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Get Rid of Fungus Gnats For Good Using Mosquito Dunks

Mosquito dunks are the shit. I have been using them for years with great success. Glad to see others utilizing this simple yet extremely effective means of getting rid of root gnats for good! Peace and happy hunting to all. :tiphat:
 

trichrider

Kiss My Ring
Veteran
oh thank you. thank you, I wondered where all those freakin' lil creatures came from in the midst of a pacific northwest winter! Now I know. I suspected for some time but was never sure...I will get some at lowe's asap. lil freakin' buggers!
 

Sojourner

Member
Fungus gnats?

Fungus gnats?

Hey, could someone confirm that these are fungus gnats for me? I just transplanted 10 seedlings into this dollar general potting soil and when I moved them under the light I seen the soil just explode with little fruit fly like these flying all over.

Heres the best pictures I could get of one:

picture.php


picture.php


I'm going to try to get to the store tomorrow to find some mosquito dunks, but I might not be able to until monday. Could I get some reassurance that they aren't going to kill my seedlings in three days?

thanks
 
L

LolaGal

No, they won't kill them in three days, an yes that looks like a fungus gnat to me.

I tried some Dollar general potting soil last year...yuck.

If you have a small batch of babies, I would put them overnite in a plastic tote overnite with a Shell No Pest strip. This will knock out the adults, give you a little room to tackle the grub stage in the dirt with the dunks.

good luck!
 

k33ftr33z

Member
sorry dude, but they reproduce in water just like mosquitos.
they lay larva in the water of ebb and flow and buckets, even a few drops just on the floor.....

Maybe I'm just lucky...

or maybe it's the fact you ebb n flow, mine's constantly submerged. The exposure to air for even a little while may allow the gnats breeding time on your roots. The eggs or larvae must be falling into your water somehow. My understanding from the literature is that the gnats lay eggs on the leaves(not breed in water as you say) and the larvae hatch, fall to the ground, and burrow in. Sorry you have this battle on your hands. Mine's history.
 
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L

LolaGal

k33ftr33: Thanks for posting your positive experiences in hydro with dunks. I would think that is where dunks would shine, as they are intended to be chunked into ponds.
 

toohighmf

Well-known member
Veteran
Hey, could someone confirm that these are fungus gnats for me? I just transplanted 10 seedlings into this dollar general potting soil and when I moved them under the light I seen the soil just explode with little fruit fly like these flying all over.

Heres the best pictures I could get of one:

picture.php


picture.php


I'm going to try to get to the store tomorrow to find some mosquito dunks, but I might not be able to until monday. Could I get some reassurance that they aren't going to kill my seedlings in three days?

thanks

that thing looks like a mosquito or something. is the pic magnified? how big is the thing? fungus gnats are the size of ants w wings. they fly in-out of the medium & eat your roots.


2 words

AQUA-BAC
http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/infosheets/AquabacBulletin.html
 

mofreak

Member
could i use these in a bubble bucket with a hydroton basket on top?would i crumble it on top? or rinse it through into the res
 
L

LolaGal

could i use these in a bubble bucket with a hydroton basket on top?would i crumble it on top? or rinse it through into the res

I would put it in a tied nylon stocking and float it in the res.

It will clog up your lines if you don't, I would imagine.

good luck! It should keep them away, keep them from even starting.
 
T

THC_Decapitator

10 days after mosquito dunk treatment and there still buzzing . i have not given up .
 
T

THC_Decapitator

I know they sell something with a light and sticky trap for adult's .
I kinda made one up . killed 11 gnats in 12 hours lol .
until the Dunks kick in
gnatkiller.jpg
 
L

LolaGal

only 20 more days or so till they are done for... keep up the good work!
 

cornflake

better'n coco pops any ol' day o da week
Veteran
stuppid ebay killed my account because i owed them around 43 and didn't pay them within 2 week timeframe lol

now i gotta either pay the stupid 3 bux with a bank chq or create a new account, which I probably can't do without different bank account details :(

spinosad worked great for me

knocked them down to near zero population but they're on the return and spinosad is a pain in the bum to spray everything again and again
 

sirharrynuggz

Active member
Would it work if I put a dunk in a bucket of water in the grow? Has anyone tried this to avoid the dunk drying out? Or is it best to just crumble it up, like suggested? Thanks.
 
L

LolaGal

it does not affect the dunk for it to dry out between waterings. you want it in the medium where the plants are growing, so that the plants are no affected.
 

HeD333

Active member
I find it ground into pouches at my local garden store right next to the mosquito dunks. BTI kicks the shit out of these things. I did one heavy application and the flyers disappeared in about 2 weeks. For the record, I'm organic soil so I just top dressed with 1 "pouch" per 3gallon grow bag and watered it in.
 
Man! I'm in coco, and I have used the mosquito dunks religiously, but those little suckers are totally thriving in my rooms.

I'm going to do a soil drench with Azamax, I have Spinosad too, it sure would be nice to break the life cycle of these suckers.
 

fishwater

Member
I have been gnat free inside for several months now, just by mixing a tablespoon of crushed dunks to every three gallons of soil... mix it righ in..

But, I had three tubs of soil sitting out side for the winter, and just opened them up, and they had gnats... One tub did not, but two did.....

So , I cycled the gnat tubs into the outside garden, and have been using the other... I will add some more crushed dunks to it tho.. It has been 4 months since I used any..

It works people, just do it..

Thanks again to Lola for this thread
 

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