Fungus gnats might not be as dangerous as other pests, but they can be a serious annoyance. If you overwater your succulents, the gnats will flock to them and start breeding. They will try to live in your plant and emerge when you undertake any succulent care.
How to Control
A good way to prevent fungus gnats from congregating and making babies is to top your soil with decorative sand or lava rock toppings. This will cover the layer of soil that can be an attractive damp place for breeding.
You can effectively keep gnats at bay by coating your succulents regularly with an organic bug killer.
Ensure you let the soil around your succulents dry out completely between waterings. When things are dry, the gnats have no place to lay eggs, and any eggs or larvae that do exist will die off.
Check the soil and under the leaves to see any white eggs. If you see any of these, scoop them out and spray them with a natural pesticide. Be careful not to use too much pesticide, but you want to do your best to ensure all the adults, babies, and eggs have been killed.
Use yellow sticky traps. They are designed to attract and capture a variety of insects. You lay the sheets onto the soil surface, and the gnats get stuck. Then you can remove a bunch of adults before they can lay eggs.
Source: juicykits.com
Links
- Succupedia: Browse succulents by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, Origin, or cacti by Genus