The cheapest, easiest and organic way to combat fungus gnats is using "neem cake" which does come in a powder. Simply mix it in your potting mix or if your plants are already potted, mix a couple spoons of it into the top of your pot. Neem cake is the husks left over from the neem oil production. It's a natural 100% organic pesticide and also a fertiliser. Been used in India for thousands of years. I added it to my plants 2 years ago during a huge fungus gnat explosion (my 1 bed apartment looks like a horror movie, gnats all over the walls and ceilings 🤮). The neem powder fixed it and I've been gnat free ever since. I always add some whenever I'm making up new potting mix as standard additive 🙌🏼🙏🏼
NEEM CAKE? NEVER HEARD OF IT BUT THANK YOU FOR YOU'RE TIP AS I WILL BE DOING IT THIS WAY ESPECIALLY SINCE UTS ALSO A FERTILIZER FOR YOU'RE PLANTS & NOT JUST A GNAT KILLER! I LOVE THAT ITS ORGANIC TOO!!!
This. I amend everything with neem cake and sprinkle cinnamon on the top dressing. Literally everything. Pumpkins, morning glories, peace lilies, echeverias, tomatoes, blueberries, cactus. No more spraying with neem oil or alcohol, no adding peppermint soap and hydrogen peroxide solution, it just keeps away all the pests. I have a pachyveria glauca outside right now with a huge flower stalk on it that would normally be an aphid magnet, not a single bug on it. No mealybugs in my shavianas at all, no fungus gnats in my waffle plants, nothing. Slugs and snails won't crawl on dirt that smells like neem either.
My experience is that Miracle Grow Potting Soil comes with LOTS of fungus gnats, so I stopped using it. If you look it up, there are tons of complaints. I spent all winter trying to grow flowers indoors and ruined many pots, tons of seeds, and never got anything but a bunch of flies. Tons of money and time wasted = so hurtful.
Happy frog soil for starting seeds, then move up to Fox farms Ocean soil. Add quality vermi tea Called Boogie Brew Check out master marks program. Check out growing your greens
I thought I was going crazy I repotted all my plants this year and now I have a Gnat problem. I did used miracle Grow and now I'm regretting it. I'm so upset
Cinnamon is not a good idea. It retards root growth and can cause root burn. It's really not good for your plants. Need cake tea is the best approach. Source: I've been growing indoor plants for 20+ years and had tried ALL the methods prior to Neem cake application.
By far the best video on how to properly use mosquito bits. I make my water luke warm add my bits, let it sit for a day in sealed bottle and shake vigorously before watering. I have been doing this for about a month . Just checked my newly placed yellow traps and found only a few, most traps were clean, considering I have about 50 houseplants. I also use neem oil spray and cover the top of my soil with perlite and cinnamon. Hope this helps someone.
Hi! You can also save money on those traps by buying avtub of this stuff called tree tangle foot. Cut your own poster paper and apply stuff with a brush. Lasts forever.
Thank you for the actually explaining the ratio for soaking the Mosquito Bits in your water! Everyone recommends them but never really shows how much to use/how long to soak it. Super cool of the company's VP to personally respond, makes me feel more confident in using their product!
Diatammaious earth does kill them but it dries them out slowly, It removes the moisture from them and you would have to reapply it after a few days! It's very safe and food grade is also great for food storage!
I have used food grade/safe for humans/pets diatomaceous earth. I used cinnamon in outside planters; cinnamon can be toxic; problem for my cat. I think the Neem cake sounds best. Some issues with smell. BUT it is very effective.
Nice vid, but one thing, you did the cinnamon procedure wrong (not extensive enough) Here's the trick: you need to boil 1 Ltr water, grab a large bowl or pan and add the hot water, then mix 4 large tablespoons cinnamon extensively (it will float so it's difficult but will kind of dissolve eventually), let it sit and wait for 10 mins. stir/mix it it once again as it slowly cools down let it sit again for 10 or more mins. and separate the cinnamon water from the goo etc. in your watering can then poor the brown warmish cinnamon water COMPLETELY OVER the soils of all your plants (so make sure every bit of soil is wet with it) and the stuff kills all gnats larvae ...and cinnamon is GOOD for plants too. You can use the leftover cinnamon goo to let it dry out for a few days and then spread that completely on top of the potting soils (if you don't want to waste it) much like the sand method but the advantage is it doesn't need to be removed after a short time like the sand does (sand on top will kill your plant). Then mix that cinnamon in the top soil later when all gnats are gone. Works like a charm! Great thing is, it's relatively cheap... BUT... You need the regular (and luckily the cheaper) 'inferior quality' ground cinnamon mostly from China....and NOT Ceylon cinnamon which is also more expensive anyway. Why? as the ingredient in cinnamon called coumarine is toxic and kills them gnarly gnats, the cheaper cinnamon has higher percentage of coumarine so works better for that purpose. You have to 'cinnamonize' every single plant in your home (or garden/balcony when in pots/containers etc. like I also have) AT ONCE though so all are treated at the same effort, and then repeat it once after a week (or 2 or 3 whatever the plants needs) but best is 1 week, then you should be rid of them. Get a strict regime to keep them out once you're mostly rid of them, like cook your potting soil before you use it, or even better start using Cocopeat as potting soil (mixed, or at least on the top layer) With Cocopeat I have never seen any gnats anymore since they don't like it! It's not good enough for them... ;) Good luck!
I agree with your procedure. Thank you for your review of those methods . Glad to learn the recipe for mosquito bits. I bought a new plant end of February and 2 weeks later just as COVID lock down happened, fungus gnats took off. Since I was not able to get anything to treat them right away, they spread to all my 30 plants. Sigh. Finally, I got Mosquito bits. Used 2 Tablespoons per 1/2 gallon hot water. Let container with mixture sit until ready to water over the weekend, Strained it and watered. Did it 3 weeks in a row. Then 4th week, watered plants with mixture of 1 cup hydrogen peroxide and 3-4 cups water. Then the next 3 times repeated with mosquito bits ‘tea’. I also used the yellow sticky traps (cut strips of it and stuck the strip on a chopstick then pushed chop stick into plant pot). My infestation was so terrible, it took a few months to completely eradicate the gnats. I even repotted about half my plants. ( I put old soil in a disposable pan, soaked it with boiling water. Then let it dry out . Then mixed with some new soil for repotting. I didn’t have enough new soil to repot everything.)Finally I think I am clear. Oh on one stubborn plant I did also use Bonide Systemic household insect control powder as a last resort. (Sprinkled it on top of soil and watered thoroughly.). Only used that once. I wouldn’t use it on edibles or with kids/pets in house. Product made me a little nervous but I was getting desperate. Sure makes me hesitant about buying another plant. I live in a small apartment, no place to isolate a new plant. Boy are those gnats pesky little things. Sorry Mother Nature.
Thanks for doing the research on the mosquito bits! I bought them to use for my house plants but after reading the warning label, I was too scared to even open the bag. Now I feel confident in using them! I really appreciate it!
Excellent video, Nicole! You mirrored almost perfectly my personal experience over more than a year with fungus gnats twice invading my indoor organic cannabis grow room. I tried every remedy you mentioned plus neem oil sprays and drenches with the ONLY winners being re-potting into fresh soil (scorched earth method) or a combo of yellow sticky traps (in pot and drain pan) and Mosquito Bits used for EVERY watering. Thanks for putting this out there for those who have not yet gone to battle with these little champions ... it will save them sooooo much time, worry and money! Be safe -
Oh yes, the amount of money I spent on these products was ridiculous! And I'm sure others do the same thing. Thanks for your kind words, I'm glad you liked the video :)
Thanks for the video! I’m sure you already know this 2 years later, but “diatomaceous” is pronounced like “diatom” and “-aceos” (like in “Cretaceous.”) It’s named after diatoms, which are microscopic creatures that have tiny skeletons made from calcium carbonate, which diatomaceous earth is made from.
"How is this organic if there's all these warning labels on this". This is a major fallacy I see people fall into that is potentially super dangerous - this idea that "organic" somehow means "safe". Often, what you can get that is organic will be much more safe than long chain petrochemicals and a lot of stuff that's synthetic. It doesn't mean "organic = safe". Rattlesnake venom is organic. Opium is organic. Turpentine, a powerful solvent, comes from pine trees and is organic (when extracted using an organic method). Cyanide is also organic and found in some seeds to deter things from eating them (and will kill you if you eat enough), and there's plenty of organic plants and things in nature that you just can't eat or touch because they are also deadly. I use natural and organic gardening practices, and I don't at all mean to diss on it or your video. I'm just looking to clear up the idea that "organic" means safe, because while it can mean that in many cases, it doesn't necessarily or always, and i've seen some people do some really dangerous things with organic chemicals because "it's natural it won't hurt you", but that's not how it works. Anyway sorry to rant, great video and recommendations. thanks.
I am so grateful for you taking the time out to explain everything and its effects. My patio garden plants were effected after the hurricane. So many fungus gnats arrived out of nowhere. I'm now going to take back what's mine! IT'S REVENGE TIMMMEEEE! lol Blessings to you
I am also grateful. I think I know where mine came from. Are you ready for this? I switched from very expensive kitty litter to clay. I never had gnats with my old kitty litter and have had indoor cats for 34 years of my life. Never had a gnat. I think the gnats are in the clay. I am returning to expensive kitty litter.
The video was NOT too long; you gave all the information needed without wasting time. Thank you for the time and thoughtfulness you took to share your research. Very useful indeed! Just found out that mosquito bits contain a dormant bacteria (activated when wet) that will kill the larvae as they ingest the bacteria.
@@columbusohman hi. The instructions for use of BTI Granules as mosquito killer I brought at local nursery state "apply 0.01 to 0.025 g to 1 litre of water for flowerpots vase.....Or 1.4 g per sq m of surface for roadside ditches... 4 table spoons of BTI per one gallon (= 3.78 litres) of water work out to about 1 table spoon per 1 litre of water. 1 table spoon of BTI Granular should be much heavy than 0.01/0.025g? It is too light. Was the instructions given on the bottle a typo error? Should I use 1 table spoon per 1 litre of water for my micro lotus plants? Will this kill my lotus plants?
I used cinammon on top of my soil as of three days ago, and immediately saw results! No gnats in sight. I checked each of my plants carefully before/after the cinnamon was placed on the soil, and yes there were gnats before the application but not after. So far, so good. Also dried out the soil of the plants that can handle that. My fern for example, obviously needs to stay moist, and I did not dry it out --- still no gnats there, either. I wonder if the gnats I had were not yet under the soil for long?? Maybe I had a lot less of the pests than you did in your video at the time?? Hmm...
Glad it worked for you! Keep me updated on the results. Yeah I had probably like 20-30 infected plants, it was bad - I definitely needed something more powerful.
You’re lucky! I’ve never once had cinnamon work for me with regards to pests. Now it seems to help with some of the mold that can develop on soil, but those pests are immune to it!!
Those fungus gnats are really annoying...I had to order another package of mosquito bits to continue the fight against them. Though I have to admit the level of infestation has decreased because I'm still using the yellow sticky traps combined with mosquito bits. But my goal is to get rid of them completely.
I just sprinkle the mosquito bits on top of the soil and water as usual. This has been working for me, plus I use the sticky traps. This method is the only thing that has worked for me. I swear by mosquito bits!! Like you, none of the other methods that seem to work for others, didn't work for me, like using cinnamon. Thanks for the info in this video.
I used one part hydrogen peroxide 3% to 4 parts water and have been successful at eradicating the fungus gnat problem. I was concerned about the mosquito bits,so I went with the hydrogen peroxide. Took a couple waterings,but problem solved.
I mix finely crushed vermiculite with my seed starter mix. I also mix peroxide into my spray bottle. My seeds are germinating faster than usual and no fungus gnats. Last year however was a disaster. I wasn't using vermiculite or peroxide.
Very, very well explained as to the effectiveness and claims regarding the different methods. I watched this while nodding at all the things I've tried too. I haven't tried the bits yet but I have used hydrogen peroxide with a lot of success alongside the sticky traps. I will definitely consider the bits if the infestation returns or gets at all worse. Thanks for making this.
I found your video to be the most informative of all the videos I’ve watched and to be put in simple terms. Also, you have a good speaking voice. You’d be good reading audio books. Thank you for the info. Sick to death of dealing with these things.
I came to the same conclusion. I use BTI (mosquito dunks), neem meal sprinkled on top of soil and the sticky traps only to check my progress. I find the sticky traps are only good for checking population size. They dont do enough to actually combat the gnat issuse
I put those bright yellow sticky traps into a jar of raw apple cider vinegar with a little dish detergent and the fungus gnats are being baited by the aroma and as a result getting stuck to the traps. The problem you had is that growing veggies outside in the much-needed Sun requires daily watering in the summer. Especially tomatoes. My situation is from what I was allowing to happen with my exotic pet substrate indoors.
I ONLY use CEYLON CINNAMON AND NOW HAVE ZERO ISSUES!! So maybe the issue is the other low quality type of cinnamon that you used. I literally sprinkle it on ALL my fermented containers as well and HAVE ZERO GNATS NOW!! I also keep it on my desk in jars! (no more gnats up the nose! lol!) It's awesome....I've also done everything you mentioned including yellow sticky crap & will never go back....it's completely useless for the underlying problem! CEYLON CINNAMON IS 100% EFFECTIVE FOR EVERY ONE OF MY PLANTS AND FERMENTED CONTAINERS!! I SWEAR BY IT.
As a preventive I've found bottom watering my plants really helps from getting fungus gnats. But if you already have them they're a nightmare to eradicate.
@@t.e.burgos3263 I take a bucket or dish & put water in it then put the plant in it & it will suck up the water from the bottom of the plant leaving the top layer dry which will prevent getting fungus gnats. I also got a moisture meter from Amazon for about $10 so that I can know exactly when my plants need water which helps for me since I bottom water. Hope that makes sense
@@t.e.burgos3263 bottom watering is when you place your pot in a bigger tray and let the water get wicked into your soil/medium. Top watering is like rain or watering with a hose. The water goes on top of the soil and trickles through. Hope this helps.
I own 100 houseplants and want to be 100% organic with them and for my household. Your video assured me more than anything else that this product was okay to use! I had ordered these bits and was turned off by the warning labels. Thank you SO much for your thoroughness.
I use living soil and was concerned about harming it so Nature's Living Soil told me the best thing is BT! I use the mosquito bits directly in the soil when transplanting and when watering I buy BT concentrate and add to the water. The concentrate is much cheaper in the long run. I use the bits to slowly release the BT in the soil. I have never tried soaking them as the video shows.
I have another food safe way of controlling fungus gnats. Spread a 1/2" layer of Perlite over the top of your potted plant soil leaving ZERO gaps. The COMPLETE coverage of the soil is key. Anytime you water, smooth over any gaps your watering may have created. The secret here Is that the Perlite to the gnats is like broken glass. While it might be only 1/2 inch to us...it's many "feet" for them crawling over broken glass. I once had a large infestation of the critters and this trick did it. One more thing ,you will need the yellow sticky stuff to catch any "escapees".
I watched your video before starting my first batch of seedlings. My sister is ahead of me on starting and had a big problem with the gnats. Well, what I did was your recipe and added THAT water to my starting compost soil; it's been two weeks and ABSOLUTELY NO GNATS! Oh, and I do have seedlings growing! Thank you so much for all of your research and sharing this!
I also contacted the company for the same reason and I was told that they sell on an industrial level so if exposed to large amounts of the dust at one time, there could potentially be an issue. I am using it as a preventative measure since I am bringing in plants from outside and am hopefully coming to the end of my fight with the Phorid Fly. I also love the sticky paper. Gives me a read on the size of my problem. I have also invested in bug zappers. But probably the biggest thing I am doing for the long term is to plug up the drains in my sinks to keep shut down another major breeding grounds. When I do this I add water, vinegar and soap. I am happy to say the sinks and tubs have been acting like a humungous trap AND stopping the propagation of these flies in the drain. I am hoping the mosquito bits work well. This is the first time using them. I did the soak method. But I am also laying pellets on the surface. Got to get this one under control! But I have to add, just came across this video showing how laying the bits on top of the soil can cause mold: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2ShdZfkY9_U.html
Omg! I’m going thru fungus gnat infestation too. I have tried everything including use of an organic powder I purchased on Etsy. The recommendation of Mosquito Bits is new to me so I will try it. Thank you.
Try Nematodes. They can be bought at most plant nurseries in the form of a sponge soaked with them. You simply get them wet and water your plants. They eat all the eggs and larvae of fungus gnats as well as other insects in the soil. Ive only ever had to dose the soil with nematodes once. Years later...No fungus gnats.
Great job! Thank you for your experimentation. I am going to make the mosquito tea today and start using that along with the adult traps that I just ordered. This is for my succulents on which I just started seeing gnats flying around this morning.
you didnt use enough of the diatamaceous earth on the top.it needs to be a thin full covering. if you leave one plant uncovered they will breed from there.it prevents adults going into soil to lay eggs and stops larvae from emerging, will take a few weeks. mine are just about all gone.dont use a puffer to apply use a teaspoon
I've tried several of the remedies you covered in your video with the same results. I have been dealing with a nuisance amount of gnats but I'm about to start growing flowers from seed and have heard gnats love seedling soil. Just yesterday I was gifted a container of mosquito bits and yellow sticky traps. I feel more confident moving forward after watching your video. Thank you so much for sharing. 💚💚💚
THANK YOU!!! I just started my house plant adventure and propagation as well. When propagating the soil must be moist. I now just started seeing the fungus gnats. Thank you so much for your hard work! I can't wait to watch your other videos too.
Thank you for the kind words Velvet! Yes... it's impossible to dry out the soil when propagating. Hope you're able to get rid of the gnats!! let me know how it goes:)
Firstly thank you for not having music drowning out your tested info. Apparently in Canada we can not get mosquito bits only mosquito dunks that are supposed to be the same. They do work. I tried cinnamon too but same as you it did not. Bottom watering helps but the critters will also crawl in the pots drainage holes and lay eggs there too. Top dressing the soil with washed sand and or marbles or small pebbles or decorative rock does prevent them getting into the top of the soil. Putting those in the drain trays can stop them going into the drainage holes. No fly pest strips are less costly and bigger than sticky traps and catch thousands of the flyers. Can you top dress the soil with the .osquito bits to residually water in?
Got rid of mine, assumed they were gnats, read something about putting fine sand on top of the potting mix which apparently blocks them from getting in/out of the soil. Also sprayed plants with soapy water. I got the sand from a nearby construction site.
I read about the fine sand! I think that's ideal for houseplants. Vegetable plants are a little trickier I think. Thanks for being my second comment on this brand new channel :)
It is a great idea to put fine sand or playground sand on top, but you would need at least 1 inch of it, what this does is basically kills the larvae as it moves through the sand. The only issue is, putting that much sand on top starves the roots of oxygen, and if they gnats have no access to the top soil, they can and will search to find their way through the drainage holes. Careful for those of you thinking of using sand, just trying to save everyone some headache and labor =D
In addition to that I placed a night light by my plant that was infested with these gnats and placed one of those yellow sticky things up against the light and caught a lot immediately.
Thank you so much for this info! New Sub! =) I purchased the mosquito bits and I wasn't sure how much to use for 1 gallon of water. Seems like everyone was just placing the bits on top of the soil but then the bits would mold. Do you use boiled water?
Hi Gisele! I usually add 2 or 3 tablespoons of Bits to a gallon of water the night before (and then water the plants with it in the morning). Hot water is great, but I'm not sure if it matters if it has enough time to soak. Getting rid of the fungus gnats takes a little while but eventually they will stop being born :) Thanks for subscribing!
@@NicolesCorner I read that you can use hot water, smaller amount, not one gallon, and let the Mosquito Bits brew, then add this "tea" to the rest of the water.
DE works great. (Die-at-tom-ace-shus) Thanks Nicole, been through this myself, and ended up with DE. You didn't use enough, there needs to be a layer on top of or mixed heavily into the top 1" of soil. It won't harm plants even if you add a ton, plants can grow in it, although the PH may be a little high without adjustment. I add about an inch (dry, it will shrink back when it draws water from the soil) to the top of 4-6 gallon containers and water with PH 6.6 solution and have great plants. Add after watering and it will stick down, making it easy to dump a trowel (or spoonful) and spread out in a heavy layer. You will see the gnats stop dead, the next day they will be gone. Unless they have a 2nd hiding place, check seldom used sink drains and add a little bleach to clean them out. It does work when wet (despite having the consistency of chalky mud) as the Gnats and larvae cannot pass through the treated layer, even when wet. Once it dries out, fluff it up again with a fork or garden tool and it's good to go. (mostly a cosmetic thing, but I like my plants looking neat) Adds silica to the soil as well, just re-apply liberally every few weeks and you'll be gnat free. Get the big bag, you can get a 4lb bag for under 10bucks at the blue or orange stores, or online. The bag will last a long time. The little bottles are a waste of money. Happy gardening!
So DE works even when wet? I hear arguments both for and against it working when wet. I've been reapplying every time I water my plants, which is not only a pain, but I wonder if that is overkill.
Thankyou so much. I have a terrible problem with gnats only mine are biting ones. I wasn't sure if DE would work even when wet. I just found them in the tract of my door. They are driving me insane. I would rather normal non biting fungus gnats than these demonic little bastards. 😢
I've never had biters myself, that sounds bad. Hopefully they have the same reproductive cycle in which case the DE should work on them as well as it does on regular fungus gnats. If had biters, I'd throw BT (Mosquito bits or concentrate in your water) at them as well. Lately, I've been adding Mosquito bits to any newly mixed soil as a preventative and water with BT treated water every month or so just to make sure the soil is active with the BT. Don't forget to let the surface to dry back between waterings if you can, that helps a lot too. Good luck with your 'demon fly' exorcism!
Absolutely brilliant video. I loved how you juxtaposed various methods and as a ADHD plant owner, I have to try everything to keep them alive. Thanks for being so informative and making your content mostly about the topic rather than ads.
Mosquito Bits: amzn.to/2LYASIc Yellow sticky traps (you can also cut these up to make smaller ones): amzn.to/2TvEXIc ALSO... I have an Instagram! Woohoo! To follow my balcony adventures, be sure to check out. @NicolesLittleCorner on IG :)
I like your style Mrs. Corner, well done. Came across your video hoping to find out why grass seed test pots are failing shortly after germination, turns out I've been ringing that dinner bell and literally inviting them in, I'm an idiot... I will give this product a try and hope for the best. thanks for sharing and remember don't drink that water LOL.
I’ve ordered Mosquito Bits, i am using more than one month and i usually put them on water and waited for 45 mins and then i water my plants. IT DOESN’T WORK! I can see there’s again more and more fungus gnats! 😭😭😭
I thank You for this Fungus Gnat Remedy...BUT...I have Fruit Flies and House Flies inside my home to Battle! I'm currently using the ACV w detergent in a Jar, but it's not killing enough or fast enough! I walk thru clouds of FF in my Kitchen now!😫😖 Do you have any Good Fruit Fly Remedies?😥
Just found your channel and thank you so much I right away ordered the pellets and some sticky pads.. my garden and my house have been over run with these so hopefully this is going to solve the problem and I’m so glad you did all of that research! Thank you again and I look forward to watching all your videos🤗
Hello, what I would like to know is after you soak the bits for the appropriate time, how long will that water be good for? If you don’t water your plants right away, how long does the water stay useful? Thank you very much
Thanks for being so thorough and sharing your information with all of us plant lovers. I've been using hydrogen peroxide and it's working but I'm using a lot. I'm going to try mosquito bits next.
I use a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol, and spray directly on the soil and it works fast. Spray a light mist once or twice and they are done for!
Apple cider vinager with a little sugar and a drop or two of Dawn dish soap in a shallow dish or 8oz glass (ie. stemless wine glass) works great for catching gnats. Works best with no dirty dishes in the sink. I've been using it for years. It always works. Mason jars are too big to use. Gnats love sweet & sour but they don't like the smell of dishsoap so only use a small amout of Dawn just to break the surface tension. Your video was very helpful. I recently bought the mosquito bits to try on house plant soil and will try your water solution recipe. I recently bought a small mosquito zapper that I can use in the house. It works well on the gnats.
Thanks , I had some success with a sticky trap that used a fan to pull the gnats in and they would stick to the sticky trap at the bottom with a led light that drew the gnats over the top were the fan would suck them in was not the end of them but it help catching the ones who laid the eggs and a special bug killer for fruit flies I sprayed on the house plant soil it took some time but it did get rid of them eventually !
I guess you could say these products are all...gnatrul 👉😎👉 Canadians: Mosquito bits aren't allowed here. (Fun, I know.) However. After careful research I found "mosquito dunks" on Amazon. Same ingredients. Different shape. Only you must dissolve a puck to 30L of water. (Break it apart). Ordered some tonight and when they and my sticky traps arrive. I'm going ham on these things before they get out of control. For now I'm plastic wrapping the base of my plants so the adults can't escape into my living space. When everything arrives I'm replacing the top 3" of soil, watering with the mosquito dunks, adding these sticky strips. I shall report back in 1 months time.
something I finally found that actually works is 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water. I had tried everything natural but yesterday I watered with this mixture. I still have just a few gnats but I also put the yellow sticky pads down and big difference. I can do this again in a few days if needed.
no an advertisement just my personal experience. Bioworks product: NemaShield®, containing Steinernema feltiae predator nematodes. Cost effective, Works grand.
I love this video and I love your style! And I don’t even have fungus gnats (p3- it’s a Hebrew tradition - if you say something like “i don’t even have fungus gnats”, if you don’t hold up your thumb and pinkie and say “kein a hora, pu,pu,pu”, you will not have scared away the Evil Eye who will punish you for your pride unless of course you’ve said “kein a hora, pu pu pu….”etc.Sounds stupid, but we’ve been here for thousands of years against all odds, so why fight it?) BUT I do have a collection of indoor succulents grown by the window and under lights and I’m very emotionally involved with them, especially the haworthias. Also, I have a perennial garden but we’re in zone 6 in Hells Half Acre, USA so we have til spring to start worrying about that. Anyway, your style is wonderful. I would trust you with my most beloved haworthia cooperi. You sound very confident, well-organized, really dedicated to doing the research, easy to listen to, very informative…oh no, don’t tell me you no longer make these videos. Is that why there is no “subscribe”button?
Great video with some very useful info. I’m off to order some mosquito bites and put an end to the pesky critters taking over my apartment. Thanks for your terrific advice and presentation. You now have a new subscriber. 😁👍
Thank your for doing the research and for your very clear presentation of the results! I'm curious whether Mosquito Bits are recommended primarily for top-watering. I had a bad infestation two years ago and used them with bottom-watering, with poor results. Since then I have primarily relied on prevention, keeping my potting soil in covered containers before use, yellow sticky traps for monitoring, plus small oscillating fans where I have tomato and pepper seedlings starting. A flaw in this plan is that the otherwise high-quality indoor/outdoor potting soil came with fungus gnats in it, even when I purchased a small bag that was always kept indoors. Fortunately my other methods are helping keep the problem small this year, but I am also trying out Miracle Gro Indoor Potting Soil as a top-dressing, which definitely never contains fungus gnats and lacks ingredients they love. I have also been using it on long-term indoor plants which seems to work well too.
I've been using mosquito bits for a decade. Because most potting/container/raised bed soil isn't sterilized (BTW miracle gro is the worst imo) so my first watering is with the MB. Never used the sticky traps for fear it would catch a butterfly, bee etc. I read to soak 24 to 48hrs and have been using it that way ever since. It's amazing stuff. Dunks you can crumble up and spread those around in the yard to help keep the skeeters away...which is the reason for the name.
@@thishyna I think all bagged soil is at risk of these gnats especially if the bags are rained on and don’t dry out. You can still get rid of the gnats it’ll just take a week ur 2 to get them under control. Also a correction on soaking the Bits. You only need to soak them for an hour to get the benefits. I use a large spaghetti bottle w/about 3T of Bits then skim or use a sieve to remove them. Put the lid back on after straining and shake the jar bc the good stuff sinks to bottom. Then pour about a 1/4 cup to one gallon water can with sprinkle head. AFTER you’ve watered your plants then Apply to top of the soil. You don’t need much just make sure you wet the top, no need to deep water. Do that about every5-7 days and they’ll be gone. I had a really bad infestation with them and it only took 2 watering and poof, gone. This is also safe for inside house-plants too. It really works! I got mine on Amazon. The big 30oz is about $17 if I remember right. Hope this helps.
Very interesting video, thank you. I've had a similar experience and since I have plants all over my house, it got pretty bad. I also had good luck with the sticky paper catching them but, as you said, they were still coming out of the soil. I took care of that problem with hydrogen peroxide, 1 part HP to 4 parts water. The gnats were dramatically lessened after only 1 watering. I will continue and keep the mosquito bits in mind if it doesn't continue to work.
Thank you! I have binge-watched SOOO many youtubers about these pesky %#$* *%$#^@#!!!! and your video was BY FAR the most informative and helpful, down-to-earth, straight to the point, no un-necessary jokes, or useless ramblings of literally EVERY other video I (______)
I haven’t had a tomato harvest for 2 years now bc of fungus gnats. This will be my 3rd and I almost didn’t plant a garden this year bc I can’t keep up with them. Thank you for this! I just ordered some of this. Do you know if it will kill the worms in my soil? 😬😬
I have an acre of land the gnat problem is horrendous.if I apply the bits accordingly can this help me eradicate the gnats? I can't enjoy my property because the gnats are so bad.
I agree, the Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap was useless. 3days now and not 1 gnat floating in the container. The fly strips have been more effective but they are unsightly. I first heard of Mosquito Bits a few days ago while researching methods forbidding these nasty gnats. I doubt that here in Saskatchewan Canada, we can purchase Mosquito Bits, especially during the middle of Winter. I will have to look for this product in the Spring at Lowe's.
It appears by looking at your library of videos your the Fungus gnat Queen...😂 so I had to Subcribe cause watching your pain about these peskie critters is also mine....i am new in growing and i choose growing trees ( Giant Seqouia and Lilac ) mainlee and let me tell you i lost so much of my plantation cause of Fungus gnats it wasenth eaven funny... but now i have took control over the invader...! i spray them whith 91% alcool leave it 5 seconds then water my mini trees... and once and a while i will spray them whith Hydrogen peroxyde lightly and it works 95% so good luck and keep us posted and Thank you 🐝
Fungus gnats do not like rotting produce, vinegar, sugar drinks. They look like fruit flies. Thank you for this video as now I know what these flies for sure. I never had these when I used Organic Pro Mix . This spring I used a different brand of potting mix.
Sticky traps work on all creepers, even little snakes. The professional kind (got mine from amazon) will not let go of ANYTHING. ... so beware. Even cute little gila monsters can be caught and not let go. Mice, too, so it's a double edged sword as most things in life are.
A little more help here. Incense sticks seem to help. It's fire, so be careful. Close off all your drains. Fruit flies like drains. Some people call them carbon flies. They stay around carbon monoxide. Every time I shut my mouth, they go away. They hang around the rear of cars for the exhaust. Electric bug zappers don't seem to work. They sense the potential, they approach & retreat. They can drive u 2 tears.
