Just found a single fungus gnat on a plant placed where the X is. I’ve checked the nearby plants and there are no signs of other pests, but is there anything I should do to prevent the spread? I’ve isolated the infected plant in another room and am treating it with insect control.
Another thing that is helpful to get rid of them is using mosquito bits! They are granules that are used to kill their eggs in the soil. You can make a mosquito bit “tea” by soaking them in water for 30 min and then watering your plants with it. It will kill the eggs and you can use yellow sticky traps to get rid of the adults. Do that for a couple months till you don’t see anymore! You can also lay sand or cinnamon on top of the soil for extra prevention
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Anytime I’ve had fungus gnats, I isolate affected plants. I have no fungus gnats currently and hope to keep it that way. I would recommend systemic granules on the other plants to prevent any larvae from surviving in case they did spread.
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systemic granules are highly toxic and i find it quite appalling that people recommend them so often. a hydrogen peroxide solution poured over the soil will kill any larvae or eggs in the soil, and traps will take care of the adults. there’s no need for toxic chemicals especially not for fungus gnats which aren’t even harmful, just annoying.
1 like To each their own. Fortunately I don’t have to use it very often, not even sure the last time I used it. But it works well for keeping bugs away. I’ve used peroxide but possibly not in high enough concentrations to kill bugs. I’ve never used it straight on soil, always diluted quite a bit. Do you use it straight or do you dilute it first?
0 likes i use 3% (topical) hydrogen peroxide diluted 1:5 in water as a flush for soil. the peroxide kills any larvae and microbes in the soil and aerates it, but it’s weak enough to not harm the roots. i always use some mycorrhizae-enriched fertilizer the next watering to replace the fungi killed by peroxide. i think systemic granules are a better choice for more serious buggy issues that can’t be remedied by more natural methods like castile soap and peroxide flushes.
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I have a ping that eats all of my fungus gnats 🤭
