Ugggh, fruitflies/gnats!

[solo1979]

Need help here! Just got over a nasty bout with them a few weeks ago. I added humidity trays to my set up last weekend and I just KNEW it would bring those fruitflies/gnats/whatever they are back as they seem to be drawn to moisture. I'm really trying to baby the chids right now, especially the phals, as I wasn't a good orchid mommy for a while and haven't had any blooms in over a year, so I really need to keep the humidity up. Even if I got a Venus Fly Trap or 2 (yeah, cuz we all know how much I need more plants) would that really take care of the problem? This is not like one or two bugs, there's a gang of them!

Solana

[gmdiaz]

Yes, and their little pesky little gnat feet will all stick to the sundews.

I've got two of the venus fly traps (one at work and on at home) The one that I keep at home, came with its own fly "carcass". Really nice. . ur, presentation. . .of the "remains" after the trap was through with it. *ick*

We don't actually have many flies up here at this time of the year. . .so I haven't actually seen my VFT actually "do it".

[Ross]

Fungus Gnats are common with orchids (if this is what they are). They come with the territory. I use the yellow sticky strips meant for fruit flies, etc. Eventually you will break the cycle of gnats -> flies.

[solo1979]

So when they aren't a lot of bugs around, how are you keeping those puppies fed? My beardie eats crickets, so I guess I could throw one of those in every now and then.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by solo1979

So when they aren't a lot of bugs around, how are you keeping those puppies fed? My beardie eats crickets, so I guess I could throw one of those in every now and then.

They live in the medium. Most of the time you won't see the larvae - only the "fruit fly - like adults".

[gmdiaz]

Carnivorous plants can actually live perfectly well with no bugs at all!

Feeding a few times a year is a feast.

[Ray]

It's nice to hear folks with good remedies for catching the gnats, but everyone seems to be missing the source of the problem.

You have fungus growing on decomposing medium in your pots.

The gnats themselves are nothing more than a nuisance. The larvae, on the other hand, can eat the roots of the plants, especially if they have stripped the fungus supply sufficiently. Time to repot!

Also, boosting the humidity - by itself - is not going to do squat to help a phal bloom. They need proper nutrition to build up strength, then lower temperatures to reduce the rate of growth and "kick start" the formation of inflorescences.

[solo1979]

Ray,

I sure hope none of this medium is decomposing already, as I just repotted everyone within the past month.

Actually, I repotted everyone in July. Used the Schultz orchid mix. What a bad idea. It was super fine grade and stayed way too wet. That's when I first noticed the bug issue. So, starting towards the end of August and moving forward, I started repotting everyone. Once they were in the medium grade mix from Hausermann's the flies slowly went away. This mix seems to dry out a lot better than the previous one. I also used a few sticky strips, but those didn't do a whole lot of good. So now everyone is in the medium mix either from Hausermann's or Oak Hill. Mix looks great to me. So now I'm confused.

Boosting the humidity isn't the only thing I'm doing for these phals, it's just part of my "better care" process.

Solana

[solo1979]

Will putting some diatomaceous earth in the pots help at all? I hate that dusty look, but if it will get rid of them, I'll do it.

[Ray]

It could be that the larvae were already attached to the roots and carried over with whatever organic matter didn't get removed.

Forget diatomaceous earth. The sharp grade is a reasonable barrier against snails and slugs, but that's about all.