brian
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Posts: 37
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Post by brian on Jul 2, 2007 3:53:51 GMT
What are these flies that are swarming my plants? Are Nematodes effective for this?  Thank you  |
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Post by gaduke on Jul 2, 2007 8:07:21 GMT
Anyway to get a brighter pic, I cant make them out.
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Post by Aidan on Jul 2, 2007 8:39:39 GMT
Impossible to make out. Perhaps sciarid flies, AKA fungus gnats.
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Post by RL7836 on Jul 2, 2007 19:26:00 GMT
Can't see the pic either but Drosera are great for eliminating most small flying critters indoors.... ;D
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brian
Full Member
Posts: 37
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Post by brian on Jul 3, 2007 18:08:54 GMT
Thanks for the quick response and sorry for the poor photo. My ping was nice enough to hold these little guys still for me.  I believe they are fungus gnats as well. Thanks again. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2007 23:31:17 GMT
well my eyes arent able to see the picture that well since im not wearing any glasses but i do believe that they are fungas nats..they look just like the nats that i get all over my orchids...sadly sinc i dont have any more cps but 1 dying vft due to my lack of watering and a horribly evil cat i have nothing to stop them..however you may want to put some more plants that are good at cathing them nearby beacuse they can become quite prolific pretty fast in moist/wet conditions
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brian
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Posts: 37
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Post by brian on Jul 10, 2007 6:10:44 GMT
I can provide a large format picture if you like. The on posted can be clicked on for a larger view.
I also believe they are fungus gnats.
Since for some reason I find the introduction of another species to destroy another species I am trying to use a grow light to supplement their 4 hours of direct sun and increase temperature of the soil in hopes of killing the fungus they eat.
It seems to be working so far as the planters are no longer crawling with them but they seem to have migrated to the rest of the apartment. Hopefully they will die off in a few days.
I will post results if it works.
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Post by brokken on Jul 10, 2007 21:35:36 GMT
What are these flies that are swarming my plants? Are Nematodes effective for this? Thank you Not sure why you'd want to get rid of your fungus gnats as they're an excellent source of food for your CPs. Nor am I sure that nematodes have anything to do with this, but I don't believe that they would be fungus gnat control for you. As with the others, I think that if you get a clearer pic, we'll be able to ascertain what the bugs in question are. |
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Post by brokken on Jul 13, 2007 4:47:53 GMT
They look like Bradysia coprophila - common fungus gnats. I did not know that predatory nematodes actually prey on them. Learn something new everyday. However, I still maintain that they're excellent food for your CPs - especially Butterworts which are almost incapable of catching much larger prey.
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brian
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Posts: 37
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Post by brian on Jul 19, 2007 11:26:17 GMT
My Ping does love them!
I live in San Francisco and a lady at a local store that promotes biological solutions suggested it.
No it's the twenty or so that sit on my ceiling at night. The ones I have to clean out of my blinds every morning, the ones I have to scrape off the inside of my windows, the ones that fly into my nose, eyes, ears and mouth on a daily basses, the two I crushed just now when I moused over to correct a spelling error, the ones I have to pick out of every glass of water, the ones that are making my girlfriend have second thoughts about letting me keep plants inside!
Actually the combination of using a grow light and the addition of a S. purpurea has put a nice dent into the population.
Thank you for the information!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2007 2:44:44 GMT
yes that is one way of getting them to slow down there breeding is to put on a grow light because the maggots of the nats usually die from the heat/dryness and having circulating air i have found puts a dent in their numbers..
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Post by Not a Number on Jul 20, 2007 7:22:02 GMT
Fungus gnats can be controlled biologically with parasitic nematodes (Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora), predatory mites (Hypoaspis miles) or bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis)
Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis is available in the US in various forms. Bayer Advanced sells a granular form or more readily found are Mosquito Dunks/Bits.
My indoor seedling pots were infested with fungus gnats - clouds of them whenever I watered the pots. I tried Neem oil to kill the adults, putting my Drosera and Pinguicula among the pots etc. While the adult population was somewhat reduced I could still see the larvae in the pots. After researching Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis I found that Mosquito Dunks contain this bacteria. Since I had some Dunks for an unused swimming pool I broke one up and put a few pieces in the water tray and some in a container of water. I let the container sit overnight and used the bacteria infused water to top water all my pots.
I've only seen three or four adult gnats and no larvae since I started treatment about a month and a half ago. I reapply with infused water about once every week or two weeks. The Bacillus affects only the larvae and will kill mosquito larvae as well.
Fungus gnats have about a 4 week life cycle. Since the larvae feed on root hairs and seedlings they are considered a pest and can cause crop damage.
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brian
Full Member
Posts: 37
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Post by brian on Jul 20, 2007 19:27:38 GMT
Great information!
That is what I will do then.
Thank you.
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Post by Not a Number on Jul 20, 2007 21:50:43 GMT
If you Google on the species names you can find online suppliers or perhaps your local store knows of a local source. The nematodes and predatory mites are pretty expensive and minimum order is probably larger than you need. They also have to be applied with days of receiving them. Once the available food supply (fungus gnats) is gone the predators will start to die off too.
Gnatrol is a brand name for BTi (Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis). It's pretty expensive compared to the Bayer Advanced granules and the Mosquito Dunks. I saw jugs of the Bayer Advanced at a local OSH for $7-9 US.
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