Has anyone ever tried beneficial nematodes to get rid of gnats? I have tried EVERYTHING and they just keep coming back. I hadn’t seen them in a couple months and what do you know they are back!!! I read that beneficial nematodes work wonders but I am a little freaked out by the idea. Please let me know!
Commenting so I can come back to this post! I also have a fungus gnat problem. What i’ve been seeing so far is repotting all your plants will help. Like full on removing all soil and rinsing the roots. I have only done the ones that seem most affected but I think I’ll have to do all of them 😩
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Charlie, see my post below, hopefully this will help you too.
1 LikeOne round of nematodes on a fairly big fungus gnat problem solved it for me so I would highly recommend trying it. I had about 60 plants so the repotting option was too much to think about!
2 Likes Might give it a go then thanks both! Yeah I have around 30 so I think repotting all of them is a bit much for me too 😩
1 Like Hey Hollie, I recently had a fungus gnat infestation that began when I brought my Lemon Tree inside for the fall & winter months. They multiplied very rapidly and I was fighting gnats in all of my plants upstairs and downstairs in my house. I tried dousing my lemon tree in neem oil, which did nothing for me but make my house smell ungodly gross. I researched and found some YouTube videos raving about beneficial nematodes, and I was skeptical at first. But, I felt better after reading more reviews and watching more videos. I can honestly say that I have killed off 99.9% of the gnats and their eggs/larvae. Luckily, they only have a 20 day lifespan; however, and that 20 days one gnat can lay 200 to 300 eggs at a time. Multiply that by 100s of adult gnats flying around and you can see how this problem will escalate very quickly. I used beneficial nematodes, one time, and I saw an immediate change within 2 to 3 days. The nematodes feed off of the eggs, larva, and bodies of the gnats. (It’s actually quite violent from what the reviews state, the nematodes basically puncture the gnats body, and eat them from the inside out, but I don’t care I just wanted to get rid of them.) It has been 2 to 3 weeks since my initial treatment with the pad and I noticed a couple gnats flying around, this could be from the nematodes dying off too early, or from a couple new plants that I got. Nematodes feed off of the fungus gnat eggs, larvae, until there is no more and they naturally die off themselves. Most reviews and videos will say that you’ll need at least 2-3 treatments to fully remedy the issue. I also suggest the yellow sticky traps in each plant, and I also have one of those Zevo bug zappers close to your plant(s) in question. I replaced all traps and the cartridge in the Zevo and within a couple days, they were both full of adult gnats, while the nematodes killed off the eggs/larvae. I can’t recall the last time that I saw a pesky gnat (alive) and flying around. Nematodes to the rescue (~$20 on Amazon). I also recommend Mosquito Bits, if you’re in the US and can get them. Prevention is important, so try not to overwater (from top), and isolate any new plants. Nematodes are perfectly safe (and natural) for plants, animals, and pets!! The results have been outstanding with NO downsides. I used mosquito bits and watered my plants last week and I will release more nematodes (you have to use them all within a week or so of receiving them or they’ll die) in a few days just to be on the safe side, but it’s recommended that you water with mosquito bits each watering. I hope this helps, feel free to reach out directly if you have any questions. Keep us posted and best of luck to you at defeating the annoying little pests!! ~Clay
2 Likes What brand did you use?
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Mosquito Bits work. Follow the directions on the package. Put it in the watering can and water with it very time. Fungus gnats can come back in the home with new plants, on pets/clothing, through open doors/windows or when plants are brought inside. You have to treat every plant.
2 LikesI had fungus gnats and after a few months of some success with mosquito bits but they kept coming back so I used nematodes on all 60ish of my plants, it was one application and I thought I might have to do another but have been gnat free for about 6 months. I did also put yellow traps in all the plants at the same time to catch any stray ones.
1 LikeAlso same as you felt a bit freaked out by the idea of it but they are microscopic so you just feel like you’re mixing some powder into water and to make me feel better I used gloves and cleared the sink and disinfected after 🤣. If you have a garden maybe take them all out there and water them if that helps.
1 Like What brand did you use? I’m not sure what to buy on Amazon
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