I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or not, but I have these little tiny fly's, that are always hovering around my AV's. I have 4 AV's and a Coleus plant, all sitting together. The fly's seem to be more on the Coleus, than the AV's, but I would still like to know if they are harmful, and if so, or not...what to do to get them to go away.
Thanks,
PiggyPoo :)
Pests?
Are they fruit flies? Or some other kind of flies?
well, they sort of look small like fruit flies, but...i don't think they are fruit fles
There are some tiny little flies called fungus gnats.... I get them in trays of seedlings sometimes. They eat detritus (dead stuff) in the soil, and they're not a big deal, although I gather that having too many might result in some root damage. I think people have been successful in using peroxide water (1 Tbsp standard 3% solution per quart of water) or a couple of drops on dish soap in water as a soil drench to kill them.
On the other hand, if you have an infestation of white fly, I believe they're much more of a problem.
Are your plants indoors or outside?
Critter, I think you've nailed it. It does appear that they are mostly down in or on top of the dirt, I should say. Like going after the dead leaves. The plants are inside. 4 AV's and 1 Coleus. I think I will try the peroxide water spray. That won't hurt the AV's?
Thanks bunches,
PiggyPoo :)
I just found some really good info..from two different sites online.
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Some past tips have been to let the plants dry out (larvae live in the damp soil), putting a layer of sand on top of the soil to discourage the egg laying, sprinkling cinnamon...none of them worked for me when I brought home gnats in a new prayer plant and they invaded every plant in my home.
What did work was buying a package of mosquite dunks, floating a piece of the dunk in a container of water overnight, then using it to water my plants. The BT in the mosquito dunk kills the gnat larvae and stops the cycle...it may take more than one treatment if the infestation is heavy.
The same BT (bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis) is in Gnatrol, & Knock Out Gnats, probably others...I just found the dunks better priced locally (and passed the rest of the package on to a friend with a water feature in their garden)
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and then this was part of an email i read. only taking this portion of it, as it contains excellent info that supports the first part of this post....
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However, in looking at the bugs section, I noticed that you say fungus gnats
do no real damage and are easily controlled by drenching the planter mix with
Sevin or chlordane solution.
I have a greenhouse, and have found that no matter how much drenching I did,
those things always came back. They DO cause damage, because they feed on
roots. After getting tired of handling copious quantities of toxic brews, I
did a little research and found out that fungus gnats are related to
mosquitos and are effectively eradicated with BTI (bacillus thuringensis)
granules. After I applied a few granules in each pot and watered, I never
again had a fungus gnat problem. Best of all, they are nontoxic to humans and
pets.
Here is some info:
http://www.ghorganics.com/BTI_For_Fungus_Gnats.htm
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I'm going to try this, hope it helps others
PiggyPoo :)
if they look kinda like fruit flies then most likely they are fungus gnats.
They are harmless, relatively speaking, because they eat the dead stuff. However, they can carry virus and they are annoying so it's best to get rid of them.
They have a larval stage and a flying stage. You must target the larval stage or you'll be battling one generation after the next. The larvae are usually concentrated in the top inch or so of the soil.
There are products out there specifically for them, such as a particular strain of BT. Gardensalive.com carries one, for example. Basically you add it to your water. This has been 100% effective for me. (I tried using mosquito dunks (also a strain of BT) but they were not effective on my fungus gnats. At all.)
Systemic insecticide with the active ingredient imidacolprid (the stuff used in pets' flea collars) is effective. You'd want it in a granular form so it can be mixed in the soil. Imid. is usually recommended for dealing with mealey bugs, but this is another benefit.
I often cheat and use an orange-based cleaning solution from an organics or Wholefoods store. I water the pot well, then soak the pot in the diluted orange cleaner solution, let sit for a few mins, then flush out well with clean water. If the orange solution is too strong, it can kill the roots. I've not had a problem with it though. The watering before and after helps. This has to be repeated in a few days if you have a significant flying population - need to deal with the the next generation.
oh, in case you think I'm a bit crazy, there's a product out there for ants etc. called Orange Guard - same idea.
Other methods - laying potato slices on the soil surface and then picking them off (with baby gnats attached) in the morning. This is fine if you find it interesting, but I think it's rather time consuming and only a partial solution. Besides I like to eat my potatoes.
Yellow sticky traps. Now these are good to have to monitor your flying pest situation. However, for elimination they are really not good enough as they only catch some of the adults. On the other hand, if the odd fungus gnat doesn't bother you, and they don't seem to be multiplying (because, for example, most of your plants are treated with an imid. systemic), they would be ok. Actually if you're going the yellow sticky trap root, a DGer should be opting for a Butterwort instead :-) Those plants catch them like crazy, they are easy for a carnivorous plant, and they have cute flowers too.
Piggipoo,
Another solution you can use for gnats and other pest is a sprinkle of "Mosquito pellets/granules" or watering with a liquid form as well. It will take care of most of the common pest and isn't necessarily "poisionous", though it has some warnings . I use it on all my indoor plants and haven't had a problem since I started last year. I also use it in and around my bird cages both indoors and out.
It doesn't have a smell either and that's a plus.
Those gnats are the most annoying creatures!:)
MsC
Thanks guys, for the good info!! And yes, MsC, they are just totally annoying. I go over to look at my new flower that I just got, and get frustrated by those darn flying thingys.
Ugh
PiggyPoo :)
Hang in there Piggi !!
When I used the mosquito pellets it has a very fast effect...like overnight there is a HUGE difference so maybe you can get some and rid your self of the lil bugger!
MsC
How's the air circulation around the plants? I read an article that said circulation is very important. Also each plant should have it's own space. No leaves touching the leaves of other plants.
One other thing. I understand that sometimes the gnats are in prepackaged potting soil. If you recently repotted they may have come from that. Baking the potting soil sometimes helps.
Good luck
Nanna
Piggypoo,
I am so glad you brought up this subject . I had no idea what to use for pest control for African violets. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge about AV to us beginners.
Patti
Patti, even though I have posted on this forum before, I still consider myself quite a beginner. The help on this site is absolutely AWESOME!
Nanna, the air circulation is actually quite good where the plants are sitting, but I did recently repot the plants, so that very well could be it. And, have considered doing it again, because the last time, I used a package of AV soil, and still no flowers, even with good lighting, so I had purchased some vermiculite, and perlite, and was planning on doing it again. I hadn't yet, because I finally got a flower on one of the plants, and was afraid to disturb it back into non producing :( Funny, that I didn't even think of baking the soil, as I am used to baking the bedding for my iguana. Same principal...BUGGIES.
And MsC, I will certainly get some mosquito thingys this weekend, if I get out and about, but just knowing that my babies will be ok with the pesty little gnats, makes me feel better, and not so rushed on getting out in our heat to shop.
I so appreciate all the advice. Thanks again
Oh, and Patti, watch out...these AV people will getcha! LOL
PiggyPoo :)
Piggypoo,
You are to late. They already got me. I got the bug. LOL
Patti
LOL
I hate those stuppid things........fungus gnats! And, it makes for a cranky, un-plantloving, hubby! I add a teaspoon of household systemic to my AV mix now, and it has reduced the amount of flies drastically!
As soon as I started collecting av's, the fungas gnats moved in. What has worked for me is Neem Oil. I also use de in the potting soil. Another tip I just read last week is putting small cups of cider vinegar around the plants. The gnats like the smell of the vinegar and will go to the cups and drown. I tried it and it works!! I put a cup next to my rubber tree plant just to see what would happen (if anything) and after five days the cup was full of gnats. I was amazed.