I have a ton of gnats flying around in my house and it really starting to tick me off, because now they're getting into my seedlings. So far i have tried putting a decoy planter in there then when they landed on it i poured some rubbing alcohol all over it then lit it on fire to try and kill any eggs or flies present in the planter but that only worked for a little while and now they're back full swarm size and I need a solution fast cause this is driving me mad. Oh yea a solution that will kill the most the fastest along with their eggs, but not hurting my delicate seedlings. Thanks JP
fungus gnats are caused by wet soil, let the soil dry out more between waterings and they may go away, otherwsie you need to use a product that treats at the soil level, potentially an insecticide such as diatomaceous earth.
JP, I agree with Jimmy. The soil is moist and is helping them to flourish. Try these techniques. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r280300811.html Newt
Fungus gants are very annoying especially when they flit by my computer screen. I have started a 2 point program but I have not reached any decisions on its effectiveness yet. I now mix diatomaceous soil into my potting mix in hopes of eliminating the larva and I have yellow stickies everywhere. I am beginning to think that we just have to live with them. Yesterday I read 'The Question Box' by Sue Haffner as published in the current edition of African Violet Magazine, Vol. 59, No. 6. Apparently a reader has said that they sprayed the soil with Bayer Advanced Rose and Flower Insect Killer twice and now the gants are "virtually gone". The spray contains imidacloprid. The less chemicals I use the better I feel but if it gets rid of the annoying gnats I may just risk it. Has anyone tried a chemical solution that works. I am thinking that the violet grower has probably just eliminated the current adult generation. I had to follow up on this as I would like to get rid of them. Drat there went another one. doug
imidacloprid is not registered for consumer use in Canada, it is only registered in a product called Merit, which has a number of commercial applications.
I've heard from others that have read the site I recommended as having success with the biological methods and the yellow sticky traps. Do read the info there. Newt
I agree with the prescription aobut moist soil and letting the soil dry out better. In connection with that, moving air is your friend, too. A fan to keep air circulating helps. Sticky traps are also good.
Yes, my violet cart is decorated with sticky strips and I do let the plants dry out in order to reach maximum benefits from the diatomaceous earth. The cooler temperatures have slowed them down too. I guess I will not know until next year if I have a solution. My customers want an instant solution to the pests and just want to kill them all now. They think I am crazy when I tell them what I am currently trying. doug
As the others have said. Dry up their habitat. If you have to, discard old soil, re-pot, and start over with less water. There are electric devices that work quite well. Do a Google search on "Vector Plasma One" Works on all types of flies too. Forget the chemicals.
how about this, I've had an idea I've been meaning to experiment with. mush up some rhubarb leaf, diffenbachia, or philidendron, take the juice, and spray on the soil, this ought to cause the formation of calcium oxylate crystals which should aggressively attack the soft bodied maggots of the fungus gnat. also fly paper is useful near plants. dont touch it to cacti tho, it will close up stroma causing scarring.
My favorite way to get rid of fungus gnats is by making "sticky sticks". I just use plastic plant label sitcks and smear the top inch or two with tanglefoot. Stick them into the pots (sticky part up) and when the gnats hatch they fly up and stick to them. Then they can't make little baby gnats. Totally non-toxic, fairly slow to get rid of them all, but the fun part is getting to see all the little gnat corpses stuck to the sticks!
