What is this bug?

[smokedawg402]

Can anyone help me with what this bug might be? They showed up in my flowering room and are flying around all over. There doesn't seem to be any sign of damage on the plants (yet) from them, but it has me worried. I have never seen them before in my years of growing.

Please see attached images.

View attachment bug.pdf

 

[BackWoodsDrifter]

Please post different

BWD

 

[KP419]

I have seen them a few times before but only after I watered my soil plants. Look kind of like a knat or fruit fly but whatever it was it was attracted to the wet soil. When I had only hydro DWC buckets i never saw them but once I added a few soil plants in there I see them every once and awhile. My room is very clean too so seems they were attracted to the wet soil so i think they are knats IMO.

 

[smokedawg402]

I have seen them a few times before but only after I watered my soil plants. Look kind of like a knat or fruit fly but whatever it was it was attracted to the wet soil. When I had only hydro DWC buckets i never saw them but once I added a few soil plants in there I see them every once and awhile. My room is very clean too so seems they were attracted to the wet soil so i think they are knats IMO.

I believe you are correct that it is some sort of gnat. Those images were at 100x and 400x so its smaller then any fungus gnat or fruit fly I've seen before, but does resemble a fungus gnat. I am currently using Gnatrol Biological Larvicide for the fungus gnats I had (works great), but am wondering about what kind of insecticide spray to use on flowering plants..

Do you suggest pyrethrum insecticide's? Are they ok to use near harvest time? What would you recommend as a treatment?

 

[Rosebud]

If they are just in the dirt, let the dirt dry well between watering. I don't see any reason to use any chemicals if it isn't a huge problem.

 

[pcduck]

fungus gnats.

Your soil has some good organic material in it.

If becomes bother some top dress with a couple inches perlite

If you are growing organic and using a natural mulch this is common. Nature has a way of evening things out, so if they don't get out of hand I would not worry about them. The mulch will dry out and not your soil and this will slow down the gnats.

 

[DrFever]

yup Pcduck is correct avoid over watering you can add a layer of sand on top of soil, also use tubes to water plants deeper in side of soil as to keep top 2 " of soil dry that is where the gnat larvae are waiting to be watered and hatch.
first things a person should do is get sticky traps to monitor the population of adult gnats flying around , you can peel a potato cut it into small cubes place on top of soil the larvae love that and will go to the potato keep replacing potato peel every day or so ,
cinamin is a natural deterent sprinkle lots of cinamin on top of soil will help prevent adults to try to get back into soil to re populate , also bounce dryer sheets also works placing them on soil after each watering there is citronella in them bounce sheets which bugs tend to avoid at all costs
good luck

 

[Dman1234]

a good drying out of the soil and they are gone, point a fan at your soil surfaces to speed things up.

 

[WeedHopper]

I always have alot of moving air and mostly Negative exhuast. Nats dont stand a chance.

 

[smokedawg402]

Thanks all for the advice. I have used playground sand in the past and that killed 90% of the fungus gnat population. I just have never seen these types of gnats before. When looking at them, they appear as a bright yellow spec, only way you can tell it is a bug is when it fly's around...whereas the normal fungus gnats I've have seen are much larger and darker.
I hung a Sticky trap last night as suggested and I think it is already starting to have an effect.

 

[BackWoodsDrifter]

Swears by me sand I do

BWD