---
title: "I have a bad infestation of fungus gnats! I have tried essential…"
description: "I have a bad infestation of fungus gnats! I have tried essential oils, bowls of vinegar and even bug spray and every day I have a huge batch of new gnats…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/G6cL4AI30p3FO2iesBdJDm"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Audrey"
published: "2026-06-24T17:54:41.618831Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/pestsDiseasesAndProblems.jpg"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md)

# I have a bad infestation of fungus gnats! I have tried essential…

_Posted by Audrey on 2026-06-24_

I have a bad infestation of fungus gnats! I have tried essential oils, bowls of vinegar and even bug spray and every day I have a huge batch of new gnats flying around. Any advice?

## 6 comments

### Kels commented on 2026-06-24

Im new to this and have began to also see those after getting a monstera from walmart. I have heard you need to let the soil dry, you can use mosquito bites in the soil i think and there are clay balls you can use, theres also a mixture with 70% alcohol that you spray and kill the live ones. The larvae is in the soil so you will need to find a course of action depending on your plants and what you can get. It may help just to start by letting the soil dry . I hope you can get rid of them! Best of luck

### Ms.Issy commented on 2026-06-24

The best trick I’ve found is to keep 1/2 a mosquito dunk soaking in my one gallon watering can \& use that “tea” to water the plants. This kills the babies in the soil. Just be sure to change out the 1/2 a dunk about once a month.  
For the adults yellow sticky traps in the plants and/or a plug in bug trap for the house. The kind I used have a light and sticky sheet. I found them in Lowe’s or Home Depot along with the mosquito dunks.

### Cloudyskyy72 commented on 2026-06-24

You can also go buy new substrate and replant everything, depending on how many plants you have.

### Dondoo52 commented on 2026-06-24

This has been the best for me. I sprinkle this on and water but if I have already watered a plant, I have spread it around and mixed it in the already damp soil and within a couple of days, no more issue!

I also put a drop of dish soap in my regular watering can to keep bugs out.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/0yu1hcgdvrpbEzNfd-P-aauuwlVhDLE4RlHG4Kt0X1k/K81cCSmaSiiUBowliHegBg.webp?size=large)

### Green bean commented on 2026-06-25

For me the gnat traps helped, insecticide to spray leaves, fungicide for the soil, and I even got beneficial insects like nematodes to help.. it’s a tough battle but be patient with the process. Good luck

### Julie commented on 2026-06-30

I got Happy Houseplant death drops for fungus gnats and TBD on how effective it is but it’s the same thing as mosquito bits essentially. I also use the yellow sticky traps in all my plants which helps catch the adults. Every plant parent knows this annoyance!

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