Fungus gnat is a huge pain to deal with – and you’d be better off trapping it rather than poisoning it. But what is the best fungus gnat trap on the market?
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What are Fungus Gnats?
Fungus gnats are small, dark-colored flying insects that often congregate near windows. While they may be a nuisance, they are not known to transmit disease. However, their larvae can cause serious problems for infested house plants.
While fungus gnats do not bite humans, this bug feeds organic matter in the potting soil. They also eat the roots of infested plants, which can damage the plant roots and make them more susceptible to disease.
If their populations increase too much, they could also infect the roots and damage the infested house plant.
Read More Here: Are Gnats Dangerous?
An infestation of fungus gnats can quickly kill seedlings and young plants. Adult fungus gnats are attracted to the moist soil surface, so they are often found near potted plants or house plants that have been overwatered.
To get rid of fungus gnats, it is important to let the soil dry out between the watering of house plants. This will kill the fungus gnat larvae and make the adult gnats less likely to lay their eggs in moist soil. In addition, using an insecticide can help kill fungus gnats.
Fungus Gnat Larvae
If you’re dealing with a fungus gnat infestation, you’re probably seeing a lot of adult gnats flying around. But what you may not realize is that it’s the fungus gnat larvae that are causing the most damage.
Fungus gnat larvae are small, white insects that live in the soil. They feed on fungus and organic matter, which can damage plant roots and lead to stunted growth. If you have fungus gnats in your home, it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible.
There are a few different ways to get rid of fungus gnats, including insecticides and fly traps. But the best way to get rid of them is to prevent them from coming in in the first place.
Here are a few tips to prevent fungus gnats:
Keep your houseplant soil dry.
Fungus gnats thrive in moist conditions, so keeping the soil around your plants dry will help discourage them from moving in.
Don’t over-water your plants.
This can create the perfect environment for adult gnats to breed and lay their eggs.
Keep your houseplants clean.
Wipe down the leaves and stems of your plants regularly to remove any fungus that might be attracting fungus gnats.
Use a sterile potting mix.
If you’re repotting a plant, make sure to use a sterile potting mix that doesn’t contain any fungus gnat larvae.
Following these tips will help you avoid a fungus gnat infestation in your home. But if you already have fungus gnats, the best thing to do is to get rid of them as soon as possible. Otherwise, they could damage your plants and cause stunted growth.
Fungus Gnats vs Fruit Flies: What’s the Difference?
Fruit flies and fungus gnats may look similar, but there are a few key differences between these two types of pests. For one, fruit flies are attracted to overripe fruit and vegetables, while fungus gnats are more interested in damp soil.
Fungus gnats are black and have long legs, while fruit flies are brown and rounder. Fruit flies are also known to bite, while fungus gnats generally don’t. If you’re dealing with these pests, you may want to try setting out a sticky trap or fruit fly trap to catch them.
Fungus Gnats vs White Flies: What’s the Difference?
Where Are They Found?
Fungus gnats are small, dark-colored flies that are often found near houseplants. They get their name from their fondness for feeding fungi.
White flies, on the other hand, are small white insects that are often found near vegetable gardens. Both types of insects can be difficult to control, but there are some key differences between them.
What Weather Conditions are They Attracted To?
Fungus gnats are attracted to damp conditions, while whiteflies prefer dry conditions. This means that you’re more likely to find fungus gnats near potted plants or in areas with high humidity.
A white fly, on the other hand, is often found in dry, sunny areas such as vegetable gardens.
What is Their Life Cycle?
Fungus gnats also have a slightly different life cycle than whiteflies. The adult females lay their eggs on the surface of moist soil, and the eggs hatch a few days later.
The larvae then spend several weeks feeding on fungi and organic matter in the plant soil before pupating into adults. The entire life cycle from egg to adult takes about 4-6 weeks.
A white fly, on the other hand, has a shorter life cycle of only 2-4 weeks.
What Do They Eat?
Finally, there are some key differences in the way that these two types of insects feed. Fungus gnats primarily feed on fungi, while this white-colored bug feeds on the sap of plants.
This can cause different problems for gardeners and homeowners. For example, fungus gnats can damage seedlings by eating away at their roots, while this white-colored fly can weaken houseplants by sucking out their sap.
The 5 Most Popular Fungus Gnat Traps Currently in the Market
Fungus gnats are small annoying little insects, with an appearance that’s a cross between fruit flies and mosquitoes. In small amounts, fungus gnats don’t seem to cause much harm, but they multiply quite quickly, and getting rid of them becomes an absolute necessity.
They might be among the hardest pests to eliminate. However, these traps have already proved successful in catching these stubborn pests. The ones we selected have different features, methods of trapping the gnats, and price ranges.
1. Stingmon Fungus Gnat Traps
- Yellow sticky traps: our gnat traps have bright color to attract flying insects, and high quality glue keeps them from escaping. Specially designed...
- Family safe: our sticky traps and gnat traps indoor use bright colors and glue to catch pests, no odors and harmful drugs. Our fruit fly killer and...
- Warm prompt: with the temperatures rise in the summer, maybe causes the glue to melt, and plant sticky traps indoor stick together. Please keep this...
Applying some glue on a piece of paper and placing it where gnats buzz around usually works in trapping them. However, if the paper is yellow, the results are far more impressive. The Stingmon sticky trap employs this principle fully.
These bright yellow sticky traps attract various types of flying insects. But they need to be near the plants to work optimally. The pack contains 12 yellow sticky traps that look like butterfly or flower cut-outs.
They come with pointed arrow-like bottoms, which makes inserting them into the soil a breeze. There’s no need for sticks, hooks, or threads to tie them to the plants. You can place them inside a potted plant, or in a flower bed, and they wouldn’t stick out at all.
The Stingmon traps aren’t toxic and according to the manufacturer, the glue on these yellow sticky traps is safe around people and pets. Additionally, they don’t hold any repulsive odors. So they aren’t problematic indoors or outdoors.
These traps have a long shelf life, so you’d only need to replace them when they fill up with bugs. They’re UV-resistant and don’t spoil under a splash of water, so a single pack of traps should stay with you for quite some time.
The price of the pack is less than $10, so this product is definitely a catch.
2. Katchy Gnat Indoor Non-Zapper Traps
- Triple trapping power: a UV light, powerful fan, and sticky glue board combines to be an effective way for how to get rid of fruit flies, gnats, and...
- Use the fruit fly trap for indoors close to insect-ridden fruit, plants or trash bin. Turn off the lights for best results.
- No more ugly traps! Subtle and stylish; easily place in your home, kitchen, or office as a decorative piece. No zapper needed.
The appearance of a dead insect stuck on a glue trap isn’t exactly a pretty sight. And in some places, it’s best to avoid it altogether. For example, kitchens, dining areas, cafes, workspaces, and other glam venues shouldn’t show off dead gnats.
Luckily, there are discreet methods that trap fungus gnats, without making a scene out of it. Katchy is among the stylish devices that eliminate small flying insects while looking decorative.
Usually, trapping the adults only is good but barely sufficient, as the larvae can remain in the damp soil for some time, then suddenly emerge as adults. Thus, it’s recommended to use Katchy along with other pest control methods.
This device isn’t terribly costly, but some might feel that paying close to $50 is a bit overboard. It is an efficient, decorative, and discreet gnat trap though, so we believe it’s worth the price. Additionally, it eliminates moths, mosquitoes, and fruit flies infestations too, so that’s another big plus.
3. Dwcom Non-Toxic Fly Paper Bug Strips
- Widely applicable: The fly strips indoor capture aphids, leaf miner, fungus gnats, thrips, white flies, black flies, midges, mosquitoes and other...
- Easy to use: Pull out fly catcher tubes, hang the bug strips indoor sticky in areas where fruit flies often appear.
- Safe and no odor: The fly tape are made of super thick glue and waterproof paper. the fly ribbon has double-sided strong adhesive, no chemical or...
Sticky ribbons are among the efficient and budget-friendly solutions for catching fungus gnats. You can get a pack of 24 strips for around $10. They can be used indoors or outdoors since these strips are designed to take a splash of water in stride.
As you hang a sticky ribbon in place, you’d soon discover that fungus gnats aren’t the only bugs caught in the glue. The Dwcom traps also catch mosquitoes, flies, thrips, aphids, and various other flying insects. If you have an outdoor or patio gathering, these ribbons can really make a difference.
4. Raid Fruit Fly Trap
- Convenient insect trap to protect your fruits: When looking for an easy way to kill fruit flies that ruin your food, don't just rely on ordinary fly...
- Safe fruit fly killer that uses food lure attractants: When using the Raid Fruit Fly Killer Trap, you need not worry about getting in content with...
- Raid fruit fly trap you can count on: For many decades, Raid has always been the most trusted brand in pest control solutions. While we confidently...
Raid is one of the well-known brands in pest control, and they often try to introduce unique products to the market. This time, it’s with an apple-shaped insect fly trap.
The Raid fruit fly trap has a simple principle of luring in small flying insects by attracting them to food smell. Once they get inside, they can’t exit the apple insect fly trap.
According to the manufacturer, the trap works best in summer, as that’s when the bugs are enthused to get it for extra hydration.
The lures last for 30 days, but if the insect fly trap is too full, then you’d need to replace them before that time. Some users fill them up with apple cider vinegar or pineapple juice, and the traps work nicely.
A few snags with that insect fly trap are that it needs to be placed indoors, far from the reach of children, and once full, needs manual washing. Various other fly traps are just thrown away with their contents, but this one is a little ‘hands-on’!
The package comes with two units plus 6 lures. This should keep you well-stocked for up to 180 days. Raid fly traps cost around $15, and besides getting the gnats, they’re also good for eliminating fruit flies in horse barns.
5. Trappify Non-Toxic Houseplant Sticky Stakes Insect Traps
- Pest Control: Dual sided sticky bug cards for mosquito, leafminer, aphid, and other flying pest problems. Protect your best inside plant from fungus...
- Easy To Use: Peel off a trap from the stack and place in a houseplant, a home kitchen, or a garden. Highly rated zapper catchers to finally protect...
- Organic Gardening: Safe way to remove small pests with non toxic and no harsh ingredients. Fruit Flies, Gnats and other small flying insects are...
These stakes from Trappify are among the simplest and most economic fruit fly traps. For slightly more than $5, you get a pack full of 12 insect fly traps. They’re ready for insertion into the soil, and they attract the bugs right away.
These traps are free from harmful pesticides, chemicals, and other toxins. So you can use them in the potted plants around your house or in your office space to trap fungus gnats. They also attract a bunch of other bugs like fruit flies, thrips, blackflies, and midges.
Using Apple Cider Vinegar to Create a Fungus Gnat Trap
To make a fungus gnat trap and rid your home of fungus gnat infestation and fly problems, you will need:
- liquid dish soap
- apple cider vinegar
- raw potato
- shallow container
Instructions:
1. Cut the potato in half and then cut each half into thirds. You should have 6 pieces of potato in total.
2. Pour the vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap into the shallow container until it is about 1 inch deep. The dish soap breaks the surface tension.
3. Place the potato pieces into the soapy liquid, making sure that they are fully submerged.
4. Place the container near where you have seen fungus gnats and wait for them to be attracted to the potatoes.
5. Once they land on the potatoes, they will fall into the soapy liquid and drown. Check the container periodically and dispose of the dead gnats.
Can You Use Fruit Fly Traps?
If you’re anything like me, you hate fruit flies. They’re always buzzing around fruit bowls or overripe food and getting in your face when you’re trying to enjoy a nice piece of fruit.
But did you know that those fruit fly traps can also be used to rid your home of other flying insects, like fungus gnats? Yup, it’s true. Just set out a fruit fly trap or two near where you’ve seen the fungus gnats, and they’ll be drawn to the sweetness of the bait.
Soon, they’ll be stuck in the fruit fly killer or bug trap and out of your hair. So if you’re looking for a fruit fly killer that also happens to be effective against white flies, drain flies, and fungus gnats, we highly recommend giving fruit fly traps a try.
Conclusion
Fungus gnats are stubborn bugs that seem to come out of nowhere, and never ever go away! Eliminating their constantly increasing populations is often a challenge, and the most frustrating part about it is that they manage to return again and again.
Pest control usually consists of more than one approach. The most important solution to get rid of these bugs is to use a gnat trap. It’s good that the market contains a wide variety of models, starting from $5 to $50, and they all work well indoors and outdoors.
Another important point in eliminating fungus gnats is to make sure that the larvae are gone too. Keeping the soil dry for as long as possible is good. Also, removing dead leaves and placing some small rocks on top of the soil help a lot.
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