simpleleaf
Well-Known Member
Neem oil can also be used as a root drench. Edited to add, fungus gnats love water, so if you have any sinks near, those have a drain trap and may be gnat breeding places.
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Gnats
- Thread starter Vyp
- Start date
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
^ Oh ya, Hot Shot No Pest Strips are the real deal. I wouldn't really use them in a living area (especially with kids and animals around in the same house) but I bomb the heck out of my outdoor grow trailer with multiple strips when I do. I think you should only be around them for 4 hours a day otherwise, but don't want to breath it longer than that. I keep one going anytime I'm not growing because I take long breaks.
They dry out quicker with fans running. However..
You can zip lock them away and keep them from drying out between uses , to extend the life.
Any time I get a full on infestation of anything I would let the rooms bask with a few pest strips for a few weeks (or even months for mites. I always shut down operations at the sign of mites, no spraying of anything which is a waste of time IMO. Mites= stop growing for awhile, a sign from the cannabis gods to take a break).
Also, put any and all gear in large garbage sacks and tie them off with a strip in the bag too. Anything would die within days in the bags, but might take longer in a room as pest can crawl up into cracks and lay eggs that could go dormant for months.
I would even put a vegging plant in the bag for a day or 2 with a "NPS", if trying to salvage it and take out a mite infestation, etc.
I never had much luck using mosquito dunks (crumbled up), or mosquito bits in the water as far as ridding the infestation, but I will continue using the bits in my res as a tea bag for preventative measures. Even in my fresh water holding tanks to make sure the Bti is full strength. I can't exactly tell if it doesn't work though, because I always hit them hard and "go all the way" with all the weapons, lol.
Panty hose really works great and probably my top recommendation. Only needs to be applied once until they all die, unlike sand or diatomaceous earth which makes a big mess and washes away every watering. Or left on the entire time if needed, which would work great if you have clones in small pots right now. It will guarantee their safety as of now.
They dry out quicker with fans running. However..
You can zip lock them away and keep them from drying out between uses , to extend the life.
Any time I get a full on infestation of anything I would let the rooms bask with a few pest strips for a few weeks (or even months for mites. I always shut down operations at the sign of mites, no spraying of anything which is a waste of time IMO. Mites= stop growing for awhile, a sign from the cannabis gods to take a break).
Also, put any and all gear in large garbage sacks and tie them off with a strip in the bag too. Anything would die within days in the bags, but might take longer in a room as pest can crawl up into cracks and lay eggs that could go dormant for months.
I would even put a vegging plant in the bag for a day or 2 with a "NPS", if trying to salvage it and take out a mite infestation, etc.
I never had much luck using mosquito dunks (crumbled up), or mosquito bits in the water as far as ridding the infestation, but I will continue using the bits in my res as a tea bag for preventative measures. Even in my fresh water holding tanks to make sure the Bti is full strength. I can't exactly tell if it doesn't work though, because I always hit them hard and "go all the way" with all the weapons, lol.
Panty hose really works great and probably my top recommendation. Only needs to be applied once until they all die, unlike sand or diatomaceous earth which makes a big mess and washes away every watering. Or left on the entire time if needed, which would work great if you have clones in small pots right now. It will guarantee their safety as of now.
Snoopy808
Well-Known Member
You sure about that as im aware its the BTI- Israelensis strain that kills em. I use microb-lif pool and pond mosquito treatment. Scaled down its like 5 drops per 50 gallons, but use more drops than that as a watering treatment. There's a major fungus gnat problem with most bagged soils. Fungus gnats weren't a thing in my area till 3 years ago. Never had them. Started my indoor run with bagged soil as usual but gnats right out of the gate. I had to get BTI, and noticed at the shop the 3 people ahead of me and a customer that just walked in all needed fungus gnat treatments.
Thegermling
Well-Known Member
Can you describe the 3 drenches?
I use gnatrol and ogbiowar foliar and root pack (as drenches) weekly. I alternate and sometimes use both at the same time. I see a gnat flying around here and there but no serious infestation.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
I'd never use Hot Shots. And that's NOT the only way to get rid of them.
It's the only thing that has worked for me. I tried a few drench products. Smoke bombs work too if you apply a few times. I think a few things here are not available... gnatrol for example is banned as far as I know... in fact the hot shots themselves I have to import as they are banned from sale here.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
I'll take John Goodman from Arachnophobia
MickFoster
Well-Known Member
I add Gnatrol to my nute mix and feed to run off.......once a week for three weeks in a row.
What you use?
speedwell68
Well-Known Member
Nematodes and sticky traps work for me.
Thank you for all the tips. My grow is indoors. I threw out all of soil, washed all the pots in bleach trays as well, scrub bleached my room, clone room, clone machine and stopped growing for over a month. Threw out all of my precious clones and started all over with seeds. I’m switching to canna hydro no soil. Yellow stickies up and bowls of vinegar, sugar and dawn mix in the clone room. Went to check on my little seedlings and a gnat was crawling around the edge of the cup. Ugh! I’ve done everything!
DoubleAtotheRON
Well-Known Member
I was in the same boat. Battling fungus gnats. I had tried everything, then @TintEastwood recommended a cheap solution. I got this stuff off of AMZ, and it has some serious knock down power!.. I only use 12-13 drops per 50 gallons, and it killed all the larvae in the runoff tray with just one application. I still check every day, and see nothing but dead ones. I've never seen this kind of knock out this quick with anything else i've tried. AND, it's cheap, goes a hell of a long ways for the money. I can see the dead bodies in groups floating on top of the run off. I scoop up a sample, and check for life under the microscope... all dead. I used to use mosquito bits, neem oil drenches, etc., but always found live ones under the scope. Have not seen one live one since starting this application.
Edit: I still use large sticky traps on every plant to monitor adult activity, and it has dropped off dramatically. I haven't seen a flyer in days.
Edit: I still use large sticky traps on every plant to monitor adult activity, and it has dropped off dramatically. I haven't seen a flyer in days.
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Milky Weed
Well-Known Member
I did this and it worked, but sand everywhere
big huge pain in ass when it dried out too, made water bounce off it if I did not use copious wetting agent.
Yeah it kinda sucks but thats how i ended up getting rid of those lil bastards, i tried everything, even let plants dry out to point of wilting over and thats only thing that work for me
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
Screw the home remedies. Any BTi product, (not BTk), like Gnatrol, mosquito dunks or that good stuff @DoubleAtotheRON mentions above gets rid of them quick. Just a bacteria so won't affect the plants or the buds. Also used to spray over cities for mosquito control so safe as anything you'll find.
Just tried Gnatrol on springtails that are killing some small plants and that didn't work at all so let all the plants dry right out until the leaves drooped badly then watered about 2/3 of a usual dose by pouring the water into their drip trays. Only did the plants as they drooped and also stirred a bunch of DE into the top 2" of the pots. Seems to be the best way to deal with those buggers short of chemical warfare.
Neem oil is half-assed too but the sink drains is right on. My basement sump was open to my grow room and I had gnat problems for ages until I noticed adults coming out of that area. Built a cover with filtered vents so my room air could get in without gnats and the problem went away. Bags of soil or even soilless media can be infested with gnats so keep them far away from the grow space and inspect for gnats.
Just tried Gnatrol on springtails that are killing some small plants and that didn't work at all so let all the plants dry right out until the leaves drooped badly then watered about 2/3 of a usual dose by pouring the water into their drip trays. Only did the plants as they drooped and also stirred a bunch of DE into the top 2" of the pots. Seems to be the best way to deal with those buggers short of chemical warfare.
Wolfmanjack23
Member
Do what Jim said. I've used b it outdoors will never use anything else. Great pesticide, won't hurt animals, but will become glue and paste like . Could fck up roots.