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One positive information for me here is that I may have a new tool to battle fruit flies which are VERY attracted to organic fertilizers I use to grow in-house

by voytec 4y ago

One positive information for me here is that I may have a new tool to battle fruit flies which are VERY attracted to organic fertilizers I use to grow in-house veggies.

galangalalgol 4y ago
A bowl of wine with one drop of dish detergent has always cleared my house of fruit flies promptly. Gnats (which live in the soil near plants I think?) seem impossible to get rid of short of tossing out all the house plants.
- uxamanda 4y ago
  You might try watering with diluted BTI (also known as mosquito dunks) for fungus gnats in soil.
  - jonstewart 4y ago
    You can get smaller pellets of BTI, “mosquito bits,” so you don’t have to use the larger donut-shaped dunks.
- voytec 4y ago
  Wine works well, especially with added fruit peels, but I drink alcohol rarely and most of the wine would spoil. I've seen small bottles of wine in Sweden but not where I live - just these 700-750ml ones. I also drink organic with no added sulfites and these appear to spoil quicker even in the fridge. Gnats and aphids' larvae and eggs appear to be a delicacy for bees. Whenever I put plant pots on a sunny balcony during early spring daytime, I have dozens of bees tinkering in the soil. They also very efficiently clean up the soil and help aerate the roots[1]. Bees are the awesomest living species I know! [1] https://wojteksychut.com/vid/bees.mp4 https://wojteksychut.com/vid/bees.mp4
  - Auracle 4y ago
    I believe I’ve used apple cider vinegar (with the drop of soap) instead.
  - mrguyorama 4y ago
    Apple cider vinegar or another fragrant vinegar works great.
- anthomtb 4y ago
  I had an issue with fungus gnats in a couple house plants. To eliminate them, water the plants from the bottom and cover as much of the open top of the pot as you can in flypaper (yes, this can leave a sticky mess behind). They need both moisture and oxygen to reproduce, which means they only live in a damp top layer of soil. So leaving the top layer of soil dry prevents them from reproducing. And since fungus gnats are dumb and slow they fly right into the flypaper, removing themselves from the gene pool. You can also replace the top couple centimeters of soil. You'll still want to keep the soil as dry as possible for a week so any remaining gnats stop laying eggs.
- h2odragon 4y ago
  Fungus gnats look like fruit flies, but aren't interested in vinegar or other fruit fly traps. They can also be distinguished by their catlike ability to spring back from a slap with "excuse me, I was flying here, do you mind?" insouciance. I've had success suppressing them with frequent sprays of neem oil, direct to the soil of the pots. Daily for a week or two to break the life cycle and then weekly or more often to keep the inevitable survivors knocked back and feeling unwelcome. They're also suckers for a candle left lit in a darkened room.

by voytec 4y ago

One positive information for me here is that I may have a new tool to battle fruit flies which are VERY attracted to organic fertilizers I use to grow in-house veggies.

galangalalgol 4y ago

A bowl of wine with one drop of dish detergent has always cleared my house of fruit flies promptly. Gnats (which live in the soil near plants I think?) seem impossible to get rid of short of tossing out all the house plants.

uxamanda 4y ago
You might try watering with diluted BTI (also known as mosquito dunks) for fungus gnats in soil.
- jonstewart 4y ago
  You can get smaller pellets of BTI, “mosquito bits,” so you don’t have to use the larger donut-shaped dunks.
voytec 4y ago
Wine works well, especially with added fruit peels, but I drink alcohol rarely and most of the wine would spoil. I've seen small bottles of wine in Sweden but not where I live - just these 700-750ml ones. I also drink organic with no added sulfites and these appear to spoil quicker even in the fridge. Gnats and aphids' larvae and eggs appear to be a delicacy for bees. Whenever I put plant pots on a sunny balcony during early spring daytime, I have dozens of bees tinkering in the soil. They also very efficiently clean up the soil and help aerate the roots[1]. Bees are the awesomest living species I know! [1] https://wojteksychut.com/vid/bees.mp4 https://wojteksychut.com/vid/bees.mp4
- Auracle 4y ago
  I believe I’ve used apple cider vinegar (with the drop of soap) instead.
- mrguyorama 4y ago
  Apple cider vinegar or another fragrant vinegar works great.
anthomtb 4y ago
I had an issue with fungus gnats in a couple house plants. To eliminate them, water the plants from the bottom and cover as much of the open top of the pot as you can in flypaper (yes, this can leave a sticky mess behind). They need both moisture and oxygen to reproduce, which means they only live in a damp top layer of soil. So leaving the top layer of soil dry prevents them from reproducing. And since fungus gnats are dumb and slow they fly right into the flypaper, removing themselves from the gene pool. You can also replace the top couple centimeters of soil. You'll still want to keep the soil as dry as possible for a week so any remaining gnats stop laying eggs.
h2odragon 4y ago
Fungus gnats look like fruit flies, but aren't interested in vinegar or other fruit fly traps. They can also be distinguished by their catlike ability to spring back from a slap with "excuse me, I was flying here, do you mind?" insouciance. I've had success suppressing them with frequent sprays of neem oil, direct to the soil of the pots. Daily for a week or two to break the life cycle and then weekly or more often to keep the inevitable survivors knocked back and feeling unwelcome. They're also suckers for a candle left lit in a darkened room.