Getting rid of fungus gnats...

[Jerambis]

Due to my misting system, my plants get soaked very frequently with water, and because of this the fungus gnat population for some reason has erupted in the last few weeks. How can I get rid of these little buggers without doing any harm to my chameleons?

 

[dodolah]

repot the plants with new dry soil.
get better solution for drainage.

 

[Marc10edora]

I had to change the soil too. Also make sure you wash down all the roots in order to get rid of any eggs. Then for the survivor's, hang a sticky fly trap in the room for the next couple of weeks.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Let me add a step to re-potting:
When you do this be sure to rinse the roots and wash them with Dawn dishwashing detergent and rinse well. This has proven to work quite well in controlling them and does not hurt the plant.

-Brad

 

[davemailcall]

A little cup with a few ounces of vinegar also seems to work. I noticed one night I was drinking limeade and I left my cup over night near his cage. The next morning there were 3 or 4 of those stupid little things in my cup. Limeade works, but vinegar is better. Put a coffee filter with a hole in it over the top. Your cham should ignore it then.

 

[Sage]

what do they look like?

 

[dodolah]

the size:
http://www.bioresurs.uu.se/myller/stad/stad_bild/sorgmygga_vinggaffel_rod.jpg

the close up:
http://www.bugladyconsulting.com/images blc new/Fungus gnat on sticky card profile.jpg

like one of the members of this forum like to say:
They are minions of Satan! (I completely agree)

 

[Justyn]

Use BT (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) that they have for mosquitos. It is market under several names to control mosquitos in stagnant water. The most common brand name is "Mosquito Dunks," available at Wal-mart, Lowes, Home Depot, and you garden supply store. Just take the dunks, break them up into smaller parts and sprinkle the top of the potted plants. This is a bacteria that will only infect insects and is totally safe to your chameleon.

 

[Jerambis]

What if a cricket accidently eats some of this BT and then the chameleon eats that cricket?

 

[Jordan]

You could add an inch of rocks to the bottom part of the flower pots. This will help the water drain out of the soil fast. Of course empty the water from whatever you are using to catch water daily.

 

[Justyn]

This subspecies of BT will not infect crickets, other subspecies will.

What if a cricket accidently eats some of this BT and then the chameleon eats that cricket?

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

I've spent the past dozen years raising exotic plants from seed
Fungus gnats have cost me hundreds of dollars in seedling losses.
to say that I hate them is an understatement.

Outside of biological controls or traps your choices are limited to environmental.
Once a breeding site has been located and proven adults will be attracted to it
for their future displays and egglaying.

If you have a problem there's a few things you can do
1. make it inhabitable
-use a fan to blow air over the surface of the pot
the females will not be able to lay her eggs there.
2. Dry out the pots soil.
-most plants will be able to deal with dry soil much better than FG larvae (maggots).
-water the plant from the bottom of the pot and keep the topsoil dry
3. create a barrier
-using river gravel or decorative rock to create a barrier to the soil surface
keep the rock layer dry by watering from the bottom of the pot (above)
and the gnats will not be able to lay their eggs successfully.