Successful fungus gnat traps - DIY project

[brianwstephens]

Originally Posted by JKeys

I was so happy when I saw that my homemade traps worked. I grow all of my orchids in my bedroom so I think you can see why I don't want any gnats around. I noticed them buzzing around and had to get rid of them.

I tried everything, but in the end, these homemade traps worked! I found it online.

You need a small plastic cup, some apple cider vinegar (or bear or fruit juice, I used vinegar) plastic wrap and a rubber band. You also need a few drops of dish soap.

Pour about an inch of vinegar into the cup. put a couple drops of dish soap in and stir. Then, cover the cup with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Pole a hole in the plastic wrap with a pencil and move it around to make it bigger. Voila! your trap is ready.

I made a few and put them around my room. After just a day, I have found at least 10 of the little buggers floating around on the bottom.

Get a cape sundew. They seem to me to be hardier than other carnivorous plants (Venus Fly Traps, etc.) and they do a much better job at catching annoying gnats and fruit flies. I keep one in my kitchen next to the window and nearby the fruit basket and its thriving.

[cythaenopsis]

Good to know about this special trap that is inexpensive and easy to make.

I have another technique that worked really well for me, so I figured I should share it here.

Get yourself a liquid hand soap that has good foaming action, one with an herbal scent. I got one by Nature's Gate called Lemongrass and Clary Sage. At night before I'd go to bed, I'd fill the bathroom sink up an inch or two, spritz some of the soap into it (about 4 squirts), then fill about half way more with water letting the spraying faucet generate foam. The foam lasts all night. The gnats are attracted to the scent and get trapped in the foam. As soon as they land, the soap neutralizes their ability to fly. They just die in the foam. The next morning, I'd find over a dozen gnats trapped and dead. I've also done this in a small container, but the sink works best. Plus, you've got some decent hand soap for use afterward.


I had ended up with an absolutely HORRIBLE fungus gnat infestation over the summer. I am growing tomato plants outside on my wide fire escape. One day when I'd been fighting a small fungus gnat colony in my orchids, I'd placed one of the more notably infested plants out onto the fire escape. Well... the tomato plants are these large pots of soil with a mulch layer to retain moisture. YOU GOT IT. The gnats found them and proliferated like they'd found Nirvana. Every day I'd have to deal with the tiny gnats making their way through my window screen to invade my home. It was a terrible annoyance. In order to squelch the whole debacle, I resorted to Mosquito Bits. They're specially formulated to also kill fungus gnat larvae. And it did the job. It took a couple of weeks before I could declare my house gnat-free, but at least it worked.

[kindrag23]

I got some buttarwarts(?) and it should be here soon, starting to see a few gnats here or there and they are really annoying. Especially since I have new flask babies here and don't want any bugs messing with them.

[Leafmite]

Speaking of butterworts....

[Polarizeme]

@Paul, you mentioned some CP that like cooler temps, how about shade and cooler temps?
I raise Pleurothallids, I need a low light, cool loving plant in my greenhouse.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Speaking of butterworts....

P. moranensis?

Originally Posted by Polarizeme

@Paul, you mentioned some CP that like cooler temps, how about shade and cooler temps?

None off the top of my head -- but then I don't do the highlanders. I'll ask around and see if I hear of any.

[Leafmite]

Paul, that has been my guess but it didn't have a tag. Easy to grow, anyway, pretty flowers, and has those nice 'speckled' leaves.

[Paul]

Liana,
I'll keep the "feelers" out there, but thus far it has been suggested that the following might work:

Drosera adelae, D. prolifera, and D. schizandra and possibly some of the orchioides section of Utricularia (the latter do not have sticky trapping leaves but run a gamut of different strategies including bladder type traps for the aquatic ones and under ground traps). Of the Drosera, I do have some adelae but I've been growing them outside for the summer with some sun. Haven't tried it under lower light or low temps.

[Cactuseed]

My 2c on this:
I don't think you can make a significant dent in the population with the vinegar/wine traps. I made traps using a yellow plasic cup (yellow attracts best) coated with a product called "tangle trap sticky coating". Flys land, but they can't take off

Also, I put mosquito dunks made for standing water in my water reservoir. They release a bacteria that kills mosquito larvae, and I suspect that the gnat larvae in the soil or mix don't like it either. Not sure if this is the difference but I never see more than 2 gnats at a time that aren't stuck to the cup