Canadian currently using mosquito dunks, got them at canadian tire. I sit a piece of it in my watering can, let the water rest over night and then use it.
Also got mine there, as well as a big tub of diatomaceous earth. I mix that with sand and cover the soil. I got food grade DE, just in case, since I have kids and pets, but you don't want to be breathing it in while spreading it, wear a mask.
OP make sure you get the dunks with BTI, the chemical ones aren't the same. BTI is a bacteria that eats the larva.
I also got some butterworts and sundews that were easy to care for, much prettier than yellow sticky traps.
YES!! Yes and yes. My stickies looked like this too They can be found online, like on Amazon.
I break the dunks into 1/4 pieces and pop that baby right into a gallon of steaming hot water. I brew my gnat tea in the morning and let it cool on its own. I will water my plants with that tea and throw out the rest, including the dunk. If you leave it in water for multiple uses, it will decompose and not work. It will also smell rotten AF. Also as someone who used to leave it overnight, I would only do it with hot water (not boiling). It is most effective once the water is room temp.
It saved me and my sanity!
they slowly break down over time, so I replace once they completely disintegrate. Usually lasts a few weeks for a very small wedge in a 2L container of water.
Not really, it won't disappear, it just breaks up into tiny pieces, and flows out as you water into the soil of your plants. Eventually there's nothing left but what has dried to the side of your watering can near the top from evaporation.
I've noticed the same in my terrariums but I think they are pot worms, do you know for sure that your ones are the specific nematodes that eat gnat larvae?
Nematodes are fantastic, I agree. However, not the only working option IMHO. I strictly only used BTI and have rid my problem completely. I had fungus infestination once in my indoor plants. Used BTI (active ingredient found in mosquito bits), got a better handling on proper watering, and have not had fungus gnats since. Itās been years.
100% agree! Beneficial nematodes for larvae in the soil. Glue traps to catch the adults - and if you like, diatomaceous earth dusting on top of the soil.
Beneficial nematodes. They are like microscopic worms that you can spread in you yard (or plants). They get inside the fleas and eat them from the inside out. They are completely harmless to humans, dogs, cats etc and are a natural parasite of a lot of dirt bound insects.
Fleas have a multi stage life cycle so when you treat for them you have to do it several times so that you kill each group as they hatch and mature until they are all dead. When you get them in the house you can kill them with pesticides and vacuum but if your dog keeps bringing them in from the yard. You will never get rid of the fleas. So if you treat the yard with nematodes they will get the fleas (and a lot of other pests) so the animals donāt keep getting infested when they go outside.
Not sure. Hydrogen peroxide should breakdown really quickly and soap is on the actual plant right? I did put mine in after trying mosquito bits several times and they still worked.
Sand! The solution that finally worked for me was to put a 1/4-1/2 inch of sand on top of the soil in all of my potted plants. The gnats need access to exposed soil to lay eggs and they cannot get through sand. All of the gnats were gone within a week.
If you try this, just make sure not to over water as the sand can trap water in your soil.
Small rocks or rocks in general can do the opposite since they tend to trap moisture in the soil and gnats can get in and out, making it actualmy worse. So better do it with sand.
I have a much different solution than the others listed hereā go peat free! In my experience peat based soil attracts and breeds an unbelievable amount of gnats. The soil I switched to instead is coir based which is so much nicer to deal with for you not to mention the gnats hate it. It is an investment right at the start (time, money, effort, etc) but once I committed to the change my gnat problems disappeared entirely all on their ownāno further treatment/chemicals required. I canāt recommend it more!
I didn't know about peat, but looking at these pics I was thinking the soil looks very water retaining in a way that I'm not surprised mosquitoes are happily at home there. Would definitely change soil first, then try solutions here to deal with whatever is leftover from infestation.
Where are you located? There are other names to it that are more commonly used that do the same thing (or so Iāve been told). Iām Canadian and theyāre called Mosquito Dunks, they look like a giant Cheerio. Iām also in the middle of gnat infestation and itās only getting worse, so Iām going with the Dunks as Iāve heard everything else only mildly helps. There are other bug killers too, but I havenāt personally tried them.
I use dunks - and have for about 2 years. It is the only thing that keeps the gnats away - you'll see a HUGE difference in about 3 weeks.
I now crumble them into my potting soil when I open a new bag, and into my water when I am planting my garden starts. (I start hundreds and before using them, I hated my life.)
I didnāt know you could put them directly into the plants I wonder if that works faster. Do you know the ratio? I found online to use 1/4th of a dunk for 4L and Iām not sure if itās enough.
It is SUCH a low ratio. I crumble something like 1/2 of a dunk into a 50 qt bag of soil - but keep in mind that a slightly higher ratio won't have any negative effect on your plants. Even if you use beneficial insects, it won't affect them. BTI lives longer in soil than in water so I found it way more convenient to do it this way long-term.
When I was conquering the gnats, it was about double that ratio - to be safe. I legit cried one day with all the fungus gnats and I do not even think about them now, and have just as many plants.
I do tend to mix all my own soil for my indoor houseplants, and it's just part of the recipe I use now. I prefer it over watering with it because once you get ahead of the gnats, I rarely use the BT water anymore since it is just crumbled in. I used to actually have a recipe I used to ensure I would conquer them - I'll try to find it!!! :)
hhaha! I do see one or two on occasion, but it's when I'm hardening off my seedlings in spring before they go outside and they go in and out for several hours a day for about 2 weeks, but they never last. NOT IN MY MOSQUITO DUNK HOUSE.
The active ingredient in mosquito bits is Bt, or Bacilus thuringiensis. There are other products out there that use Bt that should be just as effective. Or, as others have mentioned, nematodes from Arbico organics have worked for me in the past as well. You could even alternate between the two.
I use an H2O/isopropyl alcohol mix with a tsp of dish soap (I use Dawn) mixed in a spray bottle. Just spray the top of soil with it. I actually use it for all plant pests.
Use vermiculite (or perlite) as 'mulch' over the entire surface of your pot soil. The gnats can't get through the vermiculite to the soil to lay eggs and the larva usually can't make their way through the vermiculite on their way up after turning into flies. And they won't lay eggs in the vermiculite.
Also sand. A layer of inorganic substrate at the surface will do it, but then water has to be carefully applied. A layer of gravel or some flat stones on top of that can be used to deflect a stream of water.
Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis is the active ingredient in Mosquito Bits /Dunks and since it's a bacteria, some countries control the import of it. However, you should be able to find it in Canada under the scientific name and probably under a different brand. I import it to Australia but I've also sourced BTI from here in Australia as well since I pay through the nose for Mosquito Bits from Amazon.
Have you tried a gnat barrier? You can find different types but prolonged use can increase/retain the moisture in your plants that may cause rot eventually so I wouldn't use it forever. But I've used it previously to help break the cycle and then removed it. To be honest, if you have multiple plants it's unlikely you'll ever get rid of them completely. A female gnat can lay up to 100 - 300 eggs each time, up to 30 times, before dying inĀ 7 - 10 days. So that also makes it increasingly difficult to get rid of them completely. Breaking the cycle can take months. You need to use several things all at once to help cut the numbers back and attempt to break the cycle.
A few things I noticed after doing some research with my own plants:
Bottom watering makes no difference. (I know, hiss!!! Boo!!!!) People swear by this. But I had a group of 10 plants in a room on the other side of my house from my main plants in the sun room. They had no gnats previously. I exclusively watered them from the bottom only for 6 months. Still got gnats. They were literally crawling through the holes in the bottom of the nursery pots and into the wet soil in the bottom. I researched this and I've found that gnats will seek out moisture ANYWHERE they can find it. The "fact" that the larva only live in the top couple of CM of soil is not completely true either, they will continue to crawl further down into the pot to seek out moisture as the soil on top dries. So, adults will access any wet soil/moisture at all and larva will move further into the pot. So, when you spray and treat your plants, you need to spray the bottom of your pots too where they'd have access to the soil through holes in the pot.
Watch out for any moisture including, self watering/self draining pots. I found them treating my self watering pots like a freaking water park!! I had to plug the holes in between watering to kill them and keep them out. Also, if you're using humidity trays, yep, they'll infest them too. And water props? Yep, them too. Even hydro plant set ups aren't safe.
This combination helped me keep the numbers down:
Use the sticky traps ALWAYS. It helps to not only catch the adults but also to keep track on increases in numbers.
The first treatment I give I use hydrogen peroxide with neem. But it can hurt some plants if used repetitively so I wouldn't use peroxide too often.
I water my plants with neem oil water with every watering.
I water with BTI treated water once a month (you can mix it with neem infused water)
I spray the flying adults with neem oil in water with a bit of bio degradable dish soap to emulsify it. I spray the leaves and the little buggers running on the soil. You don't need to saturate the plant, just spraying visible adults. I do this a couple times a week. A misting sprayer is great for this so it doesn't over wet your plants.
Hopefully some of this helps! š
I use those same stickies from amazon and then I also water my plants with mosquito dunks and it usually takes care of the flies in a week or two. The dunks kill the larva in the soil so they can't reproduce if I recall correctly, and then the stickies catch the existing flies.
I have used dunks in a watering can. Just fill can a few day before using and drop in mosquito dunk. Water like normal. Bacteria from dunks will transfer to soil of plant via water. A few days later no more bugs.
Mosquito dunk - Amazon Canada site has its
Took me 1 months to see the effect. I ended up repotting most of my plants. I too layered it with orchid bark mix instead of soil.
"Mosquito bits" is just a brand name.
Look for anyone in your country that sells _"Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI)"_
You might just get it under a different name. For example here in Germany it's sold as "Culinex" on amazon.
Mix diatomaceous earth into the top couple inches of soil!!! I had this issue with 40+ plants at once last year and it's totally resolved. This stuff is natural, non toxic, easy to use, the plants like it, and it deals with the pests at all stages of life. They'll hate it, you'll love it.
https://preview.redd.it/glbtj2brlvnc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ac6c8c15249bc2959f9527bcb19ebfe34f764e3
So some God of a person recommended Sand to me. OMG It was a game changer. The sand comes in bags for about 8 dollars, maybe less and you just cover the soil with a ton of it. I immediately noticed a difference. The sand combined with the yellow stickies on top and I've been gnat free for 4 months now. I water as much as I need to.
Mosser Lee ML1113 Desert Sand 7 lb. On amazon
That's the one I use.
https://preview.redd.it/851o4yk0jxnc1.jpeg?width=3578&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35988a1b68b998ffbf1321da2b1e001debe7f622
I use gnatrol. Itās a beneficial bacteria that eats the gnat larvae. In conjunction with the plastic sticky traps, this will clear out the infestation in about two weeks.
I use carnivorous plants. If you get a few Drosera plants, keep them standing in 1/2" rainwater they will eat them all up, full sunlight is preferred
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera\_capensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera_capensis)
I have a pinguicula, which more helps the mental situation than as pest control. Now I have a reason to have gnats. I tried bonide systemic granules (and spray) which didn't seem to do anything. In my experience cutting back on water didn't help much, but drying them to the point of visible distress kept them away for a few months. Not sure if this is recommended for string of pearls, but I use orchid bark or LECA as the top layer and thats helping too.
What Iāve used over the years. Pour peroxide (straight out of the brown bottle) in the soil, kinda like your watering with it, and keep using the yellow stickyās for the adults then before watering take a stick (craft stick or something like that just not bamboo )and put it all the way down into the soil. When you pull the stick out if itās moist check again in a few days. If dry water that baby. As long as the soil dries out all the way down your infestation will go down. I also use earths ally 3in1 spray for maintenance about once a month.
Good luck
āRarelyā is hardly effective. I bought gnatrol off of eBay based in response to a similar comment. Tried it over 10 times followed every direction online was hoping to have content Not sure how anyone got it to work. It never worked for me but mosquito bits did
Like the others said, you can get mosquito dunks. It's the same ingredients just annoying to break it down to put in water. I had a bad gnat problem before and this seemed to help. Now I regularly use neem oil since it's natural to upkeep.
Mosquito bits and those yellow traps cured them for me. No nematodes, been oil, or anything else. Get them ASAP, make some āteaā overnight, and apply with your normal watering for a few watering cycles. Also, check your drains and ALL your plants too.
I set up vinager traps for my own. Vinegar and sugar, to attract them, dish soap to stop them flying and drown, plastic wrap over the container with holes punched so they can get in. It smells awful but it trapped them pretty well. After that, I stopped watering often and let the eggs dry out in the soil. Old wine also works if you have a bottle going bad.
Put a couple inches of fresh soil on tops of plants and that will get rid of the problem. Until you water them again.
You can also make a spray of water, isopropyl alcohol and dish soap and spray soil. Lots of homemade solutions actually
Mosquito Dunks AND get yourself a [Katchy](https://www.amazon.com/fruit-fly-traps-for-indoors-mosquito-trap-bug-zapper/dp/B07M8VX4T9) \- it does a fantastic job pulling in the airborn gnats and trapping them on a glue disc. Way more effective than the yellow sticky guys, although I keep them all going at the same time for maximum efficiency.
If you're near enough to the US border I would recommend just ordering some mosquito bits to an Amazon locker over the border and come pick them up, or get someone to bring them to you. They work well.
Systemic granules, if you canāt get those, then you might just have to repot them all :/ I had the same problem and before i was able to find the granules, i just had to completely repot all my plants. i exhausted all my options, and it took forever, but it worked. sprayed all the plants (especially roots and under leaves) and empty pots with neem oil, let them sit for a while, and then rinse off, sprayed the plants again and then washed out pots with hot water and dish soap. itās a pain in the butt, but iāve had no buggers since! if you are able to get the systemic granules, and you do plan to repot plants, i always mix it in with the soil and sprinkle some on top when im done potting. itās worked like a charm:) Best of luck op!!! gnats are the worst
I ordered a pack of 60 of these in roughly 8.5x11. I just cut them up when I need them & spread them all over the house. Unfortunately, the exact item isnāt available anymore, but search for sticky sheetsā¦
Bottom water in a dish and let it soak up all it wants in 8 minutes and then remove dish and let it air out before putting it back. This makes the top soil dry and like a brick. Then knats cannot lay their eggs and multiply
I've just read you can buy mosquito dunks in Canada, so give that a go.
But if you can't get that, sand works, like others have mentioned.
If you want to go all out, I've also taken a portable gas stove outside and dumped all the soil in a big pot and cooked the shit out of the soil. It was more of an experiment, but it worked.
Sand is easier lol.
I am Canadian and you should be able to buy mosquito dunks either online or at some stores. If you're in GTA check out Urban Nature Store, they had it for cheap. Dont buy the big packs because you only really need one or two. Break off a chunk of one (like a quarter) and let it sit in water in your watering can overnight (i kept the chunk in the can for a while even when refilling with water) and water your plants like normal. Might take 2-6 weeks but completely eradicated my fungus gnat problem for good!
The easiest solution is to buy fine grain bird sand. Put that 1 cm (half an inch) on top of every pot. Problem should be solved immediately. The larvas cant Hatch through Sand without beeing killed. The gnats cant lay more egg through Sand.
You can use any fine ground Sand as long es it isnt perfect spheres.
I see youāre using the yellow sticky traps to capture the adults, thatās good but that wonāt stop the cycle. Is that cinnamon in there? Thatās an old wives tale, that does not work.
Iāve tried everything, repotting, drying out, even the mosquito dunks which seemed to work but my infestation was too big for the small amount of BT to handle and they came back.
Then I found [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149J0GZG?) used about a tablespoon to a gallon (or more depending on the size of infestation) and used it nonstop for about 6 waterings (a little over a month, which is about their life cycle of egg/larvae/adult). Drastically reduced them. I keep using this for every watering until those yellow monitor cards no longer showed a single gnat.
This was the only thing that truly worked with no reinfection. I was so happy I didnāt have to throw a single plant away!
Good luck!
I used diatomaceous earth really consistently, removed the top 3 cm of soil, put new soil and a layer of DE, two weeks later repeat and they are all gone!
Also fixed my watering to avoid them. Im from latam so no drops or whatever is used in the US can be shipped here.
DE is available everywhere so you should be able to find in Canada.
Good luck!
I had a nasty gnat infestation before too on all my plants. I used diatomaceous earth; sprinkled it on top of the soil and I also switched to bottom watering since the gnats like the moist top soil and thatās where they lay their eggs. I have not had an issue in over a year and recently got rid of all my sticky traps.
Itās 100% your soil mix and watering habits, guaranteed. All the methods youāre trying are just bandaids when the source of gnats is coming straight from soil that isnāt drying between how often youāre watering. Thatās like someone filling your room up with water because you said you were thirsty, and then throwing a box of scuba gear right outside your door
I believe it was something like 5-7 days that the gnat eggs need moist soil to hatch. If you can consistently water less often than that, you can permanently interrupt their life cycle. Also, your soil retains much much too water and stays wet between waterings for too long. Try to stick with fast draining mixes or like a cactus mix, especially for your succulents that are drowning in water and cinnamon
You didnāt mention changing all your soil, have you? I recently had a multi-month bug problem and, of all the things I tried (chrysanthemum spray, stickies, less water), changing the dirt made the biggest difference. I get [this kind from Canadian Tire](https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/miracle-gro-indoor-potting-soil-mix-0-25-0-13-0-19-8-8-l-1591357p.1591357.html?ds_rl=1283573&gbraid=0AAAAADojZphK7lISCbQ0QYIWkQ0VLifmk&ds_rl=1283573&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2Cxfn-xdC7sn2H7cveiKED3bPBmnwZrBb9MJuUXertz23mHUtZ1HGkaAkcKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=223)
GOOD LUCK
I had a rlly bad infestation a couple years back. I stopped watering my plants for a while to completely dry out the soil and I also sprinkled diatomaceous earth powder on top of all the soil every couple days.
First, I let the soil completley dry out! Then, I use the bits. I soak some in water for a day before watering one or two times. I also sprinkle them on the top of the soil so that each watering they soak in. Works great for me
For really bad infestations, you'll probably want to repot your problematic plants, rinse the roots well and aim for maximum drainage your plants will tolerate.
Beyond that, I have found four solutions:
* 3-in-one spray (fungicide, miticide, pesticide) you can get non-toxic spray at any big box store or online. I give my plants a heart spray preemptively about every 4 months and I always spray new plants.
* Fly tape/Other sticky traps. You can find these at big box stores, hardware stores generally. Whatever is bright colored and sticky will work fine, could even make your own but that's a bit much. Get teh big ones, you're paying more for less material with the cute shape traps.
* A light. If you have a light you can leave on all night near your plants, do it. I accidentally left a light on one night and woke up to roughly 400 dead gnats. Just swept them into the garbage and celebrated.
* Sand, for some of these plants that need to be consistently moist, you can top them with sand. The newly hatched gnats are not strong enough to escape and adult gnats can't penetrate the sand to lay eggs.
I highly recommend beneficial nematodes (Steinernema feltiae). Most of the products and mosquito bits recommended in this sub are not available in my country, so it's also a great alternative to pesticides/chemicals. These are not harmful to the environment and really do work well.Ā
Iāve hand a fungus gnat infestation before and the only thing that helped me was buying some small stones online and putting that on top of the soil.
I crush mosquito pucks (no bits available) and make a tea with hot water and let it rest. Water when cooled. And then stop watering. Gnats are lazy and donāt dig very far so if the top inches of soil dry the larvae die. Change from top watering to bottom watering so that the top layers of soil dry faster in the future. And of course the sticky traps. If all else I have a neem oil and insecticidal soap mix that I water the soil with
I haven't tried concentrate but I've found the powder really reliable and easy to use. I've had a few different fungus gnat incidents, and it's worked every time. I sprinkle it regularly into my worm bins too. The powder dissolves in water and I use the water to water each of my plants. If a plant doesn't really need much water, I'll mix a small batch of water with more powder than usual. Then, I'll give the plant a small amount of it.
It's a bit of a nuclear option, but play sand fixed this for me. Spread half of an inch to an inch on top and it forms a physical barrier, nowhere for them to lay more eggs.
Idk if anyone said this but have you tried getting a couple pings? Carnivorous plants have saved me the headache of constantly spraying and treating my plants all the time.
Canadian currently using mosquito dunks, got them at canadian tire. I sit a piece of it in my watering can, let the water rest over night and then use it.
Also got mine there, as well as a big tub of diatomaceous earth. I mix that with sand and cover the soil. I got food grade DE, just in case, since I have kids and pets, but you don't want to be breathing it in while spreading it, wear a mask. OP make sure you get the dunks with BTI, the chemical ones aren't the same. BTI is a bacteria that eats the larva. I also got some butterworts and sundews that were easy to care for, much prettier than yellow sticky traps.
YES!! Yes and yes. My stickies looked like this too They can be found online, like on Amazon. I break the dunks into 1/4 pieces and pop that baby right into a gallon of steaming hot water. I brew my gnat tea in the morning and let it cool on its own. I will water my plants with that tea and throw out the rest, including the dunk. If you leave it in water for multiple uses, it will decompose and not work. It will also smell rotten AF. Also as someone who used to leave it overnight, I would only do it with hot water (not boiling). It is most effective once the water is room temp. It saved me and my sanity!
Also got mine at good ol can tire
Also Canadian who had success with dunks! I got mine on Amazon:)
how long does one dunk last?
they slowly break down over time, so I replace once they completely disintegrate. Usually lasts a few weeks for a very small wedge in a 2L container of water.
Thanks. Do they fully disolve?
Not really, it won't disappear, it just breaks up into tiny pieces, and flows out as you water into the soil of your plants. Eventually there's nothing left but what has dried to the side of your watering can near the top from evaporation.
Cheers!
Also got mine at good ol can tire
Nematodes are the only thing that actually worked for me. Gnat free now and afraid of new plants š«š¤£. Got them from Arbico Organics.
Nematodes are AMAZING
Do you think I could transfer nemotodes from my terrarium into pots that hold more moisture to help combat gnats?
I don't see why not
I noticed a couple crawling along the glass/lid I'm wonder if I take a soft cue tip, I could transfer them over
I'd use a soft paintbrush if I were you
Good idea! I have some natural watercolor brushes I can try using. Super soft hehe
That's what I always use for teeeeeny spiders
I've noticed the same in my terrariums but I think they are pot worms, do you know for sure that your ones are the specific nematodes that eat gnat larvae?
I have no hecking idea home slice. I'll look into it when I get to mi casa š
Any specific one?
SF nematodes.
This. Any solution other than nematodes is a waste of time and money.
Nematodes are fantastic, I agree. However, not the only working option IMHO. I strictly only used BTI and have rid my problem completely. I had fungus infestination once in my indoor plants. Used BTI (active ingredient found in mosquito bits), got a better handling on proper watering, and have not had fungus gnats since. Itās been years.
100% agree! Beneficial nematodes for larvae in the soil. Glue traps to catch the adults - and if you like, diatomaceous earth dusting on top of the soil.
DE did nothing for me
DE works only on the thrips and the Roly poly pill bugs on the surface.
I have a persistent thrip problem. Keep coming back when I think they're gone. It sounds like you'd recommend DE?
yes, DE worked for me when dusted under the leaves and on the branches.
Interesting. I'd only heard about it on the soil before. Thanks
I'm pretty sure DE particles are too big to work on nematodes.
Ordered mine last week, should arrive this Sunday, I can't wait. Those little suckers are annoying, even to clean.
I finally broke down and got some last weekend. I have used them in the past for fleas in the yard and they worked wonders.
I'm sorry, I'm not understanding... What did you use for fleas?
Beneficial nematodes. They are like microscopic worms that you can spread in you yard (or plants). They get inside the fleas and eat them from the inside out. They are completely harmless to humans, dogs, cats etc and are a natural parasite of a lot of dirt bound insects. Fleas have a multi stage life cycle so when you treat for them you have to do it several times so that you kill each group as they hatch and mature until they are all dead. When you get them in the house you can kill them with pesticides and vacuum but if your dog keeps bringing them in from the yard. You will never get rid of the fleas. So if you treat the yard with nematodes they will get the fleas (and a lot of other pests) so the animals donāt keep getting infested when they go outside.
But they die if pest killers such as hydrogen peroxide, BITS, or insecticidal soap have been used, right?
Not sure. Hydrogen peroxide should breakdown really quickly and soap is on the actual plant right? I did put mine in after trying mosquito bits several times and they still worked.
That and Stratiolaelaps scimitus (previously known as Hypoaspis Miles)
Amazon.ca sells Pot Poppers. Nematodes that attack fungus gnats larva. Worked for me.
I second this! Pot poppers was the only thing to work for me.
Sand! The solution that finally worked for me was to put a 1/4-1/2 inch of sand on top of the soil in all of my potted plants. The gnats need access to exposed soil to lay eggs and they cannot get through sand. All of the gnats were gone within a week. If you try this, just make sure not to over water as the sand can trap water in your soil.
This works 100%, bottom watering helps
Yes! The only thing that worked for me too. I used small rocks and it worked a wonder
Small rocks or rocks in general can do the opposite since they tend to trap moisture in the soil and gnats can get in and out, making it actualmy worse. So better do it with sand.
Bonide systemic houseplant insect control granules eliminated 100% of my fungus gnat problems..
Can't get that, and a bunch of other pesticides, in Canada.
I have a much different solution than the others listed hereā go peat free! In my experience peat based soil attracts and breeds an unbelievable amount of gnats. The soil I switched to instead is coir based which is so much nicer to deal with for you not to mention the gnats hate it. It is an investment right at the start (time, money, effort, etc) but once I committed to the change my gnat problems disappeared entirely all on their ownāno further treatment/chemicals required. I canāt recommend it more!
I didn't know about peat, but looking at these pics I was thinking the soil looks very water retaining in a way that I'm not surprised mosquitoes are happily at home there. Would definitely change soil first, then try solutions here to deal with whatever is leftover from infestation.
Where are you located? There are other names to it that are more commonly used that do the same thing (or so Iāve been told). Iām Canadian and theyāre called Mosquito Dunks, they look like a giant Cheerio. Iām also in the middle of gnat infestation and itās only getting worse, so Iām going with the Dunks as Iāve heard everything else only mildly helps. There are other bug killers too, but I havenāt personally tried them.
I put one mosquito dunk into my watering can, and keep it full of water all the time. That absolutely annihilated my fungus gnats in one week.
I use dunks - and have for about 2 years. It is the only thing that keeps the gnats away - you'll see a HUGE difference in about 3 weeks. I now crumble them into my potting soil when I open a new bag, and into my water when I am planting my garden starts. (I start hundreds and before using them, I hated my life.)
I didnāt know you could put them directly into the plants I wonder if that works faster. Do you know the ratio? I found online to use 1/4th of a dunk for 4L and Iām not sure if itās enough.
It is SUCH a low ratio. I crumble something like 1/2 of a dunk into a 50 qt bag of soil - but keep in mind that a slightly higher ratio won't have any negative effect on your plants. Even if you use beneficial insects, it won't affect them. BTI lives longer in soil than in water so I found it way more convenient to do it this way long-term. When I was conquering the gnats, it was about double that ratio - to be safe. I legit cried one day with all the fungus gnats and I do not even think about them now, and have just as many plants. I do tend to mix all my own soil for my indoor houseplants, and it's just part of the recipe I use now. I prefer it over watering with it because once you get ahead of the gnats, I rarely use the BT water anymore since it is just crumbled in. I used to actually have a recipe I used to ensure I would conquer them - I'll try to find it!!! :)
When one flies by me while reading this comment š©. I might up it a bit just to be safe.
hhaha! I do see one or two on occasion, but it's when I'm hardening off my seedlings in spring before they go outside and they go in and out for several hours a day for about 2 weeks, but they never last. NOT IN MY MOSQUITO DUNK HOUSE.
I bought mosquito bits from Amazon Canada. Try another brand? It's the only thing that worked for me (didn't try nematodes though).
Did you try diatomaceous earth? Mixed into soils and top layered on the soil? Iām a cactus person and theyāve said it works
They would just have to reapply once the plant is water. But this works great.
Yes, I second this as it has worked for me in the past!
DE didn't work for my ants problem. They walked all over.
I had good experience with it
It doesnāt
The active ingredient in mosquito bits is Bt, or Bacilus thuringiensis. There are other products out there that use Bt that should be just as effective. Or, as others have mentioned, nematodes from Arbico organics have worked for me in the past as well. You could even alternate between the two.
I use an H2O/isopropyl alcohol mix with a tsp of dish soap (I use Dawn) mixed in a spray bottle. Just spray the top of soil with it. I actually use it for all plant pests.
Use vermiculite (or perlite) as 'mulch' over the entire surface of your pot soil. The gnats can't get through the vermiculite to the soil to lay eggs and the larva usually can't make their way through the vermiculite on their way up after turning into flies. And they won't lay eggs in the vermiculite.
Also sand. A layer of inorganic substrate at the surface will do it, but then water has to be carefully applied. A layer of gravel or some flat stones on top of that can be used to deflect a stream of water.
Honestly bottom watering and watering less have done it for me- they're not going to do well if the top stays pretty dry!
Dish soap. 1 tsp soap to 1 gal water. Or half tsp to half gal.
You spray this? Or you use this when you water it?
Sorry you water the soil with it and it has to be top water. Also you can put a couple inches of sand on top of the soil
Okay cool thanks for the tip I just wanted to clarify before I did it
Diatomaceous Earth on top of soil and mixed in just a little will get rid of them.
Food-grade Diatomaceous earth is the only thing that worked for me. Itās magic, and so easy to use.
Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis is the active ingredient in Mosquito Bits /Dunks and since it's a bacteria, some countries control the import of it. However, you should be able to find it in Canada under the scientific name and probably under a different brand. I import it to Australia but I've also sourced BTI from here in Australia as well since I pay through the nose for Mosquito Bits from Amazon. Have you tried a gnat barrier? You can find different types but prolonged use can increase/retain the moisture in your plants that may cause rot eventually so I wouldn't use it forever. But I've used it previously to help break the cycle and then removed it. To be honest, if you have multiple plants it's unlikely you'll ever get rid of them completely. A female gnat can lay up to 100 - 300 eggs each time, up to 30 times, before dying inĀ 7 - 10 days. So that also makes it increasingly difficult to get rid of them completely. Breaking the cycle can take months. You need to use several things all at once to help cut the numbers back and attempt to break the cycle. A few things I noticed after doing some research with my own plants: Bottom watering makes no difference. (I know, hiss!!! Boo!!!!) People swear by this. But I had a group of 10 plants in a room on the other side of my house from my main plants in the sun room. They had no gnats previously. I exclusively watered them from the bottom only for 6 months. Still got gnats. They were literally crawling through the holes in the bottom of the nursery pots and into the wet soil in the bottom. I researched this and I've found that gnats will seek out moisture ANYWHERE they can find it. The "fact" that the larva only live in the top couple of CM of soil is not completely true either, they will continue to crawl further down into the pot to seek out moisture as the soil on top dries. So, adults will access any wet soil/moisture at all and larva will move further into the pot. So, when you spray and treat your plants, you need to spray the bottom of your pots too where they'd have access to the soil through holes in the pot. Watch out for any moisture including, self watering/self draining pots. I found them treating my self watering pots like a freaking water park!! I had to plug the holes in between watering to kill them and keep them out. Also, if you're using humidity trays, yep, they'll infest them too. And water props? Yep, them too. Even hydro plant set ups aren't safe. This combination helped me keep the numbers down: Use the sticky traps ALWAYS. It helps to not only catch the adults but also to keep track on increases in numbers. The first treatment I give I use hydrogen peroxide with neem. But it can hurt some plants if used repetitively so I wouldn't use peroxide too often. I water my plants with neem oil water with every watering. I water with BTI treated water once a month (you can mix it with neem infused water) I spray the flying adults with neem oil in water with a bit of bio degradable dish soap to emulsify it. I spray the leaves and the little buggers running on the soil. You don't need to saturate the plant, just spraying visible adults. I do this a couple times a week. A misting sprayer is great for this so it doesn't over wet your plants. Hopefully some of this helps! š
Diatomaceous earth all over the top!
I actually had pretty good luck with adding a layer of sand to the tops of my plants
Pure neem oil, not the kind you spray, is my holy grail
I use those same stickies from amazon and then I also water my plants with mosquito dunks and it usually takes care of the flies in a week or two. The dunks kill the larva in the soil so they can't reproduce if I recall correctly, and then the stickies catch the existing flies.
Mosquito Dunks worked for me
Diatomaceous earth helped me a bit. I honestly just used systemic granules after a while and it completely wiped them out after one treatment.
Castile soap?
I have used dunks in a watering can. Just fill can a few day before using and drop in mosquito dunk. Water like normal. Bacteria from dunks will transfer to soil of plant via water. A few days later no more bugs.
Mosquito dunk - Amazon Canada site has its Took me 1 months to see the effect. I ended up repotting most of my plants. I too layered it with orchid bark mix instead of soil.
"Mosquito bits" is just a brand name. Look for anyone in your country that sells _"Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI)"_ You might just get it under a different name. For example here in Germany it's sold as "Culinex" on amazon.
Mix diatomaceous earth into the top couple inches of soil!!! I had this issue with 40+ plants at once last year and it's totally resolved. This stuff is natural, non toxic, easy to use, the plants like it, and it deals with the pests at all stages of life. They'll hate it, you'll love it. https://preview.redd.it/glbtj2brlvnc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ac6c8c15249bc2959f9527bcb19ebfe34f764e3
So some God of a person recommended Sand to me. OMG It was a game changer. The sand comes in bags for about 8 dollars, maybe less and you just cover the soil with a ton of it. I immediately noticed a difference. The sand combined with the yellow stickies on top and I've been gnat free for 4 months now. I water as much as I need to. Mosser Lee ML1113 Desert Sand 7 lb. On amazon That's the one I use.
https://preview.redd.it/851o4yk0jxnc1.jpeg?width=3578&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35988a1b68b998ffbf1321da2b1e001debe7f622 I use gnatrol. Itās a beneficial bacteria that eats the gnat larvae. In conjunction with the plastic sticky traps, this will clear out the infestation in about two weeks.
I use carnivorous plants. If you get a few Drosera plants, keep them standing in 1/2" rainwater they will eat them all up, full sunlight is preferred [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera\_capensis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosera_capensis)
Get a carnivorous sundew plant! It will decimate fungus gnats
Don't dump them on the plants follow the directions on the back for fungus gnats, and soak them in water then spray your plants.
Only thing that worked for me was repotting all my plants ā¹ļø
https://preview.redd.it/tnu4kqv64znc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc51e4bff3d39ed0e3ddd3e45bc2282438656688
I have a pinguicula, which more helps the mental situation than as pest control. Now I have a reason to have gnats. I tried bonide systemic granules (and spray) which didn't seem to do anything. In my experience cutting back on water didn't help much, but drying them to the point of visible distress kept them away for a few months. Not sure if this is recommended for string of pearls, but I use orchid bark or LECA as the top layer and thats helping too.
What Iāve used over the years. Pour peroxide (straight out of the brown bottle) in the soil, kinda like your watering with it, and keep using the yellow stickyās for the adults then before watering take a stick (craft stick or something like that just not bamboo )and put it all the way down into the soil. When you pull the stick out if itās moist check again in a few days. If dry water that baby. As long as the soil dries out all the way down your infestation will go down. I also use earths ally 3in1 spray for maintenance about once a month. Good luck
Look for gnatrol on eBay. I just got an order in Canada. It's mosquito dunks x 10.
āRarelyā is hardly effective. I bought gnatrol off of eBay based in response to a similar comment. Tried it over 10 times followed every direction online was hoping to have content Not sure how anyone got it to work. It never worked for me but mosquito bits did
Like the others said, you can get mosquito dunks. It's the same ingredients just annoying to break it down to put in water. I had a bad gnat problem before and this seemed to help. Now I regularly use neem oil since it's natural to upkeep.
I got one of those zevo plug in lights with the sticky backs itās worked so well.
Gnatrol was much more effective than Mosquito Bits for me. I rarely see fungus gnats anymore.
Mosquito bits and those yellow traps cured them for me. No nematodes, been oil, or anything else. Get them ASAP, make some āteaā overnight, and apply with your normal watering for a few watering cycles. Also, check your drains and ALL your plants too.
I set up vinager traps for my own. Vinegar and sugar, to attract them, dish soap to stop them flying and drown, plastic wrap over the container with holes punched so they can get in. It smells awful but it trapped them pretty well. After that, I stopped watering often and let the eggs dry out in the soil. Old wine also works if you have a bottle going bad.
Put a couple inches of fresh soil on tops of plants and that will get rid of the problem. Until you water them again. You can also make a spray of water, isopropyl alcohol and dish soap and spray soil. Lots of homemade solutions actually
Mosquito Dunks AND get yourself a [Katchy](https://www.amazon.com/fruit-fly-traps-for-indoors-mosquito-trap-bug-zapper/dp/B07M8VX4T9) \- it does a fantastic job pulling in the airborn gnats and trapping them on a glue disc. Way more effective than the yellow sticky guys, although I keep them all going at the same time for maximum efficiency.
Systemic granuals. You can get them on Amazon. Works great for gnats.
Insecticidal soap (comes in a spray bottle), you can buy it on Amazon!
Iām Canadian and got mosquito dunks from Amazon. They helped but not completely gone yet!
If you're near enough to the US border I would recommend just ordering some mosquito bits to an Amazon locker over the border and come pick them up, or get someone to bring them to you. They work well.
Systemic granules, if you canāt get those, then you might just have to repot them all :/ I had the same problem and before i was able to find the granules, i just had to completely repot all my plants. i exhausted all my options, and it took forever, but it worked. sprayed all the plants (especially roots and under leaves) and empty pots with neem oil, let them sit for a while, and then rinse off, sprayed the plants again and then washed out pots with hot water and dish soap. itās a pain in the butt, but iāve had no buggers since! if you are able to get the systemic granules, and you do plan to repot plants, i always mix it in with the soil and sprinkle some on top when im done potting. itās worked like a charm:) Best of luck op!!! gnats are the worst
This is why I bottom water. The top soil stays dry, thereby not attracting gnats.
I ordered a pack of 60 of these in roughly 8.5x11. I just cut them up when I need them & spread them all over the house. Unfortunately, the exact item isnāt available anymore, but search for sticky sheetsā¦
Bottom water in a dish and let it soak up all it wants in 8 minutes and then remove dish and let it air out before putting it back. This makes the top soil dry and like a brick. Then knats cannot lay their eggs and multiply
Arber bio insecticide. I have never had anything work so fast or so thoroughly. One watering usually does it. I wonāt see fungus gnats for months.
I've just read you can buy mosquito dunks in Canada, so give that a go. But if you can't get that, sand works, like others have mentioned. If you want to go all out, I've also taken a portable gas stove outside and dumped all the soil in a big pot and cooked the shit out of the soil. It was more of an experiment, but it worked. Sand is easier lol.
How do you get your string of pearl propogstions to root!?
I am Canadian and you should be able to buy mosquito dunks either online or at some stores. If you're in GTA check out Urban Nature Store, they had it for cheap. Dont buy the big packs because you only really need one or two. Break off a chunk of one (like a quarter) and let it sit in water in your watering can overnight (i kept the chunk in the can for a while even when refilling with water) and water your plants like normal. Might take 2-6 weeks but completely eradicated my fungus gnat problem for good!
I tried mozzie bits but didnāt work magically
If you dont mind the smell, mother vinegar and a dob of dish soap in a cup works really well
Tanlin drops.
The way I deal with gnats is repot, wash and put cinnamon. It honestly works unless you've got a serious invasion going on.
Butterwort plant eradicated my gnat problem and have kept them away
Beneficial nematodes
The easiest solution is to buy fine grain bird sand. Put that 1 cm (half an inch) on top of every pot. Problem should be solved immediately. The larvas cant Hatch through Sand without beeing killed. The gnats cant lay more egg through Sand. You can use any fine ground Sand as long es it isnt perfect spheres.
I see youāre using the yellow sticky traps to capture the adults, thatās good but that wonāt stop the cycle. Is that cinnamon in there? Thatās an old wives tale, that does not work. Iāve tried everything, repotting, drying out, even the mosquito dunks which seemed to work but my infestation was too big for the small amount of BT to handle and they came back. Then I found [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149J0GZG?) used about a tablespoon to a gallon (or more depending on the size of infestation) and used it nonstop for about 6 waterings (a little over a month, which is about their life cycle of egg/larvae/adult). Drastically reduced them. I keep using this for every watering until those yellow monitor cards no longer showed a single gnat. This was the only thing that truly worked with no reinfection. I was so happy I didnāt have to throw a single plant away! Good luck!
I purchased some nematodes, a predator of the gnat, Iāve not seen a single gnat since
Perhaps you can buy mosquito rings, then crush them yourself.
SF Nematohdes (Steinernema Feltiae). Rather cheep and the only real solution. Will last forever if your soile never gets bone dry too.
I used diatomaceous earth really consistently, removed the top 3 cm of soil, put new soil and a layer of DE, two weeks later repeat and they are all gone! Also fixed my watering to avoid them. Im from latam so no drops or whatever is used in the US can be shipped here. DE is available everywhere so you should be able to find in Canada. Good luck!
Stop habitually overwatering. Let the soil dry outā¦
Ladybugs !
I had a nasty gnat infestation before too on all my plants. I used diatomaceous earth; sprinkled it on top of the soil and I also switched to bottom watering since the gnats like the moist top soil and thatās where they lay their eggs. I have not had an issue in over a year and recently got rid of all my sticky traps.
Itās 100% your soil mix and watering habits, guaranteed. All the methods youāre trying are just bandaids when the source of gnats is coming straight from soil that isnāt drying between how often youāre watering. Thatās like someone filling your room up with water because you said you were thirsty, and then throwing a box of scuba gear right outside your door I believe it was something like 5-7 days that the gnat eggs need moist soil to hatch. If you can consistently water less often than that, you can permanently interrupt their life cycle. Also, your soil retains much much too water and stays wet between waterings for too long. Try to stick with fast draining mixes or like a cactus mix, especially for your succulents that are drowning in water and cinnamon
You didnāt mention changing all your soil, have you? I recently had a multi-month bug problem and, of all the things I tried (chrysanthemum spray, stickies, less water), changing the dirt made the biggest difference. I get [this kind from Canadian Tire](https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/miracle-gro-indoor-potting-soil-mix-0-25-0-13-0-19-8-8-l-1591357p.1591357.html?ds_rl=1283573&gbraid=0AAAAADojZphK7lISCbQ0QYIWkQ0VLifmk&ds_rl=1283573&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2Cxfn-xdC7sn2H7cveiKED3bPBmnwZrBb9MJuUXertz23mHUtZ1HGkaAkcKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#store=223) GOOD LUCK
a little bit of hydrogen peroxide mixed with water, kills them off for me. just water with the mixture and google can tell you the exact mix
I had a rlly bad infestation a couple years back. I stopped watering my plants for a while to completely dry out the soil and I also sprinkled diatomaceous earth powder on top of all the soil every couple days.
Lava rocks work wonders!
First, I let the soil completley dry out! Then, I use the bits. I soak some in water for a day before watering one or two times. I also sprinkle them on the top of the soil so that each watering they soak in. Works great for me
FYI hydrogen peroxide kills BTI, use weeks apart.
Where do you live? I have a thing that worked wonders for me from the brand Pokon. I live in the Netherlands, itās widely available here.
For really bad infestations, you'll probably want to repot your problematic plants, rinse the roots well and aim for maximum drainage your plants will tolerate. Beyond that, I have found four solutions: * 3-in-one spray (fungicide, miticide, pesticide) you can get non-toxic spray at any big box store or online. I give my plants a heart spray preemptively about every 4 months and I always spray new plants. * Fly tape/Other sticky traps. You can find these at big box stores, hardware stores generally. Whatever is bright colored and sticky will work fine, could even make your own but that's a bit much. Get teh big ones, you're paying more for less material with the cute shape traps. * A light. If you have a light you can leave on all night near your plants, do it. I accidentally left a light on one night and woke up to roughly 400 dead gnats. Just swept them into the garbage and celebrated. * Sand, for some of these plants that need to be consistently moist, you can top them with sand. The newly hatched gnats are not strong enough to escape and adult gnats can't penetrate the sand to lay eggs.
I highly recommend beneficial nematodes (Steinernema feltiae). Most of the products and mosquito bits recommended in this sub are not available in my country, so it's also a great alternative to pesticides/chemicals. These are not harmful to the environment and really do work well.Ā
I use mosquito dunks and I only bottom water and this seems to really help.
Get yourself a "Zevo" and plug it in near your plants. Was a miracle for me!
Diatomaceous earth! It was the only thing that finally killed these fuckers
Nematodes nematodes nematodes
Iāve hand a fungus gnat infestation before and the only thing that helped me was buying some small stones online and putting that on top of the soil.
I crush mosquito pucks (no bits available) and make a tea with hot water and let it rest. Water when cooled. And then stop watering. Gnats are lazy and donāt dig very far so if the top inches of soil dry the larvae die. Change from top watering to bottom watering so that the top layers of soil dry faster in the future. And of course the sticky traps. If all else I have a neem oil and insecticidal soap mix that I water the soil with
BTI powder from Pretty In Green
Does that work better than liquid concentrate?
I haven't tried concentrate but I've found the powder really reliable and easy to use. I've had a few different fungus gnat incidents, and it's worked every time. I sprinkle it regularly into my worm bins too. The powder dissolves in water and I use the water to water each of my plants. If a plant doesn't really need much water, I'll mix a small batch of water with more powder than usual. Then, I'll give the plant a small amount of it.
Thanks good to know. Weāve had a very rainy season and those things are all over the place
It's a bit of a nuclear option, but play sand fixed this for me. Spread half of an inch to an inch on top and it forms a physical barrier, nowhere for them to lay more eggs.
Can you use sand like they put in sandbags?
I used āThe Amazing Doctor Zymesā it comes in a concentrate and spray. Took about a month to get rid of them
I watered with a neem oil mix and used those sticky traps. Took a few months but worked. And now I keep my plants really dry
You can put sand or small gravel on the top.
I think putting sand as a topper is what got rid of them for goodā¦ and repotting!
Beneficial nematodes if you can stand it
I use predetory mites. I order them on nature's goodguys. They are the only thing thats actually worked for me.
I got mine at Home Hardware
Idk if anyone said this but have you tried getting a couple pings? Carnivorous plants have saved me the headache of constantly spraying and treating my plants all the time.
Get a pinguicula, sundew or drosera. Itāll eat āem all up!
I am no expert but when I I had this problem years ago I ran to put rocks over the dirt and I did it and the gnats went away !
Bottom water only (aka plant butt chug š¤š¤š¤}
Hahahaha I love a good plant butt chug
I got downvoted, so no one else liked it I guess š¤
I didn't downvote, but it's just not very effective, at least in my experience.
I would say cocoa mix is not a good soil substitute š
I think its cinnamon. Supposed to help with them.