How to get rid of Fungus Gnats?
The fungus gnat is a common indoor pest that thrives in the soil of potted plants or greenhouses.
Fungus gnats can breed all year round in greenhouses and houses. The females deposit eggs in the surface layer of the potting compost and these hatch within a few days under warm conditions. Its life cycle is three to four weeks.
BLAM BTI contains a natural subtance: the Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI) that is extremely effective at killing the larvae of fungus gnats.
Fungus gnat larvae
Fungus gnats deposit their eggs in 5 cm of damp soil. Inside a house, that type of environment is often found the potting mix of a potted plant.
One female fungus gnat alone can produce several generations of offspring each season. This can inundate your plants with larvae.
Fungus gnat larvae feed on the roots and inside stems of most common houseplants. The resulting damage manifests as plant yellowing and slow, stunted growth.
Additionally, adult gnats can spread pathogens from one plant to others, harming all the plants in your house.
Fungus gnat larvae and Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis
The key active ingredient of BLAM BTI is a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis, or BTI.
BTI isn’t a pesticide.
BTI is a baccilum that functions as a biological mosquito larvicide. In addition to affecting mosquito larvae, BTI is also highly effective against Fungus Gnat larvae and fruit fly larvae.
BTI naturally kills these larvae through indigestion but leaves the surrounding environment unharmed. This is very important: BTI does not damage plants, birds, mammals and other insects.
BTI only affects larvae of mosquito, fungus gnats and fruit flies. It does NOT affect the adult form (or the pupea) of the mosquito or fungus gnat: only the larvae.
How to use BLAM BTI to remove fungus gnat larvae
BLAM BTI is pure Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis in powder form at a very high concentration. Its main use is to kill mosquito larvae in water, but BLAM BTI can also be effecticely used to kill fungus gnat (or fruit fly) larvae in the soil.
- Mix 2g of BLAM BTI into 1 liter of water (for severly infected soil you might want to increase dosage to 4g of BLAM BTI / liter of water).
- Mix well to evenly distribute BLAM BTI
- Pour the mix evenly on your plant soil. Cover the surface of the soil.
- Larvae should be destroyed within 24 to 48 hours. Note that BLAM BTI only affects larvae: not adults and not the pupea.
- Repeat every 3 weeks
BLAM BTI also efficient against Black flies larvae
Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis contained in BLAM BTI is also efficient against the larval stage of black flies. However this Bacillus does not work with the larval stage of the house fly, stable fly or blow flies (Source: Winsconsin Master Gardener, 24 Oct 2016)
Useful links
- BLAM BTI Mosquito Larvae: Presentation
- User Guide BLAM BTI
- FAQ BLAM BTI
- Understanding BTI: Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis
- Where to purchase BLAM BTI?
- Getting rid of Fungus Gnat larvae with BLAM BTI
- BLAM BTI also affects Fungus Gnat, Black Flies and many other pest