A different fungus gnat question

[JohnAndSancho]

Ok, I've tried all kinds of remedies that have always worked for me in the past. Nothing is killing these jerks. I'm ready to go nuclear and just repot my infested plants. I bought a bag of cheap soil from Home Depot that seems to be the source. I'm doing BT in the water, sticky traps, moved some plants outside, H202, letting things dry out between BT and h2o2 soakings, etc 

 

Is it possible that LECA is keeping the soil from drying out? I've used Turface and sand as top dressing to prevent them before and it worked, but the LECA is full of big holes they like to hide in. I haven't had very much success using insecticidal soap to kill them, but I do have about 6 bottles. 

[amh]

Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis?

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 3:35 AM, amh said:

Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis?

Expand  

I'd have to read the label. Mosquito Dunks. They've worked great before but I'm hesitant to keep watering and watering if its breeding more. 

[amh]

  On 6/20/2021 at 4:35 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

I'd have to read the label. Mosquito Dunks. They've worked great before but I'm hesitant to keep watering and watering if its breeding more. 

Expand  

The mosquito dunks are the correct israelensis type, there's a granular form too.

I'd probably re pot everything into better soil.

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 4:46 AM, amh said:

The mosquito dunks are the correct israelensis type, there's a granular form too.

I'd probably re pot everything into better soil.

Expand  

Sounds like another Sunday Funday. Thank you sir. 

[amh]

  On 6/20/2021 at 4:49 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

Sounds like another Sunday Funday. Thank you sir. 

Expand  

I usually add a bunch of sphagnum moss to my potting soil, it holds moisture once it is wet, but also drains well and appears to limit the larvae.

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 4:52 AM, amh said:

I usually add a bunch of sphagnum moss to my potting soil, it holds moisture once it is wet, but also drains well and appears to limit the larvae.

Expand  

I have some pucks of coco coir that came with some pots I bought last year. Would that have the same effect? I mix my soil with LECA, Turface and ReptiBark depending on what I'm planting. 

[amh]

  On 6/20/2021 at 5:03 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

I have some pucks of coco coir that came with some pots I bought last year. Would that have the same effect? I mix my soil with LECA, Turface and ReptiBark depending on what I'm planting. 

Expand  

I've had larvae problems with coco coir in the past, that is one of the reasons I no longer use it. My use of moss is strictly anecdotal, but I haven't lost plants to wet conditions or fungus gnat larvae since.

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 5:08 AM, amh said:

I've had larvae problems with coco coir in the past, that is one of the reasons I no longer use it. My use of moss is strictly anecdotal, but I haven't lost plants to wet conditions or fungus gnat larvae since.

Expand  

I haven't lost anything, but God these things are annoying. I used the same soil in my office spindle palm, and ummmm - in the words of one of my favorite baseball broadcasters, it's suboptimal. 

 

I just knocked over one of my Weddellaniums trying to swat at one of these flying jerks, so his soilless potting mix is now amended with some Sancho hair. I'll report back if that helps it grow. 

[chad2468emr]

Use a layer of imidacloprid granules. Not only does the imidacloprid in the granules kill the larva once you water, but it always makes a dry barrier over the surface of the soil that adult flys and larva need to get through but a) it’ll kill them if they touch it and b) it’s dry clay granules so it prevents them from wanting to. Water every single thing you have at once. Then cover the surface of the soil in 1/4 inch of the granules. Let everything dry out entirely and leave it that way as long as you can to just shy of where it’d cause issue for the plants. Repeat if you still have bugs. Then resume watering as normal. Keep using sticky traps to catch as many adults as possible as well. 

This was the only thing that ever let me kill them off entirely. I have 50+ houseplants inside and they were 100% gone after two rounds of this. Having tiny little bugs fly into my nose + mouth grew tiresome… 

Edited June 20, 2021 by chad2468emr

[PalmatierMeg]

John, recently we were troubled by tiny gnats flying around the house, particularly in the kitchen. I don't know if these are the same kind of gnats bothering you as I don't keep potted plants in the house. But here is a home remedy that might help you get rid of them. I've used it to get rid of gnats.

1. Get some clean jars/containers. I use the plastic containers that hold pints of Talenti gelato.

2. Get out some apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap

3. Pour about 1" of apple cider vinegar into the container

4. Add a couple drops of dish soap to the vinegar and mix together

5. Cover open container with a piece of waxed paper or clear wrap, then secure with a rubber band

6. With an ice pick punch about a dozen small holes through the waxed paper

7. Set containers in areas where gnats are bothering you.

How It Works: The gnats are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar. They follow the scent to enter the container through the holes. The soap in the vinegar messes with the surface tension of the liquid so when the gnats try to land and feed, they fall into the cider and drown. I've killed hundreds of gnats that way and a container of soapy vinegar lasts several weeks. before I replenish it. It won't do anything about gnat larvae but if adults gnats don't survive to breed, eventually the whole colony dies off.

If gnats are breeding in your container garden, your potting mix may be too dense and too wet.

[Looking Glass]

  On 6/20/2021 at 9:31 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

John, recently we were troubled by tiny gnats flying around the house, particularly in the kitchen. I don't know if these are the same kind of gnats bothering you as I don't keep potted plants in the house. But here is a home remedy that might help you get rid of them. I've used it to get rid of gnats.

1. Get some clean jars/containers. I use the plastic containers that hold pints of Talenti gelato.

2. Get out some apple cider vinegar and liquid dish soap

3. Pour about 1" of apple cider vinegar into the container

4. Add a couple drops of dish soap to the vinegar and mix together

5. Cover open container with a piece of waxed paper or clear wrap, then secure with a rubber band

6. With an ice pick punch about a dozen small holes through the waxed paper

7. Set containers in areas where gnats are bothering you.

How It Works: The gnats are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar. They follow the scent to enter the container through the holes. The soap in the vinegar messes with the surface tension of the liquid so when the gnats try to land and feed, they fall into the cider and drown. I've killed hundreds of gnats that way and a container of soapy vinegar lasts several weeks. before I replenish it. It won't do anything about gnat larvae but if adults gnats don't survive to breed, eventually the whole colony dies off.

If gnats are breeding in your container garden, your potting mix may be too dense and too wet.

Expand  

This is the remedy for fruit flies, which seem to be ubiquitous in Florida.  Sadly, the glass of wine I’m sipping on seems to accomplish the same task.  

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 9:31 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

If gnats are breeding in your container garden, your potting mix may be too dense and too wet.

Expand  

Thanks for all the tips. They def came from the last bag of soil I used. I repotted a couple little guys and this stuff wasn't draining well at all, despite all the clay and bark I added. 

[BigWaveDav3]

I have used the granule form that amh mentioned earlier. It was called Summit Chemical Mosquito bits and seemed to start to work after a week or so evidenced by not seeing the gnat swarm over my raised garden beds in the afternoon. The source in my case was a pallet of raised garden bed mix that was delivered by the Big Orange Box store last spring.

[JohnAndSancho]

  On 6/20/2021 at 11:57 AM, chad2468emr said:

Use a layer of imidacloprid granules. Not only does the imidacloprid in the granules kill the larva once you water, but it always makes a dry barrier over the surface of the soil that adult flys and larva need to get through but a) it’ll kill them if they touch it and b) it’s dry clay granules so it prevents them from wanting to. Water every single thing you have at once. Then cover the surface of the soil in 1/4 inch of the granules. Let everything dry out entirely and leave it that way as long as you can to just shy of where it’d cause issue for the plants. Repeat if you still have bugs. Then resume watering as normal. Keep using sticky traps to catch as many adults as possible as well. 

This was the only thing that ever let me kill them off entirely. I have 50+ houseplants inside and they were 100% gone after two rounds of this. Having tiny little bugs fly into my nose + mouth grew tiresome… 

Expand  

Any issues using this indoors @chad2468emr? Sancho has only got into my plants once, when I used some organic Jobes fertilizer (read: processed poop. Side note I never could figure out why dogs are obsessed with poop, but their food and treats all look and smell like poop, so *shrugs*) All of my indoor plants are well out of his reach anyway except for my big Cat palm, and he's totally disinterested in it - and so are the bugs. It's got a big layer of bark and clay as top dressing anyway.