FUNGUS GNATS! Flying all over the place.

Been away for 2 days and all of a sudden i see all these flying bugs inside my pot and plant. They look like mosquitoes, so im assuming they are fungus gnats.

i bought these.

http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/mosquito-dunks-6-dunks

and this.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/e...-p-2457.html?gclid=CP7N4__V5rYCFYhFMgodGywACQ

do you think the Essentria D will do any harm to my plants?

Also using some stickies.

SamWaterstone said:

Been away for 2 days and all of a sudden i see all these flying bugs inside my pot and plant. They look like mosquitoes, so im assuming they are fungus gnats.

i bought these.

http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/mosquito-dunks-6-dunks

and this.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/e...-p-2457.html?gclid=CP7N4__V5rYCFYhFMgodGywACQ

do you think the Essentria D will do any harm to my plants?

Also using some stickies.

Click to expand...

Both of those seem harmless enough, as for the essentria, it says it wont harm the plants on the bottle. However you did not need to buy these products to fix your infestation. I know a simple, easy method that should rid of them in a few days.
1- sprinkle a layer of sand on top of all your pots(makes it so the larvae cant reach the soil)
2- water alot less, gnats are attracted to moist environments, don't be afraid to let your plants dry out a bit.
3- use a bug bomb, what works best is the pyrethum foggers
4- add THESE near the pots, away from the foliage ; http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Shot-5580...5780&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=hot+shot+pest+trip (this thing is amazing, I use it as mite repellant but works for everything really)
5- add a 1/2 inch thick potato slice on top of the soil of all your infested pots, wait an hour and remove. Inspect the larvae, this will give you a general idea of how big the infestation is.
6- start watering less, and use hydrogen peroxide in your water, the hydrogen peroxide will kill all gnats and larvae on contact.
Stay green my friend !


ps: I have a small gnat problem now and I just realized it, used to use this method with my shrooms and old grow, worked wonders. & one more thing, the best bug defense system is this, hands down;
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Ladybugs...UTF8&qid=1366926087&sr=8-3&keywords=lady+bugs

http://www.amazon.com/Pyes-Scanmask-Million-Beneficial-Nematodes/dp/B000MRD5JO/ref=pd_sim_lg_2

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Lacewing-1000-Eggs-Exterminator/dp/B004MIT1V0/ref=pd_sim_lg_4

trust me bro, if you get all three of those, and maintain those little fellas, you will never have another pest problem again. I believe the nematodes really go to work on any type of soil pest


add non antibacterial dish soap to your water as a surfactant as well, don't forget the sand, that really shits on them.

Water less always does the trick. Also get a fork and comb 1 inch top layer of the soil daily to dry out the top of the soil quicker always does the trick and of course the stickies.

Sand is almost an instant cure by the way, the big problem with gnats is their larvae, which feed on your roots and organic matter in your soil, putting the sand on top will make it so they cant escape the soil, and the gnats flying around cant get in to hatch their little larvaes. After you have the sand in effect, its your choice how you want to rid them, using a natural little bug that will kill them, or using a synthetic chemical that kills them as well, either or choice is yours. Either use hydrogen peroxide with your waterings, which actually cleans up your water if you are using tap. OR use something like nematodes to protect your soil from further rape

Hey guys. Sorry for the late reply. long day @ work. should have posted this thread before buying those products, but i did out of anxiety to get rid of them. But it looks like it did the job. If the problem continues, i will definitely use the sand and hydrogen method.

Now all i really have to worry about are these damn Spring-tails before they get out of control. Using Roots Organics 707 as my medium. So they most likely came from this Organic Soil. However, i keep reading that they are beneficial to my soil in small amounts, but harmful in the bigger amounts.

What do you guys think of Springtails?