How to play tennis with gnats

[Harpua88]

So anyone can put up sticky tape to catch gnats, it does a pretty good job, especially if you have suicidal gnats......but it works, put up 2 or 3, high, low, move them around. It's not the only strategy, of course we know that keeping the soil/medium tops more on the dry side, pruning very low leaves, keep good air flow, a fan.........I do take a natural spray and hit the soil tops with a very quick shot......not seedlings, but once the plants are big enough you can use a sheet of paper or cardboard to shield the plant from the spray.........there's a whole bunch of other strategies, there's the Diamosttasteous Earth that clearly I'll never learn how to spell. If you have gnats, I think an "all of the above" approach is in order, including coming back every 48 hours to repeat the steps.

But I discovered these tubes........not sticky tape, but these sticky tubes, tube, first tube.....they look like mini lanterns or like a bigger hexagonal paper towel tube, sticky all the way around. Same stuff as the tape. But I discovered something so fun.......Gnat Tennis! Especially when the lights go on, and you open your tent or closet, maybe you turn your fan on. That's when the gnats move, and if you hold one of these sticky tubes by the plastic base you can swing it at gnats and catch them! It's so cool you can almost feel it when you catch them. Swing! <pink!>, swing!<pink!>........forehand, backhand.......I look like a friggin' conductor swinging this thing around! This is awesome!!

Until you swing it and hit a leaf.........it literally rips the leaf, whatever part sticks to this thing it rips it right off. Darn it!!!

Now I'm upset. You friggin' gnats cost me half a leaf........they're not getting away with this, you're not getting me off my game.....SWING!!!......argh!!!!! My friggin' HAIR!!! YOU SONOFA %$@#&!!!

Now I sm PISSED! I tear it off and put it down on the floor........

Well, I didn't notice that my cat had sauntered in to the closet.........and yep......as she runs out of the closet because I'm cursing like a sailor, the sticky tube attaches itself right on her side. She runs, bolts, flies out and up the stairs with this thing, if anything it's now stuck to her even more. i run after her, now she thinks I'm chasing her, I yell for my wife who already hears all the commotion from our cat leaping and running......

As the cat runs past my wife she grabs the sticky tube.........RIIIIIPP!!!!!

I'm not allowed to buy any more sticky tape stuff or play tennis with gnats. :(

 

[Paleosoul]

So anyone can put up sticky tape to catch gnats, it does a pretty good job, especially if you have suicidal gnats......but it works, put up 2 or 3, high, low, move them around. It's not the only strategy, of course we know that keeping the soil/medium tops more on the dry side, pruning very low leaves, keep good air flow, a fan.........I do take a natural spray and hit the soil tops with a very quick shot......not seedlings, but once the plants are big enough you can use a sheet of paper or cardboard to shield the plant from the spray.........there's a whole bunch of other strategies, there's the Diamosttasteous Earth that clearly I'll never learn how to spell. If you have gnats, I think an "all of the above" approach is in order, including coming back every 48 hours to repeat the steps.

But I discovered these tubes........not sticky tape, but these sticky tubes, tube, first tube.....they look like mini lanterns or like a bigger hexagonal paper towel tube, sticky all the way around. Same stuff as the tape. But I discovered something so fun.......Gnat Tennis! Especially when the lights go on, and you open your tent or closet, maybe you turn your fan on. That's when the gnats move, and if you hold one of these sticky tubes by the plastic base you can swing it at gnats and catch them! It's so cool you can almost feel it when you catch them. Swing! <pink!>, swing!<pink!>........forehand, backhand.......I look like a friggin' conductor swinging this thing around! This is awesome!!

Until you swing it and hit a leaf.........it literally rips the leaf, whatever part sticks to this thing it rips it right off. Darn it!!!

Now I'm upset. You friggin' gnats cost me half a leaf........they're not getting away with this, you're not getting me off my game.....SWING!!!......argh!!!!! My friggin' HAIR!!! YOU SONOFA %$@#&!!!

Now I sm PISSED! I tear it off and put it down on the floor........

Well, I didn't notice that my cat had sauntered in to the closet.........and yep......as she runs out of the closet because I'm cursing like a sailor, the sticky tube attaches itself right on her side. She runs, bolts, flies out and up the stairs with this thing, if anything it's now stuck to her even more. i run after her, now she thinks I'm chasing her, I yell for my wife who already hears all the commotion from our cat leaping and running......

As the cat runs past my wife she grabs the sticky tube.........RIIIIIPP!!!!!

I'm not allowed to buy any more sticky tape stuff or play tennis with gnats. :(

I think you're ripe for beneficial nematodes then.

They are essentially the creature in the movie Alien, except to fungus gnat larvae. They get inside a grub, lay eggs, the young feast on the grub while it's still alive. Then they kill it and explode out of the carcass to infect other gnat larvae.

While I can't see it happen, knowing that it does gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

 

[Harpua88]

I think you're ripe for beneficial nematodes then.

They are essentially the creature in the movie Alien, except to fungus gnat larvae. They get inside a grub, lay eggs, the young feast on the grub while it's still alive. Then they kill it and explode out of the carcass to infect other gnat larvae.

While I can't see it happen, knowing that it does gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

That's what I need......more living things to juggle.....

 

[Dub_City405]

Are you okay?

 

[Harpua88]

Are you okay?

You mean like, in general? ;)

I'll survive. When the ĺlights go on I'll post a picture of the trap covered in cat fur.......

 

[Harpua88]

Poor Fluffy.....

On a good note, zero gnats tonight!

I shpuld add that first of all her name isn't Fluffy. I'm an idiot, I'm not cruel......

It looks like half her hair was ripped off of her but she doesn't even look different, we can't see any fur missing on her at all. It must have been mostly shed fur..........

Fine, I'll get her a snack.....