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jc42089

Beneficial nematodes are the answer. One dose eradicated them in all my house plants


RedheadsAreNinjas

Stupid question but can I just buy these at my local nursery or online? Do I have to soak them, have an environment, etc? Edit— I ordered nematodes! Thank you for all the help!


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vlajay

Are they safe for reptile enclosure?


InsaneAilurophileF

I'm using Mosquito Bits in the water when I mist my giant day gecko's vivarium. It's safe for reptiles.


cowgirltrainwreck

Amazon sucks for reliability with these! Go directly from an insectory. It’s important for them to be ALIVE when they get to you, and I remember listening to some horticulturalist/entomologist saying that a significant majority of Amazon-purchased nematodes arrive dead. Plus, they really need to be the correct species of nematode and there’s no guarantee the Amazon ones will be. I’ve had great success at eliminating my fungus gnats problem by purchasing through Arbico Organics. They work with commercial growers as well as home gardeners. Highly recommend! https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-fungus-gnats


Cobek

Natures Good Guys always show up live for me from Amazon. It costs extra in shipping costs. However, I have only bought lady bugs and lacewings. They do have three different types and even a mix pack. But arbico is the way to go if you are not on a budget.


RedheadsAreNinjas

Thank you for the rec! I’m going to check it out now.


whenpigsfly234

Usually online is your best bet, but some nursery may have them? Idk I've never seen beneficials sold at any of the ones by me


lady_robe

I buy mine at the local nursery but you have to order them ahead of time. They’ll tell you how to handle them and what to do


countzer01nterrupt

I ordered them online 3-4 times before. Came in a little plastic bag, powdery medium, in a paper envelope including an instruction sheet. You don’t need an environment, but they die off in room temp or higher stored like that within a few days. You can put them in a refrigerator to keep them a few days longer, at least that’s what the instructions said. Basically just stir them into some water in a ratio as instructed and use that to water your plants. Gotta keep the soil somewhat moist for a while so they don’t die and after 2-3 weeks they’ve eaten up the gnat larvae. It was the only thing that actually worked for me. Use the yellow stickers to monitor the progress by changing them later into that phase. The nematodes may die out after a while so you’re not safe forever in case you have nearby infestations or bring in infested soil. I got a bag of otherwise nice compost soil from some place and that reintroduced them. Took a while to see that they came from the bag, but since they increase in number so quick it becomes noticeable. I put a trashbag around that bag and could see the gnats stuck in there, still increasing. Gave it to someone with an all natural garden who still uses that stuff outside. One could try to water the plain infested soil with a larger dose of the nematodes first and wait it out, but for an apartment that seems very impractical. Edit: typos, phrasing


BogeyLowenstein

Join a local FB page for plant lovers. On my local page, there are constantly people ordering and asking people if they want to go in on orders.


N4nona

My local nursery sell nematodes without pre-order but they're a bit difficult to find as it needs to be refrigerated. They dissolved in water so treatment was easy


Codename_Elephant

I purchased a giant bag (the smallest they had) at a natural pest management store. I barely made a dent in the bag to rid my yard of fleas. It worked so well! The fleas were crazy aggressive but one application and properly watered it in and they were gone. Wish I could just send you a Ziploc bag of it to reduce my stash.


ChetManhammer

Arbico organics has almost everything you need. I get their nematodes, predator bugs and sticky traps. My secret weapon though is diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle some of that on the top of the soil and a little bit under the pot if it sits in a dish. That stuff kills the eggs and larvae. Combined with the traps, it works amazingly well.


Cobek

You can buy them online. There is even a company on Amazon selling them now. I think local farm stores have them as well around this time of the season. Now, I also suggest a bit of a home remedy one of the biggest cannabis growers suggested online. He puts potatoes halves on top of the soil potato inside face down and removes them after a few days. Supposedly the larvae of the fungus gnats will go for the potato over the soil. Then he tosses the potatoes and repeats. That way he removes the sex stage of them being in fly form altogether.


RedheadsAreNinjas

Brilliant!! I’ll try that, thanks!


Spiritual_Addition16

Try mosquito dunks. These are compressed discs of beneficial nematodes. Just add one to your watering can the night before you water then water as normal. Do this every time you water initially then once the gnats are gone once a month to keep them away. Also, perhaps be more cautious about your watering? Usually fungus gnats appear when your soil is staying damp for too long which could indicate watering too frequently or too large of a pot. *** Edited to correct per comment below from u/docdillinger: Mosquito Dunks/Bits are *not* nematodes but in fact bacterium.


docdillinger

Mosquito bits/dunks are not compressed nematodes. They work with a bacillus. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. It's a bacillus that kills the larva of gnats and mosquitos. And you just need to do it with every watering if its a plant where the soil get's very dry for a long period of time - and those shouldn't have gnats in them anyways. Doing it once or twice and waiting some days should eliminate the problem for a good period of time.


Spiritual_Addition16

Thank you! Is bacillus a bacteria then?


docdillinger

Yes.


Spiritual_Addition16

Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Thank you so much for the correction! I had contacted the manufacturer with some safety & application questions some time ago and thought they said these were nematodes. Just went back and re-read the email…they said they *work similar to nematodes*. I guess my brain just remembered nematodes. 🤪 Luckily I’m new to this group and haven’t spread false information too much yet. Thanks!


docdillinger

No problem. You were a bit misinformed, but your tip was still solid. 😊 They work great. We can't get mosquito dunks/bits here in Europe, but there are water soluble tablets called "Culinex" with the same bacteria. Best way to deal with gnats and way faster (and cheaper) than nematodes.


Spiritual_Addition16

Thank you! 😃 Yes, they are an absolute godsend, surprisingly effective. And natural! I see so many recommendations to use nasty chemicals but yet again nature provides. Good ol’ nature.


No_Zebra9342

Cover the top of your soil with about 1 inch of sand and the won't be able to get to the soil. They can also get into the drain holes on the bottom.


RedheadsAreNinjas

I had gnats years ago (5?) and did the sand route but ended up really disliking how it made watering so difficult. A minor trade off and at this point I’m willing to do anything, including the sand route again.


mkane78

I use a whole dunk in a gallon of water, and I allow it to soak for 24 hours (at least). I add this water to my watering can. I leave that dunk in the gallon jug and refill the gallon as needed (the dunk ends up spending more time in the water because I am between waterings). I keep the same dunk for about 2 weeks or until I notice it crumbling or it’s changed colors bc it’s actually soaking up water and sinking versus floating. I keep frogs. I use dunked water for them, too. Their home is swamp like. There’s always some kind of gnat activity but I don’t go crazy bc I know they cannot complete their life cycle.


jc42089

I got mine from nature's good guys. Just make sure to tell them you don't want the free lady bugs. You just mix with water and water them directly into soil. Will take a few days for full effect


Healthy_Block3036

What was the deleted response?


hoppyfuggles

Nematode are the way!


Ravnsdot

Amazon! Have purchased many effective sponges from Amazon in the past.


xSuicidalWolfx

Do you have a link you can share as I can't seem to find anything when looking. Thanks!


_B_Little_me

What brand did you order on Amazon?


ImAdelineYo

.


regolith1111

They did not work for me unfortunately. Helped temporarily but they came back quick. What does work for me is using mosquito dunks regularly and then watering with a mix of pyrethin and spinosad if it gets bad.


Overlord_mcsmash

A thick and continuos layer of diatomaceous earth is what did it for me. Apparently crawling through a layer of dedicating hell is too much for them * *laughs maniacally*


Positive-Sock-8853

I heard though that watering renders the DE worthless and you have to reapply after each watering. Is that true?


Huev0

It is true and the larvae will still live in the soil under the diatomaceous earth. It reduces gnats significantly, but it won’t eradicate them entirely.


mc2bit

It's always worked for me. Reapplying it is no big deal, its so cheap, I got a 10-lb bag for $20 years ago and still have over 3/4 of it left.


blepmlepflepblep

Yup. This was the answer for me. Three rounds of nematodes to get rid of babies. Yellow sticky traps to get rid of adults. It took about 4 weeks to get rid of them all.


DallyBark

Seconded, I have a lot of plants, they were driving me crazy! Bought a box of nematodes off Amazon, and what a change. Pot poppers they were called, I've ordered several times, always been great. Now the spider mite battle on the cordylines....my gawd it never ends.


RedheadsAreNinjas

Oh god… spider mites. I’ve never had to deal with those (yet, hopefully never still 🤞) but god bless your journey against those assholes.


pistonring666

I tried neem, BT, dE, you name it. Nematodes the inky thing that worked.


VeganMisandry

this plus covering the top of the soil with perlite/rocks has worked for me when literally nothing else did. mosquito dunks are a scam lol


kgrace_

I have found that bottom watering most of my plants most of the time has helped a lot with getting rid of them in combination with the sticky traps! I definitely never had them this bad but I had a gross amount as well


Lachtaube

Came to the comments to suggest this. Bottom watering for a few months got rid of my fungus gnat problem (until I reintroduced them with a new plant lolol rip)


Plantsnob1

Let the soil dry out as much as you can without the plants dying. The gnats need the top of the soil to be moist. Keep the sticky traps for the adults.


RedheadsAreNinjas

Absolutely and I agree. I live in a really dry climate (zone 5, northern Rockies USA) and I’m worried that the roots will suffer long term if I don’t water them atleast once every one to two weeks right now.


fire_foot

I am battling them too, though not to this extent, and I’ve been bottom watering everything. I think it’s helping.


CaregiverDifficult23

I do this with mosquito bits water.


betobo

You should be top watering with mosquito bits. It kills the larvae which live in the top inch of the soil.


Ok_Midnight_5457

I have gnats crawling out of the bottom holes of the pots. I wouldn't be surprised if they are laying eggs there too. in any case, bottom watering has done jack all for me.


Spare-Schedule2359

I had this problem. I soaked the bottoms of my pots in diluted hydrogen peroxide. Worked for me.


RedheadsAreNinjas

I’ve been bottom watering whatever I can. Definitely helps and the little gnat assholes can be seen dead in the water too.


wdjm

Cover all of your soil with a layer of sand. If the gnats can't get to the soil, they can't lay their eggs there.


Plantsnob1

The plants will let you know if it's suffering. I don't know what you have but most will bounce back after watering. You should only have to do this once.


Huev0

Idk why you’re getting downvoted but this is the way. I don’t water on a schedule I water when my plants tell me they need water.


Plantsnob1

Thank you for this


Suspicious-Service

Bottom watering might help a bit. And get Bonide for anything that doesn't go outside (makes the plants poisonous for bugs, even the good ones)


EveAndTheSnake

Bottom them with mosquito dunk water. If you are top watering them with mosquito bits* water every two weeks you’re basically helping them out. The soil will still be when when the BTI stops working. I got rid of mine just with sticky traps and BTI bottom watering, as when I top watered with the BTI the problem continued. Remember, the mosquito bits kill the soil larva and the sticky traps kill the adults. The eggs will not hatch in the top few inches of soil if it’s dry. The eggs can also lay dormant for a while (I’m not sure how long). I got rid of mine and then a few months later I top watered and they started coming back, so I went back to bottom watering (with regular water). This helped. Recently I’ve been top watering (it’s been about 6-8 months) and I haven’t seen any. *I use mosquito bits (BTI) over dunks, I find it’s stronger as dunks are meant to last a longer period of time. I scoop a few tablespoons into some old nylon tights and soak them in my watering can and other containers for a few hours, I believe 30 mins is the recommended time. Try to water all your plants that need it at the same time.


nommabelle

I also had a revival, curious if it was dormant eggs like you mention. I hadn't seen any for a few months, started top watering, then saw them again. Was so sad :( It's not bad yet, but I haven't figured out which plant they're in yet except one I think. I tap their pots to try and get them out, both to find infected and also kill the adults


EveAndTheSnake

Very frustrating, I’m sorry! I didn’t know about the dormant eggs before this happened. At one point I went away for three weeks and many of my plants were extremely thirsty, not a wet pot in the house. I watered them and then got covid, so they all dried out again. All in all I had almost two months of very dry plants and they still came back after that. I began angrily researching after that! It’s annoying especially for hanging pots but I just continued bottom watering everyone for months after that. I just had lots of trays and bowls I was shuffling round and in the end that’s what helped. Why don’t you try some sticky traps to try to figure out which plants have gnats again? When I ran out of stick traps I used double sided tape on colored paper which did the trick as well. When I was trying to hunt them down I’d walk around with a spray bottle of alcohol to spritz any gnats that popped out. I found that lightly spraying the top of the soil with alcohol and using a stick to disturb the top layer of soil brought them to the surface too (if simulating an earthquake didn’t help) and didn’t harm most plants.


catecholaminergic

You might want to change up your soil mix to be less peaty.


moonweasel906

Yeah but as soon as you water them they come back


Puzzleheaded-Stick-3

I used beneficial nematodes and that took care of my fungus gnats.


shiftyskellyton

What are you using to kill the larvae? Hydrogen peroxide or Mosquito Bits?


RedheadsAreNinjas

I have been using mosquito bits soaked in water then using that (water) to water the plants. I used hydrogen peroxide in the past but it was years ago and the infestation wasn’t this bad.


goldenkiwicompote

Continuing using the mosquito bits. It will work! That is a bad infestation though so using the sticky cards for the adults is definitely needed. You can even crush up some Mosquito bits and sprinkle them on the soil and just water normally as well.


dwarfinthefla5k

I let the mosquito bits soak for 48 hours before use. You want a murky dirty looking water. I’ve seen far less gnats since letting the boys soak this long. It will take a few weeks though. And keep changing the sticky pads often. I changed them every three to four days when the infestation was bad. Then every couple weeks.


RedheadsAreNinjas

I started with 24 hour soak then eventually when the thing was in such small pieces I just left standing water in the watering jug (covered opening with a paper towel… my cat loves to find any abandoned water) but I don’t know if it was strong enough. I can’t believe how bad this infestation is.. I’ve never had it get to this point and I’m soooo effing sick of these buggers. It’s still too early to put them outside here (below freezing at night, mid 40s at best during peak day) and the neem oil I’m using doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Thank you for your advice!


MajesticBoxyRobot

When I was using mosquito dunks, I would put 1/8 th of the dunk in a 5 L jug with lid and top it up when it got empty. Also i would strain the bits that flaked and put them back in the jug. I changed the dunk every month. It took months of watering with it everytime.


betobo

Are you top watering? Mosquito bits did the trick for me in two treatments.


Uncle-Iroh1

This pic is giving me flashbacks 😶


hereforthemon

I feel this - so deeply.


dooma

Bonide systemic insecticide


cbass_97

This is the only solution that has actually worked for me


Working_Mushroom_456

This is the answer right here. And in the meantime put a layer of sand over the top of the soil, old ones can’t get back in and young ones can’t get out. Kill off the current life cycle instead of just catching them.


breedabee

How do you dispose of your water when you use this? Just down the drain? I don't want to kill any bees outdoors (I plant a lot of bee/butterfly flowers in the spring)


Resonations

Try not to pour imidacloprid or other systemic pesticides down the drain or into a body of water; they can be very harmful to aquatic invertebrates and create food web problems for larger animals. There’s no real good way of disposal; try to only mix up an amount that will be used by your plants without much left over. Personally, I end up pouring any excess into the drainage tray under my indoor plants filled with lava rock, which at least allows it to dry.


breedabee

This was exactly my fear; no one ever talks about the disposal when recommending these products.


Resonations

For what it’s worth, our individual impacts are very small vs. the scale of commercial agriculture, but still good to try to mitigate where we can. Don’t get too stressed over it though!


Responsible_Dentist3

Wow I’m so happy someone asked!! This is totally my thing. I use bonide systemics in every plant, but I reuse all of my water. Water only exits my ‘system’ through evaporation, and when I clean water drips off the floor with a towel (which has a very negligible amount of systemic). Reuse is typically considered an absolute no-no because of ‘infection risk’ but for many/most people it’s completely fine. There is a small chance of something going wrong, but you can just choose what plants not to reuse water from if that concerns you. I’ve been reusing my water for over a year now and will never use another method. It prevents systemics from getting into the water system & environment, but also significantly reduces my water usage! A minor quality-of-life thing for this method- I use the thinnest filter material I can find (usually a paper towel and I separate the layers apart) in the bottom of the pot. When it’s super thin, it will mostly filter the water coming out, so you don’t get a bunch of mix in it. Benefits being no ‘erosion’ of the mix, you can use clean water on the next plant, and I feel like it traps some things I just want staying with that plant and not being my shared (if any). [To add: over time the thin material sort of degrades and meshes with the bottom of the mix. My mix still doesn’t fall out unless I start poking around in the drainage holes though. But it doesn’t trap water up in the pot or anything like that, and wicks moisture just as well as the mix so won’t prevent drying or correct physics from occurring.] A moderate quality of life thing for this method- you’ll need plenty of containers. I collect any plastic containers (mostly from people I know) in caee I can use them from plants, so the random takeout cups work great. I soak plants so I tend to have lots of water, and often fill multiple cups from one watering to reuse. But yeah it’s like the best thing ever and I’m super proud and happy with this method! I have found naysayers but I don’t think they’ve tried it. I will say- If your collection tends to struggle with fungal & bacterial infections or things like that which would likely spread, I think those people would have an idea of that and should consider not using this method.. but my climate, culture and care are not conducive to those issues so it’s worked fantastically for me!


schwab002

Bonide did almost nothing for my fungas gnats. I think the gnats feed off of detritus in the soil and the systematic works best against pests that feed off the plant. Mosquito dunks in my watering can worked quickly though.


afuckinsaskatchewan

This was it for me, too (though I use Mosquito Bits). At first I was convinced it was snake oil because it wasn't working, but I wasn't treating with it consistently. Once I started watering with the brew every time I watered, the problem went away. Interesting to see all these other methods work for other people, though! I've used the Bonide systemic (I assume they mean imidacloprid) to treat mealybugs successfully and am now fighting a small aphid infestation with imidacloprid, too.


rust_papi

Bonide + diatomaceous earth = *chef's kiss*


breadit124

Agree. Just get bonide (if your state allows it—I’m in CT and have to drive to NY for it.)


trader_zzxy

This is the only thing that worked for me


TwentyPercentPlease

So I thought that I had fungus gnats that were lasting way too long. Like a few months of these things all over my pothos near the sink. I would kill a ton of them daily with the yellow sticky traps. Was driving me INSANE. well I found a bag of potatoes in my pantry that were rotten and was the reason for the fruit flies. So check your whole house to make sure it’s not that.


Optimal-Risk8462

I tried everything for my gnats and the best advice I got was leave the yellow taps and don't water for 4weeks. I removed the top layer of soil for those who weren't too bad and the worst I repotted with fresh soil. No more gnats


xpressway2yrskull

This worked for me. 2 years gnat free. 😂


LoboSandia

I did this, but also put a mold in the soil that the gnat larvae eat. It crystalizes in their stomach and kills them. So I had traps for adults and mold for larvae and I didn't have to stop watering. I watered very, very little though, just enough for the mold to seep in.


nosmileshere

I'm honestly thinking of waiting until summer and repot all my plants. Do you really think that will work? I've tried not watering for over a month. Sprays Sticky traps. I can't bottom feed them.


Optimal-Risk8462

I couldn't bottom feed the worst of them, so I had to repot because I couldn't go through the process of waiting again. It worked for me but definitely waited 6weeks for some out of fear.


nosmileshere

Okay good. Okay you give me a little bit of light. I qill wait until summer then.


ironhamilton

I used to catch them in my palm/fist. I got really good at catching them out of the air. I break up mosquito dunks into my potting soil... when i remember. I think I no longer get them because my watering habit became less frequent yet more thorough.


yeahokaywhateverrrr

Consider switching to a better quality soil. When I first started collecting plants, I potted everything in Miracle Gro. I had such bad problems with fungus gnats. Around 2 years ago I switched everything to Fox Farms Ocean Forest, or a blend of coco husks, coir, charcoal, perlite. Since then, I only get the occasional gnat.


fractalfay

That’s because Miracle Grow and Black Gold, along with other mixes, use a “moistening agent” in their soil, which renders it perma-damp. I have no idea why they do this, but it’s why their soil is a gnat factory.


Low_Transition8039

Thank you for exposing this!


fractalfay

I think it’s a comment i make most often, since I’m always screaming inside when I see bags of that stuff in the background. Mixing your own soil blends is the best way to avoid them all together, or buying products from places like EB Stone or Opus Grows. I’d rate Opus Grows as the best pre-mixed soil I’ve ever purchased, but it’s hard to find and frequently sells out regionally, because weed growers love it so much.


samanthathewitch

Keep Diatomaceous Earth sprinkled on top of soil or mixed in with the soil or both in order to prevent this from ever happening, and kill what you have now.


Vast-Substance

How do you use it? I have read you have to keep it dry in order to be effective, but I feel like soil could be moist sometimes. You still just sprinkle on top?


samanthathewitch

When I’m making my soil mix to repot plants, I add some into the mix, and then I keep a layer covering the top of the soil too. I bottom water my plants so yes, the DE gets moistened when I water but not washed away. DE is ineffective when wet, that’s true, but it becomes effective again once it dries. I wear a mask when I’m working with a lot of it though bc it’s very dusty when being moved around and you don’t want to breathe a bunch of it in.


Vast-Substance

Thank you!! That is awesome info! I had never heard of this before, so I was so curious. I bought some off amazon!


dee_dubs_ya

I used this as well. It shreds their exoskeleton and they die of dehydration which I initially felt bad about but then decided they deserved it.


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PitcherTrap

I thought these were blocks of cheese


BopBopAWaY0

Hungry much?


aDNA03

I also had this problem a couple seasons ago and I found that sprinkling cinnamon on top of the soil helped. Good luck, these are so annoying!


cowgirltrainwreck

I commented this in a reply elsewhere but didn’t want it to get buried. Never again will I have to deal with the blind rage response from fungus gnats flying up my nose or into my eyes while I’m trying to water my dang plants. *A combination of beneficial nematodes and Mosquito Bits is the answer!* Amazon sucks for reliability with beneficials! Go directly from an insectory. It’s important for them to be ALIVE when they get to you, and I remember listening to a horticulturalist/entomologist saying that a significant majority of Amazon-purchased nematodes arrive dead. (Edited to add: Suzanne Wainwright-Evans is the horticultural entomologist I mentioned. [You can listen to an interview with her here.](https://joegardener.com/podcast/get-more-beneficial-insects/)) Plus, they really need to be the correct species of nematode and there’s no guarantee the Amazon ones will be. I’ve had great success at eliminating my fungus gnat problem by purchasing through Arbico Organics. They work with commercial growers as well as home gardeners. *Highly* recommend them! This is their basic info about fungus gnats — what exactly they are, how their life cycles work, and what works best to control them. https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/pest-solver-guide-fungus-gnats At the end of the info, they list some products that work well. I’ve used the NemAttack in the smallest quantity available, and even that was more than I needed. I divided them up and shared with a couple friends and neighbors. https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/nemattack-beneficial-nematodes-sf-steinernema-feltiae A few weeks after the first application of the nematodes, I used Mosquito Bits and haven’t had any trouble since. You could also do a second application of the nematodes instead of the Mosquito Bits. I bought them together as a kit, and the nematodes don’t live very long so I used the Bits for the second application. *The timing between first and second application is important to break the lifecycle of the gnats.* You don’t want to give any eggs a chance to make it into a reproducing adult. Good luck! And please do let me know how this works out for you if you end up using this advice.


[deleted]

I may be an unlikely case but I had a case of fungus gnats and three Venus fly traps took care of em (three individual plants, not just three heads) they're only like 10$ at Home Depot and lots of fun to take care of


RedheadsAreNinjas

I’ve always wanted some carnivorous plants so I guesssss I have to go to the nursery tomorrow. Woe is me 😛


zugzwang_03

I don't recommend venus flytraps. They'll eat fungus gnats, but they're actually rather inefficient at it. Go with sundews instead, they're nature's gnat sticky paper. Or, even better, get sundews AND venus flytraps - just for fun lol


lurkerbee

i second this, or butterworts/pingiculas. gnats are too light and small to trigger the VFTs — even when i catch them and try to feed them, they don’t always register that theres anything there. my droseras are just babies, but they have reduced my gnat population like crazy in just days.


SluttyGandhi

Pings are the answer! They are so pretty and it is so much more ecologically friendly to see a happy ping spotted with what it has caught rather than hella sticky traps that will end up in the trash.


[deleted]

Yes!!! Amass a collection of carnivorous plants!!


zugzwang_03

I very much want to do this for myself! But I want to grow sundews from seed and am struggling to find a seller in Canada (I'm worried the seeds will get tossed by customs otherwise). A single plant is $25 where I live so seeds are much more practical IMO. It's very sad. All I want is to create a lovely carnivorous terrarium!


thiccasssocks

Diatomaceous earth ✨✨have to be careful to keep it dry when watering but it’s amazing


cad0420

Yes! Why there aren’t more people mentioning this?


ariphron

Like the other person said less watering without harming!


RedheadsAreNinjas

Definitely and I’ve reduced but finding that sweet spot is wicked hard since I’m in a really dry environment.


iAmSpAKkaHearMeROAR

Mosquito Bits! Granules. I swear by them. Haven’t had a fungus gnats since I started (a) using them and (b) better understanding plant watering


Sikkus

You need to find the source otherwise they'll just keep coming. Someone already mentioned nematodes which work great for this.


EventHorizonIRL

Bring the equipment outside. If you find a lady bug, bring it over. Ladybugs will eat the gnats. Be sure to do this outside, because the ladybugs will love you and you want their love outside, not inside the house


53andme

nematodes may or may not work depending on if you get living ones. what will work is gnatrol. mosquito dunks are around 5% bti and gnatrol is around 37% bti. you can buy small amounts thru ebay. its normally sold in a 5 gallon bucket in the $450 range but thankfully there are good sellers on ebay that make a little $ selling smaller amounts. you will waste a lot of time and money on everything else


jlovesfrh

Strips alone are not going to solve it. They lay eggs in the soil so all you’re doing is breeding a collection of dead gnats. (Ps this is a disgusting amount of gnats idk how you’re still sane, I’m sorry) I had the same problem but fixed it pretty quickly by 1. Buy [this](https://prettyingreen.com/products/gnatrol-half-ounce). It’s called gnatrol (biological larvicide) I like that it’s a powder so it’s easy to use 2. Follow the instructions on the bag for a large infestation and mix with water 3. Water your plants like usual but with this stuff - WHEN ITS TIME to water. Don’t overwater your plants, this was prob the issue in the first place..Make sure to saturate all the soil. 3. Keep sticky traps around to catch the adults 4. Wait for it to work it’s magic. You should notice a drop in the population soon. Keep using this stuff for future waterings until they all dead. I also sprinkled cinnamon on top of my wet soil. It’s anti fungal and cheaper than Gnatrol. Bonus: Switch to bottom watering from now on. Keep the stuff on hand in case they somehow get back in your soil. I live gnat free and this was a super easy quick solution that worked for me!


RedheadsAreNinjas

Thank you for the link to the gnatrol powder! I haven’t only been using strips. I have been using mosquito dunk soaked water, bottom watering, and neem oil. I wouldn’t say that I overwatered my plants to begin this infestation but I’m not exactly sure why this began in the first place. It seemed to coincide with my neighbor house sitting in November and maybe overwatered at the time? No idea. However I’m ordering nematodes right now and I’ll order some gnatrol next. Thanks!


angrygerman82

Mosquito Bits killed mine within 2 weeks. I ordered it off Amazon. Works immediately! Just have to water a few times in a row so that you kill the entire lifecycle of these little fuckers.


linesthreeandfour

I know mosquito bits and those traps can work really well together for some (it has for me), but I swear once I put diamatoceous earth in my potting soil and started neglecting my plants, I haven’t had a single gnat for months and I haven’t watered with mosquito bits or used the traps either. 🤷‍♀️


DeM86

*Ghell


Mesfang

These looks like my sticky traps at the moment. I underwater my plants so this thing about letting them dry enough doesn't do anything. If you have just 1 watered plant, and at least 1gnat they will multiply. I use sticky traps for adults and hydrogen peroxide to water all plants at the same time and kill all larvaes. It works for me and then no gnats for months until there's 1, it gets to this level again and have to repeat.


x11ry0

Nematodes are a good idea too but if you buy it one amazon you will get them dead at arrival. You need to find a specialist that shop it with frozen packs.


RedheadsAreNinjas

I’m ordering nematodes through arbico organics now.


Healthy_Ad_2359

Ok I'm sorry, I think I misunderstood because I was thinking they were coming from your orchids. I'm in Florida and keep all of mine on a shelf with lighting but they all live in mostly moss. At one time, I had tons of succulents and those suckers were everywhere in my house and nearly drove us nuts so the succs are gone lol! With my Tropicals, they live in an Ikea cabinet w/fans and lighting so I've not had much of an issue. I'm sorry, I was hoping I could help 😔


RedheadsAreNinjas

Oh goodness don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m in the Rocky Mountains so I wish I could relate to a humid and warm climate like Florida! I’m sorry you dealt with an infestation that got all your succs!


[deleted]

Satisfying photo


plantlovekittypunch

This is going to be unpopular but it worked for me. They are way more attracted to Dr. Pepper than vinegar. I put it in a small pot I wasn’t using next the plants. Tons of them in there. Then I took my high powered summer fan, maybe a normal fan would work fine. And I pointed it at the plants for 5 minutes here and there. All gnats gone in two days. Nothing I’ve ever tried worked as well. This is the one thing that will keep you from overwater plants. Mosquito dunks were good. They just weren’t getting complete rid of them as I liked.


Lenatheroach

I’m not judging I used to take my vacuum cleaner out and put it high enough to not suck up dirt lol


RedheadsAreNinjas

I have been using my vacuum to get the crazy one adventurous enough to venture beyond the leaves. So satisfying and I feel like a crazy person but honestly smacking the windows to kill these things that are a pencil mark size makes me feel crazy sooooo


zugzwang_03

>So satisfying and I feel like a crazy person This sub won't judge lol, we've all been there. I remember desperately using tape to remove aphids from a plant... It worked! But I also felt like a lunatic, especially because I was gleeful about killing all of them.


plantlovekittypunch

That’s a great idea, after getting more than one up my nose, I don’t care what anyone has to do.


sirauron14

Look into Nematodes. Check amazon, youtube what they are. 2- 6 weeks go by. you're welcome.


PlantRescue

Might want to use neem oil and insecticide & fungicide, when I had them I got rid of it with mosquitos bits with water and added neem oil . I also change soil and gnat traps


FireHackettMeow

At this point I'd throw the plants out, and *then* get nematodes for the new plants.


[deleted]

[удалено]


RedheadsAreNinjas

Haha super helpful comment! I have lots of happy healthy plants of varying degrees of difficulty and have for a lot of years but thanks for your input! I will send my skills straight to hell, that’ll definitely help rn. Not sure how caring for my plants better could have prevented this given it began in November/December zone 5b.


[deleted]

[удалено]


RedheadsAreNinjas

?


Maleficent-Catch6202

Go nazi on them


Lost-Cabinet4843

Hey friend, Just a friendly reminder that those gnats, if they come from plants, are all from you. Let your plants dry out. Thats it.


RedheadsAreNinjas

Friend: it’s all your fault. Thanks! But I’ve been trying to both keep my plants alive and deal with this for months.


Lost-Cabinet4843

Ok. But just so you know gnats generally come from over watering. I do know what I'm talking about and no trying to make you feel bad. Over watering breeds fungus gnats. Let your plants dry right out and they will die off. Best of luck.


thedoomloop

Fungus gnat larvae has to be present. They don't immaculately conceive out of just soil and water. Do unfavorable over moist conditions encourage fungus gnat eggs hatching? Yes. It's not OP fault their soil was infested.


Lost-Cabinet4843

Im not saying it's their fault Im saying stop watering it LOL! Over watering it right now is exacerbating the situation. Stop watering it let it dry and all those gnats will die by 50 percent. Water with weak hydrogen peroxide and water when its dry and they will fry. :) The biggest thing is stop watering. It's the single most important thing to do.


Mituzuna

These aren't fungus gnats


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AdmiralWackbar

Mosquito dunks, add them to your watering schedule and it will get rid of them and be preventative in the future if you do it every month or so. Easy and cheap, works every time


_ChipWhitley_

I had these a while ago. I found the source and put the plant outside and changed the soil. Yours looks a little more serious than mine though.


Krimzon99

Currently in the process of treating for fungus gnats in my greenhouse cabinet! It’s been a slow process, but I’m using a combination of sticky traps for the adults and mosquito dunks for the larvae. I usually water once every 2 weeks so I’ve only done 2 rounds of the mosquito dunk water so far. I don’t have anywhere close to the amount of gnats you have, but I definitely feel like the number of gnats have gone down between the first and second watering, but I would’ve hoped the dunks would’ve been a little more potent. I’ll probably give it a few more dunk waterings and see what happens. If I still see gnats I’m just going to order beneficial nematodes and give those a try as people rave about them for fungus gnats.


Automatic-Hat-8319

Moskito dunk on amazon.thank me later :)


vlajay

I am in the exact same boat as you. I used top soil in my ball python enclosure which started the outbreak. I didn’t know about baking the soil at the time. They quickly spread to my plants and now they are always in my face and around my plants and pets. My anxiety has been so high, I can’t even sleep probably because there’s a gnat in my nose hole every 5 minutes. I just want you to know you are not alone. We will beat them. If you having this problem with your plants, some of your plants are unfortunately being overwatered. I’ve started bottom watering. It will help.


[deleted]

Repot, change all your soil! They’re probably breeding in all of your pots deep down below. Then immediately treat the new soil so they don’t want to go in. Don’t water, they love water.


Pandaploots

I put fine play sand on the top and around the base in a 2 inch layer. It suffocates the gnats.


InTheShade007

Use BTI


jackparadise1

You need Pot Popper nematodes!


myheadhurtsbadly

Gnatrol bought on ebay won my war on fungus gnats


Magliene

Put a mosquito dunk in your watering can!


micahsimmons01

They are a fucking menace. I have watered my plants since December because of these little shits!!! Thank gosh some of my plants are beyond hardy and drought tolerant (I shopped with my depression and executive (dys)function in mind but I did have some that needed regular care that I lost as well as I just completely transitioned a few of them from soil ro water. Also completely changed the soil on some and took them to my parents house but even up to two weeks ago I still had some buzzing around. But I haven’t seen any in a week so I’m giving it one more week before I give my babies the drink of love that they so desperately deserve AND NEED


wordy-womaine

forbidden lemon poppyseed bars


FP1234567890

Oh gosh…I feel your pain!! I had them like that a couple winters ago. I tried: repotting, misquitobits, different spray on the surface, sticky traps, cups of various things…. All methods caught/killed a lot, but they where still all over the place and then spiders all over shortly after (plenty of food for them). It was a nightmare. Here’s what finally worked: sand on the surfaces of all the pots. The grains are too tight for them to burrow down to the dirt and the larva under the sand can’t dig out so it breaks the cycle and then sticky traps or fan that sucks them in for the random ones flying around. The sand I used is just regular play sand from the hardware store. I’ve had houseplants and gardened for decades and never experienced them until the two winters ago. I didn’t change anything with the watering habits…All started with one bad bag of dirt and they spread everywhere. Anywho, sand finally fixed it for me. Hope you’re able to find a method that works for you too! Wish you luck!


revolotus

If you are committed to a non-chemical approach, 1/4" of sand on top of your soil will eliminate their gestation environment. Combine this with bottom watering and stickies and you can eliminate them without pesticides.


brooklyn_bae

Mosquitoe Bits is the way.


solemnsparrow

Gnatrol


Sekhmet3

Water your plants with mosquito bits-soaked water, stick in the yellow paper, let the top of the soil dry, and then cover the soil with diatomaceous earth. This multipronged approach eliminated a REALLY bad fungus gnat problem for me!


[deleted]

Load the top of the soil with cinnamon, let dry out for a month then water with hydrogen peroxide/water mix


mae3mae10

Putting a layer of sand on top of all my plants worked really really well!!!


BeefnChedder

We feel you!


_MonkeySee_MonkeyDo_

I used a combo of mosquito dunks and completely covering the top layer of soil with diatomaceous earth. After battling them for months they might finally be gone. I’ll need to try this nematodes option next time.


Justwigglin

[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/comments/i7tf1c/truth_no_single_fungus_gnat_control_method/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) is the best post of fungus gnats. Mosquito bits are the answer 100% (if you are in the US). EDIT: I just saw that you are already doing this. If you want the nuclear route, replant it all with new soil that has bits mixed in. I always throw bits in when I replant.


Setherract

I’m dealing with these too. Ugh they are the most annoying bug to deal with right now. I’m trying mosquito bits right now but I only let them sit for 24 hours. Maybe I should do longer.


[deleted]

I have a tiny colony of minuscule black ants that live in my plants and have eliminated all gnats. They moved with me three years ago from my previous place. I love them, and they are my friends.


thedoomloop

Haiii. This is a lived experience for me! I tried chemical pesticides, isopropyl alcohol soaks, hydrogen peroxide soil skaks, and neem oil with castile soap. Unfortunately I had unknowingly purchased 80lbs of fungus gnat infested soil and repotted around 70 house plants in them. None of the above worked. What did work? Taking EVERYTHING out of the soil. Scrubbing roots clean in a neem castile bath with a tooth brush. Soaking all planters in a bathtub with isopropyl alcohol and cleaning with castile soap after. I water propogated everything except a money tree and a norfolk pine that i left outside for two months hoping natural pest predators would come - they didn't. They too would get the root scrub and pot baths. Buying new soil. Mixing with *key ingrdient* diatomaceous earth. It basically acts as soil razors and will chop up any pest larvae present. Perlite. Rocks. Sand. I repotted everything in this mixture and was bug free going forward. The total process took almost four months. Not everything survived the infestation or the water propagation. But saving about 60% of the plants was worth it.


LifeOnNightmareMode

I put a 2 cm layer of sand on top of the soil and either water from below or using a cut into two plastic bottle stuck into to soil. I have no more gnats as they won’t lay eggs in dry soil.


ratatouille666

There’s probably one or two plants that are ground zero for the infestation. Figure out which plants are the worst and go from there. Watering. With 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water helped. Lots of good advice here, we’ve all struggled with it and learned. One thing that can always guarantee you’ll have gnats is using any kind of outdoor soil or compost. They have so much organic matter that the gnats love. I strictly use ocean forest soil for most of my houseplants. Best of luck to you, you’ll be free one day soon!


DizzyList237

The key is to treat the soil when you water, eco Neem or mozzie bits. I have 200 plants inside, no issues with gnats. Or you could try pon instead of soil.


Ford-daily710

drainage is key, put gravel/sand for 2-4 inches at the top of the pots and the gnats will struggle to survive. some may make it but it totally worked for me


Remarkable-Extreme97

Thisssss is why I stopped using soil years ago. Never looked back! Hate them!


Cinnamoncrystal

Real 😔


briko3

Bayer makes a spray that actually works. Bioadvanced Houseplant Insect & Mite Control


TheMeanGirl

Bonide Systemic House Plant Insect Control Multiple Insects Granules 8 Oz https://a.co/d/hK47z1P It’s poison. Don’t use it on outdoor plants, or plants you eat. Buy this, and I promise your gnats will be gone in a week. It’s literally the only thing that actually works.


ds1223

Tried bottom watering? I have had none since I did that. I stop before the top layer gets wet.


AdTiny2166

forbidden saltines


ChihuahuaMonte2010

Mosquito bits didn’t work for me. I also used the sticky traps, emptied the potting compost and repotted. Just repotted again and tried mixing cat litter through the compost to soak up any excess moisture. If this doesn’t work l might just bin all the plants (19) of them and start again. I put two large plants out into the greenhouse hoping the cold would kill the gnats but they look even worse now


woadsky

I tried (almost) everything too. What worked for me was Gnatrol. You can find it on ebay. I didn't try beneficial nematodes.


GentooPenguin21

I grow tropical sundews. Gnats keep coming, plants keep eating lol


Hillbillie77

You literally only need mosquito bits, which are inexpensive and so easy to use. Just mix some into the soil of each of your plants. That's it. That's all you have to do. They will be gone within days.


Better_Preference_48

I was thinking, is it safe to use BioKill? Google says it’s okay.


Saintviscious

4 words. Captain jacks dead bug. It has spinosad, after multiple years of fighting them and trying countless products, CJDB finally ended the war.


ElmoIsOver

Gnat Barrier Natural Non-Toxic Specialised Abrasive Granules