this post was submitted on 16 May 2026
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Some fungus gnats have showed up, and unlike what some blog posts have said, they don't seem to be attracted to apple cider vinegar. Has anyone found a trap that gets rid of these little things? I've put the plants outside for now, hoping that will dry them out and make the flies fly away.

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[–] TammyTobacco@sh.itjust.works 6 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Either the bacteria BTI, which Mosquito Bits contains.

Or the real fix, SF Nematodes. Nematodes will live in your soil and eat various pests, depending on the kind, and SF are good at eating fungus gnats larvae. Other Nematodes can be used for fleas and stuff too.

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/nemattack-beneficial-nematodes-sf-steinernema-feltiae

https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/products/beneficial-nematodes-sf?variant=23323522563

[–] plantsmakemehappy@lemmy.zip 3 points 21 hours ago

BTI and nematodes are the answer. You can also get liquid BTI instead of dealing with mosquito bits.

[–] Guenther_Amanita@slrpnk.net 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Fungus gnats are, as the name suggests, attracted by fungi.
Soil works by releasing nutrients when it decomposes, mainly by fungi.
Therefore, you have to get rid of soil as a substrate. No soil, no problems.

There are quite a few soil-less media out there.

The most common one is coco coir.
It behaves quite similar to soil, so you don't have to change anything regarding how you water etc.

You have to pre-treat it sometimes however, or else it might harm your plant. If you don't wanna do that, get hydroponic grade and not the cheap one.

My substrate of choice is LECA (expaned clay balls). The method is called "semi-hydro". The inner pot is submerged 1/3 into nutrient solution, and you have a water level indicator that tells you when to water again.

Pon is also popular. It behaves like a mix of the two above.
It's a mix of zeolith, pumice and lava rock.

The said substrates are all inert however, so they don't absorb or contain any nutrients. You have to use synthetic, full spectrum fertilizer for hydroponics.


Additional, I have a few carnivorous plants around. Pinguicula are my favourite, since they are super easy to take care of.

Nepenthes are also amazing if you have the light and RO water for them :)

[–] Shadow@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Bottom watering or mosquito bits.

[–] cb900f_bodhi@fedinsfw.app 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
[–] egrets@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago

It's a brand of little dry nuggets containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI). You infuse the water with it; the larvae ingest it, stop eating, and starve.

You have to be persistent for several weeks, though, and ideally also kill the adults -- sticky paper gnat traps work well for this.

[–] cb900f_bodhi@fedinsfw.app 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I've tried a lot of methods. I haven't eliminated them but they are no longer a nuisance.

Hydrogen peroxide 1:4 in water will kill the larvae in the soil. Unfortunately, it also kills some plants like parsley, thyme, oregano.

I add some pea gravel, sand, other grit to the surface of the soil when I bring my plants indoors. That seems to help deter them.

I see the most results with sticky yellow paper traps you can get off Amazon. They're cheap, effective and one sheet will last about 4ish months. Helps keep the numbers of adults down.

[–] egrets@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

Hydrogen peroxide 1:4 in water will kill the larvae in the soil.

Probably worth mentioning the concentration of the H2O2! 3%, I guess?

[–] rossome@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

This stuff right here was what finally did away with them https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007UTE55A

[–] protist@retrofed.com 2 points 1 day ago

I have a cape sundew I put next to anywhere I have an issue and it pretty much always catches them all

[–] dontmindmehere@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I used Azamax in the water and it killed them all off after a few waterings

You are probably overwatering, let things dry out a bit between waterings and fungus gnats will go away.

[–] Tiritibambix@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

Diatomaceous earth