In addition to the aphids, white flies, spider and broad mites that we have to contend with during winter storage of our brugs, we sometimes have to deal with fungus gnats also.
I try to keep my brugs very dry during the winter, actually I keep them too dry and suffer die back. But to the point, I also over-winter many other tropical plants that just can't stay as dry as the brugs that I am attempting to keep dormant. Therefore I occasionally have an out break or two of fungus gnats during the winter.
Whether you are using the mosquito dunks or Scanmask to control the larval stage, you need to get the adult population as low as possible before using these products so they will be more effective.
I recently ran out of the skeeter dunks, so I purchased the Scanmask since it is very highly recommended. In order to get the adult population down I decided to just make my own sticky yellow traps instead of buying them. I'll try to save a buck anytime I can. LOL
Well, the yellow sticky traps were catching a few adult fungus gnats, but not enough to my liking. I hade to come up with a different solution. So this is what I did.
Using 20 ounce plastic soda bottles, I cut four of them down to a height of 2 inches. I then used Tangle Trap to coat the inside and outside of the little plastic cups about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch down along the top of the cup. I then filled the traps with an "attractant" just to the level of the Tangle Trap on the cup.
LOOK at how many I caught in just a 24 hour time frame and just on one trap to boot!! I am going to have to clean them off and reapply the Tangle Trap just so I can trap more.
I love it!! I should be able to apply my Scanmask in the next day or two at the rate that I am catching these little buggers.
What I used for the attractant is: Potato Sour Dough Bread Starter.
Best method of trapping Fungus Gnats that I have found!!
Very clever, David. I am almost afraid to ask how you knew they woud fall in love with Potato Sour Dough Bread Starter. LOL
You know I just realized that have had no gants this winter. I always do!! The only thing I can think of that is different is I have 2 bug eating plants this year.
David,
As you can perhaps tell from the number of Views, many of us learned from your post....
Great advice - thank you for sharing it.
Erick
Great idea David! Looks creepy, but hey, whatever works!
My fungus gnats go for Vanilla Nut Bean fresh brewed coffee with liquid French Vanilla Coffee mate... that is.. the ones I miss with my hands. I've gotten lightning fast at snatching them out of mid air with my hand and wiping them on a towel or my apron... LOL Now THATS GROSS....
Istarted putting a little H2O2...hydrogenperoxide in all of the water I use... foliar spray and watering... not as much as I hear about useing... just a splash in all of it... as soon as I started this...sometime in the beginning part of the winter... [Ihad them already then ] shortly thereafter... I haven't run across any of them... it kills the little ones in the soil... Gordon
Thank you'll for the help. Now how do I kill the green algae that grows on my the top of my seed soil? Joan
This message was edited Mar 4, 2007 4:04 PM
Hi David !
Thanks for a great idea ! I haven't had a run in with gnats yet, but this is copied inot my journal for safe keeping. You, Kell, Eric and a whole slew of others keep me sane with great ideas :))
God bless you all, Margo
Please forgive this picture. I didn't look closely enough. I am so sorry
This message was edited Mar 4, 2007 5:16 PM
Are you sure you aren't the other 1/2 of the person Margo used to be..and lost ..Gordon the twin dogs are so funny
Gordon
