Cheap, effective control of fungus gnats

HeartlandHank

HeartlandHank

Well-Known Member
15 oz Tanglefoot Pest Barrier - $10
Yellow construction paper 500 sheets - $12

46750 sq in - $22
46000 sq in of premade traps - $897
(http://www.amazon.com/100ea-Yellow-Sticky-Aphids-Fungus/dp/B005F5KZDW)

Using a putty knife, spread a thin layer of Tanglefoot Pest Barrier over cheap yellow colored paper. Cover the whole surface. Place the paper in your grow area, roughly in the area of the root zone.

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Within ten minutes we have our first catch. As they get dirty/full, replace.

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Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
I find diluted flea shampoo works. Another neat trick is potatoe slices in your pots near the stems, the larva will be more attracted to the potatoes then your plants and they will crawl inside it for easy disposal, change twice a day.
 
HeartlandHank

HeartlandHank

Well-Known Member
Adjorr said:
I find diluted flea shampoo works. Another neat trick is potatoe slices in your pots near the stems, the larva will be more attracted to the potatoes then your plants and they will crawl inside it for easy disposal, change twice a day.
Click to expand...
When I do the potato tricks it takes a few days until they really get on the potato.

I like the potato thing too. I pull that out if they start to get out of hand.

Some people say you can control by not watering as much. I don't know. In coco, I never seem to get rid of them completely.
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
not for me, when I was doing it id put a slice down and come back a few hours later with my loupe, and the thing would be crawling with em. I have them gone now, and hopefully the little buggers never come back, there bloody persistant
 
chemtrailsrbad

chemtrailsrbad

Well-Known Member
the op posts a good method for getting rid of adults. and the potato is a good method for determining the severity of larvae in soil but to get rid of them is another matter.

you want FOOD GRADE hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), not the drug store stuff that i stupidly used before reading enough about it.

the drug store stuff has additives in it that are toxic to humans, they are carcinogenic but will not kill the plants. i did use some of it as it was all i could get and the plants are still in there infancy so i am hoping the bad chemicals will have been long flushed out come harvest time.

but pure food grade h2o2 that is diluted to the correct concentration works wonders for killing gnat larvae in soil. i used 6% solution and mixed it 1 part h2o2 to 8 parts water ( original instructions said they used 3% solution with a 1 part h2o2 to 4 parts water)

but before applying the solution you should let your plants soil dry for a day or 2 so its completely dry. then coat the top of the soil with a spray bottle and make sure you get it soaked a good few inches down and on contact the larvae will die instantly.

h2o2 WILL also kill any beneficial bacteria if you are using organics BUT they will quickly reintroduce themselves as you are not killing from top to bottom in the soil as the larvae lives in the top few inches of soil

i have also been informed if you use biobizz nutrients that the nutrient solution will also reintroduce beneficial bacteria lost during the treatment

AND the plants also love the h2o2 as it is just water and oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule that is unstable. as it makes contact with organic material it oxidises which kills any living organisms.

my plants were dying before I treated and now they have bounced back and actually started smelling like they should!

dont just take my word for it though, do some research on the h2o2 and gnat larvae
 
HeartlandHank

HeartlandHank

Well-Known Member
Adjorr said:
not for me, when I was doing it id put a slice down and come back a few hours later with my loupe, and the thing would be crawling with em. I have them gone now, and hopefully the little buggers never come back, there bloody persistant
Click to expand...
Maybe I wasn't looking close enough... haha. Good to know. Thanks.

Yep, persistant. I think as long as I am in coco I will have them coming back. I try to clear them out every now and then. But they always come back.
 
HeartlandHank

HeartlandHank

Well-Known Member
chemtrailsrbad said:
the op posts a good method for getting rid of adults. and the potato is a good method for determining the severity of larvae in soil but to get rid of them is another matter.

you want FOOD GRADE hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), not the drug store stuff that i stupidly used before reading enough about it.

the drug store stuff has additives in it that are toxic to humans, they are carcinogenic but will not kill the plants. i did use some of it as it was all i could get and the plants are still in there infancy so i am hoping the bad chemicals will have been long flushed out come harvest time.

but pure food grade h2o2 that is diluted to the correct concentration works wonders for killing gnat larvae in soil. i used 6% solution and mixed it 1 part h2o2 to 8 parts water ( original instructions said they used 3% solution with a 1 part h2o2 to 4 parts water)

but before applying the solution you should let your plants soil dry for a day or 2 so its completely dry. then coat the top of the soil with a spray bottle and make sure you get it soaked a good few inches down and on contact the larvae will die instantly.

h2o2 WILL also kill any beneficial bacteria if you are using organics BUT they will quickly reintroduce themselves as you are not killing from top to bottom in the soil as the larvae lives in the top few inches of soil

i have also been informed if you use biobizz nutrients that the nutrient solution will also reintroduce beneficial bacteria lost during the treatment

AND the plants also love the h2o2 as it is just water and oxygen with an extra oxygen molecule that is unstable. as it makes contact with organic material it oxidises which kills any living organisms.

my plants were dying before I treated and now they have bounced back and actually started smelling like they should!

dont just take my word for it though, do some research on the h2o2 and gnat larvae
Click to expand...
I have a friend using bleach for the same purpose. At some point I think I will try it.
I know it is a practice some greenhouses use.
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
chemtrailsrbad said:
the op posts a good method for getting rid of adults. and the potato is a good method for determining the severity of larvae in soil but to get rid of them is another matter.
Click to expand...
yeah its worth noting that the potatoes were indeed just for controlling soil larva and keeping them away from the roots of my plants. Stronger methods were needed to get rid of them completely
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
If you're doing straight soil- no bottles, consider starting the soil or amending the soil with some of these beauties. Many of us have zero pests at all. Windows open, but nothing.

Here's my arsenal for pests:

#1 Vermicompost. Fresh stuff will help protect both the soil and leaves.

#2 Neem Meal- Also good nutritionally when it decomposes, this is a great pest suppressant, especially in its whole form.

#3 BTI dunks Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis bacteria. Mosquito dunks. Any hardware store has mosquito dunks. These feed on larvae.

#4 Nematodes- These will travel around in search of larvae to infect and explode.

#5 Crab Shell- The shell contains chitin. This attracts bacteria that eat chitin, and these bacteria multiply like crazy. Larvae have jawbones made of chitin. Bacteria then eat the jawbones. Shell releases a lot of great minerals and Calcium also.
 
chemtrailsrbad

chemtrailsrbad

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
If you're doing straight soil- no bottles, consider starting the soil or amending the soil with some of these beauties. Many of us have zero pests at all. Windows open, but nothing.

Here's my arsenal for pests:

#1 Vermicompost. Fresh stuff will help protect both the soil and leaves.

#2 Neem Meal- Also good nutritionally when it decomposes, this is a great pest suppressant, especially in its whole form.

#3 BTI dunks Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis bacteria. Mosquito dunks. Any hardware store has mosquito dunks. These feed on larvae.

#4 Nematodes- These will travel around in search of larvae to infect and explode.

#5 Crab Shell- The shell contains chitin. This attracts bacteria that eat chitin, and these bacteria multiply like crazy. Larvae have jawbones made of chitin. Bacteria then eat the jawbones. Shell releases a lot of great minerals and Calcium also.
Click to expand...
Nice post, something to read up on. Just wandering where to source down some of that when I live in a country that doesn't have a mosquito problem... I'm sure a search will point me in the right direction. Great info though :)
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
#1 Vermicompost. Fresh stuff will help protect both the soil and leaves.

#2 Neem Meal- Also good nutritionally when it decomposes, this is a great pest suppressant, especially in its whole form. http://www.neemresource.com

#3 BTI dunks Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis bacteria. Mosquito dunks. Any hardware store has mosquito dunks. These feed on larvae. http://www.thatpetplace.com/mosquito-bits-larvicide-36oz?gdftrk=gdfV2226_a_7c268_a_7c6967_a_7c196070&ne_ppc_id=1463&ne_key_id=26452429&gclid=CLTRrJ_2gLkCFYxcMgodrQsA8A

#4 Nematodes- These will travel around in search of larvae to infect and explode. http://www.naturescontrol.com/thrip.html#pn

#5 Crab Shell- The shell contains chitin. This attracts bacteria that eat chitin, and these bacteria multiply like crazy. Larvae have jawbones made of chitin. Bacteria then eat the jawbones. Shell releases a lot of great minerals and Calcium also. www.OrganicGrowers.com
 
ProfessorPotSnob

ProfessorPotSnob

New Member
I make my own sticky traps exactly the same , Tangle foot is made in Michigan and it rocks . I also keep the common Soil mite known as Hypoaspis Miles .. They are what keeps my house from being filled with gnats and thrip larvae have no chance either if in the soil or media as I use the Hypoaspis even in my coco to my advantage using synthetics .. They are just as prolific then as they are in my Organic soils.
 
ProfessorPotSnob

ProfessorPotSnob

New Member
Hypoaspis miles is a small (0.5 mm) light brown mite that lives in the top ½ in layer of soil. As a natural predator of fungus gnat pupae and snail parasite Riccardoella aspersa it is used by gardeners for biological pest control.
Hypoaspis miles and the similar species, H. aculiefer are soil-dwelling, predatory mites. Hypoaspis mites feed on fungus gnats, springtails, thrips pupae, and other small insects in the soil. The mite is 0.5 mm (1/50 inch) long and light-brown in color. It inhabits the top 1/2 inch layer of soil. Females lay eggs in the soil which hatch into nymphs in 1 to 2 days. Nymphs develop into adults in 5 to 6 days. The lifecycle takes approximately 7 to 11 days. Both nymphs and adults feed on soil-inhabiting pests, consuming up to 5 prey per day. They may survive by feeding on algae and/or plant debris when insects aren't available. Both males and females are present, but males are smaller and rarely seen.
Hypoaspis is well adapted to moist conditions in greenhouses in a variety of growing media, but does not tolerate standing water. Hypoaspis is currently used in greenhouses for control of fungus gnats. It feeds on fungus gnat eggs and small larvae and is most effective when applied before fungus gnat populations become established or when populations are low. It has been successfully used in bedding plant production, potted plants, and poinsettia stock plants. Hypoaspsis will also attack thrips pupae in the soil, but cannot be relied on alone for thrips control in a commercial greenhouse. It may, however, enhance biological control when used in conjunction with predators feeding on thrips on the foliage. In small-scale experiments this mite reduced emergence of adult thrips to about 30% of that in controls.
 
VTMi'kmaq

VTMi'kmaq

Well-Known Member
Took both recipe's and many thanks to you kind sirs, Now any advice on how to avoid west nile virus from these damn skeeters up here? Oh and I cant just NOT go out or go fishing! Like 20 cases of west nile already here this year in these damn skeeters kinda scary.
 
Dboi87

Dboi87

Well-Known Member
I had to bring a plant inside and it was infested with fungus gnats. they just wouldn't go away... Then I noticed i had these tiny little spiders too! At first i was pissed... Then i realized that the spiders were fucking them damn gnats up. Like a Gnat buffet on my plants.

Now the spiders and i are best friends.

Cost: free ninety nine
 
hmontero88

hmontero88

Member
A Natural Pesticide for fungus nats I saw somewhere was Ground Cinnamon, I had a few dozens of them bastards flying around so I gave it a try then I sprinkled some on top of the soil and I have not seen much since then, they were not able to feed so it killed about all of them, I also A\added few pieces of mosquito dunks to kill the larvae inside the soil and some yellow sticky papers that worked great too but the cinnamon worked miracles for the price. This is a way to at least reduce their numbers by 90% right off the bat.
 
legallyflying

legallyflying

Well-Known Member
I found out that blue painters tape works even better than the yellow traps... and it won't get all over your fucking clothes, your buds, the hair on your arms, for whatever the reason I am a sticky trap magnet.

I use coco in my hydro mix so always have to deal with gnat issues. I have tried every single thing out there. Name..I have tried it. Sticky traps, neem, BT, other type of bacilus, bug bombs, and DE.

I have settled on two things to control gnats.


1. If you have gnats already.. drench your soil with an insectacide that has Imodiclorpid in it. Bayer has a lawn insect control product with this as the main product. Done. Dead. End of story. Will not kill flying adults but will kill all larvae. I did not see any effects on the plants. Has a 6 week residual effect.

2. If you don't have gnats, and you don't want them.. top dress with gnatnix. Pretty damn cheap and doesn't get all wet and turn into cake like DE.
 
Adjorr

Adjorr

Well-Known Member
Diatomaecous earth has worked for me, ive tried tons of different methods but after covering my soil with diatomeascous earth I finally stopped seeing gnats after about a week. It keeps them from laying eggs in the soil and it kills larva as they crawl around in it
 
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