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Knock-Out Gnats�
Stops fungus gnat larvae that destroy the roots of your houseplants
This strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt/H-14) provides
very effective fungus gnat control for houseplant growers and
home greenhouses. Populations of fungus gnats (often thought of
as "fruit flies") usually peak during winter and spring. The
adult insects are tiny and hard to control. They like to lay their
eggs in peat moss, humus-rich organic soil and potting
mediums. The larvae then feed on roots of many flowering plants
and other ornamentals, forced bulbs and bedding plants,
including young seedlings.
Infested plants wilt, roots rot and the plants may eventually
die. But when roots are drenched with Knock-Out Gnats, the larvae ingest
the larvicide and die!
Use as a soil drench, 2-8 teaspoons per gallon of water. Make 3 weekly
applications to control successive generations of larvae. You can
monitor
effectiveness of Knock-Out Gnats with sticky traps.
nathan hall wrote:
>
> Beverly,
>
> All of the plants in my tanks are thriving, and I prune them on a weekly
> basis. If a particular leaf begins to die, I remove it promptly. I clean
> all of my tanks every week, and I make sure that anything that might attract
> fungus gnats is removed (i.e. dead leaves, dead crickets, feces, etc.).
> Where do you suppose these insects are finding rotting organic matter? I do
> understand that they feed on such things, but my meticulous cleaning habits
> leave very little for the gnats. Will the gnats feed on healthy roots?
>
> Nathan "Wannabe Gnat Killer" Hall
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Beverly Erlebacher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 1:40 PM
> Subject: Re: [Gecko] Fungus gnats
>
> > > From: "nathan hall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > > Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 15:43:01 -0400
> > >
> > > I have fungus gnats in all of my tanks with live plants and soil or peat
> =
> > > moss substrate. I know that they are harmless to my geckos, but I would
> =
> > > like to find out how I can get rid of these little pests. Do any of you
> =
> > > guys know how I can take care of this problem. They obviously thrive in
> =
> > > high humidity environments, but some of the tanks need to be misted on a
> =
> > > regular basis. It's really starting to BUG me (sorry, I couldn't resist
> =
> > > the pun). Please help!
> >
> > Fungus gnats prefer rapidly rotting organic matter. It can help to use
> > substrates that aren't very 'rich', e.g. peat, sand, coconut fibre,
> > decayed wood, etc, rather than potting soil or other materials with a
> > high content of plant nutrients. These gnats especially thrive on
> > rotting plant material, so removing dead leaves and sick/dying plants
> > might help. They especially go for rotting plant roots. Even if you
> > mist frequently, try to keep the soil as dry as possible.
> >
> > The yellow sticky traps sold for catching white flies work really well
> > for fungus gnats, too. If you want to use them inside a tank, you'll
> > have to rig up something to keep the geckos from contacting them. They
> > are non-toxic, but very sticky.
> >
> > You can buy the spores of a disease that affects fungus gnats (I think
> > it may be called 'Gnatrol'), but I have no experience with it.
> >
> > Small frogs will eat them avidly, but the geckos might eat the frogs!
> >
> > Most of these suggestions will help keep the numbers down to a less
> > annoying level. I don't think you can eliminate them entirely as long
> > as you provide good conditions for them.
> >
> > I hope this helps!
> >
> >
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