Fungus Gnats, any new weapons?

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by SundayGardener

Thanks, I'll check it out!

RE pings, it seems that they are dormant or partially dormant in winter, and don't produce new sticky leaves while in dormancy. Since winter is fungus gnat prime time, would pings still be effective?

Not while dormant. Tropical/subtropical sundews would be a better choice.

[Cymbaline]

I use butterworts but if your case is really bad you may just want to buy the yellow gnat sticky paper off Amazon . It's really cheap and they seem to be attracted to the yellow.

[WaterWitchin]

You can check to see your level of infestation later after treating by putting a slice or two of raw potato on top of the medium. The gnat/larvae are attracted to it after a fairly short time period. Note: throw away potato after using. No cooking.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

... Note: throw away potato after using. No cooking.

If you use organic products it would be fine to eat.

[Kurt93010]

I have successfully used dry ice to kill fungus gnats when everything else failed. Granted it was a houseplant not an orchid but it killed the adults and larvae in the soil and it is completely non-toxic. Seal the plant in an air tight plastic bag with a small piece of dry ice--just be sure it is not too close to the plant--it will sublimate and the CO2 will kill the insects

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If you use organic products it would be fine to eat.

Gross ES... with fruit fly larvae? No thanks.

[SundayGardener]

Just circling back...I have not tried the potato as adults flying around and the sticky traps have been sufficient to tell me there is a problem.

The fans at a low speed are helping a lot and this is such a simple fix that never occurred to me. I did use mosquito dunks (couldn't get the bacteria without the rest)--mosquito bits come with directions for fungus gnats, I'll be doing a second round this week.

Dry ice is interesting. Maybe I could seal an entire tray of plants with dry ice. If this would work for scale and mealy bugs, I'm all in. I have not positively identified scale/mealy bugs but I'm pretty sure they are around. Everything goes to heck in the winter, every time!

I should add--my sundew don't look like they're doing much but they're still getting acclimated.

[SundayGardener]

Circling back again...picked up a book, Don't Repot that Plant! (my favorite approach) and now I see the wisdom of using slices of raw potato for gnats. The adults lay their eggs in it, then you dispose of the potato.

In between the fans, sticky paper and Mosquito bits and dunks, I have seen a noticeable reduction in the population. I think GNATROL is the same as Mosquito bits but without the corn element, but it's a hefty purchase so I'll stick to soaking the mosquito bits. Bulbos are not happy at all, but I can't tell if that is because of the gnats, or the mosquito bits, or winter (they are kept at min 70 deg F)...or other, unknown. I wish I could isolate the source of the problem as this happens every winter.

Thanks for the potato tip, will be trying that now too!

[Pyewackit]

I've had great results from these window deccals, I cut them into smaller pieces and put them near my pots on window sills or inside my terrariums. They do have one downside though...they sometimes get specs of mold on them and look kinda ugly but I'd rather that than those little buggers flying around and munching on my plants.

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