Best insecticidal spray for fungus gnats

[JustBuddingAround]

What's the best insecticidal spray for fungus gnats I've been told to use Neem Oil. I'm an organic grower and right now I'm just cooking my soil and noticed this morning I have lots of fungus gnats on the top soil. I don't have plants yet, just soil.

[Phlash]

One organic option is nofly mycoinsecticide as it utilizes a fungus to combat the pest

[Cloud]

I get nematodes plus lots sticky traps. Also covering the soil will help with new bugs getting in.

[PLreef]

I use Gnatrol WDG. Pricey but effective. Usually after one watering they are gone. My honey uses it on her tropical plants and turned me on to it.

[Farmbuck]

Well at least you are using Neem oil like I did.

[PLreef]

What do you mean?

[quirk]

A drench of Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis, (BTI), or an orange oil drench will break the life cycle and keep your soil treated for when you plant. Both completely organic and more effective than neem oil.

[Phlash]

With the bits do you grind them or leave them whole and mix them into the soil, and if the later would this be a good additive to all soil mixes as a preventative for future outbreaks.

[3Berries]

I use the Mosquito Bits almost every watering. I will see maybe one or two around once in a while still. Much better than when I was not using it and was just using the sticky sheets.

[TOKABIGONE]

Phlash, I'm in process of mixing soil and I found a site that has Neem and Karanja cake meal. It is a systemic soil amendment that keeps all kinds of pests away. Fungus gnats, nematodes, spider mites, leaf chewers. It actually suppresses their appetite so they starve to death. Righteous vengeance I think! Build-A-Soil.com, Look for 50/50 Neem/Karanja granules and use 1/2 cup per 7 gal of soil.

About $20 for 2lbs

[Phlash]

Thanks, I’ll check it out

[Cali]

TOKABIGONE go ahead and check out Neemresource.com you can find Neem and Karanja in both forms oil or cake/meal. Compare prices that’s is where Buildasoil gets theirs from. You can find Neem tooth paste, soap, leafs for tea all kinds of Neem products.

[TOKABIGONE]

Thanks Cali have you used the meal in soil? I kinda found it by accident and what they claim sounds really good for all kinds of critters. At 1/2 cup per 7 gal soil it's gonna take me awhile to use my 2 lbs, lol.

[OldManGrower]

Fungus gnats are easily and organically controlled by using sticky yellow "flypaper" available on Amazon for about $12.00 works great. I stick about a half a piece of this on a stick in my tent and it captures almost all of the gnats with no sprays or chemicals. The gnats are attracted to the yellow color. Also the gnats appear if your soil is too damp on the surface. Water completely but less often and that will prevent a reoccurrence.

[Cali]

TOKABIGONE yes it’s part of my soil mix. It’s the original mix from Buildasoil also known as Clackamas Coot soil mix. I believe in my post of 2019 when I first switched to living soils I posted the recipe. It’s basically just compost preferably worm castings sphagnum peat moss and pumice for aeration that makes your base to that just add 1 cup per cubic feet or 7 gallons of neem/Karanja kelp meal and crustacean meal, for minerals gypsum oyster shell flour and I forgot the last ingredient but it’s that basic. Really works well

[TOKABIGONE]

Hey Cali, one ingredient you missed was guano or one of them, lol So your soil is pretty much like mine in the important parts. I'm using Coco Loco which has already been mixed with most of the above. It's just coco instead of peat, neither of which provide any nutrition, and perlite not pumice. I added volcanic basalt dust for the minerals as well as 5 more lbs of castings and Loco is light on perlite so I added more. Very similar to Coot soil and I've been finding more people leaning this way as it is a very premium soil mix IMHO! Here's to a happy harvest!

[UndergroundFarmer]

I've got leftover Neem Seed Meal from mixing a batch of Coot's Mix for coco. Would that work? I hate the little freeloaders.

[TenTonBrick]

Diatomaceous earth (Foodgrade) also is a great organic pesticide . I use it on my vegetable garden and fruit trees. I put it on the soil around my cannabis plants as well

[JustBuddingAround]

Thank You all very much for you suggestions. But I went to a store that sells everything to grow weed and he highly recommended SNS209 All Natural Systemic Pest Control. 1/2 Tbsp per gallon of water for each of my 5 gallon fabric pots. I also used the Yellow Sticky paper which caught pretty much all the adults flying around so now I just need to kill the larvae down in the soil.

[JustBuddingAround]

I ended up using Diatomaceous Earth to get them under control.

[Cali]

UndergroundFarmer yes Neem seed meal will work. If I see an issue I blend it to a powder and just sprinkle on top of my soil. Or I bubble over night or just stir it in water then do a soil drench. I have an exact recipe I will look for it and post it. Oh best thing about Neem it kills all the bad guys but leaves the good guys alone. My rive beetles love it which reminds me instead of spraying you can just add beneficial insects I will post some pics of mine as well. Later.

[MH47]

… the gnats appear if your soil is too damp on the surface. Water completely but less often and that will prevent a reoccurrence.

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