mosquito dunks and crane fly larvae

[Millipede]

i have an infestation of crane fly larvae in my large pot of pitcher plants. One by one they are dying off. I've tried manually removing them by flooding the pot and forcing them to surface but they are too numerous..

I just ordered some nematodes but then i realized they wont get to me for another week and a half (the person selling says they don't keep them on hand but orders from another place then ships to customer)

what kind of nasty little things are mosquito dunks effective against and should i use it before the nematodes arrive? (for risk of harming the nematodes)

 

[Not a Number]

No idea. Couldn't hurt to try I suppose. I'm not familiar with "fly" taxonomy:

http://filebox.vt.edu/cals/cses/chagedor/btprimer.html
Bt Formulations That Kill Mosquito, Black Fly, and Fungus Gnat Larvae.
Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) kills the larvae of certain flies and mosquitoes. The main targets for this Bt are the larval stages of mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats; it does not kill larval stages of "higher" flies such as the house fly, stable fly, or blow flies. Aedes and Psorophora are the most susceptible mosquito genera; Anopheles and Culex species require higher than normal rates of Bti. Bti products that are available commercially include Vectobac, Teknar, Bactimos, Skeetal, and Mosquito Attack. Bti is most effective for mosquito or black fly control when it is used on a community-wide basis by mosquito abatement district personnel. For most homeowners or farmers, eliminating sites that periodically serve as sources of standing water (such as tires, birdbaths and empty containers) and controlling weeds around stagnant ponds or drainage lagoons is more effective than applying Bti. Bti products are formulated for spray or granular applications. Bti formulated in corn cob granules, for example, is effective against mosquito larvae developing in tires and other artificial containers where the "Asian tiger mosquito," Aedes albopictus, develops. Bti is not very effective for the control of mosquito larvae in turbid water or waters containing high levels of organic pollutants.

 

[kulamauiman]

The active ingrediant should work. BTi works on apparently all dipterans in the suborder nemotocera. Includes Mosquitos crane flies midges etc

 

[boxofrain]

the crane fly is just the mating morph of the insect, no mouth parts present. The grub eating the plant roots is what you need to worry about.
most larvae are quite large, around 1 inch long and are grey/tan colored.

 

[Millipede]

Yep, that's what it says in the title and in the first sentence of my post...

 

[boxofrain]

the larvae are in the top couple of inches of the pot....can you remove them by hand?
For soil borne pests, I have used Pyganic 5% with excellent results.
Good luck with the elimination.

 

[DJ57]

I had a bad problem with these and last year used Bayer brand systemic insecticide with Imidacloprid in spring, summer, and fall with good results and I have only seen a couple crane flies this year caught by the sundews. This also works for aphids.

 

[Millipede]

the larvae are in the top couple of inches of the pot....can you remove them by hand?

do you even read before posting?

I've tried manually removing them by flooding the pot and forcing them to surface but they are too numerous..

anyways... i applied the nematodes about six days ago. it seems to have worked since the pitchers have stopped withering away one by one. they seem to like the flava varieties the most.. i lost three flava and my catesbaei took a major hit; loosing almost all of its pitchers. one purp pitcher withered but i think that one will be the last