Fungus Gnats Cure!!

I tried BT israelensis, covering the tops of the soil with sand, less watering, neem, mosquito dunks and fly tapes and strips for fungus gnats and nothing really worked. The BT helped a bit for a short period of time but it was expensive and stopped having any effect.

Then I started using Scanmask, I don't remember exactly what's it it but I remember it's some kind of live preditor that eats the immature gnats in the soil. I started seeing results in 24 hours like the product description said I would and since I've applied it over two weeks ago, I haven't seen any fungus gnats!

It really works and it costs about the same as the BT does, but you only have to apply the Scanmask every 18 months which makes it alot cheaper.

CaptMicha,
Sounds great.... can we find it at places like Home Depot/Lowes, specialty stores or online...?

CaptMicha,

Wonderful, not only for you but for all of us who have or will havet Fungus Gnats!!!

Judy

Good to hear this! Sounds like good news to me, too!

Thanks!

*I did a search and found some good info at the following link. (However, I believe I'll look around some more for a better price; shipping seems a bit high.)

http://www.biologicco.com/products/L&G%20scanmask.htm

I bought mine at Planet Natural http://www.planetnatural.com/applemaggot_control.html

I have to agree with CaptMicha.... the results have been great.

$3.50 is $3.50 and I don't mind saving a few $$ when I can. Planet Natural does ship quickly. Thanks Sue.

I think it was PoppySue that turned me onto PlanetNatural which is where I bought them. It may have been cheaper some place else (I was lazy and didn't look) but I'm a sucker for the free shipping and handling.

P.S. VS, I have seen beneficial nematodes in garden stores before, ones that carry live beneficial insects, but I'm not sure they're the same kind. Those might have been the kind you use outside in the garden. I'm not even completely sure these nematodes aren't the same kind, maybe some one else knows?

The scanmask gives directions to use with potted plants too. You sprinkle a tiny amount over the soil surface and the nemetodes do they rest. I've had great results both in the house and outside in my greenhouse.

Just placed my order for the scanmask, too from PlanetNatural....
I too have tried the mosquito dunks for watering and the yellow paper with glue & watering less & still have some in the GH and indoors.
I am looking forward to this working!
Thanks for the info.
Margie

The easiest way to use the stuff is just to use a spoon and sprinkle it on. Then water in. Once more I was lazy and didn't really pay attention to the side of the box which actually tells you how to use it for which kind of insect infestation you have. The company wrote and told me about the spoon distribution.

captMicha...is it good for more than Fungus gnats? That would be super if it is!

It's good for a bunch of soil dwelling insects. Too bad it does work on white flies though.... hey, maybe it works on mealy bugs... I'll have to look on the box and see.

I just found this link and the list of other insects the scanmask works on....

http://www.biologicco.com/products/L&G%20scanmask.htm

artichoke moth larvae , fungus gnat larvae
banana moth larvae , greater peach tree borers
black currant borers , gypsy moth larvae
black vine weevils , Iris borers
cabbage root maggots , Japanese beetle larvae
carpenterworms , mole crickets
codlingmoth larvae , onion maggots
corn earworm , pine weevils
pine weevils , poplar clearwing borers
corn rootworms , raspberry crown borers
Cranefly (tipulid) larvae , root maggots
cucumber beetles , sod webworms
cutworms , strawberry weevils
cutworms , tobacco budworms
dogwood borers , white grubs
flea beetles, wireworms
flea larvae , woolly aphids

I keep trying to put this list in 2 columnes...it works on the preview and then posts it as one column....maybe the commas will help! I hope. Plan to put on my scan mask today & will keep you all posted of my results. ( added 12/29/04)


This message was edited Dec 28, 2004 5:30 PM

This message was edited Dec 29, 2004 4:26 AM

Heartfelt thanks to all for the Scanmask tip. I have a large indoor garden and a larger indoor fungus gnat problem that I haven't been able to control. I just ordered the Scanmask (I searched the net pretty thoroughly and found Planet Natural to be the best source) and will post data on my results. I've tried everything else to no avail.

Just glad to be of help. I've been there and done that and I hate the little buggers. Ha! Get it, buggers, bugs? Okay, nvm.

Allegra...looks like we are neighbors!!! :-))) Good luck...with your fungus gnat problem. I hope I do well with mine in my little GH also!
Margie

Or, you could just let your house plants dry out a bit. It's free. Kills fungus gnats dead! April

Didn't work for me. They were flocking around a plant that I let get so dry that the plants shriveled up and died. Still had the gnats though.

Having used the scanmask...I am sorry to say most but definitely not all of the gnats are gone. What has been your experience poppysue and CaptMike and others who have used the scanmask?

How long has it been since you used it? It killed about 99% of mine. I still see one once in a while but that could even have been from new soil that I haven't treated.

CMike...I used it on 12-29-04, just less than a month ago. I would say that probably 99% of the gnats are gone. I have not brought in any new soil that hasn't been treated. Do you think it needs more? The temps have gotten down to 34 at the min. I wonder if that could have affected the neomatoids? I am storing them in the refrig. is that OK? I thought I read on the package that it was.
Thanks, Margie

Not Mike, Micha.

It can't help to add more nemotodes. The more there are to prey on the gnat larvae, the better. Storing them in the fridge was the right thing to do. It puts them into kind of a suspended animation or hybernation.

Thanks Micha...I will do that. Ophs, I thought Micha was short for Michael...and I was shorting it further.

Last fall I had gnats when I brought in my first year brugs! What is the difference between a soil gnat and fungus one?

A fungus gnat is a soil gnat. The gnats lay eggs on the soil and the little larva bury down in the soil and feed on the roots of your plants.

Thanks for the quick response. I need to find something that works or my brugs will be visting somewhere else. Last fall the little things were awful! Have you tried this? Have you had a problem?

We are so dry and windy the fungus gnats aren't a problem here(I grow everything outside). I do know in TN when we had commercial greenhouses, we used Gnatrol to kill fungus gnats, it worked great, especially when used with an IGR. It was applied as a soil drench.

Do these look like little gnats with wings that are in the soil? I have had echinacia, centaurea, asclepias, columbine and now my zinnias go limp one plant at a time...the roots are totally rotted out and not from overwatering. I dug up around the plant, the roots totally rotted and these little gnat looking bugs crawling in the soil....

Probably. However, you usually find their larvae form in the soil. Those are very tiny little cream colored worms.

I didn't see those. I've ordered scanmask and will apply it. Hopefully that will take care of the problem.

It'll come in handy if you have to bring a bunch of plants in for overwintering (I can't wait... :( ). I don't usually care about the gnats when they're outside.

i do have a lot of plants that winter indoors. However, this problem seems to be in the garden soil outdoors.