everyone, what the hell are these?
they aren’t killing my plants/vegetables but they are so annoying. god damn
western australia
outside on my balcony
when it’s hot i water everyday
when it’s a cool or rainy day ill water every 2/3
they get some sun in the mornings but mainly it’s indirect sunlight throughout the day
by thom_r
12 Comments
Idk if it will fix your problem, it can likely alleviate it. But probably try Bonide Systemic pest control Granules. Saved my house from a fungus gnat infestation. Might help deter your pest problem.
These are adult fungus gnats. They are pretty tough to eradicate without killing the larvae in the soil of your plants first.
I use tanlin drops, [here’s](https://www.reddit.com/r/plantclinic/s/6KknI0qmNo) a link to a comment I made about what I do to get rid of them.
Some people swear by mosquito bits/dunks/tea (idk what that is but apparently it works too). Others like using diatomaceous earth, or nematodes.
Good luck. It’ll take a few weeks to get on top of it once you have the right process in place.
They won’t hurt your plant…..They are beneficial
In aerating soil etc but are a nuisance…..
Oh thankyou for that……great info…..
Oh thankyou for that……great info…..
Has anyone had an infestation so bad (in new infected potting soil), that the surface is teeming with larvae and they even clump together in disgusting floppy masses? *asking for a friend* 😖
Grantrol
2-3 inches of plain normal sand on top will kill them since the larvae can’t survive in sand.
Mosquito Bits and Nylon Bags (Usually for fish tanks and available on amazon for like 5-10 bucks for a pack)
Mosquito bits are inoculated with BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis). BTI is naturally occurring in soil in some amount and produces a toxin that kills specifically fungal gnat and mosquito larva. BTI is 100% safe and non-toxic to vertebrates and is safe to use with food producing plants, fish, pets, humans, and organic farming.
1. Put about a quarter cup of bits per half gallon of water in the nylon bag and tie it off. You don’t want to be dumping the corn bits into your pots, you just want the bacteria that’s inoculated on them.
2. Drop the bag into your watering vessel using lukewarm water for 20-30 min before watering, excessively hot water will kill the BTI, but I find a little warmth helps the bacteria get moving.
3. Stir/agitate the jug as you’ll see most of the stuff that was on the corn has settled on the bottom of the jug.
4. Water as normal.
5. Do this every time you water for 3-4 weeks and you should solve your gnat problem 100% as that’s the approximate full life cycle for gnats meaning you will have killed all of them at all stages egg-larva-adult.
I had a terrible gnat problem and this fixed it. You just have to be patient, and trust the process. Continuing to use the yellow sticky traps is also good to reduce the amount of adult gnats that are laying more eggs.
I’d recommend the 30oz bag of bits and the 3×4″ nylon aquarium bags.
I had them in a terrarium, I contacted the seller and he suggested that I sprinkle biokill, but it should not be used outside where there are drains..
I used the sticky traps which caught plenty, but didn’t seem to stop more appearing. Have put a layer of sand on all the pots and it’s quickly made a big difference. I have bought some dunks to further kill the buggers but as yet havnt used it.
I just ordered a carnivorous plant off Etsy. It’s war.