Gnats

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maureen1952 Worcester, MA Jul 31, 2008

i don't know if it's because it's been so muggy, but all of my indoor plants have gnats buzzing around them. DISGUSTING. i use insectacidal soap but that only works briefly. I have good air circulation. Any suggestions?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jul 31, 2008

I'd check your watering--they're probably fungus gnats and I have never had a problem with them except when I've been watering something a little too much. To get rid of the ones that are already there, there are a number of tricks I've seen people post--yellow sticky traps, watering with hydrogen peroxide (only if the plant needs water though!), or using Bt (bacillus thuringiensis...the stuff in Mosquito dunks).

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Aug 10, 2008

I use the Bt. Water it in - it kills the gnats in their larval stage, when they are in the soil. That will stop them from growing up and flying around! :-)

I just use the mosquito dunks. http://www.marchbiological.com/L/mosquito_control.html I crumble a bit of one up in some water and let it sit for a few minutes, then water with it. There is also a product called Gnatrol - same ingredients.
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/Ipm/homegrnd/htms/40afgnat.htm

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maureen1952 Worcester, MA Aug 11, 2008

What is a mosquito dunk? Is ther a brand name?

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Aug 11, 2008

That is the brand name. Go to the link provided above.....

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maureen1952 Worcester, MA Aug 11, 2008

Duh. Sorry. About what ratio of dunk to water do you use? And how frequently?

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ceejaytown The Woodlands, TX(Zone 9a) Aug 11, 2008

I take maybe a fourth of a dunk and crumble it in the water in the watering can. Mine is about two quarts. Let it sit a bit so the bacteria can rehydrate (this may not be necessary, but it makes me feel good), and then water. I have a nozzle on the end that keeps the dunk chunks from getting through, so the next time I water, I just add water to those. You'll see - they don't dissolve. Let the plant dry out between waterings. Keeping the soil moist is how fungus gnats thrive...

I have a French drain outside, and I have suspended the dunks into the standing water, by looping string through the donut hole, and tying it to the grate. They last a long time, and no mosquito larvae can survive.

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