gnat solution

[saradoggy10]

Okay time for another session of Sara's crazy ideas.
The gnats are getting really bad and I'm trying traps and all that stuff but I wanted to run an idea by you. If I am not mistaken, I believe flightless fruit flys' genetics on dominant, meaning that if a fruit fly were to breed with a mutant fruit fly, the offspring would be most likely to have the mutation. If I released a few flightless fruitflies into my enclosure, do you think that eventually most of the flies would be flightless?

 

[CasqueAbove]

I like the logic, but alas no. First gnats are not fruit flies. 2 tried it lol. We have fruit flies in our house, I was hoping the same thing., but it did not happen.

Depending on your sen up, if you can take the plant out and let it dry out completely I think that kills them.

 

[jamest0o0]

There should just be a sticky that says, to get rid of soil gnats, set some drosera capensis next to your enclosure. Problem solved.

 

[mujino]

I second @jamest0o0. Sundew, venus flytrap, and pitcher plants are all great solutions (outside the enclosure).

I just ordered, so I can't recommend them yet - but here's a site that specializes in carnivorous plants. They've got a huge selection. https://www.petflytrap.com/

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Sundew, venus flytrap, and pitcher plants are all great solutions (outside the enclosure).

Why outside? I had planned on putting all 3 inside. Didn't find anything about their being toxic.

All I could find locally was the pitcher plant (The garden stores are all stinking with them this year, but not carrying the other two, which they usually do. ). The pitcher plant will also work better as a hanger rather than on or near the floor.

 

[bbyoda]

I second @jamest0o0. Sundew, venus flytrap, and pitcher plants are all great solutions (outside the enclosure).

I just ordered, so I can't recommend them yet - but here's a site that specializes in carnivorous plants. They've got a huge selection. https://www.petflytrap.com/

Curious - why outside the enclosure? My pitcher plant is thriving inside my enclosure and catches most of my enclosure's fungus gnats. The sundews sitting in my window sill aren't catching anything.

I'm guessing sundew and venus fly traps might have different care needs that don't mesh well with how we have to keep our enclosures.

 

[jamest0o0]

Curious - why outside the enclosure? My pitcher plant is thriving inside my enclosure and catches most of my enclosure's fungus gnats. The sundews sitting in my window sill aren't catching anything.

I'm guessing sundew and venus fly traps might have different care needs that don't mesh well with how we have to keep our enclosures.

Most Nepenthes do great in enclosures, I've had several and they were very happy. They don't catch as much as the drosera capensis though IME. I had a monstrous gnat problem solved by a few drosera capensis sundews. If your nepenthes is cleaning them up in the enclosure I'm guessing there's not that many and they're just going to the pitchers before leaving the enclosure to reach the sundews?

The sundews(drosera capensis works best IME) tend to be cheaper and easier than most nepenthes if you can't put them in your enclosure for whatever reason so that's why I suggest them.

Oh and yes, a sundew or venus fly trap would be nearly impossible longterm in an enclosure unless you have a bog for it to sit in lol. Idt a venus fly trap would be of much use, they don't even commonly catch flies, but ground crawling insects usually and one at a time.

 

[jamest0o0]

But really, whichever works. For some it might be easier to have a pitcher in the enclosure, others might be easier to have some sundews next to it. In any case, I find they work much better than any of the fly trap methods.

 

[bbyoda]

Most Nepenthes do great in enclosures, I've had several and they were very happy. They don't catch as much as the drosera capensis though IME. I had a monstrous gnat problem solved by a few drosera capensis sundews. If your nepenthes is cleaning them up in the enclosure I'm guessing there's not that many and they're just going to the pitchers before leaving the enclosure to reach the sundews?

The sundews(drosera capensis works best IME) tend to be cheaper and easier than most nepenthes if you can't put them in your enclosure for whatever reason so that's why I suggest them.

Oh and yes, a sundew or venus fly trap would be nearly impossible longterm in an enclosure unless you have a bog for it to sit in lol. Idt a venus fly trap would be of much use, they don't even commonly catch flies, but ground crawling insects usually and one at a time.

Makes sense, thank you! I wouldn't want venus fly traps or sundews on the ground in my enclosure cause they'd probably eat my lovely isopods. Yoda is already a picking them off. ?‍

The recent pitcher plant Chameleon Academy episode was pretty informative, for anyone who's interested:
https://chameleonacademy.com/ep-160-nepenthes-tropical-pitcher-plants-with-jeremiah-harris/

 

[mujino]

Most Nepenthes do great in enclosures, I've had several and they were very happy. They don't catch as much as the drosera capensis though IME. I had a monstrous gnat problem solved by a few drosera capensis sundews. If your nepenthes is cleaning them up in the enclosure I'm guessing there's not that many and they're just going to the pitchers before leaving the enclosure to reach the sundews?

The sundews(drosera capensis works best IME) tend to be cheaper and easier than most nepenthes if you can't put them in your enclosure for whatever reason so that's why I suggest them.

Oh and yes, a sundew or venus fly trap would be nearly impossible longterm in an enclosure unless you have a bog for it to sit in lol. Idt a venus fly trap would be of much use, they don't even commonly catch flies, but ground crawling insects usually and one at a time.

How big are your pitchers? Do the ever get ahold of your CUC?

 

[jamest0o0]

How big are your pitchers? Do the ever get ahold of your CUC?

Mine were pretty big back in my old enclosure and they grew a lot. I had them suspended on some branches under the lights and misters. I did find a lot of millipedes and some isopods in them, but nothing that hurt the population in my enclosure.

 

[MissSkittles]

Curious - why outside the enclosure? My pitcher plant is thriving inside my enclosure and catches most of my enclosure's fungus gnats. The sundews sitting in my window sill aren't catching anything.

I'm guessing sundew and venus fly traps might have different care needs that don't mesh well with how we have to keep our enclosures.

From the planting instructions I was sent with my carnivorous plants, they need a nutrient poor substrate and need to basically sit in distilled water. I’ve followed the instructions and they’re doing well.