Recently one of my Dorcus titanus breeding setips has been infested with fungus gnats. At first it was only a few but now there are so many that it is unmanagable. My current plan of action is to remove the beetles and any larvae that I can find and use dry ice to gas the enclosure. Does any one have better suggestions/advice for dealing with these pests?
Dealing with Fungus Gnats
- Thread starter Kees Hood
- Start date
MWAInverts
L3
High infestations of fungus gnats is usually due to lack of air flow or some source of decayed material, whichis nearly impossivle to avoid, so the best bet is prevention! When I used to breed beetles, I found it a lot easier to cover the rearing containers with a coffee filter or fine cloth that'll prevent the adults gnats from getting in to begin with. I would just clean the larvae off and freeze the infested substrate.
Hisserdude
Dynastes
I have these guys in all my containers. If you get rid of them, they will just come back. The only thing I can think of that will lower their population is to keep the cage a little drier.
Heat treat the substrate if it's a problem.
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Thanks for the replies everyone! I don't have a freezer big enough to fit the bin I'm using for breeding, so I will probably try heat treating it or ignoring it. Thankfully the gnats haven't infested any other enclosures and I should be able to contain them. Also, thanks to Beetle_Experience for linking me to that site. I didn't know it existed until now!
Shade of Eclipse
Fresh Imago
I've eradicated fungus gnats in my enclosures by treating all my substrate by using boiling water, vacuuming any loose adults flying about, and re-potting my houseplants with heat-treated substrates. Just make sure to cover your enclosures to make sure adults can't get into your clean substrate before you've eliminated them all from the room and house. Once they're gone from the enclosures and from your home, you're unlikely to see them return unless you bring them in from outside. If you allow them to continue breeding by ignoring them, there's always the chance of one egg-laden female getting into your other enclosures. Common sources of fungus gnats are compost bins, trash bins, and the potting substrate of house plants.
In my experience, drying the substrate can reduce the population, but they'll continue to successfully reproduce. Dry ice is also not a effective method of exterminating fungus gnats since many soil organisms can tolerate low oxygen levels for some time and because there will be pockets of oxygen within the soil where the carbon dioxide will not penetrate.
In my experience, drying the substrate can reduce the population, but they'll continue to successfully reproduce. Dry ice is also not a effective method of exterminating fungus gnats since many soil organisms can tolerate low oxygen levels for some time and because there will be pockets of oxygen within the soil where the carbon dioxide will not penetrate.