Looks to be fungus gnat larvae, from what I can see. Bacillus thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) kills the larvae of fungus gnats. It is in mosquito dunks if you can't find it in any other form. I usually add about a teaspoon or two of a crushed dunk to a five gallon pail of water to keep them under control, but since this is part of my regular watering, you may want to up that to adding a teaspoon to a gallon of water and then soak the soil with it. If you have adults flying about they won't be affected so repeat each time you water for about 3-4 cycles.

tj

Looks like fungus gnats to me too. The potato works better with the cut side down on the soil. Also, apple cider vinegar will attract and drown the adults. Haven't tried the dunks but know a lot of people use them.

I agree with tj that BT is a good solution. Try to kill the adults too (vacuum cleaner if they are flying around the plant/area around the pot or use your finger).

Yeah, I never would have messed with the other if we had been allowed to use anything remotely chemical. School thing, their greenhouse, their rules. I should try some of this. I have a plant that requires constant wet soil, and am either going to switch to semi hydro or crack and pick up a nice carnivorous plant to park next to it. Circle of life and all. ;)

Thanks everyone!!! I will get the BT tomorrow and I'll be sure to repeat as you mentioned TJ. I think these things win the gross award in all these years of houseplants, lol.

Neem drench would be my choice if chemicals are a concern. Pet person and plant safe. Look at azatrol and azamax (brand names). Mixing your own from cold pressed neem and soap works too but smells quite strong.

Thanks Rooftopbklyn - I do have some Dyna Gro cold pressed neem. You mentioned soap, I have Murphy's Oil Soap on hand that I usually use with the neem for foliage sprays. I do like how the neem covers a wide range of critters. There were a few other bugs scattering in the CC's soil as well. I just need a soil drench recipe.

I could still pick up some BT for the next watering, perhaps it would be good to alternate treatments?

I use als recipes here when mixing cold pressed neem. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3412342/ficus-losing-a-couple-new-young-leaves#15915148

might leave out alcohol if primarily drenching. Soap is necessary to emulsify neem into water. I have since switched to azatrol as less smelly and I spray all my indoor plants monthly or more if problems show. Plus dissolves real nice in water directly.

Ok Ewwmayo, I won't do the neem drench until I find out more about possible root issues and will try the BT first as long I agree with the package details. I may spot spray a few segments of webs with the neem spray, and while at it if I see wiggling creatures I may target those too. Thanks Rooftopbklyn and Ewwmayo for following up and taking the time to do so... I really appreciate it.

No luck at three stores for the BT. (Home Depot, Walmart & Agway garden center)

I'm really surprised!

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Summit-12-in-Mosquito-Dunks-6-Pack-110-12/100334779

They may call it something else? I look at the ingredients very carefully.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Southern-Ag-8-oz-Thuricide-Caterpillar-Control-Concentrate-100520028/100599150

(Just an example)

Thanks Ewwmayo for the links. Is one better than the other? I'm thinking of ordering off amazon with 2 day shipping.

Probably seasonal items when it comes to retail shelf space.

I first found gardenweb and got the plant bug right about this time of year (some years ago) and man was it frustrating to try and find ANYTHING relevant on store shelves, at least in my area. Home Depot, Lowes, and a few hardware stores all the same.

I'd say go with whichever has best reviews or feedback around the forums.

I found an article that may interest you as well:

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/production/crop-inputs/insect-control/how-cultural-factors-impact-fungus-gnat-populations/

Kevin

Thank you for posting the link...it confirms that more organic and wet soil is preferred by gnats...

Haha, thanks Rina. I admit it's not much of a surprise. =P

With the bonus of a gross-looking photo of the different life stages.

I am not sure where you are located but my recommendation is use to use food grade Diatomaceous Earth which you can find at almost any store. It is safe for all pets and humans and kills almost all bugs within hours of it's use. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but I know many people with animals use it as an alternative to chemicals for use indoors.

Nichole

Nichole

It has been mentioned but seldom - thank you for remembering to post. Just don't inhale too much 'dust'...

Nancy, be sure to let us know what happens regardless of the approach you take!

Daniel

Thanks everyone tremendously!! Last night looking online discovered the local Tractor Supply Store had the BT. I just got back and have the mosquito dunks (BT) in hand. My usual watering can is a small half gallon, I will have to look around the house for a larger container.

As of a few hours ago they have been treated with the BT drench. Also did a neem foliage spray, it was so nice out and overcast too... figured might as well.

This is what I use it every time and works like a charm! :-)

Monica- nanzjade mentioned not using, "crazy toxic pesticides". Bayer Advanced 3 in 1 would qualify as a crazy toxic pesticide. Not to mention, it is not meant for indoor use.

tj

I guess it is a pesticide/fungicide/insecticide which is too bad because I use it on everything even my citrus trees and cures all. Sorry it wouldn't work out for you.

Monica,

The main active ingredient in that product is imidacloprid which is a powerful toxic chemical. While it is quite effective at getting rid of many awful pests including spider mites and mealy bugs (my personal nemesis, the mealy) it also kills many beneficial insects like bees. It is also harmful to people and pets. I have used it in the past, and if faced with mealy bugs dripping off my plants I might resort to it again, but for now I have eliminated bayer from my own toolkit. Easy decision since NY State made it illegal first, and amazon won't even ship it to me. I would never ever consider spraying or using it indoors.

I encourage you to do some research on imidacloprid to at least be well informed. If you eat the fruit from your citrus, make sure you know what you are doing.

Daniel

Buy
a package of "Mosquito dunks" at the garden center. Put one
quarter of one in your watering can. This will kill the larvae in the
soil and stop future generations. It is all natural and safe. Use
sticky traps and manually kill the adults.

Thanks but my husband works for Bayer CropScience on the Environmental Science side (I used too as well) I'm fully aware of all the benefits. :-)

There are products that can be used up to the day of harvest and others you have to wait 30 days before harvesting your crop. We have arborists, horticulturalists, entomologists etc at our disposal. With a 12 year old and 2 dogs at home we make sure we know what and how much to apply. I almost lost all my citrus trees this summer to leaf miners, brown spot, fungus gnats you name it and my poor trees got it all this summer :-(

im glad we were able to rectify it all before losing them.

ok cool long as you know what you are doing and dealing with, and it sounds like you very much do!

Thanks, it's mostly my husband and his coworkers:-)

im on the phone a lot. lol

Watering with 3% hydrogen peroxide kills fungus gnat eggs and larvae and aerates your soil as it bubbles which allows the soil to dry out faster. I water my plants exclusively with 3% hydrogen peroxide when they have gnats. It breaks down almost immediately back into H2O and O2 and doesn't harm my calatheas or orchids. I recommend spraying the top of the soil with neem oil/dish soap mix (1 tsp of each per quart) after watering with hydrogen peroxide. Let it dry out as much as possible before the next watering and repeat with the peroxide and neem spray. This completely eliminates all fungus gnats, eggs and larvae for me 100% of the time. I usually do this for all my plants simultaneously at least once per year to make sure I don't have any gnats.