Fungus gnat problem? Wanted to share this

[jamest0o0]

As many of you know, I highly suggest keeping sundews(if possible) to eliminate soil/fungus gnats. Fruit and phorid flies are a different story. Anyway, if you can't keep some sundews for whatever reason and need another natural and safe way of eliminating them you may want to give these beetles a try. Check out the description Kyle from roachcrossing wrote about them... I haven't tried them myself, but they seem promising, only going after gnat larvae and leaving other inverts(like springtails) alone.

Here's the link
http://www.roachcrossing.com/for-sale/non-roach/greenhouse-rove-beetle/

 

[MissSkittles]

Wow! Cool solution! Thanks James!

 

[BryanP]

Can you keep sundews inside the enclosure? I am planning a bioactive build and I just know that soil gnats will plague me with my luck...

 

[jamest0o0]

Can you keep sundews inside the enclosure? I am planning a bioactive build and I just know that soil gnats will plague me with my luck...

I don't like to say something is impossible, but it'd be pretty difficult. They need acidic swamp like conditions and high light. This can be recreated using low nutrient carnivore substrate and setting in a dish of water so it stays wet. Mine did well on a sunny windowsill. Also had some under a jungledawn which they thrived and flowered under. They're very sticky, so a chameleon could get it all over them if they touched. Harmless, but a nuisance. Good news is that soil gnats are drawn to them and will leave the enclosure to go over to the sundews(drosera capensis are best IME).

Oh and the water must be rain/distilled/rodi. Tap will or bottled mineral water will kill carnivorous plants...anything with minerals is no good for them.

 

[Fchamel]

Whenever I had these flies, I once caught Carly on her haunches, LEGIT standing trying to eat them I think.

 

[absolutbill]

I'm not bioactive in my cages, but do you think I could get a colony of these rove beetles and put some in each pot that I have in there? So, a few in each pothos plant, for example, and do you think they would stay there? Think my husband will divorce me if I had these escape the reptile room!

 

[JacksJill]

I just love that there is a store just for cockroach enthusiasts

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Butterwort is also recommended for fungus gnats,

Butterwort for Gnats
The best solution is to grow butterwort. Pinguicula (pings for short) are a genus of carnivorous plants that have sticky, glandular leaves that trap and eat their prey. Look closely and you'll see little gnats struggling away, much like the yellow sticky trap, except more exciting.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeand...la-protect-houseplants-from-gnats-alys-fowler

However, it can be a double-edged sword. IDK if this affects all carnivorous plant species, but something to be aware of and consider.

While adult fungus gnats aren’t harmful to carnivorous plants (and may even be a free source of food!), the larvae can cause severe damage.
https://curiousplant.com/fungus-gnats-carnivorous-plants/

 

[jamest0o0]

Butterwort is also recommended for fungus gnats,


However, it can be a double-edged sword. IDK if this affects all carnivorous plant species, but something to be aware of and consider.

Yup butterworts work well too, even nepenthes, but the drosera capensis got the most for me. Nepenthes are nice for getting stray feeders in your enclosures.

 

[jamest0o0]

I just love that there is a store just for cockroach enthusiasts

Is this the first time you've seen roachcrossing? It's a great resource for all kinds of inverts, feeders and pets. Kyle is one of the roach gods lol.

 

[jamest0o0]

I'm not bioactive in my cages, but do you think I could get a colony of these rove beetles and put some in each pot that I have in there? So, a few in each pothos plant, for example, and do you think they would stay there? Think my husband will divorce me if I had these escape the reptile room!

I don't see why not, they are probably very small and I'd guess will stay where the food is.

 

[MissSkittles]

Is this the first time you've seen roachcrossing? It's a great resource for all kinds of inverts, feeders and pets. Kyle is one of the roach gods lol.

Not even close to a roach enthusiast, but I do have Roach Crossing bookmarked. I love the info they give and the Florida legal section.

 

[JoXie411]

I just recently added all sticky traps that go into the plants and have helps a lot. I don’t get yelled at about the bugs going in my husbands nose anymore

 

[jamest0o0]

Not even close to a roach enthusiast, but I do have Roach Crossing bookmarked. I love the info they give and the Florida legal section.

Yeah honestly he was one of my original inspirations. In fact, I used to think he was nuts. Now i find myself making wishlists of things on his site lol.

What I've realized I like about inverts. Since I don't currently have room for more reptiles, or much time. It's fun to set up these natural little bins with crazy looking species and watch them thrive under the right conditions. A lot of them have really cool behavior and colors. Something satisfying about watching them eat stuff you throw in too lol. They can also be good composters.

 

[JuniorC]

I just recently added all sticky traps that go into the plants and have helps a lot. I don’t get yelled at about the bugs going in my husbands nose anymore

I just got some of these myself too!! I was not looking forward to hearing the wife once summer came on the gnats lol

 

[JoXie411]

I just got some of these myself too!! I was not looking forward to hearing the wife once summer came on the gnats lol

Yeah a few weeks ago my husband had enough, he told me to solve the problem or I had to get rid of all my plants I told him I’ll get rid of him b4 my plants. Thankfully the traps work!!

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The carnivorous plant garden store I've mentioned just opened for the season, so we took a day/road trip. I was woefully unprepared for the incredible variety they had to offer, and due to the pandemic, it's considerably less than previous years. Nonetheless, it was... overwhelming.

We came away with a Sundew (Drosera capensis red), and 2 Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula)—boring by their standards.

... but we've already both agreed we're going back after doing a little more homework.
It may be the coolest garden store we've ever seen.

 

[jamest0o0]

The carnivorous plant garden store I've mentioned just opened for the season, so we took a day/road trip. I was woefully unprepared for the incredible variety they had to offer, and due to the pandemic, it's considerably less than previous years. Nonetheless, it was... overwhelming.

We came away with a Sundew (Drosera capensis red), and 2 Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula)—boring by their standards.

View attachment 300122

... but we've already both agreed we're going back after doing a little more homework.
It may be the coolest garden store we've ever seen.

Those are all beautiful, healthy looking! Hard to tell from the picture, but that looks a little different from my drosera capensis. Either way, very nice. Wish we had a carnivorous plant garden near us, I think someone a few years back put up a video of them walking through california carnivores and it was incredible. I actually have a book(that I completely forgot I had until now!) from them called the savage garden.

 

[Troubledluna80]

I just recently added all sticky traps that go into the plants and have helps a lot. I don’t get yelled at about the bugs going in my husbands nose anymore

Did you put the sticky trap inside the enclosure? I have a seven month old panther chameleon and a bio active set up. The springtails and several varieties of isopods are thriving but so are the fungus gnats. The enclosure is in our bedroom so it’s super annoying. I have those sticky traps above my enclosure but not in. I was worried that might Chamaeleon would get stuck. They’re sort of working where they’re at but not enough any help is appreciated.

 

[MissSkittles]

Did you put the sticky trap inside the enclosure? I have a seven month old panther chameleon and a bio active set up. The springtails and several varieties of isopods are thriving but so are the fungus gnats. The enclosure is in our bedroom so it’s super annoying. I have those sticky traps above my enclosure but not in. I was worried that might Chamaeleon would get stuck. They’re sort of working where they’re at but not enough any help is appreciated.

Try getting a mantis ooth. When the babies hatch, they’ll take care of the fungus gnats plus give your cham some tasty little treats.