Gnats or Aphids?

I am hoping these are just gnats.

ya they're gnats

looks like left over pizza but yeah gnats

It takes a lot of them to do harm, I have a family of small frogs living in my garden ... they fat and happy.
Sprinkle some diatamacious earth on the surface of the pots. Be sure to get it from your grow store so it is food grade.
It does nothing to your plants, good or bad. But it is hell on bugs.

Another benefit DE adds silica.

PagingMrHerman said:

Another benefit DE adds silica.

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Yea, forgot about that. Put that in the "good thing" catagory.

DE is good for a lot of things.
You ever have a cat or dog that get fleas real bad and you want to get rid of them RFN, sprinkle heavily on them. Just dust him heavily starting at their neck (keep away from eyes). You can sprinkle it on your carpets too, then vacuum it up with the dead bugs.

We had a run a year or so ago the we battled spider mites. The whole grow, we fought those bastids. The trimmers got to kidding one of the guys who has dreds. Very long dreds.
They claimed that the bugs were coming in on his head. LoL.
I came to work one day and he's all walking around dusted up. His hair was white with DE.
l laughed my ass off every time I saw him.

I keep a big bag of DE in the supply shed. It is cheap, and very useful.

It’s good stuff. I’ve heard it has benefits for chickens and people to eat. I haven’t tried though. If you have a worm bin it doesn’t hurt them and they eat it. I mix the stuff in the soil and dust on top. Fungus gnats are unfortunately included with FFOF so they are always around for me. I don’t stress too much. There are much worse things to have. Sticky traps always around and I take pleasure in squishing them. When lights come on I see them on the floor and vacuum them up. Oh and I read once liquid bone meal watered in kills the larva...something to do with exploding their gut. Maybe that’s true. Not sure.

Is it even possible to fully wipe them out without doing a full clean, like getting rid of plants and soil ? I’ve been battling them for months

Brettman said:

Is it even possible to fully wipe them out without doing a full clean, like getting rid of plants and soil ? I’ve been battling them for months

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Microbe-lift bmc can be watered into your soil, or added to your reservoir. You can also crush up mosquito dunks and mix into your soil prior to planting. I'm going to try Gnatrol mixed in next planting as a preventative. I've always had good luck with the dunks, but I've seen members on here recommend it, plus it's already crushed up. Sounds like you need the microbe-lift now though.

Brettman said:

Is it even possible to fully wipe them out without doing a full clean, like getting rid of plants and soil ? I’ve been battling them for months

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I used Permethrin, 4 treatments and they were gone forever.

natureboygrower said:

Microbe-lift bmc can be watered into your soil, or added to your reservoir.

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I think the Microbe Lift BMC is the most bang for the buck when it comes to BTI. When my 5 gallon bucket of gnatrol runs out (I use it as a preventative) I will get the Microbe Lift BMC instead.

Nematodes for the medium and yellow sticky for the flyers....I’ve effectively wiped them out..you have to get good nematodes though.

Flash63 said:

you have to get good nematodes though.

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How do you tell the difference? Where do you suggest one purchases them?

Also, for myself, do they live through a synthetic nutrient regimen?

I agree with the use of MIcrobe Life BMC, nothing nearly as cheap and concentrated out there and is harmless to humans. Its the same thing as the product Gnatrol, only a fraction of the price. Diatomaceous earth is cool stuff, but doesn't work when wet. You also arent really going to get any accessible silica out of them, as they are diatoms and will never break down in the lifetime of the plant or the farmer for that matter. I like nematodes, but they are going to take a long time and a large population of them inserted to overpower a fungus gnat infestation.

Southerner said:

I like nematodes, but they are going to take a long time and a large population of them inserted to overpower a fungus gnat infestation.

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Yeah better used as a preventative indeed. and looking at the OP's sticky trap I'd say it's a pretty heavy infestation.

You can get nematodes at home depot, and the amount they sell you is usually used for a yard, so you'll get plenty. They come in a ball, you just have to make sure you water properly at application. I'm pretty sure that nutes have no effect on them, as they live perfectly happily in heavily fertilized fields. I don't have a source to cite there, just elementary school science classes in the 80s looking at dirt from the playground fields under microscopes. Back then they had just started to wait until the kids were off the fields to spray insecticides and fertilizers.
DE will prevent the adult gnats from laying eggs, nematodes will kill grubs and larvae. It is better as a preventive, but that goes for almost anything.

CanadianJim said:

It is better as a preventive, but that goes for almost anything.

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That's the truth. So much better to be proactive than to have a problem that requires correction.

Renfro said:

How do you tell the difference? Where do you suggest one purchases them?

Also, for myself, do they live through a synthetic nutrient regimen?

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For people in Canada...I’m sure there is sources throughout the USA as well..not all nematodes are created equal,these are reared on a live host and kick ass,all larvae are dead in a couple days.

What is permethrin and how do you use it ? Same thing with the BMC?

Brettman said:

What is permethrin and how do you use it ? Same thing with the BMC?

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I don't worry about the flyers and I do not spray the plant. I mix it at 30-60 cc/gallon and pour it as a root drench every three days and they disappeared and have not come back.