Fungus gnats

[Fishballs]

Have any of you used carnivorous plants to control fungus gnats? Sundew or butterwort? I'd rather not use chemicals. Is this a realistic method of control?

[Zoi2]

I don't believe carnivorous plants will control fungus gnats. Here's a pretty good link for info on fungus gnats. Fungus Gnats as Houseplant and Indoor Pests
Joann

[RosieC]

Sundew will catch fungas gnats for certain. I bought one late last year and it was catching lots, but it died back for the winter before I had chance to see if it was an effective method.

My mum reckons that Venus Fly Trap also catches fungas gnats/fruit flies. That suprises me and I'm still a bit dubious, because they tend to catch much bigger flies from what I've seen.

I've seen pitchers in the shop with masses of fungas gnats on the liquid, so they must be able to catch them.

Whether a couple of plants can control them is another matter... I think the question really is how many carnivorous plants are needed to actually make a dent in the gnat population

[Fishballs]

Thanks guys for all your info. Drying the media is not an option. So, that leaves me Gnat sticks, chemicals, parasitic nematodes, or Drosera (sundew). I also read, on a website dedicated to hermit crabs, there is a parasitic mite that will decimate a gnat population. Although that may be tough to use on mounted orchids.

Rosie your on to somthing, and since I'm really just looking for an excuse to grow more stuff. Sundew it is. Soon my wife will be asking me "Did you really need twenty differnt species of sundew to control gnats"?

Anyone else have experience with this? Any suggestion for a certain type? Thanks.

[Fishballs]

I just found this thread.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...t-success.html

[RosieC]

I had forgotten Butterwort. Someone told me they were very good for gnats. I also saw them in the shop and they were covered in gnats.

My only problem (the reason I didn't buy one) was that they looked pretty ugly covered in gnats, where the sundew didn't even when it was covered in them. I think I'm going to try one this year though once I spot them in the shops again.

[Discus]

Apparently BT will kill fungus gnat larvae (in the US they have something called "mosquito dunks" or something like, that which contains Bacillus thun<somethingorotherNeedCoffee> var. israelensis which will take them out).