Getting rid of fungus gnats?

[Mosa]

I accidentally (always) sprayed the leaves of my african violet so it started to rot. And gnats liked it. After I've removed and replaced the violet, I thought that I've killed them before they laid eggs, with a sticky fly trap + I haven't sprayed the viv until the top's dried out but they are back. I'd try CO2, but I don't want to kill my isopods, I'm thinking on trying soap water. The terrarium is empty until early April, so I'd like to kill them until then. Any ideas?​

 

[Jacob Ma]

Lowering overall humidity of the enclosure should discourage them, or by making the area highly ventilated with a small fan should make them go away. I have this same problem in my house and they are everywhere. Unfortunately, unlike fruit flies and houseflies, typical sticky fly traps aren't the most efficient way of displacing them as they only eat fungi in especially moist or damp areas.

 

[The Snark]

Neat trick; getting rid of one detrivore while not harming another. Sounds like @Jacob Ma has the right idea. Make the environment hostile while carefully monitoring the health of your isopods.
The problem is the eggs/larvae.

 

[Aquarimax]

I recently set up an enclosure for a Phiddipus audax, and put it in the critter room where I have 'a few' fungus gnats flying around. Within a short time, several had made his way into the spider's enclosure. He made short work of them. It won't exactly solve the problem (I am working on traps for that) but at least the P. audax will be chipping away at the problem!

 

[Hisserdude]

I don't think it is possible to completely eradicate them without getting rid of all your moist enclosures. There is pretty much no way to kill these without killing your isopods too. These guys are in pretty much all my enclosures too, they are just something you gotta learn to live with.

 

[Jacob Ma]

I sometimes try to clean the enclosure by removing a few out of the enclosure temporarily into a tightly enclosed container. I leave a few in to test their "tolerance" sometimes, and usually they won't be too harmed. Wiping down the sides with all-natural environmentally friendly soaps should get rid of some eggs, and you can periodically heat the soil while removing as many wanted organisms as possible. But adding small spiders or other fly-eating insects should help.

 

[The Snark]

Aha. Install an anole or chameleon. Problem solved.

 

[Mosa]

@Jacob Ma The fan works great! The gnats doesn't seems to like the terrarium anymore. The soil is drying slowly, the humidity is quite high in the house too, so it'll take some time. I guess, if it won't help I'll get a natural soap. Also, sticky fly traps works to me. @Hisserdude If I need to use soap, I'll catch my isopods with a potato. If it works. Gnats wouldn't bother me, but I fear that the larvaes will kill my live plants. @The Snark This viv is for a crested gecko. I hope they like gnats. I really do. From what I heard, big/adult chameleons ignore gnats/fruit flies. D:
__
UPDATE: Oh, and I have a drainage layer made of clay balls. It's quite humid there, so if I would dry out the soil, would the isopods survive there?

 

[Jacob Ma]

There are also smaller chameleons out there, but I don't think they would be compatible with crested geckos nor would they be easy to care for. Gnat larvae will not really kill your plants, as long as they aren't saturated in water which causes leaf rot. However, they will tackle younger plants or plants that have a high water content on the outer layer.

 

[Hisserdude]

Like @Jacob Ma said, these guys don't eat live plants, only dead and decomposing parts of them.

 

[Jacob Ma]

Yeah, flies breeding inside the house usually means there needs to be a change in living conditions. The only reason I inquired a fungus gnat infestation is because I am working on a miniature compost bin using isopods, springtails, and other decomposing organisms. Although fungus gnats are very annoying, they don't really do too much harm as they only eat fungal or decomposing matter. In fact, they make your terrarium even healthier, if not diagnose the problem with the enclosure (too high humidity, pools of water, fungal growths).

Your isopods should be fine overall, and if anything they'll just burrow further into the soil possibly where the Hydroballs are. You can just throw a piece of slightly moist, flat wood, and they can just hide under there.

 

[lunarae]

So then the consensus to these guys is that they are harmless then? I have some with my isopods and springtails with my T enclosure, i noticed the larvae and freaked before realizing it was gnats. I can live with them existing if they're harmless.

 

[Hisserdude]

So then the consensus to these guys is that they are harmless then? I have some with my isopods and springtails with my T enclosure, i noticed the larvae and freaked before realizing it was gnats. I can live with them existing if they're harmless.

Yes, they are harmless. They don't stress out or hurt other inverts.

 

[lunarae]

Ok. I found larvae today in my A. versicolor tank feeding on one of the bolus with the isopods and freaked out till I realized they were larvae instead of parasitic worms XD

 

[BeetleExperienc]

gnat trap: http://beetlesource.com/index.php/supplies/all-supplies/product/6-gnat-trap

 

[lunarae]

That'd be great for bigger T's. But I have slings right now, I think they'd manage to get up in there which would be bad. Thanks though, still looks useful.

 

[BeetleExperienc]

Yeah, wouldn't be good for slings. Gnats shouldn't hurt anything, but they can be aggravating and end up flying around everywhere in the house.

 

[lunarae]

Yeah, wouldn't be good for slings. Gnats shouldn't hurt anything, but they can be aggravating and end up flying around everywhere in the house.

Yeah I've had the little monsters for a while before getting T's just because of my container garden. last year I did the 'put outside, bring back inside' deal in the spring, then had them outside for the summer then inside for the fall. Some had to stay inside over winter. It has never been too overwhelming but I was getting worried about the T's. Especially since our A. versicolor sealed herself up in her hide around the same time I saw a gnat frequenting her enclosure. I'm pretty sure it's just due to premolt now though. I can't help but be anxious though, it's my first T. At the time I bought her and started tending to her I wasn't fully aware to the difficulty that they could be compared to others. I've done all my research and she's doing great but because I don't know what to expect with T's I'm constantly paranoid with new behaviors and what they mean >.> I just don't post tons of 'help' threads here cause I don't want the criticism and I know I'll just get the same responses I've read sifting through the boards XD.

I did read neem oil is safe for spiders and would help get rid of the gnats (I used it in the past to help with the gnat and other bug issues) but....Eh. It takes consumption to kill the bugs, and while it doesn't have an effect on spiders that feed on the bugs that have fed on the neem oil and died....Considering the T will eat it's web to redecorate at times I felt it best not to risk it cause it would end up on the webbing if I sprayed in there. (I have live plants in there, one of the cons of live plants *shrugs*)

 

[Jacob Ma]

But still, the only cost effective, chemical-free, and safest way to get rid of fungus gnats would be to increase ventilation. I have had a bunch of fungus gnats in my house over this winter, and as soon as the weather warmed up and I opened my windows a bit, most of the gnats are suddenly gone. Unless your enclosure is overtaken by any kind of insect, they won't really pose a big problem and are only there to help. After all, the purpose of naturalistic enclosures or growing plants "naturally" is to INHIBIT the growth of molds, bacteria, and other decomposing organisms, which you are basically asking for all the nasty creatures to come into your house and have a nice dinner for a few hundred. I'd say if you hate the gnats THAT much, then move on to a different organism that may fit one's desire to a cleaner, less natural (or really dry) enclosure. Not trying to show any hatred or displeasure to any of the comments, but it would be nice to coexist (or otherwise completely prevent) with the with other organisms that humans tend to consider "pests" when most aren't really much of an issue.

Otherwise, the only other ways are to spray down the soil with pesticides/ remove it entirely to a much drier substrate, or establish natural predators within your house or the enclosure like dragonflies or other predatory, aerial insectivores (which most would find impossible to have). To prevent escape into the main house, you can quarantine the enclosures in another building or a secure room like venomous snake keepers do with their animals.

 

[lunarae]

But still, the only cost effective, chemical-free, and safest way to get rid of fungus gnats would be to increase ventilation. I have had a bunch of fungus gnats in my house over this winter, and as soon as the weather warmed up and I opened my windows a bit, most of the gnats are suddenly gone. Unless your enclosure is overtaken by any kind of insect, they won't really pose a big problem and are only there to help. After all, the purpose of naturalistic enclosures or growing plants "naturally" is to INHIBIT the growth of molds, bacteria, and other decomposing organisms, which you are basically asking for all the nasty creatures to come into your house and have a nice dinner for a few hundred. I'd say if you hate the gnats THAT much, then move on to a different organism that may fit one's desire to a cleaner, less natural (or really dry) enclosure. Not trying to show any hatred or displeasure to any of the comments, but it would be nice to coexist (or otherwise completely prevent) with the with other organisms that humans tend to consider "pests" when most aren't really much of an issue.

Otherwise, the only other ways are to spray down the soil with pesticides/ remove it entirely to a much drier substrate, or establish natural predators within your house or the enclosure like dragonflies or other predatory, aerial insectivores (which most would find impossible to have). To prevent escape into the main house, you can quarantine the enclosures in another building or a secure room like venomous snake keepers do with their animals.

I try and co-exist with most creatures that live in and around my home. Find natural deturants rather then ways to kill them. The gnats I was more concerned with causing harm to the T or over stressing it. I don't think it's going to be a huge problem so I'm not going to do anything about it. I have isopods and springtails in there as well, if there's still enough habitat and food source to feed the gnats after those two then clearly they're needed. It'll stablize itself one way or another. As long as the T isn't stressed I'm not going to bother to let myself worry.