About Fungus Gnats

Question: Is there a solution that Brugs can be watered with that will destroy the Gnat larvae? Sprays for the adults have not been very effective. Help! Help!
Also are the larvae a cause of Brugs dropping leaves?
..Farizona

I've been having trouble with them as well this winter. Mine came from a bale of Pro-mix. I have lost several cuttings that were rooting. The larger plants don't seem to be bothered by them. I've not noticed any leaf drop on my well rooted plants. On my cuttings the stems would start to shrivel up (take out the cuttings and find the little white larva) I've orderd a product from Garden alive called Knock-Out Gnats. I'll let you know if it works. I also have a HUGE problem with them in my succulent collection outside in the spring time. There is another product that is suppose to work, I can't think of the name, but will order that as soon as I find it *grin*.
Good luck.
Kristi

Datdog, I'll be watching for your post. farizona

Gnatrol is another product, but I think it is the same as the one from Garden's Alive. It will work, but you have to use it every time you water. I think my stuff is big enough now that they won't do much damage. Those little wormies like seeds too. Especially brug seeds....

Farizona, if you look under search here, it seems to me there were some good answers to this in the recent past.
I have found them to mainly come when the soil remains overly wet. Try letting pots dry out before watering, keep sticky cards all over, cut them up and use 3" squares just above soil, and I have had good luck with diatomatious earth. They often are a warning signal for an environmental problem.

Dennis has good advice. I also had a lot of trouble last year with the fungus knats. I sprinkled DE on top of the soil making sure it went to the edge of the pot where they seemed to go into the soil.Also used the yellow sticky cards with good results.

Yellow sticky cards??? & where can I buy them?

I have seen fly paper that hangs down but never sticky cards....update us...Please.

Yellow or blue sticky cards are prepared with special glue, the insects like this colour and rest at these cards and ..can not start again.

Sticky cards are smaller than hanging cards. You can use it all over.

I am shure anyone here will explain it better soon:)

Here is a link to where I purchased some. Ludger, you explained it perfect. http://www.gardensalive.com/item_display.asp?ProductNumber=8127

Thank you Kristie:)

Yes datdog, those are the ones.

Lol, I had a look at your link, same as here. This stickers will work well.

Thank you everybody. I believe the "Knock-out-gnats" may be the same as "Gnatrol" and that sounds like what I need. I cannot find any such thing around my area so I am sending for it. The little buggers need something before they all sprout wings and take over my house!
Datdog,Brugie, Dennis, Snowhermit,Ludger--thank you all.
Dave's Garden Member's are a treasure trove of information
and help so willingly given.!!....farizona

This is why I am love to be here, I have gotten so much help from the brugnuts and FRIENDS here.

I have a question,has anyone ever tried a bug zapper like they hang outside?

Never tried it, but I'm not sure I'd want to listen to it zapping all night anyway... LOL!!

Thank you so much for the info.

One more note: The yellow stickers are very good against white flies.

Ludger, I found out today that they are hard on hair. I accidently bent over and got my hair stuck on a trap. Needless to say, I had to leave my hair on the trap. It wouldn't come off. At least it wasn't my glasses.

Shirley, I do know this......the Queen of England would say:

I am not amused.........

It is terrible to have such stickers in your hair............

LOL ludger, you have a way with words....
Brugie, careful with the sticky stuff, or are you trying out a new "do".

Roflol,imagine a Lady ( anywhere ) with such stickers in her hairstyle...lol lol lol.

I know, I am bad....( sorry, Brugie )

yes, you're bad, but very funny too! LOL!!

Well, I should have known it would happen, but what I didn't tell you was how really stupid I was.....It happened twice. I moved the sticky trap after the second fight with it. Ludger, the yellow sticky trap could be an improvement to my hairdo today. :-)

LOL At least it wasn't the drill! I leaned to far in once while attaching something and pulled the tip of my then long hair, right in. I want to tell you, that was not fun!

Just heard a control for fungus gnats yesterday. The gnats lay their eggs in soil. Put 1/4 inch of sand on top of the soil and the gnats will not lay their eggs. Eggs in soil will hatch over the next two weeks, but these also will not lay eggs in the sand. So, it takes up to two weeks to get control, but no chemicals and as long as every bit of soil is completely covered, no more gnats. I think this is most effective indoors because that's all pots, but may work on potted stuff outdoors. Gnats do not like the beach.

I have heard about the sand, but learned one thing from personal experience. Really nice play sand will not work. It has to be the coarse builders sand. The fine stuff sifts right out with the water or floats right off the top. LOL

Datdog has a great photo of the larvae on this thread
http://davesgarden.com/t/375896/fungus+gnats.

From what I have been told and read, make sure if you are going to use BT use the right kind that kills the larvae, Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis.

Bumping this to say I was able to obtain some Diatomaceous earth yesterday, and applied a dusting to each brug pot.
I also applied it to some that didn't appear to have a problem. Most had gnat activity immediately as they scurried to get out.

This morning I don't see any around the plants!! I am delighted with the results so far. I will use the B.T.v.I. as soon as it arrives to get to the larvae.

Now to get the one flying between my face and the computer monitor!!
Thanks everybody!! I was desperate!.....farizona

Farizona, that is good news indeed!!!

I have them too this year, came in some cheapo potting soil. In all the years I've started flowers from seed, I've never had them! They are making me crazy, I have fly paper everywhere, (and yes I got tangled up in it, twice!) I found some BT at the local garden center, only $8.99 for a pint, WAY cheaper than gardens alive! I've used it twice now, once last week and then again this week because the devils seem to be impossible to get rid of! They've migrated to all my houseplants now too!!! I tried letting everything dry out, no luck, I'll try the sand next. I've only lost a few seedlings, but it seems like the growth has slowed down on the ones that have survived. AFter each application of the BT they seem to disappear for 2-3 days then they are back!!! Is there something about peroxide? I seem to rememver reading that it might help also

Carena, did you get the right kind of BT? Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis .... according to the research I did on line. A friend told me to buy the mosquito dunks for pond and break them up and put them in the water I use to water them. I did and it worked!!! Have not seen one since. You can get the mosquito dunks at Lowes if you want to try them.

Yes, I made sure it was the same, and I really drenched them, but they are still here! but the first time I used it I only treated my seedlings, and didn't treat my houseplants, maybe that's why they are still around, I'll get some mosuito dunks, I also tried tee tree oil, they just laughed at me. I haven't seen any larvae, so maybe the ones I'm seeing flying around are just the last ones that hatched. I do still see them crawling around on the soil, too.

Kell- I used the BT trick (not the dunks-as I already had a order placed for a liquid) and it worked, thanks for the tip. Carena, you have to do a couple treatments of the BT watering. I also used the yellow sticky cards to get the flyers! Seems to really have cut down on my problem.
Here is a CHEAP website for the dunks. Great folks to deal with. I just bought a bulk order for my lotus tubs.
http://www.marchbiological.com/

LOL...I just had great fun sitting on the floor in my Brug house and one by one squashing every FG's that came into sight! It's quite theraputic..ROFLOL

Bruno- will pretend you didn't post that, LOL!!!

It really HAS been a long winter!

LOLOL..Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea!

I have had a terrible problem this winter with fungus gnats, and I've heard other people mention them. Sprinkled some DE on all my plants a couple of days ago and haven't seen a gnat since :) Just hoping that mentioning this might help someone who may be experiencing the same problem :)