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How do I get rid of fungus gnats?

MasterGrower

not really...
Hello fellow TF'ers

A few weeks ago I noticed a fungus gnat larvae on my ping, but I ignored it as I thought the moranensis would take care of it. I recently moved it in to my grow chamber (dews, sarr sprouts, neps) and now there's a whole bunch of them flying around in there. They haven't been affecting the larger plants but I'm worried about my sarr sprouts and P. Moranensis which isn't doing good (maybe it's because of the fungus gnats?) I have had a very dewy Adelae in there but that hasn't been any help, I guess they're not attracted it :( . Any advice for getting rid of these?

Thanks,
MG
 
Weird...I had an outbreak in a batch of potting soil and got rid of it using.....you guessed it, pings and dews. :-))
 
PINGS AND DEWS 4 LYFE! :lol:

maybe position your adelae much closer to the infestation site.
 
Yeah my dews and pings take care of most of my fungus gnats. Also fungus gnats are hard to get rid of since most soils have their eggs in them (peat, LFS). Not a huge worry and they should be mostly harmless to your plants.
 
Gnatrol

Fungus gnats are nasty buggers and can directly kill young seedlings of many plants and adult plants of small tender plants such as Pings and Drosera. They also cause significant stress to plants by eating root hairs and tender root tips which can also lead to fungal pathogen entry through the damaged plant tissue.
 
Aloha Tony
I had wondered about that formulation of BT and if it had any adverse affects to CPs. Thanks. Now I know. I was wondering if it also killed mosquito larvae as this particular strain of BT will apparently affect other dipteran larvae in the suborder nemotocera (chironomid midges, mosquitoes etc). Could be something could just add to the CP trays for mosquito control.....
 
Aloha Tony
I had wondered about that formulation of BT and if it had any adverse affects to CPs. Thanks. Now I know. I was wondering if it also killed mosquito larvae as this particular strain of BT will apparently affect other dipteran larvae in the suborder nemotocera (chironomid midges, mosquitoes etc). Could be something could just add to the CP trays for mosquito control.....

I have not seen any adverse problems. I mix it up with water and drench everything. I have applied to all sorts of cps including the tuberous dews, heliamphora etc, leaves and all. Not sure on the mosquito question. I have not researched it to see if it is the same strain used in those mosquito dunks and what not.. could be. Or if it would be effective even if it's a slightly different Bt strain.
 
i had the exact same problem i went and bought some Bayer Advanced Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer that works perfectly does'nt harm the CP'S or anything just spray on the plant or the soil or both just not to much and don't spray it on sundew leaves it can kill them it's what i do and also keeps more than kill fungus knats and fungus knat larvae it works for me. It also is WATERPROOF IN 1 HOUR and it is in affect for up to 30 days so you should go to a local department store or something and GET SOME!
 
Aloha Tony,
will run some tests on the mosquito larvae when I get home. figure treat for fungus gnats and side benefit no mosquitoes either
 
  • #10
Where do you get your gnatrol? I haven't seen it sold in anything less than a 5 gallon bucket.

Gnatrol

Fungus gnats are nasty buggers and can directly kill young seedlings of many plants and adult plants of small tender plants such as Pings and Drosera. They also cause significant stress to plants by eating root hairs and tender root tips which can also lead to fungal pathogen entry through the damaged plant tissue.
 
  • #11
Bti is recommended as a specific for fungus gnat control. You can buy it in granular form off the shelf by Bayer Advanced as "Mosquito Killer" (may no longer be available). You can also buy Mosquito Dunks. I just break off a chunk of a Mosquito Dunk and put in in a water container at least overnight and top water my plants with it. You can also just put a small chunk in you water tray.

Hasn't harmed any of my plants yet. Do not use with Utricularia as the larvae are a good food source.
 
  • #13
I have never purchased from this place but they do seem to have a variety of smaller sizes. It's just the first one I was able to fine on a quick search. Maybe it will help you guys find more places with better prices or something... http://www.davessaguarocactus.com/servlet/Categories

Andrew
 
  • #15
Has anyone ever tried diatomaceous earth on CPs? It kills bugs quick. Looks like dust but under a microscope it looks like sharp pieces of broken glass. Cuts through bugs exoskeleton and dries them out. I know some people use silica sand as a soil additive and DE is 80-90% silica. It's made from algae fossils.
 
  • #16
From what I have read, "The active ingredient in Gnatrol is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti)." That is the very same strain of Bt that is used to control mosquito larva.

I also understand that the product called Gnatrol has been discontinued by the manufacturer. However, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is still available in other products and should be just as effective if it can be delivered effectively to where the larva are feeding.

Here's the website link to a product that looks promising -- Bti.
 
  • #17
Pings take care of fungus gnats rlly well.
What also rlly helps is lowering soil wetness.
If i let stuff become a bit drier between waterings the gnats will eventually disappear.
Only try that if your plants can handle it though :p
 
  • #18
One recommended method of control is the let the top few inches of the medium dry out completely between watering. This is not practical with most carnivorous plants that require constantly moist medium.

Another effective method is to mulch the surface with about a 1/2 inch (1 cm) of sand. This prevents the adult gnats from finding or reaching the layers of organic matter that the larvae need to survive in. This works best if the mulch is in place before any infestations begin. Again this may not be practical with some species.
 
  • #19
Thanks, NaN, I'll try that on the remaining CP's. Sadly, the P. Moranensis has died. The crown turned brown and mushy, so I lifted it up and there was a HUGE "colony" of fungus gnat larvae crawling around in there. I removed the pot and threw it away. I think they were all living in that pot because it was the only one with peat in it (all the others are LFS) so hopefully that will end the infestation.
 
  • #20
Well, after taking out the moranensis, the gnat infestation has worsened a lot. There are now a lot more of them flying around in there. I tried letting the soil get as dry it can get without the harming the plants, but that didn't seem to help. My bicalcarata is failing (not growing and old leaves turning brown) so I am willing to try anything drastic. I spent all my allowance on buying dog supplies for my new puppy, so I can't buy any chemicals or sprays. I was thinking if I submerged all of the plants in a few gallons of distilled water for a day or two that might be able to kill the larvae? Most of my plants are in LFS so I don't think the soil would be problem. Right now, I have a P. Primuliflora, D. Spatulata, N. Ventricosa, N. Distillatoria, N. Ampullaria, N. Bicalcarata (which I'm really worried about :( ) , D. Adelae, and several Sarracenia sprouts in the infested terrarium, but I have temporarily moved them to a different tank. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. THanks
 
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