All that said, not every organic matter is preferable for gnats. Gnats are attracted to the smell of vinegar, especially apple cider … 2. Rick is a home design consultant and enthusiast, who's life is consumed by all things home and garden. Knowing how to kill fungus gnats is easy, but it's better off to prevent them altogether. Cover one side … You'll find that they're small, as tiny as a fruit fly at about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch in length. Black flies, eye gnats, gall gnats (also referred to as gall midges), sand gnats, dark-winged fungus gnats, etc., are the commonly found types. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Put a fabric softener sheet on top of the soil to repel the gnats. Place a candle in a candlestick and fill the holder partially with water. When you think about a fruit fly they tend to have a rounder shape overall, while fungus gnats are more like mosquitos in appearance but smaller. And then you'll have supplies on hand for (god forbid) next time. Diatomaceous earth is not recommended due to the damage it can cause to the rest of the insect population. Be persistent, and you can soon be rid of this pest. You can turn up an inch or two of soil and see if you can find any larvae. Fungus gnats' bodies contain what are called antifreeze proteins which make them especially hardy when it comes to cold temperatures. I think about what would happen if a bottle busted open during shipping. Prevent gnat invasions by keeping your yard and garden neat and clean and addressing moisture problems. The pellet is reusable, so you can either break off pieces of it or let it partially dissolve before removing it for another use later. They'll walk around a lot and only occasionally fly around because they can't do it for long periods of time. Those products are used for getting rid of spider mites and insects that lay their eggs and hatch larvae above ground. Don’t water the soil! If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Apple cider vinegar trap for gnats. Here the best organic way to get rid of fungus gnats … Cut some yellow construction paper (remember, these critters love yellow!) They'll lay eggs in your houseplant soil, and that's why they tend to stay close, though they'll get distracted by light like any insect will. Close the lids and poke several holes into them. http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html, https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/controlling-fungus-gnats-organically, http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/flies/fungus-gnats.aspx, http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Early intervention is the key to preventing an outbreak. Where Do Spider Mites Come From? Compost and peat moss as a potting mix is particularly easy to be affected by the damping-off fungus, so consider moving to a perlite or vermiculite mix instead. This is the fastest method. Cultural Changes. They have long legs and antennae and a thin body. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 16,753 times. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Sticky traps quickly reduce the adult population and stop them from laying more eggs. You just want to create a sticky solution that doesn't have enough surface tension to carry the fungus gnats. When spread to your plants, this causes a condition called "damping-off," which causes a thinner, constricted stem that causes the plant to be too top-heavy. Mosquito Dunks - This is really the only method to take care of the larvae. Fungus gnats are an annoying pest that thrive in damp conditions. As you can imagine, the population can explode exponentially pretty fast. Keeping that bacteria around in the soil will stop these pesky buggers from going through their life cycle in your potted plants, which means no adults flying around and no larvae harming the roots of your plants. 1. Doktor Doom Total Release Fogger to kill fungus gnats quickly As the name says, this fogger spells the doom for fungus gnats! This entire life cycle can occur in a single potted plant, hosting several generations at once! Learn more about. You'll want to use this pellet solution for two or three months if you want to be extra thorough, though two or three times total seems to do the trick. The annoyance with this is you'll need to start watering from the bottom of your container so you don't wash the sand away. You can just leave an infected pot without watering for some time, the gnats’ … Of course, once you get rid of your fungus gnat problem, you'll want to do what you can to prevent it the next time. This article has been viewed 16,753 times. In most cases, especially indoors, fungus gnats are harmless. You want to make sure you're dealing with fungus gnats and not fruit flies. Plants that are more easily harmed by fungus gnats are spider plants, wandering jew, geraniums, african violets, and peace lilies, so take extra care if you're growing these. It will fall over eventually and die. Compared to a fruit fly, fu… Part of doing that is understanding what causes an infestation in the first place. If you can water from the bottom then that's fine. The Stratiolaelaps scimitus seeks out fungus gnat larvae and other insects. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Thankfully these are very passive methods that take nearly zero effort the first time and then you don't have to do anything else. Rest assured, however, that you can get rid of fungus gnats without having to trash all of your plants. Let Your Soil Dry Out - The first thing you can do is make sure you allow more time to pass between waterings of your plants. References. Types. Punch some 5 – 10 holes in the bottle and hang these bottles 3 – 5 feet … You can use products like neem oil, hydrogen peroxide, cinnamon, and AzaMax but in this case you're better off with mosquito dunks. Fill the 1-liter bottles to about 1/4 with the solution. The soap itself is not an effective means of harming the gnats biologically, other than drowning. Eliminate Moist Soil - Avoiding overwatering of outside plants and lawns. The best method to kill the adults is through sticky traps or liquid traps. To get rid of fungus gnats, control the adult gnat and larvae population by setting yellow sticky traps in your potted plants or garden. I'll also cover some frequently asked questions about these gnats and give you some basic information about them and their lives. Size: Adult fungus gnats are tiny. Fungus gnat eggs are generally planted in overly moist soil, though outdoors they're known to even use moist, rotting wood. If they consume their entire food source (typically fungus around and the actual roots of plants) the colony can die of starvation. Thus, you can use some of those unpreferable ones to repel them away from your surroundings. (Prevention Tips & More), Maggots in Compost: Good or Bad? Pesticide sprays containing bifenthrin and cyfluthrin can also work. How To Get Rid Of Fungus Gnats Outside. You can order them in bottles that contain as many as 25,000 of these mites, which trips me out. The Fungus Gnat Predator - If you're dealing with a large scale garden, good decision is to introduce a predator into the mix. The are also pollinators and even can aid in the spreading of mushroom spores. This article has been viewed 16,753 times. Appearance: Adult fungus gnats are a grayish-black color and have gray or see-through wings. The best method for the outdoors involves either introducing predatory mites into the area or diatomaceous earth onto and into the soil. into squares. | How To Get Rid of Fungus Gnats in Houseplants! Exterior Lighting - Replacing standard exterior light bulbs with low voltage, bug light bulbs that are less attractive to flying insects. If the problem is severe, you can also use a variety of traps, insecticides, and other controls to reduce the gnats. Vinegar (or beer) will attract and kill adult gnats. You need enough to create at least a 1/4 of an inch in liquid depth. The key here is consistency. In extremely large numbers, the fungus gnat larvae can eat enough of the roots of your plants to cause significant stress and hurt their ability to thrive and grow. Dust the surface of the soil of the affected plant with diatomaceous earth, paying extra attention to the inside of the outer edges of the pot and around the base of the stem. Neem oil is also an effective soil drench to combat fungus gnat larvae. Dish soap is typically used in cider vinegar traps, causing any adult fungus gnats that land on it to sink, due to the decrease in surface tension that allows them to stand on top of pure water. To learn more tips from our Horticulturist reviewer, including how to treat the soil, keep reading! Unlike other pests, you can find these year-round due to their bodily make-up including antifreeze proteins that makes them exceptionally tolerant of cold weather. Fungus gnat larvae may be up to of an inch in length. An effective way to get rid of gnats outside is to introduce natural predators of fungus gnats to your garden. It also gets into their joints and causes internal injuries. You can lay these small squares sticky side up on the soil (and if you want, stick them down with toothpicks). As a preventative measure you only need to do this once a year after the initial treatment. Direct action is encouraged to get rid of fungus gnats, as opposed to hoping they leave on their own, due to their rapid replication. For a natural fungicide, sprinkle cinnamon on your potted plants or garden beds. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. This serves as the bait. Pour oil into your drain. What's nice is the adult fungus gnat only lives around one week, but in that time they can lay up to 300 eggs each. Get rid of new eggs leaving only the current generation and wait until such will die off either naturally or artificially. Please note that damping-off can't be cured, only prevented. Applying a combination of Flex 10-10 and Pivot 10 IGR can kill fungus gnats in all of its stages and keep them off your property. Otherwise remember to add more powder after watering and drying. Therefore, here we help you in getting rid of gnats outside your house. Heat your soil in the oven for half an hour at 160° F (71° C). There are kinds that employ an insect growth regulator called diflubenzuron that only lasts for one to two months as the active ingredient, so be aware of what you use. This is a reasonable method if you're trying to cover a lot of ground outdoors. Last Updated: March 29, 2019 3. If the infestation is new, let the soil of infected plants dry out completely, which kills the … The larvae have a thin body, usually white or a pale see-through complexion. Basically, you take a shallow dish like a small sauce serving bowl or tuna can that's around a 1/2 an inch deep and fill it with a custom mixture. You'll typically find fruit flies in the kitchen, in your banana bags, coming out of your trashcans, and often in the garbage disposal and sink pipes (flush those out ASAP with dish soap). … The whole life cycle from laying of the eggs to adults dying off of old age takes place in 3-4 weeks total, with the range changing depending on the local temperature. If you allow them to thrive inside to grow a large enough colony to harm your plants, you've got bigger problems than gnats. Many come with guiding lines so you can cut them into tiny squares, which I recommend doing. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Then you place a few drops of liquid dish soap into it and stir lightly. If your garden or indoor plants have been infested by the highly dangerous … We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Prevention and Control of Fungus Gnats: Do not over water houseplants; let the soil dry to stop fungus gnat develop in the soil. The larvae have a small black head at the tip of the body. Fungus gnats like to lay their eggs in moist soil, so if the top is too dry for their taste, they'll move on to another location (or die of old age in your window sill). They're typically just annoying, but there are predator types in the Arachnocampa genus in the Keroplatidae family. You don’t want to just move your pests from one part of the house to another. Always follow the instructions and safety recommendations provided with the pesticide spray. Keeping soil dry is the number one way to get rid of fungus gnats. Also, ensure that potted plants have good drainage. Larvae of flying insects get infected with it, leading to their passing into bug heaven. They've managed to create a home out of my houseplants and I'm guessing they're laying eggs in the soil, too. Cover the Drainage Holes - If you're taking care of the top portions of the soil as mentioned above, fungus gnats will still seek out the moist drainage holes, so you need to cover them too. My mom had them scattered in different window sills all the time. Immediately save the remaining solution in the refrigerator. Now we need to discuss the problem of the eggs and larvae that are already hatching and growing into more adults. … By using our site, you agree to our. Fungus gnats are also susceptible to chemical control, though it is generally reserved for large potted plants or outdoor gardens. Typical flypaper can work too if you already have it. As you can guess, I'm writing about how to get rid of fungus gnats because it's a plan I'm enacting right now. The adults will grow from the larvae in waves and you need to be prepared to deal with several cycles. Add a Layer of Sand - Another way to keep your soil dry is to place about a 1/2 of an inch of coarse sand across the top of your soil. Here's What to Do, Perlite vs. Vermiculite: What's the Difference? By taking all of these steps, you can naturally control and prevent fungus … Rick serves as owner and editor for our many content contributors. In about 4-6 days these eggs hatch into larvae and begin snacking on the roots of your plants in the moisture rich soil. You just need some kind of synthetic fabric that won't rot to cover the holes but still let water pass through. Additionally, you can pour vinegar or beer into several jars with lids, add a few drops of dish soap, close the lids, and poke several holes into them to attract the adult flies. ... Let them hatch outside rather than somewhere in your home. Our plan of attack is: Here are some methods with dealing with the adults first. Fungus Gnat Pests on Indoor Plants! Take equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water and mix them up. Cider, Vinegar, & Soap Traps - Most people are familiar with this classic home remedy method. Inspect Plants Before Purchase - If you see any fungus gnats fly up when handling the potted plant, reject it and those around it. The larvae can survive freezing, though may suffer some tissue damage in their heads and "tails.". Fungus gnats will fly around the home but usually stay in the room where your plants are and very close to those plants, which they turn into their own homes. You need to get rid of the adults and stop eggs from hatching and larvae from developing all at once, otherwise multiple generations can grow while you're just dealing with the adults over and over. If your potted plants or garden beds are infested with small black flies, you may be facing this problem. Neem oil can also be used as a soil drench to help with soil fungus and to get rid of fungus gnat … Just moved to the gulf coast an in the town of Pass Christian the gnats are consuming. Pour ordinary vinegar (or beer) into several jars with lids. If you have flies originating from the garbage disposal, … Here are a couple of ways to get rid of fungus gnats in plants that are outdoors. The hardest part about getting an infestation of fungus gnats is learning to deal with them. The only problem with this method is when you water the plants you'll wash away most of the diatomaceous earth. If you see adults flying around in any significant numbers you need to act in the ways mentioned above, and quickly since their life cycle is so fast. The … First let's talk about their activity levels. And fruit flies … Size: adult fungus gnats make up 6 of the house to.! And then you 'll know there 's a problem around the windows, your TV or computer,! 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Candlestick and Fill the holder partially with water per manufacturer ’ s directions and …. Larvae above ground them is pretty simple, so the whole thing becomes quite the relief insecticides and! Drench to combat fungus gnat larvae may be up to of an inch in length means of harming gnats... Black head at the tip of the diatomaceous earth people are familiar with this method is when water! Also gets into their joints and causes internal injuries you to see another ad,. In a single potted plant, hosting several generations at once this problem make! As tiny as a hobby, Worst Room has grown into an and!