ugh..hate those lil b@$t@rd$. so far so good for me, they havent gotten out of control..every one I see I kill instantly.

I used neem on them and it has backed them off. I only see one here or there now.. Brandy

I am glad to know about the neem oil I am having the same problem. I will blast my seedlings. LOL

I wish I had thought of the neem oil before I went and bought Scanmask today.
This stuff is really good though. Neem would have been cheaper.

I've been using a combo of BT water and spraying with Raid and it has got mine in check. The worst was in december when you couldn't eat in the kitchen witout them buzzing around your plate.

Neem Oil:

I have never tried it. Can you get it anywhere like Lowes, etc.? I didn't realize it is systemic insecticide! I just found the following info and wanted to share with you...

Neem oil is a botanical pesticide made from an extract of the plant Azadirachta indica. Since it doesn't strongly affect humans, mammals, or beneficial bugs, farmers use neem oil as an insecticide and miticide to keep away pests like aphids and white flies. Neem oil even protects crops from fungal infections such as mildew and rust. People use insecticide with neem oil to repel mosquitoes and lice.

The plant that gives us neem oil originates in Southeast Asia. People from these countries have long noted the benefits of crushing the leaves and stems against their skin to keep off biting insects like gnats. A wider industrial and commercial use was found for the potent oil by grinding the seeds of the neem plant. When the oil is distilled from seeds, its concentrated mixture contains high amounts of the active chemical azadirachtin.

Azadirachtin-rich neem oil gets sprayed on crops as an organic substitute for other harsher insecticides that might be carcinogenic or have limited uses. Neem oil repels harmful insects like white flies, gnats, aphids, mites, and weevils, as well as strengthening the crops against rust, scab, mildew, and blight. Edible crops of vegetables do not get poisoned when neem oil is used.

Neem oil makes the plants it touches taste bitter, so pests won't eat them, as a "contact" insecticide. Azadirachtin also interrupts insects' transitions between different stages of metamorphosis, such as growing from larvae to pupae. It prevents insects from developing a hardened exoskeleton. When the chemical gets absorbed through the roots of crops, it functions as a "systemic insecticide." That means crops don't need to be constantly re-sprayed.

I keep sand on the soil and they don't seem to like it. I also set a few traps - mix apple cider vinegar, water, a drop of liquid soap to break the surface tension.

We are a strong believer of sand on top of the soil and those sticky traps. The blue can of Raid is another option. Wishing you the best!

Oh no, the elusive blue Raid again. LOL I found it in the market side at Walmart.

Linda

MJ nice info on the neem oil!

Karyn hope you got them under control also.

I think they do not like the cold. There are not that many here roflmao

Lucy

I have a layer of sand on the soil. These are bionic fungus gnats! lol I've tried neem in the past and it did nothing to control the fungus gnats. It didn't work on any other insects either. I figured it would at least suffocate the gnats by spraying it on the surface of the soil. I know people that swear by it but I have lousy results with it. I have to go get some yellow fly paper. I haven't had any luck with the vinegar solution catching fungus gnats but it's great for fruit flies. I read about putting slices of potato on the surface of the soil so the gnats would lay their eggs on it then you throw them away. I don't want to spray any insecticides, especially inside because of the pets and kids.

They have attacked in full force here too while I've been sick and I have not been water very much at all. I have lost most of my cuttings to the damn things again except whats in water. I have a few that are in dirt that look ok but the majority are toast. Really makes me mad since they looked so good a week ago and now all you see are clouds of them fly out when you check on a shriveled up one. I swear I give up on winter rooting unless its in cups of water. I think they come in my potting soil. I sprayed raid in there yesterday but haven't been able to hand water with BT yet. Have mealy bugs on one of my larger brugs too. I hope I feel well enough tomorrow to strip leaves and spray.

I have seen a few mites but as long as I keep them stripped and the fans running it has not been a problem..
So Far!...LOL

Karyn, hope you got them under control now. This is the part I hate about rooting indoors; those gnats produce like mad. I had some a couple of weeks ago, but since our weather was nice, I put my cuttings outside. It has been raining for two days now and starting to get cold again so I will bring the cuttings back in. I am watering with BT and have good success with a couple of small bowls with either cider vinegar/white vinegar, water and dish detergent.

Hi,

I'm new here and had a question about neem use. I have used it in the house on mature plants- it takes a while, but seems to work. I've heard about peppermint tea too- that is said to wipe them out pretty quickly. I have some in my small greenhouse- not many, but I don't want them to get out of control. I have seedlings in there too. So, my question is, can I use neem on seedlings? Should they be bottom watered with the solution? Is it safe to spray it directly on them. I use it now on my benches, but I really want it to go into the soil after the little bastards living in the soil (pardon my french!)

Hope you can help!

Tessa (aka dirtdigr)
Visit me at...

Here is a link that might be useful: Blunders with shoots, blossoms 'n roots

Hi Tessa,
You might have better luck getting some good answers if you start a new thread. Just copy what you have here, and paste it into a new thread.
btw..peppermint tea, very interesting..I'm gonna have to go read up on that..

Has anyone heard of using corn meal mixed into the soil to prevent fungus gnats? I remember reading about that somewhere, the corn supposedly inhibits the growth of the fungus the gnats are attracted to. Has anyone tried this before?

Ryan