Speaking of critters . . .

Anyone have any good ideas on how to kill off gnats *without* the use of anything chemical or petro-chemical based? The gnats are infesting the balcony plants, coming inside and *biting* me -- ick! Soon many of the plants will come in for the winter and I don't want to bring the gnats inside as well. But, I have asthma and multiple chemical sensitivities and can't use anything noxious. What I'd really like to do is bomb the d__n things but I *think* that would be counter-productive. TIA! jo/nm

Jo, I 've had great success with the Knock Out Gnats BT product from Gardens Alive:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=1962

You need to use it every seven days for 3-4 weeks. It's a larvacide, so it won't kill the adults, just the larvae. Use a yellow sticky trap for the adults.

Jo of NM;
I use some plain old flypaper rolls- when the fungus gnats invade, I hang one and shine a lamp on it at night- they come to the light. It seems to entirely irradicate them if a whole generation gets stuck to it, until of course, some plant comes in from outside and brings a fresh batch...
K

That is good to know. Long ago I controlled them with a systemic. Now I don't want to. I will try fly paper and a desk lamp. I prefer to skip poisons whenever possible.

It's officially called IPM. Integrated Pest management. Cultural practices first, chemicals last. The most effective way to boot, according to university studies.

I am glad to hear that IPM is a considered the most effective. The way it works for me is that I am organic until I have run out of options and get totally frustrated. Then I either give in to nature or zap the problem with as small amount of poison as I can get away with. That's the method I used on the one errant Chinese Elm that was on my vacant lot when I bought it.
After I cut it down and dug up some roots a couple of times, I cut it down again and used just the slightest amount of Roundup. Now it is history.

Thanks you guys -- I gave it another couple of days just to be sure I'm not over-reacting *but* they're biting me! That's the other side of the line in the sand for me, LOL! So, am off tomorrow to buy fly paper. Think that only academics could have come up with such a title (IPM) -- but do quite like the idea of cultural *before* chemistry. jo/nm

Jo, if they are biting you , then they are probably not fungus gnats (drosophila).
The BT in Knock Out Gnats stands for Bacillus Thuringis. It is a microbe that affects the larvae of the gnats, not a poison per se.

Probably "no-see-ums." Which, incedentally, are small, beady, greenish gnats.

Kenton (who thinks Bt is great in all its fatal forms. Especiallt B. t. isrealensis.)

Oh. Well, I'm assuming it's the gnats that are biting me -- no mosquitos (I react differently to mosquito bites than these) but *something* is biting me and often in places that are *not* socially acceptable to scratch in -- at this point am sooo beside myself that I'm gonna get one of everything, LOL! I'll show 'em, whoever they are! jo/nm

Well they certainly are fresh little buggers if they are biting you in such places. The nerve!

I AM THE MONSTER SLAYER! Well, kinda -- bought some fly ribbons. Hung one just inside the screen door to the balcony and one near my bed. The first has 10 dead gnats and #2 has 6! Whee! 16 gnats that haven't bitten me! I feel like the Shoemaker in the fairy tale -- jo/nm

The fly ribbon strips are providing me with ghoulish entertainment as I count the newly-dead. But I found out the other day that it's not *just* me -- the entire town is infected! We've had so much rain (all time record in August) and they're *everywhere*. Have finally given in, the Pest Control folks are coming on Tues to spray my balcony -- I hate having chemicals sprayed about anyway, but I can't keep being bitten like this. Sigh.

jo/nm

All you need to do is put some honey on your tongue and strike back. Bugs and honey are the best protein/carb you can injest. They taste like toast. LOL

Ah, that's your secret to health, eh Steve?

Just one. Dirt and you know what are the others. I haven't had so much as a cold in over 5 years. And diabetics are supposted to have poor immune systems.
tonight I'm in Seattle ready to save lives in Bellevue WA. Does anyone want me to say HI to Bill Gates, Sally Nordstrom, Nancy Wilson, or maybe Kenny G? Most of my clients now are Russian Mafia. No names to be given.
Today was a sad day in Montana. I tucked my sailboat in for the winter. I will be in my canoe for the rest of the month.