Help! Flies and Maggots in Peat Pellets...

Kawonkamish(Greetings),

I bought a pack of Plantation Products Peat Pellets and a few days after sowing the seeds in them, y house was filled with little black flies. I eventually traced them back to the peat pellets. There were little maggot-like creepy-crawlies, crawling out of the pellets and lots of the tiny flies crawling and flying about, as well. Has anyone else had this problem? I also noted in a grocery store's gardening section that the Schultz Potting Soil bags had the same flies all over and crawling out of the bags.

Does anyone know what flies they are and how to get rid of them? Thank you for any help you can give me.


Aquene(Peace),
Moe/WautuckquesSochepo(SnowRabbit)
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Yikes, that is nasty,what a shame that had to happen to you.I never heard of this happening to anyone. I would take it back to the store and find out how they stored it and for how long. I would also call Schultz and report the problem. Theres a good chance the store is selling old products, I dont know what else could be the problem, others might have a better answer than I do. I would put everything outside and let the cold kill off the critters. Good Luck
Christine

Gross! I agree with Jasminesmom. Take them back, also send out emails or phone calls to the companies detailing what happened. Get everything out of the house! Once you have cleaned up and waited a few days, maybe a week, and things are looking good, I would start again using a totally different product.

Don't let this stop you from starting seeds.

I'm sorry that this happened to you.

It sounds like you have you have fungus gnats; the mature flies and the larvae. Fungus gnats lay their eggs in moist soil, and after the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on organic material and the roots of young seedlings. Occasionally, purchased bags of soil are infested with the larvae.

Gnatrol is a biological larvicide used by greenhouses to control them; It is diluted and then used to water the containers. However, it is expensive and can be hard to find. Mosquito dunks, which are used to control mosquito larvae in ponds, contain the same ingredient and are cheap and usually easy to find. Simply soak one in a watering can for a while and then water your seedlings and the larvae will die. You can water with it from time to time to prevent the problem from re-occurring.

Also-----

Hang a few of the yellow sticky pads around your plants-just make sure they din't touch anything. The adult Fungus gnats will fly to them and stick. You will be amazed! I think they are attracted to yellow....
If you cannot find these sticky cards, make your own.
Take yellow index cards (or paint them) and coat them, gernerously, with Pertoleum Jelly.

If a bagged potting mix were properly sterilized in the production process, none of this would happen, as it would kill the eggs. Keeping your mix on the dry side helps too.

There has been a LOT of discussion on Fungus Gnats over the years here. You can search the Posts by typing in the name.

I believe there is a Forum for disease and insect control also.

Hang in there! Gita

Kawonkamish,

Thank you all very much. I didn't know what they were called. I have a few Dunks and will try what Susan_C suggested. I'll keep you all posted as to the results.


Aquene(Peace),
Moe/WautuckquesSochepo(SnowRabbit)
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if that don't work, get some neem oil it will destory over 400 types of bugs and fungus. spray every 7 days till gone.works great. try it. most big box store's have it.any questions please feel free to ask.

Alex

Thank you all.


Aquene,
Moe / WautuckquesSochepo
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