Hey DGC
Ran across an article that said using Mosquito dunks was a great biological way to disrupt the propagation cycle of these little pain in the behind creatures. Is this a safe and effective way for me to clean up my garden?
Hey DGC
Ran across an article that said using Mosquito dunks was a great biological way to disrupt the propagation cycle of these little pain in the behind creatures. Is this a safe and effective way for me to clean up my garden?
The dunks are meant for standing water. If you’re trying to treat your containers, they sell the same thing in ‘Bits.’ I had gnats in straight coco containers a few years ago. It took a solid layer of the bits on top of the coco to be effective, not just a sprinkle like the directions said. Still didn’t get them all. It probably would have been good as a preventative measure.
-TogetherMeow
i use the mosquito bits at 4 tbls per gallon of water let sit overnight strain and water plants.as soon as i see any gnats i use this and have always had great results with one watering.dont put them right on the soil or mold will grow on them.
I use it with great results! Some claim otherwise, however I think it boils down to your own consistent practices.
I grow in a Hempy (SIP) system, so I put a quarter dunk down in the reservoir area when I’m setting up the bucket. I know the res won’t be filled for a month or so, but the dunk will be down there waiting for when I do start filling things up. Next, I grind a dunk down to a dust and mix it in with the soil. I also put a generous layer of dust on the top of the soil. Last, I always have a dunk floating in my watering can. Feeding nutrients, recharge, plain water… doesn’t matter.. there will be a dunk floating around ensuring Bti is added with every watering.
Just my $0.02 #growerslove
This product is news to me Dudes and Dudettes.Will this dunk not effect the spring tails and nematodes already present in the soil?? Or is it benign targeting only air bound soft bodies?
My 20p worth is:
Worm castings contain bacteria and acids that can help combat the eggs. Also nematodes are great.
I put up sticky traps and also make a trap.
I get a jar and put apple cider vinegar and dish soap they are attracted to it.
Mosquito bits and dunks are simply carriers that are inoculated with bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTi). It is absolutely 100% safe for beneficial soil life. IF you had the most common type of beneficial nematode, Steinernema feltiae, in your soil you would NOT have fungus gnats. The absolute BEST remedy for fungus gnats is the application of Steinernema feltiae to your soil along with Stratiolaelaps scimitus (formerly called Hypoaspis miles). This combination will eliminate fungus gnats unless you bring them back into your grow space.
I purchase all my beneficials directly from Beneficial Insectary. You have to contact them and set up an account (doesn’t’t cost anything) instead of going to an online store; but the benefit is that you get a rep to deal with that’s an actual EXPERT on pest management. These guys all have experience with cannabis on large scale and can help you identify the exact pest you have AND design a regimen (IPM) to prevent problems in the first place and to deal with problems you’re already having.
Hope this helps!
@DTOM420
I’m curious about this product too. I just got some Mosquito Bits the mail yesterday for the same issue…odd timing. I’m questionable about using them this late in flower though. Week 8 just started today. They are a 56-63 day strain and plant health is amazing. My gut is telling me to ride it out. I’m not even giving nutes anymore. Could this affect taste this late in the game?
NO, they will NOT effect taste! They are just a carrier for a beneficial bacteria. Please read the comment I left the post above yours. Hope it helps you. They work but are NOT a complete solution nor the most effective.
Awesome info!!
Great info. I’m def looking into some nematodes for the future. Sounds like a big game changer for some insurance in the grow.
SF nematodes are the shit they work very well. I had major fungus gnat issues. I couldn’t have enough yellow traps and fly paper around the grow. Not to mention when id accidentally touch the fly paper with my head while watering….gross. I got SF nematodes on amazon. Ones that don’t come in a sponge but in a pack of powder. You can do multiple staggered applications w the powder. Now I’m gnat free for almost a year.
I use bits a couple of times in flower and I get one of the 30 packs of yellow sticky. They always have a toe tag and there own yellow card. I still have gnats. I use recharge though and I think it is one of the side effects. My plants are happier so I’ll stay with it either way.
You can kill gnats all day and capture them on sticky traps but you won’t stop them until you kill the eggs. I spray my soil with an appropriate product to kill eggs if I see gnats. Also you could toss a lavender plant in there. if you have space. They supposedly hate lavender.
Oh by the way if you can prevent them from having a spot to lat eggs you have it beat. I used a layer of perlite on top of the soil and the few gnats I had vanished. And somewhere out there is an actual mat that is water permeable and prevents pests from laying eggs in your soil. good luck.
if i see them i feed then put a layer of dry coco on top, you still see one or two but nothing i worry about
I’ve been wanting to try sand when and if I get a problem with fungus gnats. Just an inch or so on top of the soil and it will suffocate them out, while still letting water drain through and absorb out, unlike diatematious earth, which is neutralized by water.
The way to eliminate or, at the least, control them 99.9% is to attack them in 3 ways. ONE of those ways is to apply Bacillus Thuringiensis israelensis, commonly referred to as “BTi.” Mosquito Dunks and Bits are simply inert carriers that are inoculated with BTi. If you have the dunks, the best method of application to your soil or soilless medium is to break a dunk into quarters and put a piece in a gallon of water. Let it soak for an hour or two and them either spray or drench your soil with the water that will, by then, be inoculated with the BTi. With the bits you can do the same with a tablespoon OR you can sprinkle them on the surface of your medium and then water them in. Each time you water or mist them (fort a few days) you’ll release more of the BTi microbes onto your soil. Having said all this, its cheaper, easier and BETTER to purchase straight BTI in a spray bottle – it’s sold almost everywhere, including on Amazon, by the company Monterey: “Monterey BTi.” Just Google it. Fungus gnat larvae will eat BTi and it poisons them. However, the odds of every larvae finding some is small, so BTi is more of a control than en eliminator. IF you already have a bunch of gnats, you have to do more… like the steps below. FWIW – sticky traps are pointless. They will NOT control your problem and that’s why commercial facilities don’t employ them for that purpose – traps are to find out what is present so that a targeted plan of attack can be planned.
In order to eliminate fungus gnats (and any pest) is to break their breeding/life cycle. Contrary to a lot of stuff you read, drying out your medium is NOT effective. As your medium dries it shrinks and pulls away from the sides of your container and adult gnats will simply climb down the crevice to moist soil below and lay their eggs. So, you’ve done nothing but stress your plants unnecessarily. Even sand on top of the soil often isn’t a complete barrier and those tiny buggers will exploit even the tiniest opening to go down and lay eggs. You may hurt their number, but you won’t fix the problem. So what does? PREDATORS! You need hunters that target the eggs and larvae! The gnats you see flying aren’t the problem. Your focus needs to be on killing all the future generations and creating a hostile environment where they can NOT reproduce. Besides applying BTi, add the following predators:
Steinernema feltiae nematodes – these beneficial soil nematodes feed on fungus gnat (and other pest) eggs and larvae and they’re ferocious predators. These are an absolute MUST if you hope to actually eliminate fungus gnats. You purchase them in a powder-like carrier that’s mixed with water and drenched on the soil. Personally, I add some BTi to the nematode-inoculated water right before I apply. This seems to help carry the BTi into the soil and I got it from some white papers I read several years ago – I wish I knew where they were or I would list them.
Stratiolaelaps scimitus (formerly called Hypoaspis miles) is a predatory mite that’s also widely available and is a voracious eater of fungus gnat eggs and larvae. They live in the very top layer of your soil or soilless medium, right where fungus gnats leave their eggs. Stratiolaelaps is also excellent at attacking other soil pests like thrips and Western Flower Thrips in particular; and they will also eat springtails and other pests. If you’re growing in organic or living soil, these little buggers are indispensable (right along with SF nematodes) in my opinion/experience.
Above is the 3-prong approach I promised. If your infestation is just horrible, you MAY need to apply the BTi for a while and add a second release of Stratiolaelaps. I’ve never had that bad of a problem with gnats, personally, but I do know people that have. The KEY will be getting advice from a IPM professional. Sounds expensive, right? Nope. Finish this post to the bottom and I’ll tell you how you can get free consultation with an IPM expert. I am NOT an expert but I’ve been fortunate enough to make friends with some of the top IPM experts in the US. What I do know is 100% owed to my friendship with Dr. Suzanne Wainwright, a.k.a. the Buglady! Find here on Instagram: @bugladysuzanne She’s arguably the leading entomologist/IPM specialist in greenhouse growing in North America. Follow her and you will really learn something and find out what’s scientific fact and what’s ‘bro science.’
IF YOU HAVE A TOTAL INFESTATION of fungus gnats and tossing your current cycle isn’t an option, there’s a 4th prong of attack you can employ. The only reason I didn’t include it above is cost. Purchasing nematodes and predator mites isn’t outrageous but it also isn’t totally cheap. It’s a manageable cost but it will push some people’s budgets. So, this last predator is something I would only apply if the problem was super severe and I can scratch together the extra funds necessary; or if you have expendable cash and are looking for “the best” without much concern for cost: Rove Beetles (Dalotia coriaria) live in the top inch of your soil and are incredibly effective against pests that pupate in the top layer of soil or any medium. They’re super mobile and will travel throughout a grow, hunting for pests. They are even very effective in hydroponic systems. The previous methods I mentioned essentially comprise a complete army and navy in your war on fungus gnats and other soil-level pests; nut adding Rove beetles is like adding an Air Force to your attack plan. In most cases it’s not going to be necessary but, for those who can afford it…. its a game changer!
I promised to tell you how get free advice, tailored to YOUR personal situation, from a true IPM professional, so let’s head that way. But first, you need to know a couple of things…. First, I’m NOT an IPM professional nor do I work for one or have ANY connection to one other than being a grower like you who has struggled and studied and eventually befriended some folks that are truly rockstars in this area. Second, all beneficial insects and microbes ARE NOT THE SAME! Just because a seller says they have Steinernema feltiae nematodes or Stratiolaelaps scimitus mites (or ANY other beneficial) does NOT mean that they are ‘fresh’; or ‘viable’ or equal to another seller’s offerings. This is true of ALL those beneficial microbe products people are always talking about – but that’s a discussion for another day. The fresher the beneficials you purchase are, the healthier they are, the stage of life they’re in, all sorts of factors play into how voracious they will be in attacking your problems. It’s important that you understand this! In most cases where people have had little or no success with the application of beneficials the reason was, they purchased older product that was past its prime. Think of it this way: If you were putting together an army, would you recruit a bunch of middle aged, desk-bound national guardsmen OR would you rather recruit a bunch of Army Rangers and SEALS in the prime of their life? The answer is obvious but how do you do that with beneficials? Well, first you have to understand the supply chain. ALL of the beneficial insects sold in North America come from only a few (count ’em on your fingers) insectaries that are capable of breeding and raising them. SO, 95% of what you’ll find online are from resellers; and in many cases the seller you find may be several resellers removed from the actual place that reared them. This means your odds of getting older, less viable insects are pretty good. Now, I’ve had pretty good luck with Arbico-Organics because they do a lot of volume and that means they’re able to provide some high quality products. I do recommend them for price and they’re pretty helpful in terms of guidance; but they’re not as cannabis knowledgeable as I’d like. Then, I found out about Beneficial Insectary (www.insectary.com) – they ARE an actual insectary, raising and selling their own bugs. They ARE THE SOURCE! At least one of them. At first glance they don’t look like they sell to the public. They offer a link to GreenMethods.com which is a reseller they directly promote. However, as it turns out… You can call their office and ask to speak to one of their reps and they’ll transfer you to a rep that handles whatever part of the country you live in. ALL of them have extensive agricultural backgrounds and heavy, direct knowledge about cannabis production. They all work with large commercial cannabis facilities from living soil operations to hydroponic operations. Whatever your style of growing, they have applicable expertise! If you ask them to set up an account for you so that you can order direct, they will! It costs nothing – they just get your mailing info and contact info and you may need to put down a credit card number on file so that orders can be put through, but there’s no charge. Once you have an account you can discuss your problems or needs with your rep; and you can get their expert advice on what to do to prevent problems from arising (based on problems you’ve had before) or attack problems you’re currently having. This gives you the same personalized consultation/attention that a 500,000sq.ft commercial facility gets and the ONLY thing you pay for is any bugs you order! And, you can’t find a better source for those bugs anywhere else, unless you hook up with a different insectary. I don’t know of another insectary that will do this (there may be one but I just don’t know of one) and Beneficial Insectary is the one that EVERY professional IPM expert I know recommends.
Sorry for the incredibly long post but this is a deep topic that’s constantly recurring. So, I thought I’d take the time to address it in a comprehensive way. Maybe it can be referred to in the future when the topic of dealing with fungus gnats comes up again. I hope that it helps some folks who’re struggling with them or are debating getting into the use of beneficials. If you have specific questions and I don’t see them here, feel free to DM me on Instagram: @DTOM420 I only have time to get here onto the DGC sporadically these days.
Happy Growing, stay healthy and faded when you can!
@DTOM420
That sir, completely ruled!
Thanks Chad! Means a lot to me, coming from you. Respect, brother! U on IG?
yes and please hit me up, I bet we could rattle on for hour 🙂 chad.westport on IG
Damn…well that you for your time. Loads of good info!
Thanks man! Hope it helps someone.
That is very excellent info. I love how the library of knowledge just keeps growing here with people like you breaking things down. I appreciate the time you took to be so comprehensive.
You’re very welcome! My pleasure.
I’ve tried sand and it’s a pain in the ass to water through. Tried the mosquito bits those worked alright. The best thing I’ve found to work is microbe lift b I believe it’s called. The one time I had to use it Bc I brought castings in from a local garden place. And my local Hydro store recommended the lift b. Set a couple sticky traps call it a day.
I tried sand earlier this week. Was awful to water through! Maybe I got the wrong kind of sand. I definitely agree with COSGrow. I removed it immediately and went with soaking some Mosquito Bits in some water for half a day. Watered that in after laying down some fresh sticky traps. By the looks of the traps it seems to be working well. Little early to tell, but the traps aren’t as dense with gnats
Try a layer of perlite. It worked for me. Once they were knocked down I was able to remove it and move on.
Hey, what happened to the post you made clarifying what you meant in regards to something that Scotty brought up? I can’t find it. Was it deleted??
Still there on my dashboard. Not sure Why you aren’t seeing it. It was called “About my IPM”.
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