Houseplants
and herbs

Beautiful green plants provide a natural atmosphere make the home really cozy. But even in our own four walls, they are not protected from pests. A particularly widespread and well-known pest is the fungus gnat. It often appears on houseplants or herbs that are in the apartment, on the balcony or in the greenhouse.

Damage caused by fungus gnats

Fungus gnats are very small black gnats, about 3 mm in size. They are easily recognized by their two long wings and sluggish, lurching flight. Their larvae are about 5 mm long, legless, slender, glassy translucent with a dark head. The life cycle from egg to larva and pupa to adult is about 28 days.

The damage is caused by the larvae of fungus gnats, which grow in the potting soil. There they feed on the fine roots of the plants before they pupate and finally hatch out of the soil as adult gnats. This leads to weaker nutrient uptake by the plants, which can cause leaves and, in the worst case, even the entire plant to die. In addition, it is extremely annoying when the small black flies fly in large numbers through the house or apartment.

How can I control fungus gnats?

The nematode species Steinernema feltiae specializes in fungus gnat larvae, among other things, and can use them for its own feeding and reproduction. The nematodes penetrate the fungus gnat larvae, where they secrete a bacterium that kills the larvae. Within the larvae, the nematodes reproduce and go in search of more larvae. This process repeats until there are no more larvae. Our products nemaplus® and nemaplus® Depot contain nematodes of the species Steinernema feltiae and are optimally adapted to the control of fungus gnats.

When can I control fungus gnats?

Fungus gnats can be controlled all year round as long as the soil temperature is between 8°C and 28°C.