black flies? worry or not?

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widairyfarms

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I just checked my babies and I noticed small black flies. They don't seem to be interested in the plants that are making a home in the to layer of my soil. I can get been oil easily but would it hurt my plants or is this nothing to worry about? It seemed they just showed up today but they may have been in larval stage till now too. They are ring and don't bite (me). But do I need to do something and if not been oil then what?
Thanks
 
I am thinking that you meant neem oil instead of been oil? If so, don't use it. First it is meant as a foliar spray and is not to be used as a systemic. Secondly, I have never actually seen it do any good on eradicating any kinds of pests. I do not know how neem oil got such a big name in mj growing, but they must have some good ad men. This stuff really is not good. It puts an oily coating on the plants that takes forever to go away, but more importantly it does not work.

For pests in the soil like this, get some DE (diatomaceous earth) and put it on top of the soil. You need to water your plants from the bottom when using it.
 
those seemingly harmless little things, whatever they are, will do much damage to your plants if you don't deal with it
 
Small black flies making their home in the soil is usually fungus gnats. Do a search and see if the picture matches. Fairly easy to get rid of as I've dealt with this multiple times.

2 step process
First
You need a product called BTI - Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies Israelensis. Not sure whats available in the US i believe Home Depot carries Mosquito dunks that contain this. Do not buy Safers BT as it is Bacillus thuringiensis but a different species and works on caterpillars.

BTI is an enzyme that is eaten by the larvae and shreds the stomach to pieces. Works on mosquitos and fungus knats and is completely safe for human consumption (not that you would drink it).

2-3 treatments 3 days apart and you will kill off the all hatching larvae.


Second
Get the little yellow sticky paper that you put in the green sticks. Put the sticky paper on the lowest part of the stick and sink this into the soil till it touches. Within a day or 2 you will see it covered in gnats. This takes care of the adults.

Do not hang it. This little buggers prefer to crawl more than fly and from experience you get a tonne more by placing it at the soil level
 
I don't allow any bugs to live in my rooms, only Praying Mantis or Lady Bugs would get a pass....all else die, even ants.
 
I killed one and sure enough fungus gnats! I looked at Google images and it even explains my spotted leaves. I have some work to do. I have to get these little punks. As I always say the best lessons learned are the hardest. I'll need like six strips and those dunks. Then my babies will start shooting up like they did at first. You guys rock!
Just a side note I just started the process to get my BA in Horticulture.
Thanks again.
 
I would get some diamotaceous earth and put on top of the soil.
 
I am thinking that you meant neem oil instead of been oil? If so, don't use it. First it is meant as a foliar spray and is not to be used as a systemic. Secondly, I have never actually seen it do any good on eradicating any kinds of pests. I do not know how neem oil got such a big name in mj growing, but they must have some good ad men. This stuff really is not good. It puts an oily coating on the plants that takes forever to go away, but more importantly it does not work.
.

completely disagree
neem oil (einstein oil) worked brilliant for me to eradicate thrips when i had them.


i do agree, it's useless in this situation. and the wrong product to reach for.. but it is a good product. (and i think you're supposed to wash it off a while after applying, may be why you dislike it so much.. though i never did)
will admit; there's likely better products, but to say neem doesn't work is not true.
 
get a fan pointed at the surface of your soil and the knats will disappear as the soil dries out.
 
The only way I could get rid of the little bastards was to put an inch of beach/play sand on top of the soil. The flies won't hurt the plants, it's the grubs that will eat the roots off of them that will actually kill the plants given enough time.
I tired the different biological methods with no results. If you use diatomaceous earth, be very careful not to breathe in the dust. It works like asbestos in your lungs, not a good thing.
You can buy it cheap at a pool supply place, but make sure it doesn't come with added bleach.
In hydro, I had pretty good luck giving 'em a morning drink of H2O2, 3%, poured directly into the net pots.
 
No need to struggle when there are cheap products that do the trick against Fungus Gnats.

Product for the top of your medium:
630643_front500.jpg


And if you keep any type of container to allow your water to sit, place one of these in some sort of filtering device like a media bag, panty hose type of thing and every time you fill you can have this in the container.

102-12-Mosquito-Dunk-2-pk.jpg


Once you problem is solved [about 3 weeks total] just keep these in your watering cans. Last about a month.

Yellow traps do help rid the flyers a lot faster.
 
Good suggestions. Make sure you let the top dry. If needed water from the bottom. More fans down low. I have used azamax as a soil drench and it worked great. I had great success with azamax but only as a soil drench in flower. I saw none after the first soil drench and I would do a second 3 or 4 days later. Way better than straight neem but it is dirived from neem . Azatrol is also used.
 
completely disagree
neem oil (einstein oil) worked brilliant for me to eradicate thrips when i had them.


i do agree, it's useless in this situation. and the wrong product to reach for.. but it is a good product. (and i think you're supposed to wash it off a while after applying, may be why you dislike it so much.. though i never did)
will admit; there's likely better products, but to say neem doesn't work is not true.

It is oil and doesn't seem to wash off. Yes, I really dislike that stuff. If you have had success, great, but I know far far more people disappointed with it than happy with it. LOL--in fact, I dislike it so much that I simply will not use it anymore. I never ever had a good experience with it.
 
It is oil and doesn't seem to wash off. Yes, I really dislike that stuff. If you have had success, great, but I know far far more people disappointed with it than happy with it. LOL--in fact, I dislike it so much that I simply will not use it anymore. I never ever had a good experience with it.

I also had terible results with neem and will not use it again. But funny i do like the extraxt on neem which is in azamax. Great mite preventative also as a foliar spray but only use in veg. Great thing is unlike neem you dont need to wash it off. That's probably why its sold at most grow stores. Many stores that's all they have for mites. Azatrol or azamax except maybe doctor doom or crap like that.they dont sell avid or forbid here.
 

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