fungus gnats - next level assistance

[mrphilips]

franks!
gonna try that

[LoveOscar]

I have some serious mosquito issues in my yard, and they started hatching already in late february, so wanted to say thanks for posting about the dunks!

I'm thinking of trying carnivorous plants this year too. Any recommendations after butterworts and sundews?

LO

[Subrosa]

I keep the local mosquito population in check by providing optimal breeding conditions for them in 5 gal buckets, and then collecting the egg rafts daily before they hatch. I use the larvae as fish food, but you can always just trash the rafts as well. Just remember that if you miss a day, you'll likely add to the population.

[Leafmite]

We have terrible mosquito problems where I live so to keep the population down, I have a tub garden with goldfish. Goldfish love mosquitoes.

[LoveOscar]

I have a really thorny, spiky, viney, weedy over grown half acre yard that harbors mosquitoes and gnats like no bodies business. I plan on taking a couple days off of work when nice weather is expected to try and get ahead of it this year. We've had a really wet winter that has made doing that difficult.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

We have terrible mosquito problems where I live so to keep the population down, I have a tub garden with goldfish. Goldfish love mosquitoes.

I saw a study done which showed that mosquitoes, treefrogs, and other critters that lay eggs in the water and leave pick up chemical cues that fish secrete and are much less likely to lay eggs when those cues are present. My own experience raising fish in containers right next to those I use to raise daphnia bears this out as well. The study did show one species of fish, the Pirate Perch, which somehow masks these chemical cues.

[Leafmite]

I have not had this problem here with our mosquitoes and goldfish but that is very interesting. It might be that in this area, almost none of the sitting water ever has fish in it so they have lost the need for this talent or, perhaps, the mosquitoes are simply desperate since I am careful not to have anywhere else for them to lay their eggs...or maybe we just have so many mosquitoes. No idea.
I have also found that they avoid wormwood (an herb). I raised mosquito larva for my Betta fish for some years (put out a container and net out the larva) and when I would accidentally place the container too close to the wormwood...no larva. However, you'd likely need to fill your yard up with this unsightly plant to keep them away.

[Subrosa]

I'll tell you what I intend to test for mosquito repellency, my Haraella retrocalla. The flowers smell exactly like citronella, so it's worth a try. There are definitely worse ways to repel bugs than a bunch of orchids in bloom!

[Paul]

Originally Posted by LoveOscar

I'm thinking of trying carnivorous plants this year too. Any recommendations after butterworts and sundews?

Cps in general or ones that catch gnats?

For gnat catchers that's about it. For catching the larvae, there are also the Utricularia (aka bladderworts).

Just cps as a whole there also pitcher plants -- Sarracenia, Heliamphora, and Nepenthes -- and venus flytraps (which despite the name eat ants more often than flies). There are also a couple of other odd balls but they are not terribly common in cultivation. With these plants there are a wide range of growing requirements depending upon just where the plant hails from.

[ALToronto]

Originally Posted by vjo

These little gnats are very annoying but they will not hurt your plants....Jean

They most certainly do hurt the plants - the larvae eat the root tips.

My indoor fungus gnats suddenly disappeared around November, and haven't shown up yet. I suspect they'll be back as soon as I start opening windows - the window screens don't keep them out.