Frequently Asked Questions about Fungus Gnats and Fungus Gnat Killer

 Eradicate your fungus gnat infestation for good with the following method: Put up a bunch of sticky traps, Use Gnatrol WDG Soil Drench every 5 to 7 days for 3 watering cycles. Also, stop overwatering your plants and eliminate any unnecessary sources of moisture. That’s it.

The thing about fungus gnats is that you have to stop them at every stage of the life cycle to eradicate them. You have to BREAK THE LIFE CYCLE! Or it won't work. If you kill only the adults flying around by trapping them, some will get the chance to lay another round of eggs in the soil, and the cycle begins ALL OVER AGAIN! NO!!!

The yellow sticky traps “work” in that they capture a large amount of Flying Fungus Gnats. But they capture only adult fungus gnats and not necessarily before the bugs have had a chance to lay eggs. If you catch the problem early, you will be able to stop the infestation in its tracks. Guaranteed! 

YOU HAVE TO BREAK THE FUNGUS GNAT LIFE CYCLE! IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO WIN, The Fungus Gnat Battle! Gnatrol WDG and combination with Yellow Sticky traps.

  Apply Gnatrol WDG with adequate water by soil drench to sufficiently wet the soil where Larvae are located. Use 1 Teaspoon per gallon of water for Light Infestation.  Use 3 teaspoons per gallon of water for Heavy Infestation. Apply Gnatrol WDG with adequate water by soil drench to sufficiently wet the soil surface where larvae are found. Reapply as needed. make three (3) weekly applications at the suggested range rate for infestations. Regular follow-up applications using the suggested 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water, will establish a long-term Gnat-free environment. 

 KEY BENEFITS

• Effectively controls fungus gnat larvae
• Easy to use, just mix with water and go
• Gnatrol is OMRI-listed for organic production even up to the day of harvest

Gnatrol WDG is a larvicide and will not control adult flying gnats. Yellow Sticky traps are best for adults. Place Yellow sticky traps at the pot's edge at the soil level of infested areas. This will cut down the adult population that can lay up to 200 eggs in 7 days. therefore slowing down the egg laying dramatically. The application must be when larvae are present in the soil. Drench the entire area of soil. Gnat larvae can also breed in the side bottom drain holes of pots as well. Fungus gnat larvae generally start responding to Gnatrol WDG treatment within 24 hours following applications. 

 Bacillus thuringiensis is a naturally occurring soil bacterium.  Bti is Not Harmful to People, Honeybees, Animals, and the Environment When Used as Directed • Bti is not toxic to people. It has not been shown to make people sick. • Bti will not harm people, pets and other animals, aquatic life, or other insects, including honeybees. • Bti is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- registered insecticide. EPA-registered insecticides have been studied for their effectiveness and safety. • Bti is EPA-registered for use in residential, commercial, and agricultural settings. Organic farming operations use Bti. • When used as directed, Bti can be applied safely to standing water or soil where Fungus Gnats lay eggs without causing harm to food crops or water supplies. • Multiple Bti products are available for use. Some can be used by pest control professionals in certain drinking water storage containers (e.g., cisterns), while others are not EPA-registered for that use. Always follow label instructions to ensure that the product is being used correctly. • Bti is most effective when used as part of an integrated Fungus Gnat management plan for reducing the number of Fungus Gnats in an environment. 

Fungus gnats infest homes when there is enough moisture and decay in the soil to support the Fungus Gnat life cycle. Over watered plants, bringing home infested plants from a nursery or grower, fruits and vegetables from the market, or simply from the outdoors, they just fly on in.  Water-related issues from leaky pipes in your basement to a malfunctioning appliance. However, the most common cause of fungus gnat infestations is over-watered indoor plants. 

 Fungus gnats are small flies that infest soil, potting mix, other container media, and other sources of organic decomposition. Their larvae primarily feed on fungi and organic matter in soil, but also chew roots and can be a problem in greenhouses, nurseries, potted plants and interior plantscapes. Adult fungus gnats may emerge from houseplants indoors and become a nuisance.    

• Size: Adult fungus gnats are tiny. Their size ranges from about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch in length (1.5 to 3mm), which is about the same size as a fruit fly. Fungus gnat larvae may be up to 1/8 of an inch in length.
• Appearance: Adult fungus gnats are a grayish-black color and have gray or see-through wings. Their long legs and long antennae give them a mosquito-like appearance, though they are much, much smaller in size. Compared to a fruit fly, fungus gnats have a thinner body with longer legs and antennae.
  Larvae have a small, black head and a thin, white, or see-through body.
• Activity: Fungus gnats tend to spend most of their time on the soil surface of potted plants, but they may be seen flying around the outer edge of the pot or near drainage holes as well. They are not strong fliers, so they have a tendency to walk along the soil and fly only in short bursts. Their flight is erratic, and they are much slower than fruit flies, acting more like mosquitoes while flying.
  Annoyingly, fungus gnats have a tendency to fly into people’s faces and drinks, though they are completely harmless, and a few well-placed swats will show them what’s what.

 In small numbers, fungus gnats are more of an annoyance than anything. If their population gets out of hand, however, the larvae will start feeding on plant roots, causing notable damage. This is especially bad for young plants, such as seedlings, which have only a few delicate roots. Fungus gnats are also capable of spreading the plant pathogen that causes damping off and the eventual death of seedlings.

Fungus gnat damage will appear similar to that of any other root-related issue, such as root rot. Lower leaves may turn yellow and drop, and the plant’s growth may slow down or stop completely. In particularly bad cases, wilting of the entire plant could occur, followed by the death of the plant if the roots are extremely damaged.

 Fungus gnats are completely harmless to humans since they can't bite and don't spread diseases. They can be a problem for houseplants; however, their larvae feed on plants' thin roots, possibly causing a bad time for your plants.

Fungus gnat adults may live from about one to two weeks and complete one life cycle in about 18-30 days. fly adults live for about 14 days and complete their life cycle in about 7-21 days 

Items like Cinnamon, Mosquito Bits, corn cob bits, and Diatomaceous Earth, can clog soil and cause mold problems to arise on the soil surface. this is not good to trade one problem for another one to arise. What a mess!

Fungus Gnat LIFE CYCLE

Fungus gnats develop through four stages—egg, larva (with four larval stages or instars), pupa, and adult. The tiny eggs and oblong pupae occur in damp organic media where females lay eggs and larvae feed. At 75ºF, eggs hatch in about 3 days, the larvae take approximately 10 days to develop into pupae, and about 4 days later the adults emerge. A generation of fungus gnats (from female to female) can be produced in about 17 days depending upon temperature. The warmer it is, the faster they will develop and the more generations will be produced in a year.

Fungus gnats have many overlapping generations each year. Outdoors, they are most common during winter and spring in interior areas, when water is more available and cooler temperatures prevail. They can occur at any time of the year indoors. 

 A naturally occurring, spore-forming bacterium produced commercially by fermentation. Bti applied at labeled rates provides temporary control and is toxic only to fly larvae, such as mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats. Repeat applications commonly are needed for long-term control. This Bt is a different subspecies from that applied to foliage to control caterpillars. Bt labeled for caterpillars is not effective against fly larvae.  Bti is Not Harmful to People, Honeybees, Animals, and the Environment When Used as Directed • Bti is not toxic to people. It has not been shown to make people sick. • Bti will not harm people, pets and other animals, aquatic life, or other insects, including honeybees  Bti is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)- registered insecticide. EPA-registered insecticides have been studied for their effectiveness and safety. • Bti is EPA-registered for use in residential, commercial, and agricultural settings. Organic farming operations use Bti.