Yeah Pyrethrum!!!  Tons of little screams... then silence. MWAHAHA!!  Thanks, after 4 days and two thorough applications, + some in between, significant reduction and very little showing on the sticky traps. Much more manageable. My problem with the DE is there are too many plants in my little space. I have noticed if the leaves then get wet it can cake and the leaf slowly die. Seriously too many. They are bigger now than I thought they would be in the spring. Will probably need to find someone nearby to share with soon, prob @ late Feb. early March.              

  I'm glad that it was successful for you, Mike.  I used Pyrethrin on my clothes in Alaska to ward off the state bird there...  the mighty mosquito.    Blue

Lol, hey Blue, I don't doubt it. Something that seems important though. The pyrethrum says to use it within 24 hours of being mixed (concentrate). The scent and effectiveness after a day did seem drastically reduced.

Just got my Neem Cake.  Look out gnats!

Nicotine is a very powerful insecticide.  I have used a pencil to poke holes and then put cigarette buts in.  If you want to make a spray try this

http://www.ehow.com/how_4884401_make-nicotine-insecticide.html

Note there are references that the "use [of neem cake] in potting mix may inhibit seed germination or stunt young plants."  "Exercise caution while using in potting mixes. Using more than 1% could cause a lack of seed germination or stunt young plants."  So be cautious using neem cake with your cuttings and when germinating seeds.

I used diluted peroxide solution to water, and dusted with DE... Solved the issue for me.

Nothing like fungas gnats flying around the house lol.

 The pyrethrum has worked great.

 After initially soaking the top soil, I re-spray @ weekly. I have also moved to sunshine mix 70%, 30% potting mix, and the top 2" sunshine mix. I also put sunshine mix on the very bottom where the drain holes are.

 98% better, and keeping a couple sticky traps out.

I still like a bit of potting soil in the mix. I keep reading about air at the roots and clear plastic cups.

 In what I have known about growing, air is bad. It promotes fungus and disease, seeds, plants, and transplanting anything in the garden. On sensitive plants, the roots do not like light. They will brown and slow growth.

 I do not see the need for clear cups as my success rate, other than the gnat plague, is well over 90%, roots and growth. I know some will not, but I'm starting to think my method or growing environment may be better, or people are too impatient or the cutting was not viable in the first place.

 Most of my cuttings have been fresh, or having just gone dormant, and first year growth which I think helps too

Hey all you gnat experts.  I am feeling a little unsure if the neem cake is ok to put on the new, yet to root cuttings I have starting out?  There seems to be different opinions on if the neem cake top dressing will inhibit root development on cuttings without roots?  Question is has anyone had a problem using the neem cake top dressing on newly started cuttings?  Or with using the neem cake tea on same?  Thank you for your kind assistance.  Nervous momma, Jodi

I've used this before i works great Gnat nix or paint strainers they come in all different sizes 

Thx Dave that looks like a new one I haven't heard of. Looks like a great non chemical way to beat these lil buggers. I assume it has worked well for you. That lil figlet looks really healthy. ;-).

Has anyone used the powder version of Pyrethrum?  This is the product I have:

https://store.pestproducts.com/Product/EverGreen-Pyrethrum-Dust-aka-PyGanic

I am wondering whether I should try dissolving it in water to make a spray or sprinkle it in powder form on the surface of the soil.  I have a particularly bad infestation in 5 two-gallon containers that were brought in from outside.  Gnatrol and H2O2 have not worked for me so far.

I HATE those little bastards... Been fighting the good fight all winter... Riptide, Gnatrol, H2O2, sticky pads, anything and everything else... It really is just a holding formation... Too many cuttings / pots indoors at one time and too many places for the bastards to cycle and grow. For the most part, the worst risk is to cuttings being rooted; they get into the medium and eradication seems to be really tough... I have 1" perlite on top of cups and 1.5" on bottoms. I noticed that they even get into the rooting baggies by crawling into the snipped bag corner openings. Going forward I will be filling the bottom 2" of bins holding rooting baggies with Perlit to keep the gnats from crawling into the snipped corners of the baggies and making the baggies into condominiums for themselves.... Very good killing results with the Riptide...; Gnatrol, not so much... I have been very miserly with water to point where cuttings have gotten a bit parched... this weeks watering will include Riptide and hopefully the Riptide will hold them at bay for another 4-6 weeks until I can start shuffling them outside for sun and fresh air which should help with the Gnat issue (I hope)...

There should be directions about application.

It gets more critical with new root growth according to the liquid.

I just happened to but a new bottle today, concentrate $22.95 at Agway.

Mike

Top dressing a 3/4" layer with 100% perlite or vermiculite will also prevent most of them from doing their thing.

when you do water, use only 3% H2O2 and when dry sprinkle with diatomaceous earth

Something I've wanted to experiment with but I have no gnats right now..... I use tea made from super-hot peppers as an insecticide for my fruits and vegetables. Works like a charm. I wonder how long those bugs would hold up if you top dressed with some Carolina Reaper or Trinidad Scorpion powder?

If anyone tries this, please post results.

I ended up sprinkling the pyrethrum powder over the surface of the soil.  I really didn't want to add any more liquid to the soil.  I wonder if I overdid it though.  The instructions didn't address its use for controlling fungus gnats in-doors.  I still haven't started any cuttings this year.  I was going to start some soon but I think it would be a bad idea until I get the gnats under control.

When you water it should help also.

One of the benefits of Pyrethrum is that it kills the larvae stage that resides in the first inch or so of the soil. Tiny little suckers. Besides dropping the flying little bastards.

I forgot the term, but Pyrethrum does not get taken into the plant from the roots. Meaning it does not show up in the fruit.

Mike

I've found that if I root cuttings in anything but plain old perlite, then I get gnats.  I even tried spreading a thick layer of DE on my cuttings in Promix and the gnats were crawling all over it like it wasn't a big deal.

When I tried DE it stuck to leaves, didn't want to come off and discolored them.

It was so useless I was pissed

I see the toppings vermiculite/perilite are effective, but if you have a bunch together, how can you tell when they need water?

A little too dry can do them in when they are new.