Tip for Sciarid fly (Fungus Gnats)

I might well be smiling at the above posts but right now they are driving me nuts! I've found they seem to emerge in the evenings mostly and especially when the central heating has come on. I've been walking round this evening with one of those tennis type looking racquets that electrocute them when you press a button. As tiny as they are the gnats crackle a bit!

Tomorrow I'm on a mission, they've got to go!

 

If your not adverse to chemicals Sheal try some kind of soil drench I used one with Imidacloprid in which seems to have done the trick although probably over the top I think there are weaker chemicals which would do the job just as well, and once you've done that wait a couple of days and then put up a couple of sticky fly traps to see the results

 

Sheal reading up on this it also says check your pipes ie kitchen under the sink for leaks etc or damp , not saying your house isnt damp

Spruce

 

Is Imidacloprid safe to use indoors please?

Spruce,
No damp here or dodgy pipes but thanks.

I think this thread should be made into a sticky in the 'Pests Forum'. It's more likely to be seen there and members will be able to add further ideas to it.

 

Yes it's stated uses include houseplants but you might have trouble finding it now as the bee people have had it removed from a number of shops because of the suspected links to the decline in the bee population...

Here's a good fact sheet for them: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05584.html

there's other chemicals which are effective but I can't remember what they are now

 

ah here we are should of just read the fact sheat

 

Thanks Aesculus.

 

Here we are Sheal this looks like one of the few on the market that is listed as safe to use as a soil drench if you can't get something containing Thiacloprid (mines a bayer one for vine weevil) make sure you get the concentrate though a spray will be next to useless on these things

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Westland-Or...DJFE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1361314354&sr=8-3

 

Thanks again Aesculus, I wonder if it will kill the larvae?

 

Should kill everything

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

Aesculus, I re-read this thread late last night and spotted this post of yours.

I'm not sure you used the right powder. You said above baking soda, do you mean baking powder, because that is not the same as bi-carbonate of soda. Bi-carb doesn't leave a smell on your hands.

 

My first experiment is under way, I drenched the soil today with water and bi-carbonate of soda and so far so good, I've only seen a couple of gnats. The problem now is I can't water this particular plant every couple of days as it likes to stay pretty dry. I also need to buy more bi-carb so I can drench my other plants. That's on the shopping list for tomorrow.

 

This is the main problem with this pest, drenching the soil. Its probably down to the soil laying wet on the surface that starts it in the first place.
Anyone tried a shallow top dress of sharp sand?

 

What about cling film the pot I think the life cycle is 4 weeks from egg to fly , worth a try at least.

Spruce

 

In theory I could see how cling film might work, but it would also create idea conditions for the larvae to develop.
Watering from the bottom is another idea that often works.
But I find its usually a winter pest because the compost stays wetter on the surface at this time of the year.