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Fungus Gnats Are Killing Me!!!

Peroxide usually works well for me.  You can always just put your face close to them and breath in really hard, you'll feel them hit your tongue.  Extra protein ;)
 
Peroxided again today. Still have bugs!!!
 
I watched the larva swim in the peroxide water a bit so it doesnt seem to kill on contact like ive read. Soaked the top of the soil good today as well as bottom watering. Its better for sure but im sick of these things. It doesnt seemed to have hurt even the youngest seedlings like you all told me it wouldnt so thanks again
 
 
enjoy the weekend
 
I know it sucks fighting these things but keep at it!!! I had them flying and crawling all over my plants. Mix 1 cup h2o2 to a gallon of water maybe a splash more, give it a good drench everytime you water along with fly paper and they will go away. Dont be scared of the h2o2 killing your plants. Good luck and god speed.
 
You need to stop top watering. It won't kill the ones that are already there but it will stop them from having more. Then just use fly paper or whatever else to kill the ones that are there. But they are going to continue to lay eggs and such if you keep top watering.
 
sosl0w said:
You need to stop top watering. It won't kill the ones that are already there but it will stop them from having more. Then just use fly paper or whatever else to kill the ones that are there. But they are going to continue to lay eggs and such if you keep top watering.
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This was the first time I've top watered in years. I wanted the peroxide to get everything once.
 
 
Beerswimmer said:
Since I posted I got hit with these things somehow. I bought a pack of yellow sticky traps and it wiped them out in 3 days!
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Ive gone through many traps since december. i wish that did it.
 
JoynersHotPeppers said:
I killed my first one yesterday, minutes later I applied sand to the top of the solo cups
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They suck. I added perilite to the tops a while ago. Helped a little. They got out of control overnight it seemed.
 
PrimeTime said:
 
They suck. I added perilite to the tops a while ago. Helped a little. They got out of control overnight it seemed.
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Yes they do suck, using fly tape I killed thousands last year and in the end I won the battles and war! 
 
Didn't think id get to this point but i ordered some beneficial nematodes.
 
Any advice on these? Follow whatever directions they come with? Keep soil moist for 2 weeks?
 
     Man, I hope this works. There's nothing worse for a gardener than a bad infestation that you just can't get on top of. I've had my share and I can definitely relate. (See post #2.) Good luck and let us know how the nematodes work out.
 
Yeah.
 
drying out
sticky traps
dunks
peroxide
dust buster
always bottom watered
potatoes
perilite
 
nematodes and getting these things outside seems my last hope.
The few plants i think are suffering look rough, dropping leaves and are stunted bad. Just a few super hots none of my more usefull sauce peppers seem bad thank goodness.
 
Looks like i get them monday so ill let y'all know...
 
PrimeTime said:
Yeah.
 
drying out
sticky traps
dunks
peroxide
dust buster
always bottom watered
potatoes
perilite
 
nematodes and getting these things outside seems my last hope.
The few plants i think are suffering look rough, dropping leaves and are stunted bad. Just a few super hots none of my more usefull sauce peppers seem bad thank goodness.
 
Looks like i get them monday so ill let y'all know...
Click to expand...
 
Sorry to hear you're still having trouble!! My first season has been one lesson after another!
 
I was able to manage my problem by covering the surface with a thick layer of perlite and starting to bottom-water. I also had to remove the pots from their trays after watering... it was staying wet too long and the flies really liked it down there. Finally the plants that were stalled have started pushing out new healthy growth again. I still get a few flies, but nothing excessive.
 
Hang in there!
 
Yeah there are challenges every year and I'm always up for learning but I didn't expect my first lesson of the year to start in december in my kitchen!
 
Maybe I'm getting this years issue out of the way early….
 
PrimeTime said:
Yeah there are challenges every year and I'm always up for learning but I didn't expect my first lesson of the year to start in december in my kitchen!
 
Maybe I'm getting this years issue out of the way early….
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Something about your post reminded me... I've heard fruit flies will breed in the drains of kitchen sinks, as there are plenty of nutrients and moisture for them down there. Did you happen to notice flies in/around your kitchen sink? I mention it because now that I think about it, I did notice that some of my fungus gnats seem to migrate to my bathroom, far away from my plants. I'm curious if maybe they are breeding somewhere other than in your soil (since you have taken all recommended precautions against them in your soil already)
 
I find a few dead ones in the sinks and toilet but the war zone is the plants. Thanks though i do appreciate it. I might have a super breed going here. The h2o2 worked the best but nowhere near gone. Im hoping to not use a chemical but I'm not gonna say I'm against it if needed. Christ i even bought 2 freakin venus flytraps from lowes
 
Dude , i dont think that the flytraps will be of great help , they do trap insects but if dont get enough nutrients from the insects they die. To make it simpler , the energy they put into closing the traps must be less than that they gain from the insect. All the best with your fight with the gnats.
 
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