Fungus gnats are small bugs which appear black or grey in colour and have clear, translucent wings. These insects can attack all sorts of plants especially indoor plants and cause a lot of damage. Though the larvae usually feed on the dead organic material like leaves and roots, occasionally these eat tender and new roots causing in depth damages to the plant. It’s critical to have a look at your plants closely each time you water them so you can notice the presence of these bugs right at the beginning. Controlling fungus gnats needn’t be a very difficult job. Here are 1 or 2 pointers that may help you in keeping these creatures in check.

The best spot to go looking for gnats is on the soil surface. These have a tendency to get active and move around each time you water or shake the plant. The maggots have white colored bodies and are about a quarter in. gigantic with black heads. If you cannot notice any on the surface, look a touch underneath as it tends to crawl underneath when you water. Since these bugs mainly eat dead organic material, it is important that you remove any fallen or dead leaves, roots and so on. Soon without leaving it to rot inside the pot.

If you have lots of indoor plants or a green house, then you can lure these gnats by planting wheat in pots. This pulls the female bugs which come and lay eggs in the soil ; once the eggs are laid, compost the entire soil along with the plant to get rid of these bugs for all time. Another methodology for controlling fungus gnats is to place yellow sticky tapes close to the infested pot which pulls the adult ones. You can make these sticky tapes yourself comfortable by spreading a layer of tanglefoot on stiff yellow paper and placing these close to the pots. Organic solution of Bacillus thuringiensis can also be used to can kill these larvae. This solution is very safe for your plants and also for children and pets.

Organic insecticide like Prethrin which is made from chrysanthemums works best in killing maggots and adult gnats. It is best to use easy and non-toxic strategies to get shot of these bugs which are safe for the plants as well as for the people living in the household. Controlling fungus gnats is crucial to ensure that your plants flourish well and also to keep your house clean and safe.

Article By : Rizvana Abdul.