approved for use in the states. Look for DEET in Off!, Cutter, Sawyer, and Ultrathon. Look for Picaridin (KBR3023/Bayrepel) in Cutter Advanced and Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus. Look for OLE (Oil of lemon eucalyptus) or PMD (para-menthane-3, 8-diol) in Repel! and Off! Botanicals lines. Look for IR3535 in Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition and SkinSmart.

Spray clothing with insect repellant when you go outside. Buy hiking socks and hats that have been pre-treated to repel biting insects.

Remove gardening items that can collect rainwater, like buckets or flowerpots. Clogged gutters and storm drains also attract gnats. Cover swimming pools with a pool cover or large tarp when not in use.

Pour a quarter cup of bleach down your drains, especially garbage disposal drains, to discourage gnats from collecting there.

Pay special attention to the sealant around window-mounted air conditioner units, which produce moisture that attracts gnats.

Fill a mason jar (or any jar of similar size) with apple cider vinegar. The jar doesn’t need to be completely full – half full works just as well. Close the lid and poke 5 or 6 holes in the lid. If you don’t have the lid, cover the top of the jar with cling wrap and poke holes in that. The gnats will be attracted to the vinegar and will enter the jar, but won’t be able to get out of the jar. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, use regular vinegar with a few squirts of dishwashing liquid. Gnats are especially drawn to lemon scents.

Attach a yellow index card to a popsicle stick, so it looks like a little sign. Gnats are attracted to the yellow color – plain index cards won’t work as well. Coat the index card with honey, and stick the popsicle stick into the dirt near plants where gnats tend to collect. Replace the used cards with new ones when they fill with gnats.