Gnats!!

Why are all these gnats flying around my plants and what I can I do about them??

Do you think that it could be fruitflies flying in there? If yes, then those are harmless, but annoying. You can try placing a plate with vinegar in there or get some sticky bug rolls.

oh shit, i just got rid of the worst gnat problem i have ever seen. they swear by azmax but it didnt work for me. i ended killing all my plants and starting over. they feed off of the roots, really causing your plants bad problems.....

They could be fruit flies. I dunno. They just look like real little tiny gnats to me.

Plus pieces of yellow sticky strips on the soil. After a few sprays on the soil with the residual insecticide they will be gone altogether, nowhere to breed as the rootmass is toxic for them with this stuff. Doesn't harm plants.

What is your growing method, soil?

There are a number of threads in the Organics with good info if you try the search. I recommend sticky traps, vacuuming adults and biological controls.
Mosquito Dunks\Bacillus thuringiensis israeli of which there are liquid formulations more commonly available such as Gnatrol and others. But Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits will work, it is the some thing, they just need to be soaked in water for 12-24 hours and then you use that water to irrigate the plants and do that every 5-7 days. Keep doing it every other week at least even if you think they are going away. This is a bacterium which produces a toxin that kills fungus gnat larvae, and a few other species of insect larvae but it is quite harmless to most other organisms including humans and plants.

Nematodes and predator mites also predate on gnat eggs and larvae and these are good for soil.

That^

Yellow sticky paper and even duct tape will trap some of them. I ran out of yellow paper and stuck duct tape with the sticky side out all over my pots.

nematodes work. They get in the larva's guts and kill them dead.

Fungus gnats & larve are different from root aphids. Fungus gnats are less of a problem and more just annoying. Root ahpids are the ones to be worried about. They eat yur roots and when the soil becomes overpopulated they'll grow wings and fly to another spot. No the difference!! Mosquito dunks and gnatrol and such will NOT effect root ahpids!

Sir KK

Fungus gnat larve are little worm looking things
Root ahpids look like little white bugs that crawl around yur soil and pots etc. they'll come to the surface when yu water. Make sure yu let yur soil dry out real well to prevent them.

Sir KK (again)

Fungus gnats are a pain in the ass. They have a 30 day breeding cycle, so you have to stay after them for at least that long. I have used Gnatrol WDG and Safer sticky strips with sucess. I was swamped by them so I placed 4 sticks per pot and with the Gnatrol they are pretty much gone. They lay lots of eggs though, so once you got them it hard to wipe them completly. Fans also help to keep them away from the plant.

Fungus gnats CAN kill seedlings. Fresh cuttings in the process of rooting are also vulnerable. I've lost seeds to fungus gnats (I thought they were just a nuisance too). A couple didn't pop up after 5 or 6 days, so I did a little digging and sure enough: a putrid yellow-browning tap root and fungus gnat larvae. If they didn't kill the seed directly, they were the origin of the disease that did.

Well, seedlings and unrooted clones are pretty fragile so fungus gnats indeed can ravage them. But a full grown plant will have minimal problems with Fungus Gnats. Root ahpids WILL kill yur plants if given the time (and the dont need much time to mass produce and spread) either way, be wary of the difference. Worms vs mite lookin guys. Annoying flys vs DEATH FROM BELOW...the surface.

Sir KK

I've had gnats off and on over the years.. when I tell people how to get rid of them they gasp and say 'oh my, I would never do that'..

Whatever it is worth, this is how to kill them all in 2 days if you are so inclined.. they will never return to your soil.. it wont hurt your plant in the least (not as much as a colony of fungus gnats in your soil).. in fact some farmers put it in their water because it has shown to increase nutrient uptake..


Anyway..

Get some of the yellow sticky traps one of the cat's mentioned up above and put them right around the plants.. and next time youwater put a half cup of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent store bought) in about a gallon of water (nute like usual if needed) and water your plants..

Ya.. it is going to foam a bit.. that is what hydrogen peroxide does..

It will also really aerate your soil like nothing known to man (it will be completely dry in 1 to 2 days) and help nutrient uptake (some complain about killing off good bacteria.. bah.. it returns in hours and they do this stuff industrially on crops).

Most importantly it kills all fungus gnat larva dead instantly.. no if and or but's..

In two days you will notice your plant has new lustre to it's leaves even and will be looking ohhh soo happy to have that nasty colony of predators chomping on it's tender roots..


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That's how I get rid of them.. forever.. it's not like you have to 'do it again'.. it's a one time thing.. just make sure to hang traps to catch adults before they can go gettin it on in your soil again.


take it or leave it.. it may sound horrifying.. and the first time you do it will be a leap of faith.. after it is all over you will be 'wow, that was quick, easy and cheap, and my plants look great'.