Comments on: Steinernema feltiae – Fungus Gnat Killer

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:37:44 +0000

Hi Bently

Actually there is TheBugFactory.ca and their prices are about the same. I’m currently waiting on a shipping cost from them.
http://thebugfactory.ca/shop/product_info.php?products_id=29

By: Bentley

Bentley — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:06:07 +0000

Hi Mike – sorry for delay responding. Also sorry to hear about your lack of luck with NIC. I am a lot closer to them myself, so the shipping wasn’t TOO bad, but it was still enough (when added to the expensive pricing) to make me decide that I probably wouldn’t be buying any more parasitic nematodes! I’m surprised there wouldn’t be any suppliers out in BC. You’d think all those…uhhh…growers out there would need these things to help keep fungus gnats under control!
Hmmm…

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:26:30 +0000

I heard back from Natural Insect Control. An $23 order of NEMS (Soil Larva Parasite) cost $35 dollars to ship! Ouch! They also don’t have any retailers in Alberta so I can’t buy them locally. I’ll have to rethink this one.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:37:55 +0000

Good luck! They’re persistent buggers. Hopefully some good ol’ fashion biological warfare will rectify things.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:21:08 +0000

Update – I emailed Natural Insect Control (NIC) again yesterday and got a reply this morning. If their shipping costs aren’t outrageous I’ll order some and report back on how they work in my bin.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:02:15 +0000

Bryan

I’m an apartment dweller so they’re starting to get annoying. I was surprised my your comment about them not liking light as I find a couple of dozen of them on the window just above my bin each morning. On the theme of a slight silver lining for this cloud of gnats, the window is an old style single pane that frosts over during cold spells. The gnats end up freezing to the glass and die.

I’ve tried keeping a good layer of dry bedding on top but it hasn’t helped.

I haven’t looked locally for nematodes but I’m in a small town. Unless Walmart or Canadian Tire carries them and switches to their spring stock I’m probably looking at buying them off the web.

Mike

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:38:18 +0000

Mike–I had a pretty serious infestation as well. I managed to get it partly under control with a combination of constant sweeping up of the gnats (my bin’s in my garage), greater concentration of bedding (apparently they don’t like to burrow), and the nematodes.

I’ve since discovered that keeping the lid off and keeping the bin in a place with some light keeps the gnats under control. And keeping the bin elevated off the ground, like on a pair of 2×4s. They don’t like the light and they want a pretty damp environment. And they like to collect beneath my bin.

I’m sure Bentley will have more serious advice, but from one worm farmer to another, I thought I’d share. I also just bought my nematodes at my local garden center.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 19:45:27 +0000

I have a serious fungus gnat infestation in my indoor tote bin. At least I think they’re gnats – no red eyes that I can see. I emailed Natural Insect Control (NIC) before x-mas for some info on costs for an order of NEMS (Soil Larva Parasite) shipped to Alberta. Haven’t heard back – do they shutdown over the winter?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:56:37 +0000

Thanks! I ended up diluting them in a fraction of the water called for on the package–maybe 2 cups instead of a gallon or more. I don’t have a garden, so I wanted to use them all in the bin. I soaked some dry newspaper in the nematode mixture and put that in there, and just poured the rest on and left the bin uncovered. So far so good. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to capture photographically evidence of their operations, like you have, but I’m hoping I’ll notice a discernible reduction in the gnat population.

By: Bentley

Bentley — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:39:30 +0000

Hey Brian – sorry for the delay getting back to your here. That is a good question. Given my frugal nature (and how expensive I remember the nematodes being – haha) my gut feeling is to recommend doing the water dilution. BUT, if there is absolutely no other place you will be using the nematodes (your garden, other worm bins etc) then perhaps there really isn’t much point in doing so. I think they will keep for a period of time in the fridge, but again if you don’t have any other potential application for them, it will be kind of a waste. At least by adding the sponge to the bin (not sure I would bother to cut it up) you will end up with LOTS of them in there. If you don’t add water – at least make sure to mist the area where they are added. The moisture will help them move around and find their hosts.