Help me kill these gnats please! Desperation

[jerrod.mckenzie]

I have used nematodes, peroxide, natural oils, sticky traps, and letting them dry completely out. I still have gnats.
HELP PLEASE

 

[Putthataway]

DE, what soil are you using? I had encountered a batch of soil with some super immune to everything. Nothing would eliminate them. I could kill them with the exception of a few and days later they were back. I got some ladybugs which went to town but after they died. Back. I stopped using the soil and tossed it. I still have some bothering me at my computer, not many in the tent. I ordered more ladybugs. They were definitely working hard.

 

[Organic13]

I have used nematodes, peroxide, natural oils, sticky traps, and letting them dry completely out. I still have gnats.
HELP PLEASE

Try mosquito bits. Use the directions for adding to 1 gallon. Use the amount suggested and water with this water consistently for awhile. It will kill the larva in the soil. Adults are on the surface typically.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I have used nematodes, peroxide, natural oils, sticky traps, and letting them dry completely out. I still have gnats.
HELP PLEASE

You're likely to get many answers. I'll tell you what worked for me.

It helps to understand they have a 17-day life cycle, from the egg to larval to flying. They mate when they fly. Baking soda will kill them while they're in the larval stage only. Sprinkle some baking soda on the soil and spray it so it soaks in lightly--no deeper than 1/2 to 1 inch. The larvae eat the baking soda and die. It must be repeated at least three times, about 5 to 7 days apart. There is a downside, though. Baking soda has a pH of 9.0, so it should be used carefully. In small quantities it doesn't affect the soil much at all. The upside is I haven't seen a single gnat since I used this baking soda method.

 

[jerrod.mckenzie]

Try mosquito bits. Use the directions for adding to 1 gallon. Use the amount suggested and water with this water consistently for awhile. It will kill the larva in the soil. Adults are on the surface typically.

My soil is super organic which is a blessing and a curse. I did the mosquito bits first. My grow room is 10×6 with 9 foot ceilings with twelve 4 to 7 foot plants. I had to flip the lights cause they will stretch and fill that room. Someone suggested light baking soda and water it til damp. They said it kills them, just be careful of high soil ph. Wish me luck

 

[BB22]

Insect Preventive maintenance. I think that’s where it’s at. You gotta get ahead of it before it starts. I don’t mean to sound like I know it all cause I’m a noob.


Air flow, air flow air flow
I use DE when soil is dry
Sticky traps
Apple cider vinegar traps
The hanging ribbon traps

Edit make sure you’re watering correctly. Dry back!

 

[Mikedin]

Try mosquito bits. Use the directions for adding to 1 gallon. Use the amount suggested and water with this water consistently for awhile. It will kill the larva in the soil. Adults are on the surface typically.

I use 5 gallon water jugs, I keep a handful of misquito bits in the jugs, and let them sit for 24 hours, then dump that water to my mixing jug (I don’t mix in the misquito but jugs I have 2 I rotate with the bits, when I fill up my mixing jug I leave about 1/2 gallon to mix into the new water when I refill them.

I also keep the top 2-3” of my soil completely aerated I mix it up every 2-3 days about a day before watering and I’ll mix in some DE at that point maybe once every other week,that way it’s dry for a day in the top layer to coat any crawlers coming up to fly and keeping the soil mixed up helps stop new eggs from maturing

I break up my soil this deep regularly so I don’t let roots grow in my top dress layer and so the top dress dosent sit and block up I’ve noticed the combo of these 3 things has knocked out my gnats completely

 

[Organic13]

My soil is super organic which is a blessing and a curse. I did the mosquito bits first. My grow room is 10×6 with 9 foot ceilings with twelve 4 to 7 foot plants. I had to flip the lights cause they will stretch and fill that room. Someone suggested light baking soda and water it til damp. They said it kills them, just be careful of high soil ph. Wish me luck.

The active ingredient in mosquito bits, Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (BTI), is a naturally occurring bacterium. I view that as organic, others may not. Anywho, you must use this for the entirety of the life cycle of the pest, as someone explained above. Using any method and not catching each life cycle phase of the pest in its entirety will be ineffective.

If you are using the baking soda, keep in mind, it can kill your plants if you aren't careful.

Good luck.

 

[Budtirement]

I'm averse to putting anything in the soil that might disturb the chemistry or upset the watering schedule as these are two things I'm trying hardest to regulate.
I use store bought fly paper, I couldn't get the DIY fly papers to work. I made some simple holders so I could cut the fly paper into 6 inch strips and stapled them to the holders. Cleanup hands and tools with shop hand cleaner like ProClean, which also removes resin from fingers when bud trimming. Then I lay out the traps on the soil. Hang a few full size in the corners of the tent. Gnats fly up off the soil and land on the first object they meet. I can see it working as the paper becomes coated with dead gnats. Very satisfying. The life cycle dwindles quickly but I keep the traps on the soil to catch any strays. Pick up for watering and then put back. Pros; In-expensive, thorough, doesn't affect soil chemistry, doesn't interfere with watering schedule, builds craft/farmer skills. Cons, messy to set up at first, high dead bug visibility ick factor.
Now, after my gnat education, I plan ahead by placing un-sterilized soil in the pot, water it, and keep it in a warm place for weeks to a month outside where fauna can be expunged before planting and without in house interaction.

Plant your 4 Virginia!

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

If you are using the baking soda, keep in mind, it can kill your plants if you aren't careful.

True. Or it could adversely affect the plants' health. In its favor are it being inexpensive, readily available and effective. I haven't noticed any problems, but I use as little of it as possible. As I think about it, however, my lack of problems might be because I use organic growing methods. Its use might be more of a problem when using nutrients that require a specific range of acidity in the root zone. So, for those nutrients, it would be important to use enough to be effective but not enough to significantly raise the pH of the soil.

 

[Mikedin]

The active ingredient in mosquito bits, Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (BTI), is a naturally occurring bacterium. I view that as organic, others may not. Anywho, you must use this for the entirety of the life cycle of the pest, as someone explained above. Using any method and not catching each life cycle phase of the pest in its entirety will be ineffective.

If you are using the baking soda, keep in mind, it can kill your plants if you aren't careful.

Good luck.

I also take it as “organic”, it’s as close as I go to non organic in my grow, but gotta keep those gnats away

I also use this water in the way I described above for all waterings starting after the first week of breaking soil (before that I use tap water)