adilene🪴
Hey guys! Can you all help me identify this bug? I’ve noticed it on my new plants as well that have moist soil. They are everywhere and they are so annoying ! 😔 Any help will do thank you friends!
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Hey guys! Can you all help me identify this bug? I’ve noticed it on… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta community
13 comments
VexedIt’s hard to see from the picture looks like a fungus gnat. If you see it flying around ur plant then that is exactly what it is. If it doesn’t fly and has a longer body with a pointy ish but it may be thrips.
3 likes- adilene🪴
It like crawls really fast and it is so easy to squish too. It kind of flys but not really and yes it is longer and flatter.
1 like - Vexed
Then it may be thrips as they are longer and flat ish
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9sFungus gnat. Too big for thrips
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eatyacarbs100% fungus gnat. Get some mosquito bits. Safe for pets/plants/kiddos, just mix into water and it treats the eggs/larvae
3 likes- adilene🪴
Thank you tons :)!
0 likes
send_nodesYep it’s fungus gnats. They’re not harmful to your plants, but they’re super annoying. For gnats, there isn’t a treatment that will target them at all stages of their life cycle (eggs, larvae, adults) so you have to use multiple things to get rid of them. Like another comment suggested, mosquito bits are great. Add 2 tbsp per gallon of water that you water your plants with. Let the mosquito bits soak in the water for at least 30 minutes. Just don’t let the bits actually go into the plant soil or else it can cause mold. Then you can re-use the same mosquito bits for about a month. Mosquito bits will target the larvae, but then you have to target the adult gnats. To do this, you can use sticky traps. Add them to the soil of all or most of your plants. Gnat eggs can stay in the soil for a very long time, so make sure to keep using the mosquito bits even after the gnats seem to be gone. People say to let the soil dry out as much as possible to get rid of gnats, which definitely helps, but those eggs can survive for such a long time, so letting the soil dry will not get rid of them completely.
2 likes- adilene🪴
Thank you so much!!!!!
1 like - eatyacarbs
The adult gnats don’t live very long so their life cycle will take care of that. As long as you’re treating the eggs/larvae, the gnats themselves will diminish over time
1 like - send_nodes
Good to know!
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MeowmyEverthing everyone have said is right but I'd like to add, fungus gnats are actually harmful for your plants because their larvae eats roots of the plants. Good luck on getting rid of them, lots of good advices here!
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KristaThe fungus gnats also make great food for smaller carnivorous plants, mainly drosera and pinguicula and small pitcher plants. That makes the gnats a good excuse to get a couple of those plants 😉. Of course, they only target the adults and can’t get them all. I also use a Katchy indoor insect trap as well. That fills up pretty quick with gnats. I am about to add the pot sticky traps too to try and catch them as they emerge. Finally, for the larvae, I am using Mosquito Bits, but I am also trying to switch to bottom watering and I want to try Nematodes.
2 likes- adilene🪴
I have been wanting a carnivorous plant..😏🫣 haha but I think I am going to start bottom watering too and get some mosquito bits! - thank you :)
1 like