Has anyone else been waking up with swollen eyes because of gnats bothering them at night? I've got anti-repellent sound wave bug plug-ins, Zevo sticky traps, and the big yellow sticky traps. While I've managed to reduce the bug population a bit, now fruit flies are coming after me while I sleep. My spouse even saw them on my eyes during a nap! The only big flies we've noticed are fungus gnats. They annoy me even when I'm awake! I've tried using Neem oil, but the gnats seem resistant unless I drench my plants in it, which ended up killing the plants too. I've cooked the soil and let it dry out before using it. Since I can't use any poisonous stuff for some of my edible plants, that limits my options. My plants in water tend to get moldy, so soil is the better choice. I imported beneficial insects, but they aren't enough. I've adopted bottom watering and added sand and rocks on top, but the gnats still find ways to get underneath. I've even sprinkled cinnamon on top, with no luck, and using mosquito bits for over three months hasn't yielded results. I try drying out the plants between waterings, yet the gnats still manage to get to the bottom!!
4 Answers
You might want to consider using nematodes. We faced a similar gnat issue in our plant room, and after introducing nematodes, they disappeared in just two days! They're a natural solution and can really help combat those pests.
Definitely keep up with those mosquito dunks! They’re a bacterial poison and usually take a couple of applications over a month to break the lifecycle of the gnats. Once you do, it can stop them for a year or two!
Diatomaceous earth can be a great option too! It’s effective against gnats and might help tackle your problem. Just sprinkle it on the surface of the soil.
It could help if you share a photo of the gnats for identification. Also, make sure you're applying the mosquito dunks correctly! For drains, I recommend trying Invade Bio-drain; it’s worked for some folks.
Sure, I can capture a pic of them from the Zevo trap! Regarding the mosquito dunks, I let them sit in water for the recommended time, then filter out the pieces before pouring it into my watering can.