fungus gnats vs thrips

[thinman]

it seems that we are confusing fungus gnats with thrips and vice/versa. we must properly identify the pest in order to treat against it.

adult thrips feed by sucking juices out of leaves. because of this they can be treated with systemic sprays like montery garden insect spray containing SPINOSAD...and a host of other "contact" products.

adult fungus gnats do not feed on leaves. their only function at this stage is to reproduce. they can be caught in sticky traps and killed by contact insecticides.

but spraying pesticides on flowering plants can damage buds and ruin their taste, not to mention the potential harm to humans who smoke the treated buds. so infestations can develop during this stage.

the best way to combat fungus gnats is to kill their larvae.

it seems to be a popular belief that fungus gnats are merely a nuisance and don't pose any further threat. this is a myth. they can carry diseases and spread them from plant to plant, and from plant to cuttings. they are what we call vectors or transmitters of fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases.

for container growers using different mediums: soil, soiless mixes, cocoa coir, etc., there is hope in battling the fungus gnats. neem seed meal used as a top-dressing can be an effective treatment when used in conjunction with a routine treatment of neem oil leaf wash.

worm's way and golden harvest hydro supplies carry dyna-gro neem oil and neem seed meal.

i hope this helps and welcome replies that might benefit our community in battling these two pests....once a couple weeks into flowering discontinue the leaf wash but continue to spray neem oil on top of medium after waterings. always use a surfactant mixed with the neem oil like castile soap with peppermint which can probably be found at your local health food store...

biocontrol network (800) 441-2847....... NEEM OIL AND NEEM SEED MEAL
golden harvest organics 1-(970)-224-4679 PEPPERMINT SOAP
worm's way (800) 274-9676........ NEEM OIL AND NEEM SEED MEAL

 

[exer]

i just find out that i have problems with thrips.
What is moust efective insecticide to kill this shit? Is neem oil efective?
Maybe some systematic insecticide?

 

[HeadyPete]

Shit, I thought there was gonna be some kind of Battle Royale between the thrips and the gnats.....

P.S. The hands down safest (cert organic, good till day of harvest) and most effective (1 app when I've had em) treatment for thrips is Spinosad, the active ingredient in such products as Monterey Garden Insect Spray and others...., as mentioned already.

Thrips are real fast moving and smart...they will move to the opposite side of the leaf you are looking at. They leave a silvery scarring on the leaf topside.

Fungas gnats best control is BTi containing products like Mosquito Dunks or Gnatrol, or beneficial nematodes (which target and consume over 200 pests and fungi)

 

[CheifnBud2]

Fungus gnats piss me off and i dont want my bud to taste like neem or have spinosad on it.

 

[konstantgrdnr]

NO-PEST-STRIPS , use caution, never stay in the same space when they are around. Exhaust room when your going to do any work and put the no pest strip in a zip lock until done. Use only in veg and maybe 1-2 weeks into flower max(some will have different opinions ) check the boards

 

[MickTheBrag]

gnats

gnats

fungus gnats hands down. i had thrips and they never botherd the plants. but gnats have ruined my last3/4 grows. yea i still got budd but much reduced due too gnats killing my seedlings.
id hate too grow something like J herer from sensi and watch gnats munch their roots
thats why iam only growing nirvana and seedsman strains at the mo.

the bad news.
once you got gnats you'l never get rid of them. no sh#t
you've gotta find a new grow space. i.e. a new house.

their probably a cannabis growers worst nightmare and more.

 

[robbiedublu]

Mick, you can get rid of fungus gnats with predator gnats. Only thing I found that will really get rid of them. I agree with you that they are a real PIA though.

 

[MickTheBrag]

Mick, you can get rid of fungus gnats with predator gnats. Only thing I found that will really get rid of them. I agree with you that they are a real PIA though.

yea for one grow but come the next grow there back.



they can survive with just humidity moisture.


peace.

 

[Dirtfinger]

Fungus gnats really aren't that big a deal unless you're over-watering your plants.

The best control that I've found is proper watering and ventilation/air movement.

Also, some popular brands of soil come with fungus gnats already premixed. If you're getting them each grow it's probably coming from your soil and it's time to switch to another brand. It could be just certain batches and not brands but I've had them consistently with some brands so I stay away from them now.

A lot of people here will know exactly which product I'm talking about but my point isn't to bash any of them and they have a lot of decent stuff that I use consistently.

 

[bengtal]

Fungus gnats really aren't that big a deal unless you're over-watering your plants.

I think that's not necessarily true. They can proliferate when moisture is present after watering, and subsequent moisture levels towards dry. Then supposedly they (larvae even, or at least eggs) can survive dormant through dry conditions, until water is reintroduced. I never overwater, my mix is microporous, breathes well, and i always wait until nearly dry to water again. Somehow i brought the gnats home to my house and they get into whatever new soil mix i come up with (usually high in fungal activity). though beneficial, the fungal flourish in my compost is attractive to the gnats. I have seen gnat larvae populate a couple small batches of experimental mushroom compost (spent mushroom substrate mixed with coco coir) on my sideyard. but most recently upon checking them, no gnat larvae to see, but instead i believe i was seeing benefical predatory mites here and there. I use neem and karanja seed meal too and they help, but if the mites in the aged mushroom compost is any indication, maybe it helps to just age your soil/compost mix long enough that fungal breakdown completes, and predatory mites have taken over in response to any gnat larvae. i'm still dealing with all this, so we will see.
gants suck.

 

[eebbnflow]

BTI for Gnats , spinosad for thrips . Hello 2009 lol

 

[useless.gardens]

agreed spinosad. you can find it in many brands. i was using ortho trree and shrub. the local home store didnt have the montrey garden spray. couple of applications few days apart. no more thrips. of course they pupate in the coco/soil so you want to drench real good. the drench def kill gnats too. love spinosad for many reasons. natural fermented product. works for thrips like new money. other insects too. last 3 ish days on the plant. broken down it becomes an amino & sugar (i think or close). subcool is going 2oz to 4oz per gal of water on a drench.