This is the larva of a fungus gnat on a brug seed. Needless to say... this seed is a goner. I had it in a damp paper towel enclosed inside a zip-loc bag. Don't know how the beast got inside.... maybe I didn't have the bag closed up tight enough.
Aint he cute? ;o]
Sue, I really think they are already in or on the seeds when we plant them. This year I was totally careful with my seeds and had them planted in soil and inside bags, blown up to make a mini greenhouse over them. There was no way that I could have critters in there but I do. I have also had a problem with my seeds not germinating well, even on paper towels in a zip lock. The seeds turn to mush. I really do think those critters are already working on the seeds when we plant them. I don't know if we need to find a way to kill them before they get into the seeds while they are outside on the plant or what, but I feel like I'm taking one step forward and two steps back planting seeds. I never had trouble before last year.
Our Ag-man told me that sometimes they are on the flowers during pollination, and that the flowers don't have any of the systemics we treat them with in the flower itself he told me what to use but I can't remember I will ask. Another thing is that many of the crosses that we are making are so closely related to each other, the embryo is dying shortly after it starts growing but the seedcoat continues to grow, kind of like a incomplete abortion(miscarriage) in animals. So we get empty seed coats and think a bug has gotten it. Another thing I noted was that sometimes immature plants do this.
Thanks Tracey, I thought that this might be the problem, but hadn't thought about closely related plants throwing empty seeds, even tho I did find quite a few. Now, I'm starting to put 2 and 2 together. I've had two years of very little luck with the seeds from Rosamond X Butterfly and Butterfly X Pink Beauty. Think I'll quit trying that cross.
What a great picture, shows us what we have been suspecting all along. I dust my seeds with Sevin and put in plastic bag, then give bath of alcohol/water before planting, having a little better luck this year.
Looks like breakfast for the early bird.
Incredible picture Poppysue as usual!
Do you dunk yours in a bleach solution Brugie, before you put them in the bag? I have been having good luck. You need to wash your hands well before you start and then do so in betweeen bags. Your hands can carry all sorts of bad germs into the bags.
I am now trying that Physan 20 that Sue and Monika advised.
Glad, we dont have this problem. Fungus gnats are known in Germany also but it is mainly a problem in house plants.
I wondered if the eggs might have been on the seeds when I put them in. I don't think so... this batch of seeds has been in the paper towel for several weeks. Most of the seeds germinated and are planted already. There was just a couple of stragglers left that hadn't sprouted yet. I looked up the life cycle of the gnats and the eggs hatch within 4-6 days. They've been in the towels much longer than that. I think they got in sometime after. maybe when I had the bag opened up to check seeds...
Here's the gnats life cycle:
Adults live about 7 to 10 days and deposit eggs on the moist soil surface or in soil cracks. Females lay up to 100 to 300 eggs in batches of 2 to 30 each in decaying organic matter. Eggs hatch in 4 to 6 days; larvae feed for 12 to 14 days. The pupal stage is about 5 to 6 days. There are many overlapping generations throughout the year.
YUCK!
I'm getting the mosquito dunks out just for the heck of it. I haven't seen any gnats yet, and I don't want to.
I just dug out the Gnatrol myself. I'm armed and ready.
I just sprayed over my dirt with Raid. Have lot of seeds planted and do want them to come up.
Brugie, where do you buy Gnatrol? I have never heard of that.
Those things are sure ugly looking. I had a bad problem with them two years ago and they were hard to get rid of.
Many of the hydroponic sites sell Gnatrol. This one has a 32 oz size http://www.discount-hydro.com/pestcontrol.asp
Garden's Alive has the same stuff under the name Knock Out Gnats... http://www.gardensalive.com/item_display.asp?ProductNumber=1962
I have some of the stuff from Gardens Alive too and there is NO difference. I can't say that either of them do a 100% job of getting rid of the gnats, but something is better than nothing. Plastic bags help.
I checked the gardens alive link and the Knock Out Gnats is Bt, I'm assuming it's the same Bt that is in mosquito dunks since they work too. I still have 5 left from last year so I might as well stay with that.
When My greenhouse gets done, I'm thinking about keeping a barrel of water with a dunk floating around in it for watering.
I think the dunks need to be mixed pretty strong. I've tried just leaving one to float around in my watering can. It just didn't seem to work. If you crush em and mix with water they work better. Kell said she used one dunk per gallon of water. That's a strong mix... but it worked.
great photo, thanks.