These damn GNATS!! Sand Method?? I THINK SO!

[kostonn760]

So, I've been noticing TINY black flies hangin' out in my grow box. The little shits are having a GREAT 'OL TIME, dining on my organic soil, and getting high as a fly off my newly flowering girls

I read up about what these buggers are and found out I have Fungus Gnats... Granted, not as bad as say, spider fuck mites, but still just as annoying. When I'm down in the dirt, inspecting my plants, going through the leaves and admiring the newly hair filled nodes, my bud sex dream screeches to a halt after getting SMACKED RIGHT IN MY EYE by a 'effing GNAT FUCK. Yes, their new name is Gnat Fuck, hastily changed from 'fungus gnat' after a few short encounters.

Today, my friends, is G-Day... I tried hunting down what adults I could by shaking my plant and literally Wolverine style hand swiping the Gnat Fucks until neutralized under my palm. I started taking my light down every few days and getting them off. Best part about this was they were all dead after sitting on the fluoro tube, possibly dying from the heat... Interesting...

I bought some Fly Catcher Ribbons (I'm a cheap-ass and it seemed the same as the fancy pants brand name), and hang these up when the lights go on.
I'm also going to spread coarse sand over the top of the soil, how is that going to impact the oxygen intake from the soil? Also, I have big holes at the bottom on my pots for drainages, couldn't the Gnat Fucks get in there too?
After spreading sand, am I supposed to water it just as is? Or do I remove the sand after the little shits have been kicked in the gnat? Does anyone have experience using a water mix solution bug-killer, or H2o2? I unfortunately only have access to 3% or w.e it is.

By the way, I do have good ventilation and a oscillating fan. As of now there's only 8-10 adult Gnat Fucks flying around when I open the box up everyday, and I've searched under the soil for baby larvae and haven't found any, although I've read they are too small to see without a microscope of some sort.

ANYONE'S INPUT IS WELCOME!!!

 

[kostonn760]

Wow, sorry for the long post.

 

[kostonn760]

Ok so, there's a lot more today when I stirred everything up than yesterday. I also took the pots off the drainage bowls and the GNAT FUCKS were crawling out of the drainage holes!!!!!! How the hell am I supposed to get them outta there??!?!!

 

[hams]

I recommend mosquito dunks. You should be able to get them at your local big box hardware store. Just make sure you look at the ingredients and get the kind with BT v. I (Bacillus Thurigiensis v. Israelensis). Crush up one of them next time you water, the gnats will be gone in around 10 days because it disrupts their life cycle.

In the meantime, take a glass and fill it a quarter of the way up with a mix of half water and half apple cider vinegar and add one drop of dishsoap. It will work even better if you put a funnel on top, but it's not necessary. Within a day you should have a nice little collection of them at the bottom of the cup

good luck!

 

[kostonn760]

I recommend mosquito dunks. You should be able to get them at your local big box hardware store. Just make sure you look at the ingredients and get the kind with BT v. I (Bacillus Thurigiensis v. Israelensis). Crush up one of them next time you water, the gnats will be gone in around 10 days because it disrupts their life cycle.

In the meantime, take a glass and fill it a quarter of the way up with a mix of half water and half apple cider vinegar and add one drop of dishsoap. It will work even better if you put a funnel on top, but it's not necessary. Within a day you should have a nice little collection of them at the bottom of the cup

good luck!

I put the cup of apple cider vinegar in there and went to my local playground, got some silica and poured boiling water over it to disinfect. I spread over my top soil and by my drainage holes, at least until my next water then I'll have to replace the soil if there's this gnats.

Thanks Hams!