babs15 wrote:I just wanted to tell you that my bowl of soapy water is quite full with the gnats. Every morning (I have to put my glasses on to do this) I have been inspecting the base of my avocado plant. I still see activity. Oh, I forgot to say that I also filled a spray bottle with soapy water and that also has been terrific. There are many dead bugs on the floor after I spray. I don't know how long this is going to go on for. Any thoughts on that? Thanks again, Barbara
See! They can't help themselves.
Killing the adults will help to break the cycle and you should be seeing less flying around. I believe watering with the same soapy water will weaken or kill some of the larvae. I also dust the soil surface with diatomaceous earth powder -- BE SURE to use the raw agricultural/horticultural kind (or human consumption supplement if you want to spend the money) and NOT the heat processed pool filtering kind which is hazardous -- to pierce the larvae and kill them when the soil surface is drying.
But seriously you can get DE from good garden centers and feed stores because they are added to animal feed against the bugs in them and some people use it as livestock wormers.
Typical timeframe for eliminating most if not all pest infestation is two weeks of regular treatment.
You are almost there.
