Subject: Re: Gnats/Little black flies

From: [email-masked] (Pat and George Kiewicz)
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 15:04:27 GMT

Jason Frank Chas. Mortara ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I know this question has been asked before, but what's the best way to 
: get rid of those little flying gnats/black flies that buzz around my 
: seedlings and sometimes crawl on them or the soil? There were so many 
: insecticides in the store and I wasn't sure if any of them would harm my 
: little veggie seedlings. Is there a popular and effective "home" remedy? 
: I've heard they weren't too serious a problem but I'd still like to get 
: rid of them. They were sometimes in my apartment even before I started 
: growing anything here. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks!

Fungus gnats are more likely to be a problem where the soil is continuosly
moist, so one allowing the soil to dry out is a partial control.

A product that was very effective for me in controlling fungus gnats in 
a vermicomposting bin contained a strain of Bt (_Bacillis thurengiensis_).
It is being market under the name 'Knock-Out Gnats' (TM), available from
GardensAlive! (812)537-5108.  'Knock-Out Gnats' is applied as a soil 
drench.  

In my battle to control fungus gnats I also made good use of fly-paper.
I hung old-fashioned spirals of flypaper in the gap between the curtains
at the window nearest the bin.  The gnats, attracted by the light coming
through the window, were trapped by the fly-paper.  (I was able to avoid
having to infestation spread to my houseplants.)  I also extended great
tolerence to the occasional spider.  Plenty of gnats ended up in spider
webs.  (Once the gnat population was eliminated, the spiders which didn't
vanish on their own became fish food.)

Good luck!

Pat in Plymouth MI

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