Fungus Gnats

[ChrisGreaves]

I have a plague of small winged insects. I won't swear to their species, but they're damn hard to swat, or clap between the hands, and they refuse to be trapped in a fruit or vinegar trap (inverting the cut-off neck of a plastic bottle).

I have identified 4 likely sources:

• Dripping tap in kitchen sink (they clutter around here)
• Dampness in washroom handbasin (they clutter around here)
• Vermicomposter tray (covered with thin transparent plastic sheet)
• Green Wall

I am doing what I can about (3) and (4) - 15 year's experience in vermicomposting gives me an edge, but I can't seem to disrupt their schedule in (1) and (2).

I don't use insect sprays because I am afraid of droplets of methyldihyrdritephenobiphosphotricetylene, or (whatever it is that they put in Raid) ending up killing a worm or two, and the chemical settling into the food chain in the vermicomposter, i.e. killing all my worms.

I have made a spray of weak solution of an all-purpose cleanser liquid ("Mr. Clean") in water and am spraying the little gnats whenever I see them. My theory is that the fine water spray droplets weigh down the gnats, the detergent breaks surface tension, and they die or drown or are poisoned by the detergent.
I've tried it; it's easy to zap them.

My kitchen and bathroom have never looked cleaner, but still and all I'll accept any other proven techniques.

Lunch was a disaster. I'd forgotten that I'd dosed a gnat on the cutting board 30 minutes before I made my sandwich.

[BobH]

They might be what we call 'sewer flies.' I've never had this verified, but I've been told that they breed in sewers and that they can penetrate the water in a J- or P-trap. When we've had problems, I've been known to pour a capful of Clorox in the toilets and the drains. I also make a mild solution and spray it into the overflow drains in the lavatory.

I have no idea if this helps or if it just makes me feel better, but it seems to work.

http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-o ... -flies.htm

[VegasNath]

http://www.getridofthings.com

That's a useful site, Thanks Bob. Shame though, nothing for ridding my street of seagulls

[HansV]

How to Get Rid of Seagulls

[ChrisGreaves]

How to Get Rid of Seagulls

"Since bird nests are very durable, they can last for up to 10 years or more. "
Beautiful!

[ChrisGreaves]

When we've had problems, I've been known to pour a capful of Clorox in the toilets and the drains. I also make a mild solution and spray it into the overflow drains in the lavatory.

Thanks Bob.
I'll give this a try before going to bed tonight.

[HansV]

Since this is the cooking forum, we expect a fungus gnat recipe from you...

[Hey Jude]

I was thinking back to your postings about your salads and the foliage you have in your apt at times. Fungus gnats thrive in such an environment.

fungus gnats.png

This is from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2114.html

"Control Measures
Prevention

Inspect plants carefully before purchase for signs of insect infestation. Always use sterile potting soil to prevent introduction of fungus gnats. Overwatering, water leaks and poor drainage may result in buildup of fungus gnats. Allowing the soil to dry as much as possible, without injury to the plants, is effective in killing many maggots. Houseplants taken outside during warm weather may become infested with insects before being brought back indoors. Inspect plants carefully and discard if heavily infested and unable to save. Remove all old plant material and debris in and around the home. Practice good sanitation. Electrocutor-light fly traps will attract and kill many adults at night.
Monitoring
Use yellow sticky cards (traps) for adult fungus gnat detection. Place traps just above the plants at a frequency of one per 500 to 1,000 square feet. Replace when covered with insects. Check traps 2 to 3 times each week. "

[ChrisGreaves]

... capful of Clorox in the toilets and the drains.

Two days pass ...
I tried bleach in the kitchen sink and washroom handbasin, the two source sof irritation, but it didn't seem to stop them.
This morning I "cleared the decks" in and around the kitchen and spent two sessions of five minutes each playing a game called zap-the-bug-with-Mr-Clean.
By noon most of them seem to have dried up in a sticky puddle of detergent.
I then poured bleach down each drain, again. I have no problems near the toilet bowl.
I'm going to wait until 4pm and re-evaluate the situation.

[ChrisGreaves]

Since this is the cooking forum, we expect a fungus gnat recipe from you...

Without much angst I present gnat-gnachos.

Actually, this recipe is good not only for gnats, but for a cupful of dessicated house-flies, sweepings from behind the window fly-screens, although with the flies you'll need to pop them in the electric coffe-grinder for about ten seconds to render them to the size of dessicated gnats.

Soak and cook two cups of plain white basmati rice in a metal saucepan.
At the 20-minute mark, while the mixture is still JUST wet, stir in three heaped spoonfuls of gnats.
Replace the lid and finish off the 30-minute steaming.

You guests will complement you on the nice delicate flavour, and remark on how everyone else goes absolutely overboard with ground black pepper, but you seem to have got it just right.

[ChrisGreaves]

I was thinking back to your postings about your salads and the foliage you have in your apt at times. Fungus gnats thrive in such an environment.

I know, and agree. These things are slightly larger than the baddies I have had in the past with vermicompost. I have checked my indoor bin and find no evidence of them there so I suspect the vermicomposter is not the cause of the problem this time.
This time they seem to be focused on the kitchen sink and the bathroom hand basin; that's why Bob's sewer-gnats suggestion made a lot of sense to me.

P.S. Additionally the gnats-from-the-past have generally fallen into the bottle-trap, whereas these ignore vinegar and fruit altogether.

[Sundog]

On the general subject of gnats, this spring while driving on a hilly stretch of road in early morning, there were low-hanging clouds. I'd sometimes hit one at the top of a hill, and visibility would go way down . Then I hit what I thought at first was a mild late spring snowstorm cloud ; white splotches hitting my windshield . However, the temperature was in the 40s (F), and they didn't clean off the windshield after several spray-and-wipe cycles.

After stopping at my destination and examining the windshield and car front, I discovered that I had driven into a cloud of gnats. It really was a good-sized cloud; fooled me.

So maybe Chris could drive an RC car at speed around his gnat-ridden area, to crush them on its windshield?

[ChrisGreaves]

So maybe Chris could drive an RC car at speed around his gnat-ridden area, to crush them on its windshield?

Not in this kitchen.
There's not enough room to swing a cat.
Trust me ...

[HansV]

There's not enough room to swing a cat.
Trust me ...

Please spare us the details!

[Just Plain Fred]

I have a plague of small winged insects. I won't swear to their species, but they're damn hard to swat, or clap between the hands, and they refuse to be trapped in a fruit or vinegar trap (inverting the cut-off neck of a plastic bottle).

I have identified 4 likely sources:

• Dripping tap in kitchen sink (they clutter around here)
• Dampness in washroom handbasin (they clutter around here)
• Vermicomposter tray (covered with thin transparent plastic sheet)
• Green Wall

I am doing what I can about (3) and (4) - 15 year's experience in vermicomposting gives me an edge, but I can't seem to disrupt their schedule in (1) and (2).

Chris,
Hello... I had a problem with them also ... The "Yellow Glue traps" are effective, and also by spraying with a mixture of "Neem oil Concentrate" and water .... douse the little buggers with it and it suffocates them ...But you have to be persistent with the spraying , as to get the egg masses. Regards Fred

[ChrisGreaves]

The "Yellow Glue traps" are effective, and also by spraying with a mixture of "Neem oil Concentrate" and water

Thanks Fred.
I remember now that one can make one's own traps from any bright yellow material.
Your spray sounds a bit like mine - something to weigh down the wings and incapacitate them until they drown.
It beats any online arcade game, that's for sure.

[Just Plain Fred]

The "Yellow Glue traps" are effective, and also by spraying with a mixture of "Neem oil Concentrate" and water

Thanks Fred.

Your spray sounds a bit like mine - something to weigh down the wings and incapacitate them until they drown.

Chris,
Hello... The "Neem oil" is a Safe oil to use on any pest problem ( winged type , white flies etc.) and use it indoor and in my garden as well ... It's a whole lot better than spraying with some kind of "who knows what chemical " although not as effective as the multitude of the poisonous types ... but I'm sure that it's a lot better for you health. You just have to be diligent about the spraying. Regards Fred