Root Gnats?

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
So Im transplanting my ebb n flow plants into dwc. In the Ebb n Flow the plants roots were exposed to air and may have gotten these bugs from that, not quite sure. I thought this was soil from the left over first transplant and put about 5 of these plants in their new dwc bucket home... This was the last one and I looked closely and realize they were bugs, NASTY! Anyway I have had root nat problems once before and have some left over gnatrol. Will this suffice to put in the resevoir? Or is there some other product to get that will help with these, pretty developed, monsters...

Thanks, I'm going to go take a shower now... and cut all my hair off.. eeewwwwwe

EDIT: I was thinking, since the plants are all in netpods, I could essentially take them out one by one and put them in a warm water bucket with gnatrol and soak it for a few minutes all the way up to the stem... or would that be overkill and I should just add gnatrol to the res? (I am guessing that these are root gnats and that gnatrol would work, which im not really even sure about btw)
 

Attachments

undercovergrow

Well-Known Member
yeah i'd be jumping in the shower too after seeing those! eeewwww (: hope you're not bald :wink: and patiently waiting for RIU HELP!! :cool: sorry i can't help. good luck! :peace:
 

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
Thanks for scaring the shit out of me... lol jk. Im kinda pissed I didnt see them before I put the others in their netpods... That last one I put under the spigot and rinsed it out and got all the ones I could see in the pic off... probably eggs still in there but I got a fuck of a lot of them out... maybe I'll rinse the others out oven though they are in larger net pods... then also add gnatrol to the res...

just wondering if someone can tell me if these are in fact root gnats(these dot have wings) and that gnatrol is what will work
 
Last edited:

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
Wasn't sure if this would work with my phone but surprise it kinda did... I don't think these are ticks which was my main concern I was just starting to trip out about... but maybe this will help someone know what these are?

At first I was even more grossed out to see this guy up close... then I started to get used to it and then I named him Frank... I kinda felt bad when I killed him, and now Frank is dead, sadly... too bad I don't own a root gnat farm or else we could have been friends
 

Attachments

King Arthur

Well-Known Member
Those bugs feel like they are impossible to get rid of, I have been battling them for over 6 months. I think they are gone so I stop spraying the captain jacks but then they come back because I stopped.

I suggest hitting them hard and continuing to hit them for at least a month.
 

TWS

Well-Known Member
They are root aphids.

Dup your rez and add safe PPMs of Bayer tree and shrub or you will never get rid of them.

You can listen to all the organic BS you want to but if you want to get rid of them do so.
 

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
I saw bugs in my last grow that were actual winged aphids that were living inside the hydroton instead of being on the leaves... I got this gnatrol and it took care of them... although im not sure if they were different because these ones dont have wings and arent running around the hydroton but stuck to the roots... So I kinda believe you guys that they might be harder to get rid of because the aphids I had before may have just been feeding on the hydroton and laying eggs there rather than being acuall root aphyds... ? Anyway I'll rinse the rest of them out and ask the guys at the hydro store if they have Bayer Tree and Shrub or what they would recommend..

Thanks for confirming they are root aphids... those little fuckers
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TWS

TWS

Well-Known Member
Root aphids will get wings and fly once they have infested everything and need another host. Fungus Gnats are gnats and lay eggs or larve in your medium and killable with gnatrol . Get this, Root aphids are A sexual and the adult has a new aphid inside of it with that one all so has a new one inside of it too. Fungus gnats are lazy flyers and easy to smack in flight but root aphids will dodge you and hide in your medium when they see you. Root aphids all so flicker there wings on top of the soil.
I have delt with them on a few occasions. Haven't seen any for a few rounds til I brought home some tainted Orchid potting mix to transplant the wifes indoor Orchids. Friking soil. I hate it.. Hydro really cut down on the problem but I brought them back in with bad potting mix. The two large home improvement stores soils are infested with them. You can see them flying around when you walk down the Isles. Probably their plants two. I can see these fuckers flying from 10 feet away. leave the screen door open for the dog and it only takes one. Once you know what they look or act like you will see them out in the yard or at the HW stores.
Don't let the hydro store take you for a bunch of money. Go to wallmart or the hardware store and get the blue bottle of tree&shrub

I have spent hours on days researching this and just gave it to you in a couple of paragraphs and 2 minutes.








http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Winged+Root+Aphids&FORM=IRMHRS#a
 
Last edited:

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
Nice man thanks! I'll check out wallmart tomorrow. Your exactly right too I completely forgot and was confusing them... fungus gnats are exactly what I had before, exactly word for word... they were easily killed with gnatrol and could kill them right in the air(lazy flyers) and would hide in the medium when I tried to kill them...These gnats will do quick little circle movements in the air and can't kill them as they fly as easily

These fuckers, root aphids, seem to be on the roots and have laid eggs on the top of the rockwool but im sure they are inside the hydroton as well.. I guess I thought the ones flying around were regular gnats but as you said, those are probably the ones that grew wings... They are actually everywhere in my grow room although most have died around all the room lights and grow lights in the room, I don't think I saw the fungus gnats die around the lights as much as these little fuckers...

I actually brought a bunch of clones in to a guys house I was staying with and he was a very dirty dude who grew also. his grow room had gnats all over and some type of small looking beatles as well... I figured I would get gnats from his house but didn't realize I would get root aphids... I made a custom ebb n flow setup and the roots were pretty much exposed so that kinda explains it... I told my friend to get rid of the gnats but he was like "O those aren't the ones you really gotta worry about.." Less to say his house was something out of horders... for me at least I have my own place and a bunch of really nice strains I kept alive so its pretty much just a bit of damage control at this point... I've heard about getting bugs from soil before and he was bringing in lots of soil for his grew and like I said he was one of the dirtiest people I ever met and didn't give a fk about the bugs in his room....

He was wondering why his plants werent doing that well and I was like well, you could manage your bug infestation and he was like ehhh, naw, I think im overfeeding them or something.. he didn't know anything about growing and wanted my help but when I said he should clean his insanely dirty house / grow room he was like, eh, thats not it... I just laughed inside my head but was polite and said, maybe your right, so I could stay for the month until I found my own place, less to say it was a strange experience

heres the custom setup I made to keep my shit alive temporarily until I moved to my new place to make a dwc system...
 

Attachments

Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TWS

TWS

Well-Known Member
I like your Temp ebb n flow. Might use the idea. thanks.

NO eggs needed with these little bastards. Here's a pic of one shitting out a live young that all ready has another one in it.

 

dbkick

Well-Known Member
They are root aphids.

Dup your rez and add safe PPMs of Bayer tree and shrub or you will never get rid of them.

You can listen to all the organic BS you want to but if you want to get rid of them do so.
How do you determine a safe level of a toxic systemic that apparently is in the system for 12 months?
 

TWS

Well-Known Member
do you know of another way sir that is not a band aid ? And by safe I meant do not reference the instructions as a root drench in a rez. I know what the label says have you read about the chemical it's self ?
 

dbkick

Well-Known Member
do you know of another way sir that is not a band aid ? And by safe I meant do not reference the instructions as a root drench in a rez. I know what the label says have you read about the chemical it's self ?
I do make it a point to read about things I WOULD use but for ornamental use only usaully is enough for me.
 

tyepoe

Well-Known Member
Thanks for pointing that out. I got the Bayer 12 month tree and shrub and the complete insect killer. Figured the 12 month tree and shrub may be too systemic so try the complete insect killer?

I didn't realize it was Systemic and 12 month means its crazy powerful... not sure what that means I would be inhaling at the end.

Surprised there aren't more remedies for this, the guy at the hydro store said he's got lots of general stuff but nothing specific for root aphids.

I figure I'll rinse them all out in the bathtub and take another day tomorrow to call around all the hydro shops for more remedies and if I can't come up with anything the Bayer will be the last resort
 

dbkick

Well-Known Member
Id do pyganic before bayer. Pyganic isnt cheap nor easy on roots but it would certainly kill them and is safe for mammals and not sytemic. Frankly though if you keep your roots healthy you more than likely wont have a bug problem. Another product for that would be flying skull z7.
 

dbkick

Well-Known Member
Or a preventative like sierra products (I forget the number but I think its 217. Its nothing more than rosemary oil that makes your rootzone not a pleasant place for bugs.
 

adower

Well-Known Member
Get your scope out if you have one. They look like root aphid. When you scope them it will look like they have two exhaust pipes comj ng out of their rear. They will tear your plants up fast.
 
Top