Home»Pests - Diseases»Fungus Gnats
We blab a lot about fungus gnat when discuss flora pest , but they incline to get much less attention than other common pests .
Fungus gnat are unwashed household peststhat often accompany fungous infection or plant rot , hence the name .
Considering how often these tiny threat invade indoor plant , it ’s important to understand what they are , what they do , and how to winnow out them and keep them away .
It ’s also essential to understand why these pest exist ’ as it ’s the key to protecting your plants against them .
What Are Fungus Gnats?
Fungus gnats are close related to yield fliesand other gnats ( i.e. , tiny flies known to gather into clouds ) .
They belong to theBolitophilidae , Diadocidiidae , Ditomyiidae , Keroplatidae , Mycetophilidae , andSciaridaefamilies within the order Diptera .
In nature , they help disseminate mushroom spore and even pollinate some plant life , while a few specie are vulturine .
Despite being a plant pestis , adult fungus gnats are harmless to healthy plants and primarily a nuisance .
Most fungus gnat metal money are poor fliers , so you ’re more likely to see them skittering around on the stain or plant life than in the air .
While some industrial plant will repel fungus gnat , most common houseplants are susceptible to plague .
Even though they ’re common , they ’re also poorly researched , and we have sex particularly little about the dark - fly fungus gnats ( familySciaridae ) , which are consider to consist of as many as 20,000 species , but only 1,700 have been sort .
Fungus Gnat Life Cycle
The precise detail deviate significantly between coinage , but fungus gnat adults in general lay around 200 eggs in moist or blotto grime .
Once hatched , 90 % percentage of the larvae are distaff , which is why fungus gnat populations detonate quickly .
Fungus gnat larvae typically economic aid in decomposing constitutive matter , but the specie that incline to infest houseplants are know to bear into flora above and below soil level , result in extensive damage .
Sciarid mintage are peculiarly notorious for this case of harm , slow intomushroomcrops and feeding on the roots of infested plant life .
However , once the larva become adult gnats , they ’re no longer destructive .
Adult fungus gnats only survive for a couple of day , long enough to mate and lay an additional cluster of fungus gnat eggs .
What Causes Fungus Gnats?
As the name imply , fungus gnat are attracted by fungal development .
When you overwater your plant life or leave behind them in high humidity , they can develop fungous infections or bunk .
The gnat are attracted by this smell of rot , which sign that something is decomposing , and fungal growth on the dirt surface is especially attractive .
care with cast , fungus , or rot is bad enough , but the bestow focus cause by the gnat larvae can obliterate an already crazy plant .
Eliminating Fungus Gnats
It ’s easygoing to spot the presence of fungus gnat , and while an plague might seem overwhelming , there are several ways to fight the problem .
recall that you ’ll still take to direct the initial rot or contagion when using these methods .
The Fan Trap
Fungus gnats be given to be poor fliers , so take vantage of this by pose up a fan trap .
This will require you to identify glutinous traps on the wall behind your works ( ensure the plant can tolerate wind ) and put a fan in front at a minuscule distance .
Turn the fan on , and the gnat will be blow straight into the glutinous lying in wait where they ’ll fail .
Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
Hydrogen peroxide can be append to distilled water to make it more like natural rain , provide some benefit to your plants . atomic number 1 peroxide is also deathly to gnat larvae .
Natural Predators
Several insects will hunt down fungus gnats and their larvae , including ladybird and bloodsucking wasp .
Of naturally , you in all probability do n’t want even more bugs in the home , so the good nematode speciesSteinernema feltiaeis a great choice .
The microscopic nematodes tunnel into gnat larvae , dismissal bacteria that kills them , and then use the corpse to feed their untried .
Neem Soil Soak
Neem oil is an all - natural insecticide that can be used in multiple ways ( even the solid left over from the extracting process are sold as fertilizer cakes ) .
However , neem soil soaks are specially effective against fungus gnat .
Create an photographic emulsion of 1 teaspoon Dawn dish smooth or pure Castilla soap in a quart ( or gallon ) of water .
sum 1 tablespoon of 100 % pct pure moth-eaten - pressed neem oil colour per quart or 2 tablespoons per gallon to the solution .
Test a lilliputian part of the industrial plant 24 hours before treating it to insure it is n’t sensitive .
Simply pour 2 to 4 cup of the grime hock onto the grunge in place of watering .
The Azadirachtin will kill any pests in the soil and becomes a systemic insecticide once suck up by the industrial plant ’s root , further protect against pierce or chewing dirt ball for up to 22 day .
Even better , neem rock oil can fight off some forms of root buncombe and fungus kingdom .
Reapply every 21 Day until the plague is gone or continue using it as a preventative .
Related : Does neem oil successfully combat fungus gnats ?
Vinegar Traps
If you ’ve trade with yield tent-fly in the kitchen , you ’re in all likelihood familiar with apple cider vinegar traps .
Take a soda bottleful and reduce the top off , then tape the top back reverse to produce a funnel shape .
stream some apple cider acetum into the snare and place it near the infested plant .
The gnat will be attract to the smell and fly in but ca n’t get back out .
Fungus Gnat Infestation Prevention
Proper watering is the key to prevent a fungus gnat infestation .
Use the soak and dry method or the bottom - up method acting to avoid overwatering .
Also , always apply a well - draining potting medium , ameliorate with perlite or coarse Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin , if needed .
Containers should have drainage hole , and isolate any invade plants is good to shorten the risk of infection of hybridizing - contamination .
If you have a fungal transmission or rot , treat it immediately , and repot any plant that have been accidentally overwatered , toss out of the old soil .
