Tiny clear worms in Phal pots, how to remove?

[aprilia4life]

Noticed this this morning, they are travelling around the outside of the pot. Any ideas what they are and how to get rid of them? They are tiny, about 4mm length and clear. Ideally would like to get rid of them without repotting with new media, but understand if that's not an option.

Someone suggested hydrogen peroxide 3%, diluted. Not sure how much to dilute and how to apply. I usually water my phals via a 30 min bath, could I just sit the phal in the diluted hydrogen peroxide for that amount of time. But I would assume that would be harmful to the phals.

Thanks for your help

[Pattywack]

I think you’re seeing fungus gnat larvae. The sooner you treat for them, the better or you will have an infestation of awful gnats everywhere. I am not sure what is available to you for treatment. People use mosquito dunks in their water to kill the larvae, you may not have this available. Try a google search for fungus gnats and you should be able to find a treatment that is available in your area. Or do a search here on the forum for fungus gnats.

I have seen hydrogen peroxide suggested though I would be reluctant to use it as it may harm the roots.

Someone else will no doubt come along with suggestions. I hope you are able to get rid of the pests soon!

[aprilia4life]

Originally Posted by Pattywack

I think you’re seeing fungus gnat larvae. The sooner you treat for them, the better or you will have an infestation of awful gnats everywhere. I am not sure what is available to you for treatment. People use mosquito dunks in their water to kill the larvae, you may not have this available. Try a google search for fungus gnats and you should be able to find a treatment that is available in your area. Or do a search here on the forum for fungus gnats.

I have seen hydrogen peroxide suggested though I would be reluctant to use it as it may harm the roots.

Someone else will no doubt come along with suggestions. I hope you are able to get rid of the pests soon!

Had a look online, we have this in Australia: Envirosafe 45ml Mosquito Drops | Bunnings Warehouse. Would you just put that in the water bath during watering?

[Roberta]

Definitely don't use peroxide, it will damage the roots. Fungus gnats grow in rotting material, so if you have the larvae, you probably also had some adults - an indication that the medium is broken down, and you really should repot. Better for the plant (if the medium is broken down, that's unhealthy for roots) and you address the root cause instead of just treating the symptom.

If you can't repot, you could soak in water with a bit of liquid dish soap added, then drain well. The treatment will need to be repeated a few times at 1 week intervals to get successive generations of the bugs. Repotting is really best. You can repot a Phal when it is in bloom with no problem.

[aprilia4life]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Definitely don't use peroxide, it will damage the roots. Fungus gnats grow in rotting material, so if you have the larvae, you probably also had some adults - an indication that the medium is broken down, and you really should repot. Better for the plant (if the medium is broken down, that's unhealthy for roots) and you address the root cause instead of just treating the symptom.

If you can't repot, you could soak in water with a bit of liquid dish soap added, then drain well. The treatment will need to be repeated a few times at 1 week intervals to get successive generations of the bugs. Repotting is really best. You can repot a Phal when it is in bloom with no problem.

Unfortunately I re-potted recently, so would prefer to solve the problem some other way than have to re-pot again.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Drench the potting media with insecticide or soak the entire pot with insecticide.

You want to get rid of those larvae fast. They not only eat fungus, but they can also eat healthy roots. On a Phal, this is not a noticeable thing. For a Pleurothallis, it can be quite devastating.

The annoying adults are the least of your worries.

[ArronOB]

Originally Posted by aprilia4life

Had a look online, we have this in Australia: Envirosafe 45ml Mosquito Drops | Bunnings Warehouse. Would you just put that in the water bath during watering?

My understanding of that product is that it just creates a silicon film on the surface of a still water body. The larvae can’t penetrate the film to breathe and the adults can’t penetrate it to lay eggs. I doubt it would bother the gnat larva, but I wouldn’t want it on phal roots anyway.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by ArronOB

My understanding of that product is that it just creates a silicon film on the surface of a still water body. The larvae can’t penetrate the film to breathe and the adults can’t penetrate it to lay eggs. I doubt it would bother the gnat larva, but I wouldn’t want it on phal roots anyway.

Agreed. Look for a mosquito-control product containing Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis. "Mosquito Dunks" from the US are apparently sold online in AU. Drop one in a few liters of water for a few days so the bacterium can multiply, and just water the plant with it.