?appear to be fruitflies?

[mexicanmafia]

hello fellow ic'ers!

there are a couple of litle flies or what appear to be fruit flies(?) flying around in my c13 cab, they come out of my soil in my pots when i water them? at first it was just one and i didnt think much of it. now there are all kinds of these lil bastards living there! wtf? i don't know what they are but i shure would like to get rid of them!

any help in identifying or erradicatin this pest is greatly appreciated! thanks!

mm

 

[GMT]

Sure they aren't the standard fungus gnats?

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Fungus gnats...add some BT pucks or Gnatrol to your water the next time you water them and thoroughly drench the medium. Might wanna also reduce your watering cycles since they thrive in mediums that stay moist.

 

[mexicanmafia]

hi GMT! i don't know what they are? not names. i had never had pest problems before and dont know anything about or related to pests?

guess they ar Fungus gnats! i don't even know how they got there?

oh, and where can i get gnatrol or bt pucks? at my local hydro shop? or walmart( it's closer) thanks for the help!

mm

 

[MTF-Sandman]

Walmart has BT pucks, Lowes or HD will have other flavors of BT as well...

 

[wikidcalibudgrl]

i've heard people use a nice layer of perlite on top of the soil b4 too,, makes the soil hard, if not impossible for the gnats to reach

 

[GMT]

Ah yeah, I'm forgetting your an ex hydro guy. All soil growers suffer from gnats. They come out of the soil and go up your nose. Really annoying. I'm playing with clingfilm over the tops of the pots at the moment, but I've heard of people using a layer of perlite on top of the soil or sand or anything that lets water through but not gnats.

 

[Guest]

Sticky strips get the adults quite well but the soil is where they're at. They get a damp piece of soil, little bit of old leaf in there, mmm, it's like wine and candlelight to em, and they fuck.

A clean growroom is essential for pest control, no damp corners with half rotten shade leaves! Ever!

They take a while to cause big damage, but only having a four day (?) life cycle though there'll be a lot more fast if you don't start in on them.

 

[mexicanmafia]

hehe! you made me lough THSeek! my room is clean, maybe, no i'm sure ive dropped lil bits of plant matter onto my pots when topping and clipping the dead leafs off my plants. i knew i should have taken everything out of my pots after messing w/ them! oh well.

when i had my dwc system i just ran my shop vac to get any plant matter that fell! everything was sealed off and only the stem protruting from my net pot was all. much cleaner and easyer for me.



thanks everybody for the help! i appreciate it greatly! k+ to all of you!

i'm off to hd to get some bt pucks! thanks!

mm

 

[kushedout]

A few dozen ladybugs will take care of the problem almost instantly. My hydro hut had 24 infected plants in it, and it took only 2 days for ladybugs to take care of pretty much all of them. 100% organic method of getting rid of soft bodied insects

 

[xtrahot_OG]

Actually to be honest..ive had the same problem (those little flies are fungus gnats)...either a thin layer of sand on the top of your soil will prevent them from digging down and laying eggs near the roots of your plants...or like previously stated....look for some gnatrol at your local growshop! You do need to take care of this though..or the larva will eat away your roots and your yield will suffer! goodluck

ps...i tried using a layer of perlite on the top of my coco...and it doesnt work...the gnats just crawl right through it.

 

[Guest]

I bought some mushroom compost that was infested this may be helpfull Fungus Gnats
HYG-2114-95

William F. Lyon

Common Name Scientific Name
Darkwinged Fungus Gnat Sciara spp.
Fungus Gnats Orfelia spp.
Darkwinged Fungus Gnat
Adult, Larva

Fungus gnats occasionally become a nuisance indoors when adults emerge in large numbers as mosquito-like insects from potted plants or flower boxes containing damp soil rich in humus. Adults are attracted to lights and are often first noticed at windows. Larvae or maggots, which feed in soil high in orangic matter, can injure the roots of bedding plants, African violets, carnations, cyclamens, geraniums, poinsettias and foliage plants. Plant symptoms may appear as sudden wilting, loss of vigor, poor growth, yellowing and foliage loss. Some are serious pests in mushroom houses. Fungus gnats inhabit fungi or dead plant materials and are harmless to humans and animals.
Identification

Adult fungus gnats are about 1/8 to 1/10 inch (2.5 mm) long, grayish to black, slender, mosquito-like, and delicate with long legs, antennae and one pair of wings. Identification can be made by the vein patterns in the wings. Darkwinged fungus gnat adults have eyes that meet above the base of the antennae. Eggs are hardly visible, oval, smooth, shiny white and semi-transparent. Larvae or maggots are legless, thread-like, white, shiny blackheaded, up to 1/4 inch (5.5 mm) long and transparent so food in the gut can be seen through the body wall. Pupae occur in silk-like cocoons in the soil.
Life Cycle and Habits

Fungus gnats reproduce in moist, shaded areas in decaying organic matter such as leaf litter. The life cycle is about four weeks, with continuous reproduction in homes or greenhouses where warm temperatures are maintained. Broods overlap, with all life stages present during the breeding season. Larvae not only feed on fungi and decaying organic matter, but on living plant tissue, particularly root hairs and small feeder roots. Brown scars may appear on the chewed roots. The underground parts of the stem may be injured and root hairs eaten off. Damage occurs most often in greenhouses or plant beds.

Adults live about 7 to 10 days and deposit eggs on the moist soil surface or in soil cracks. Females lay up to 100 to 300 eggs in batches of 2 to 30 each in decaying organic matter. Eggs hatch in 4 to 6 days; larvae feed for 12 to 14 days. The pupal stage is about 5 to 6 days. There are many overlapping generations throughout the year.
Control Measures
Prevention

Inspect plants carefully before purchase for signs of insect infestation. Always use sterile potting soil to prevent introduction of fungus gnats. Overwatering, water leaks and poor drainage may result in buildup of fungus gnats. Allowing the soil to dry as much as possible, without injury to the plants, is effective in killing many maggots. Houseplants taken outside during warm weather may become infested with insects before being brought back indoors. Inspect plants carefully and discard if heavily infested and unable to save. Remove all old plant material and debris in and around the home. Practice good sanitation. Electrocutor-light fly traps will attract and kill many adults at night.
Monitoring
Use yellow sticky cards (traps) for adult fungus gnat detection. Place traps just above the plants at a frequency of one per 500 to 1,000 square feet. Replace when covered with insects. Check traps 2 to 3 times each week.
Insecticides

Adult fungus gnats are killed easily with pyrethrins spray or aerosols labelled for "gnats" or "flying insects." Repeat applications several times if necessary. Commercial mushroom growers may get control with diazinon, methoxychlor or naled (Dibrom), whereas commercial greenhouse growers can use Bacillus Thuringiensis Berliner var. israelensis (Gnatrol, Vectobac). Licensed pesticide applicators can apply a restricted use pesticide, namely oxamyl (Vydate). Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.

 

[mexicanmafia]

thanks guy's for all that valuable information!

they seem to be gone already but ill keep treating my soil for the next few weeks!

thanks!

mm