LundqvistNYR
Member
what do you guys do about gnats/fruit flies in cages from plants?
gnat problems in cages!
- Thread starter LundqvistNYR
- Start date
LundqvistNYR
Member
i dont think so.
pigglett79
Avid Member
What I did is take the plant out and re-pot them I added half sand to increase drainage and also the top layer is sand to prevent gnats from laying eggs. I then add a layer of screen to keep the chameleon out of the sand for hanging plants or river rocks for plants on the bottom of the cage.
Bane
New Member
Fungus gnats (small black flies) are a real bugger. I have poison for them for my house plants but of course a no-no for a plant in a cham cage. Piglett79 is right, they cannot live in dry sand and they only live in the first inch or so of the pot so a layer of sand will keep them away. I will have to do that with all of mine before they kill the plant. Fungus gnats eat plant roots after they run out of fungus.
ridgebax1
Avid Member
There is a biologic treatment: Green it Nema-Globe Fungus Gnat Pest Control; It is actually the larvae that live in the soil and eat the roots of your live plants. I have a planted cage and I was having terrible gnat problem so I removed all the dirt; used about an inch of gravel, then added 50/50 soil/sand mixture; then I put landscape cloth over the soil and added a two to three inch layer of sand and covered that with river rocks. I watered thoroughly with the Nema-globe fungus gnat control. I have a few now but not enough to even bother with. I also read that you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide on the soil too. I was going to try it if the biologic did not work but it did so I did not have to try it.
Mike Fisher
Established Member
If it is just fruit flies, I ignore them. My chams like to snack on them. I've seen even the biggest chameleons picking them off. Not much of a meal for the big ones though.
Last year one of my females seemed to not be eating her feeders but was gaining weight. One day I caught her eating fruit flies and springtails, one after the other pretty much all day long.
Last year one of my females seemed to not be eating her feeders but was gaining weight. One day I caught her eating fruit flies and springtails, one after the other pretty much all day long.
Chuck Lawson
New Member
Another solution to fungus gnats is to repot in media that has a fairly low organic content. I repotted everything that went in the cage in what I use for most houseplants, a mix of roughly equal parts turface, crushed granite and orchid bark. This drains fast so roots don't rot out from a lot of misting, and doesn't seem to interest fungus gnats.
