Fungus gnats or WINGED ROOT APHIDS???

[Sweatloaf]

Mosquito dunks aint got shit on Gnatrol.

When I first started coco it was always overwatered and the gnats hitch a ride in on FFOF bag soil. They were so bad they were swarming litterally. The dunks didnt even phaze them. Gnatrol KO'd them like Mike Tyson Punch Out in a matter of days. You used to be able to get smaller packs on ebay and amazon. Just mix as instructed and use until theyre gone. If you see them again apply once.

Thanks for the info. Looks like Gnatrol is Bt as an active ingredient just like Mosquito dunks or bits. However, Gnatrol looks like it has 37% Bt wheras Mosquito Dunks have 10.3%. So Gnatrol has 3 times the Bt than Mosquito Dunks. That's very good to know. I guess a person could triple the amount of the mosquito dunks/bits per watering if they have that on hand.

 

[LostTribe]

Thanks for the info. Looks like Gnatrol is Bt as an active ingredient just like Mosquito dunks or bits. However, Gnatrol looks like it has 37% Bt wheras Mosquito Dunks have 10.3%. So Gnatrol has 3 times the Bt than Mosquito Dunks. That's very good to know. I guess a person could triple the amount of the mosquito dunks/bits per watering if they have that on hand.

I tried the dunks even at a greater dose. The Gnatrol is way more effective and they are gone totally after 3 or 4 waterings. I just saw it on the bay for $20/2 oz. I got a little like that and still have most of it too. I am not sure I'll use coco after this last canna brick is gone. Going back to my roots, hydroton and HPS.

 

[Wolverine97]

If you just store your soil 18 months prior to use, you don't have to use anything at all. No bugs. It requires a little storage space, but that's it.

 

[singlecoiled]

5 gallon paint thinner bags trap bugs in/out of the root zone. I wrapped 352 rockwool blocks with the paint thinner backs. with Root Aphids and fungus gnats, out flowers were sexi AF. i put sticky traps under the canopy to catch w/e got out and to my suprise. VERY VERY few got out at all. 9.9/10 have done and will do again for flower rooms in the future (i grow lots of extract so i dont always care)

If you just store your soil 18 months prior to use, you don't have to use anything at all. No bugs. It requires a little storage space, but that's it.

Good to know, I keep soil a long time, I have some Happy Frog now in a bin for over a year. I guess that should do it...

I'm silly though and will still boil and bake anything my plant goes into. I'm pest paranoid now which kinda sux. I dont know how they get into the soil. I dont know how the eggs (of many pests) really work. I do know that not much lives after being baked and boiled....

I was in a garden center buying Happy Frog. The soil was stored inside the garden center under a roof. I watched flies hovering around the bags and thought to myself, why are flies interested in plain soil? Are they laying eggs? I'm still not sure, but I do know my bag of soil was LOADED with fungus gnats. I used BTI, problem solved.... But now I boil and bake.,..

 

[Sweatloaf]

If you just store your soil 18 months prior to use, you don't have to use anything at all. No bugs. It requires a little storage space, but that's it.

When you say, "store" your soil, do you mean soil that is bagged?

I've mixed some super soil and I've got it aging in a large rubbermaid-type container with a lid. I put some yellow sticky traps on top of the soil and then have the lid closed. Massive fungus gnat infestation in the covered container. There's enough room for the adult fliers to fly around inside the covered container so I would assume rather than 18 months, they'd continue the life cycle forever in there. They're going to be frozen solid in a few months outside and then I'll take them in the garage to thaw and see what happens from there.

 

[singlecoiled]

When you say, "store" your soil, do you mean soil that is bagged?

I've mixed some super soil and I've got it aging in a large rubbermaid-type container with a lid. I put some yellow sticky traps on top of the soil and then have the lid closed. Massive fungus gnat infestation in the covered container. There's enough room for the adult fliers to fly around inside the covered container so I would assume rather than 18 months, they'd continue the life cycle forever in there. They're going to be frozen solid in a few months outside and then I'll take them in the garage to thaw and see what happens from there.

Good question, yes and no. I do have a bag of Happy Frog in its bag, good stuff, but I'm moving to Coco so I'm not sure I'll use it. Its in its bag all moist and nasty just like Fox Farm sells it.

I also have a big 20 gallon plastic bin with a cover that I use to mix and store my soils. After boiling and baking my soil, it goes in the bin with some chopped up rabbit manure and a few ammendments depending on what I'm using. So yes, I use the bags to store soil, and the bin when I'm planning to prepare the soil for use....

 

[Wolverine97]

When you say, "store" your soil, do you mean soil that is bagged?

I've mixed some super soil and I've got it aging in a large rubbermaid-type container with a lid. I put some yellow sticky traps on top of the soil and then have the lid closed. Massive fungus gnat infestation in the covered container. There's enough room for the adult fliers to fly around inside the covered container so I would assume rather than 18 months, they'd continue the life cycle forever in there. They're going to be frozen solid in a few months outside and then I'll take them in the garage to thaw and see what happens from there.

Bagged, yes. It will dry out, and they will all die, as will the eggs. It would work the same for super soil, as long as you let it dry out.

I began doing it because I use Malibu Compost, which always has bugs. It works.

 

[Chevy cHaze]

bagged soil stored outside is a problem. I think that's how I contracted these awful aphids in the first place. With the perlite and DE all things root aphids have very much calmed down but it sucks that I have to water from the bottom to not wet the DE while I have an irrigation system installed...They're still around though and I still get the odd flyer on the sticky trap reminding me they're not gone yet.
CC

 

[Humboldt DNA]

Good question, yes and no. I do have a bag of Happy Frog in its bag, good stuff, but I'm moving to Coco so I'm not sure I'll use it. Its in its bag all moist and nasty just like Fox Farm sells it.

I also have a big 20 gallon plastic bin with a cover that I use to mix and store my soils. After boiling and baking my soil, it goes in the bin with some chopped up rabbit manure and a few ammendments depending on what I'm using. So yes, I use the bags to store soil, and the bin when I'm planning to prepare the soil for use....

We bag our root balls in mesh to seal them up. Winged flyers can't get out to lay eggs. Effective at scale, even for nursery. Works really well.

 

[singlecoiled]

We bag our root balls in mesh to seal them up. Winged flyers can't get out to lay eggs. Effective at scale, even for nursery. Works really well.

Funny you posted this, I was thinking about this quite a bit and trying to make sense of it. Thanks much for the picture, now its crystal clear. It seems the mesh also prevents insects from getting in? (Ants?)

Now, where to find mesh.....?

 

[Chevy cHaze]

A mesh, that looks like a great idea if its holes are tiny enough?
Will they not continue to live in the soil and simply wait? or do they eventually all die because no new one are generated?
Has anyone ever tried electric mosquito traps? The ones with UV light and a zapper or air vortex that kills them?
Was wondering whether the fliers would be attracted to UV light and this was a potential route of controlling them

CC

 

[Chevy cHaze]

Does anyone have experience with Botanigard?
I came across it and thought this is almost too good to be true... An insect killing fungus that you can spray or mix into the soil, not harmful for humans, to be used right up until harvest sounds just terriffic right? It's labelled to kill aphids...
CC

 

[Chevy cHaze]

Great stuff, i have them somewhat under control for now but will try to get my hands on botanigard to give them the rest as well as wrapping my fabric pots in a fine insect mesh to keep them trapped in there for the botanigard to get 'em all.
Thanks man
CC

 

[kaptansavyo]

Hello Everyone, I understand there is no definitive solution to get rid of these damn root aphids. I threw away my 45-day-old Oto plant because it didn't bloom! I've had this problem twice before. I then cleaned my cabin and managed to harvest but encountered it again 2 years later. Please tell me, I'm lost between the pages. To get rid of this root aphid scourge, I baked my coconut media in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour. I also cleaned my cabin with bleach. Is there a surefire way to get rid of these troublesome bastards?

 

[Chevy cHaze]

Hi guys,
Not sure this helps much and not sure this is 100% proof but I noticed that I still have a few of these critters in my hand watered pots whereas they're gone from my pots with blumats. Maybe the whole dryback thing is not really beneficial when it comes to these things? They seem to prefer and really seek out medium that's on the dry side of the spectrum. BTW has anyone had success with botanigard? I can't seem to be able to get it over here for the life of mine, only option is to import from the states where shipping basically doubles the price.
For now I can just keep going with the perlite and DE approach which keeps them at bay enough to not affect the plants.
CC

 

[oldmaninbc]

The last time I had pests in the soil I used nematodes purchased at the local garden nursery. I was amazed at the outcome, considering the infestation was considerable.

 

[mr.brunch]

I got an unwanted helping of fungus gnats in the peat free compost this run.

I turned the fan and extractor off, sprayed household fly spray around the bottom of the tent (not on the plants, just around the bottom of the pots, few squirts down each side) - closed the tent, waited a few minutes then put the circulation fan back on to blow it around a bit.
Ten minutes later I put the exhaust fan back on - all gone by next day.
After a day or two, a few come back from eggs hatching but a quick re treatment and I haven’t seen one since.

Worked for me

 

[Chevy cHaze]

BTW fungus gnats: No problem, there are a few ways to sort them out reliably, but these effin' aphids have caused me sleepless nights in the past as they're not impressed by BTI and the stuff that takes out fungus gnats. Due to botanigard not being available here I'm using mechanical barriers with ok results. Perlite top layers on all pots with DE on top. insect mesh is next.
Also want to mention that the aphids don't seem to like rootbound plants/medium. My setup is small, but I have multiple chambers and the one with my terribly rootbound bonsai mums is entirely free of them whereas there are still a few to be seen from time to time in the other compartments...
Ah the endless struggle hahaha
Hope you're all good

CC

 

[mr.brunch]

BTW fungus gnats: No problem, there are a few ways to sort them out reliably, but these effin' aphids have caused me sleepless nights in the past as they're not impressed by BTI and the stuff that takes out fungus gnats. Due to botanigard not being available here I'm using mechanical barriers with ok results. Perlite top layers on all pots with DE on top. insect mesh is next.
Also want to mention that the aphids don't seem to like rootbound plants/medium. My setup is small, but I have multiple chambers and the one with my terribly rootbound bonsai mums is entirely free of them whereas there are still a few to be seen from time to time in the other compartments...
Ah the endless struggle hahaha
Hope you're all good

CC

The root aphids are evil
They turned a whole pack of seed into mush for me.
I was so annoyed I doused the pots and whole bag of soil in bug clear before I threw it out

 

[Desert Dan]

So far so good…

1. Take cuts off moms and place in refrigerator stasis.
2. Dump everything else.
3. Bleach and pyrethrum fogger tents. Let sit for three to five weeks.
4. Dunk and rinse cuts in pyrethrum before plugging.
5. Soak rapid rooters in botaniguard before plugging.
6. Once rooted place into coco hempy buckets. Botaniguard top dress weekly. I fashioned lids for my buckets to keep the humidity in the correct range for the botaniguard to bloom. If done correctly you should have a nice layer of fuzz. I used bricked coco to minimize the chance of any other unwanted hitchhikers.

I haven’t seen anything in almost 2 months, but I have been fooled before. Will be keeping this regime for the foreseeable future.

-DD