Can Mosquito Dunks Kill Fungus Gnats and Fruit Flies?
This is a question I am hoping to answer via some experimentation in the near future.
Some may recall that I tested out the nematode, Steinernema feltiae, as a fungus gnat killer last year and found that it was reasonably effective. The problem was that it was a fairly expensive solution, and generally would require ongoing applications in order to keep the gnats at bay over the long haul. Incidentally, I also tested Steinernema against fruit fly larvae, but I discovered one of the other limitations of this biocontrol organism – that being heat intolerance (at least I am pretty sure that’s what the main issue was).
And if those limitations aren’t enough – perhaps I should remind you of the fact that Red Worms have been shown to kill these nematodes as well!
I have read that some people have used ‘mosquito dunks’ successfully to control fungus gnats, so I’ve decided to try them out myself. The advantage of this approach (assuming it works) is that the dunks are a lot less expensive (especially when you consider how long a package will last in comparison to nematodes), and just generally less of a hassle to deal with.
I’m thinking that if I simply immerse a small chunk o’ dunk in a container of water (a full dunk is apparently enough to treat 100 sq ft of water area, so using a full one might be a bit of overkill – haha), then use that water to moisten an infested habitat, it should (hopefully) work.
I’m definitely not as optimistic about the effectiveness against fruit fly larvae, but you never know. Fruit flies are in the same Order (Diptera) as gnats and mosquitoes, but I don’t know if there is enough similarity. The particular strain of bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (say that three times fast!) is specific to dipteran pests, while other strains are used against beetle larvae, caterpillars etc – so that gives me some hope.
The key will me to make sure there is enough of this bacteria in the test systems that it ends up being ingested.
Anyway – I will be getting some experiments up and running in the next week or so, and will write a post once I am ready to roll.
Written by Bentley on August 14th, 2009 with
8 comments.
Read more articles on Home Vermicomposting and Worm Bin Creatures.
Bentley
Rich
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Scott Bryce
983 lb of Food Waste, and Counting!
#1. August 20th, 2009, at 8:18 PM.
DIY pop bottle trap
Find a narrow-necked 2 or 3 liter soda bottle and fill the bottom inch or so with fruit juice, beer, soda, V8, apple cider, or vinegar along with a few drops of cooking oil or dish soap to break the liquid’s surface tension so any bugs that attempt to land will get caught in the liquid. Place the bottle in the area of infestation and watch all of the little fruit flies get trapped in the bottle or trapped in the liquid inside.
DIY Bowl trap
Don’t have any bottles? That’s ok, make this trap instead. Take any size bowl and cover the bottom with fruit juice, beer, soda, V8, apple cider, or vinegar (For other uses of vinegar, read how to make household uses for vinegar) along with a few drops of cooking oil or dish soap and then cover the top with plastic wrap. Poke several small holes in the wrap with a fork or thin knife and set it out in the area of infestation. The fruit flies will smell their way into the bowl and will be unable to escape