Sand as a deterrent for fungus gnats?

[MontePython]

Hi, so as part of my ongoing battle with the fungus gnats who keep returning to my enclosure, I've been doing some reading.

I've heard mixed things about mosquito dunks and granules (the ones with the bacteria that prevent larvae from feeding) - mixed meaning that most people seem to agree that millipedes and tarantulas are unbothered but there's some debate about whether or not they actually work.

One thing I've seen mentioned amongst plant people pretty frequently (which I'll probably do at least with my butterworts since they have damp soil and therefore could be targets), is putting a thin layer (like half an inch) of sand (either horticultural or any non-builders' sand it looks like) on the surface, as this allegedly keeps the adults from laying the eggs in the soil, and will keep the larvae from emerging as adults?

My questions are:

1. Has anyone tried this? Was it successful?
2. Would the sand affect the millipedes' ability to burrow? I know some people add sand to their substrate to make it airier, so I assume it's fine for them, but I just wanted to check.
3. Is this likely to accidentally wipe out my springtail population or are they likely to be okay?

Side note: Does anyone else get nervous when a normally surface active millipede has been missing for a week (presumably underground)? Another of mine has been underground for A While now, but he's young so he could be moulting, who knows?

 

[BobBarley]

My questions are:

1. Has anyone tried this? Was it successful?
2. Would the sand affect the millipedes' ability to burrow? I know some people add sand to their substrate to make it airier, so I assume it's fine for them, but I just wanted to check.
3. Is this likely to accidentally wipe out my springtail population or are they likely to be okay?

1. I've never tried this.
2. I don't know, but millipedes would probably completely mess up the top layer of sand eventually. Sand mixed in with the substrate is totally fine, but I don't think that'll stop any fungus gnats.
3. I seriously doubt it.

I believe that adding sand as a top layer won't do much in terms of stopping fungus gnats, especially since millipedes burrow so often. The layer will probably be mainly gone in a week or so.
The methods I've used with success for dealing with fungus gnats are sticky fly paper (nontoxic kind, it's basically just tape that stays sticky), and a heat humidifier. Both work exceptionally well.

Side note: Does anyone else get nervous when a normally surface active millipede has been missing for a week (presumably underground)? Another of mine has been underground for A While now, but he's young so he could be moulting, who knows?

The key is to not get antsy and dig it up. Just leave it be.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

There is a common plant in my state that produces seeds that attract and kill mosquito larvae among other things in order to provide nitrogen for the new seed in nitrogen deficient soils. I hypothesized that this seed may also kill other troubling larvae such as fungus gnats and perhaps others such as nematodes. The seeds themselves attract the larvae with an aroma and trap them in a sticky enzyme mixture. I’m going to experiment with them in some substrate with problem gnats etc and see how it goes. I’ve gone down the road with. Fungus gnats before and it never was a battle I won difinitively

 

[MontePython]

1. I've never tried this.
2. I don't know, but millipedes would probably completely mess up the top layer of sand eventually. Sand mixed in with the substrate is totally fine, but I don't think that'll stop any fungus gnats.
3. I seriously doubt it.

I believe that adding sand as a top layer won't do much in terms of stopping fungus gnats, especially since millipedes burrow so often. The layer will probably be mainly gone in a week or so.
The methods I've used with success for dealing with fungus gnats are sticky fly paper (nontoxic kind, it's basically just tape that stays sticky), and a heat humidifier. Both work exceptionally well.

That makes sense - it was kind of a "Hey I wonder if this is an option," throw. The largest three (of my five) don't spend a LOT of time burrowing (one stays on the surface mostly and shelters under the leaf litter, and the two largest have a sort of dugout underneath a cork log that they like), but even so they'd probably scatter it quite quickly.

So far, I've tried the apple cider vinegar traps (no dice), and introducing predatory mites (not sure if they're doing anything or not - they've only been in there a week, so this batch of gnats may have already been too far along for them to eat), and I have a thriving springtail population, but haven't had a lot of luck.

Do you have any recommendations for placements for sticky paper? (or kinds - I've seen lots of people recommend specific sizes or colours, but I'm not sure what actually seems to work and what actually matters)

Right now I've vacuumed up a lot of the ones that were loose near the top of the tank, and I've got a sugar water trap with a white cone opening. Don't have much hope for it, but it made me feel like I did something.

The key is to not get antsy and dig it up. Just leave it be.

On a logical level, I know they'll emerge eventually - I'm just antsy because I'm used to larger species (and mature adults) that spend more time under/in hides than fully burrowed, and I'm new enough that I worry about doing things wrong (also one of the burrowed ones is my first for-sure sub-adult, so I'm very conscious that he could be moulting).

But I'll definitely not dig anyone up. Just going to keep an eye out for them.

There is a common plant in my state that produces seeds that attract and kill mosquito larvae among other things in order to provide nitrogen for the new seed in nitrogen deficient soils. I hypothesized that this seed may all kill other troubling larvae such as fungus gnats and perhaps others such as nematodes. The seeds themselves attract the larvae with an aroma and trap them in a sticky enzyme mixture. I’m going to experiment with them in some substrate with problem gnats etc and see how it goes. I’ve gone down the road with. Fungus gnats before and it never was a battle I won difinitively

Oh that's really interesting! I'm in the UK so I'm not sure if there's any kind of plant that would do something like that here, but I'm definitely curious as to whether or not it'll work!

 

[BobBarley]

Do you have any recommendations for placements for sticky paper? (or kinds - I've seen lots of people recommend specific sizes or colours, but I'm not sure what actually seems to work and what actually matters)

I had a nearby window that the fungus gnats would always flock to. I put the sticky traps there, and within a month or so all of them were gone. I used clear transparent ones, but I'm sure they all work pretty well. If you want to maximize efficiency you could probably run a bright LED lamp by the enclosure with sticky traps on/near it (especially at night).

 

[REEFSPIDER]

That makes sense - it was kind of a "Hey I wonder if this is an option," throw. The largest three (of my five) don't spend a LOT of time burrowing (one stays on the surface mostly and shelters under the leaf litter, and the two largest have a sort of dugout underneath a cork log that they like), but even so they'd probably scatter it quite quickly.

So far, I've tried the apple cider vinegar traps (no dice), and introducing predatory mites (not sure if they're doing anything or not - they've only been in there a week, so this batch of gnats may have already been too far along for them to eat), and I have a thriving springtail population, but haven't had a lot of luck.

Do you have any recommendations for placements for sticky paper? (or kinds - I've seen lots of people recommend specific sizes or colours, but I'm not sure what actually seems to work and what actually matters)

Right now I've vacuumed up a lot of the ones that were loose near the top of the tank, and I've got a sugar water trap with a white cone opening. Don't have much hope for it, but it made me feel like I did something.



On a logical level, I know they'll emerge eventually - I'm just antsy because I'm used to larger species (and mature adults) that spend more time under/in hides than fully burrowed, and I'm new enough that I worry about doing things wrong (also one of the burrowed ones is my first for-sure sub-adult, so I'm very conscious that he could be moulting).

But I'll definitely not dig anyone up. Just going to keep an eye out for them.



Oh that's really interesting! I'm in the UK so I'm not sure if there's any kind of plant that would do something like that here, but I'm definitely curious as to whether or not it'll work!

Capsella bursa-pastoris is the plant and according to this: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-28564-x
They do kill nematodes as well should be promising to attempt to finally rid my house plants and enclosures of pest critters and it maybe as easy as germinating a few seeds.

 

[BepopCola]

Capsella bursa-pastoris is the plant and according to this: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-28564-x
They do kill nematodes as well should be promising to attempt to finally rid my house plants and enclosures of pest critters and it maybe as easy as germinating a few seeds.

Well then, I have a ton of those right outside!
I wonder if they'd attract snails.

Side note: Does anyone else get nervous when a normally surface active millipede has been missing for a week (presumably underground)? Another of mine has been underground for A While now, but he's young so he could be moulting, who knows?

Yes! I have some surface-active guys that like to molt at the same time. They disappear as a group for almost a month at times.

 

[Aquarimax]

I use the yellow sticky fly ribbons (Raid is the brand) , which you hang with a pushpin from the ceiling. The fungus gnats are attracted time them. I keep them near my isopod and millipede enclosiers, and dispatch large numbers of fungus gnats that way.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

I use the ribbons where I can, previously had used them heavily but have since acquired a cat and he does enjoy getting caught in sticky ribbon traps himself so placements have had to be altered LOL

 

[MontePython]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'm just super frustrated because while I know that getting rid of them 100% is next to impossible, I've never had them be this bad, even before I had springtails and predatory mites, so I'm not sure what to do, and what with everything going on, I don't really have all the materials I'd need to make fresh substrate.

I've gotten some takers on the sugar water trap, so that's still up, I've rigged up some fly papers in the roof of my enclosure and around the light nearest to it, and I've got an LED coming in the post sometime this week, so hopefully I can manage to put some kind of dent on things. Though I will say, the larger of my two butterworts has definitely been catching lots of flies (the other one isn't having quite as much luck - I think it's still too small?).