Apple cider vinegar, dish soap and water. Always follow the instructions and safety recommendations provided with the pesticide spray. Soak a mosquito dunk containing Bti in a gallon of water overnight. Develop the tech skills you need for work and life. Answers to Questions About Indoor Insect and Pest Control. It was very likely a fungus gnat. spray bottle. Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Replace that soil with new, sterile potting mix suited to the particular plant, and consider topping it with a half-inch of sand or diatomaceous earth to make the plant less hospitable to the bugs.. Our founder and contributors have been involved in pest remediation, state health regulations, pesticide research, wildlife hospitals, animal shelter environments, mold and mildew remediation, property infestations, dealing with all sorts of microbial matters that no one else talks about. Cut a fresh raw potato into chunks. 1. Apple Cider Vinegar Fungus Gnat Traps. Well, they arent dangerous to humans or pets. Add a drop or two of liquid dish soap and stir to combine thoroughly. Step 5: Use a fly trap (commercial or DIY) to attract and capture any adult flies in your home. Make Your Own Vinegar Spray. Take a bowl, or a glass, and fill it with a few inches of apple cider vinegar. The Best Homemade Gnat Trap. A cup of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup of dish soap placed around where the gnats are the most is a good trap. Midgies (both biting and non-biting varieties) and gall gnats are other . Be persistent, and you can soon be rid of this pest. a few drops of Dawn Dishwashing Soap destroys the surface tension of the liquid and the evil little critters drop below the surface and drown. Fruit flies, drain flies, and fungus gnats are often mistaken for one another. Clean and disinfect the plant container. 3. As a matter of fact, a bottle filled with vinegar (in case you have no jars or containers available) would do the job as well. The adults have short lives, but reducing their population will also reduce the number of new eggs being laid. Sprinkle cinnamon to protect your plants. that come out then feed on the root system of your houseplant. Cover it with tape or cheesecloth, leaving holes large enough for the bugs to get to it. The staff at Bob Vila always recommends trying eco-friendly, nontoxic methods before applying any pesticides, which can have harmful side effects. 8. Put the mixture in a This article has been viewed 43,442 times. be able to get out. submitted to our "DoItYourself.com Community Forums". Monitoring these traps, you can determine the area with the highest concentration of gnats and easily locate the source. Setting vinegar traps in potential breeding or feeding grounds will bring the desired results. Although gnats and their slimy offspring look less than natty, they generally arent as harmful as other bad bugs. Gnats are a natural part of our ecosystem, but its also natural to not want them flitting around your home and snacking on your plants. Shopping there is free and The Rusted Garden gets a percentage of sales for anything you buy on Amazon. into your face. Place the top on the pot and set it in an area that fungus gnats have infested. Set around the base of the plants. This will prevent the nymphs from entering the soil and protecting your plant's root systems. Our team of writers lives on cheap coffee and draft beer! They also feed Fungus gnats are primarily a problem in nurseries, where many susceptible young seedlings are grown in damp conditions. terrible idea, but it works. I found that bits/dunks wasn't concentrated enough to work on my gnat infestation. For less severe infestations you can use less gnatrol. Amanda Rose Newton holds degrees in Horticulture, Biochemistry, Entomology, and soon a PhD in STEM Education. In the case of Bonides concentrate, mix 1 tablespoon of pyrethrin insecticide into a suitable spray bottle that contains a little over 3 cups of water. The holes should be approximately a centimeter in diameter. Seal the infected soil up in a plastic bag and discard it; do not add it to the compost heap. Otherwise, the fruit flies will be lured into the rest of your house and you will have another problem to solve. However, doing so will However, this problem may be solved by setting a greater number of the bottle traps around your home. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Get-Rid-of-Fungus-Gnats-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Get-Rid-of-Fungus-Gnats-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/56\/Get-Rid-of-Fungus-Gnats-Step-1.jpg\/aid9401557-v4-728px-Get-Rid-of-Fungus-Gnats-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"