Mosquito Bits Vs Mosquito Dunks
Mosquito bits and mosquito dunks are very similar products. Both use BTI as the active ingredient to effectively control and reduce the mosquito population in a given area by killing larvae in active mosquito breeding grounds.
The main difference between the two is their size and shape. Mosquito bits come in the form of small pellets, while mosquito dunks are larger and shaped like a donut.
Because mosquito bits are smaller than dunks, they dissolve faster when in contact with water, resulting in a faster release of BTI. On the other hand, the larger mosquito dunks are designed to dissolve slowly, releasing BTI over time for better long-term control.
Comparing the two, mosquito bits generally dissolve within 24 hours, while mosquito dunks last about 30 days.
We recommend using mosquito bits for small areas of standing water, such as flower pots, plant saucers, old tires, roof gutters, small fountains, and bird baths. Theyre also effective for wet patches in grassy areas where water puddles tend to form during rainy seasons.
Mosquito dunks are generally recommended for larger areas of standing water, such as ponds, kiddie pools, and large fountains.
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Fungus Gnats Can Infest Potted Plants And The Insects Can Be Difficult To Control
The active ingredient in Mosquito Bits® is a biological larvacide called BTI . BTI is a naturally occurring bacterium thats deadly to both mosquito larvae and fungus gnat larvae.
Fungus gnats lay their eggs in the potting soil of houseplants and container plants, and the larvae live in the moist potting mix. In the larval stage, the fungus gnat maggots can cause plant damage by eating plant roots. After about two to three weeks, the fungus gnat maggots pupate to become the tiny black adult gnats that often take flight in a cloud of insects when a potted plant is moved.
The BTI in Mosquito Bits® also provides an extremely fast and effective way to quickly kill large populations of mosquito larvae. When spread on standing water where mosquitoes breed, Mosquito Bits® granules release a biological mosquito larvicide at the waters surface. As the BTI settles in the water, hungry mosquito larvae eat the BTI and die.
- Easy to use sprinkle or broadcast over standing water to kill mosquito larvae
- Quick acting, starts killing mosquito larvae within minutes
- Harmless to beneficial insects, pets, birds, fish, horses, livestock
- Water your plants with a “tea” made from Mosquito Bits to kill fungus gnat larvae in the soil
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Is It True That They Work On Gnats And Fungus Gnats
The fungus gnat
While dunks and bits are designed for mosquito control, we have heard of people having good success using them for fungus gnats. These are the gnats that annoy people all over the country, mainly in the summer months. If you find a breeding ground for the gnats, likely anywhere there is fungus as their name implies. They typically thrive in moist soil that is rich in organic matter and tends to not drain quickly. Because you dont have a puddle or pond to throw the dunks in to, weve heard that it works to dilute the dunk in a bucket of water, and then lightly spray or pour the treated water on the problem soil.
A Cheap Easy And Effective Way To Take Care Of Fungus Gnats:
Thats it! You can repeat these steps if needed!
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Preventing Fungus Gnats In The Future
- Let the soil dry out before watering Most plants actually prefer to be dry or mostly dry before being watered anyway, so this will help your plants and controlling fungus gnats. Since fungus gnats need moist soil where fungus and decaying matter are present to eat and reproduce, letting the soil dry out deprives them of their place to live.
- Quarantine new plants Having a place in your house where new plants can be for a short period of time is ideal so you can monitor the new plant for pests and allow the plant to begin to acclimatize to your home. If you begin to see fungus gnats or other pests, then you can treat that plant without having an outbreak among all of your plants.
- Pretreat new plants and new soil Rather than waiting to find out whether a plants soil is infested with fungus gnat larvae or eggs, you could pretreat by mixing mosquito bits into the soil or by watering the plant with a hydrogen peroxide solution .
WHAT I DO: I let almost all of my plants dry out completely which takes care of the vast majority of the issues. I also quarantine all new plants and monitor new plants for fungus gnats. While I do pre-treat new plants with a diluted neem oil and soap spray for other pests , I dont believe this to be an effective control for fungus gnats. So I prefer to just monitor and treat with a hydrogen peroxide solution if needed.
The Ultimate Gnat Killing Solution
While by themselves the different methods I used had varying degrees of success, you can use a number of them in conjunction to completely eradicate your gnat problem fairly quickly.
Ive put together this gnat killing regime which is effective and cheap.
Repeat steps 1 to 7 for a fortnight or a month, depending on the severity of the infestation.
If the gnats are still not wiped out, youre going to have to invest in the more expensive options and follow these steps:
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How To Use Mosquito Bits
Mosquito bits should be used on mosquito breeding sites in and around your property. These are usually in places where standing water collects, like ponds, pools, fountains, flowerpots and saucers, roof gutter, old tires, and plastic containers.
Sprinkle the mosquito bits evenly across the surface of standing water, using approximately 1 teaspoon of mosquito bits per 25 square feet of surface area or 1 tablespoon per 75 square feet of surface area.
When using mosquito bits, only a small amount is needed. For very small containers with only a few feet of surface area, just a few pellets is sufficient to kill all mosquito larvae living inside.
Apply mosquito bits every 7 days during peak mosquito season or when theres a lot of standing water with settled organic matter.
If there are only few mosquito larvae in the water, you can lower the frequency of application to approximately once every 14 days.
Mosquito bits can also be used to control fungus gnats plaguing your houseplants.
To kill fungus gnat larvae, evenly sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of dry mosquito bits in small pots or 1 tablespoon of mosquito bits in large pots .
When you water the plants, the watering will release BTI from the mosquito bits into the soil, killing the fungus gnat larvae inside.
Fungus Gnats Live In Moist Potting Soil Where They Lay Their Eggs But All
Looking for a way to kill fungus gnats naturally? Sooner or later you will have to deal with fungus gnats infesting your houseplants. Fungus gnats are the tiny flying pests that can swarm like an annoying black cloud whenever an infested houseplant or outdoor potted plant is moved.
Fungus gnats are small, mosquito-like insects that commonly infest the soil or growing medium of potted plants. When outdoor plants are brought indoors for the colder months, fungus gnats in the potting mix are brought indoors. Thats when they can quickly infest the soil of other houseplants.
Fungus gnats thrive in moist potting soil, where they lay their eggs. After the eggs hatch, fungus gnat larvae live in the top two to three inches of the potting soil. Fungus gnat larvae can cause plant damage by eating plant roots. After about two or three weeks, the fungus gnat larvae pupate in the potting soil. Then they become the tiny black adult gnats that fly erratically when a potted plant is moved.
Let the potting soil dry out between plant waterings. This will help control fungus gnats. But sometimes more aggressive measures are needed to kill these insect pests. Fortunately, there are now natural, non-chemical ways to naturally kill fungus gnats and control fungus gnat infestations.
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Soak Mosquito Bits In Water
Heres another easy way to kill fungus gnats naturally with BTI. Make Mosquito Bits tea! Just mix 4 tablespoons of Mosquito Bits® in 1 gallon of water. Let the Bits soak for 30 minutes to remove the BTI, then skim off the floating granules.
Now stir or shake the water to make sure the BTI is thoroughly mixed in. Then use the BTI tea to water the soil or potting mix of houseplants and container plants. This treatment controls fungus gnat larvae present in the soil at the time of application. For best results, use your Mosquito Bits/BTI tea solution within 48 hours.
Repeat this process weekly for three weeks. If fungus gnats reappear at a later time, simply repeat this treatment again. Buy Mosquito Bits here.
Because fungus gnats can be an ongoing problem, keep a container of Mosquito Bits on your Potting Table with your other gardening supplies.
How Often Do You Need To Repeat The Treatment To Kill Fungus Gnats
The Fungus Gnat lifecycle averages 17 days in good conditions , with most of that time spent in the soil, not as adults. You’ll need to give them a good top water drench with Mozzie Tea at least every fortnight , every time you water, until eliminated. You can bottom water if you prefer just as long as the soil is saturated until the surface is wet.
Because they love moist soil, you don’t want to over-water or may end up with root rot instead, so water normally, and use drenches in conjunction with adult gnat control using Sticky Traps to reduce the adult population so they don’t lay more eggs and start the cycle all over again.
I continued treating for 2 months, and always keep some on hand as bringing in a new plant, or using potting soil that’s been stored outdoors, can also come with Fungus Gnats. Even shifting plants outdoors to water, and back in again can bring gnats inside again too. When you get a new plant, always isolate for at least 2 weeks as Fungus Gnats , will make themselves known in that time. Much easier to treat one plant than your entire jungle! Store soil indoors also.
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How Do Dunks And Bits Work
Because Dunks and Bits are made from the same ingredients, they work similarly. You put them in the water, and they float and dissolve. The Dunks dissolve slowly, the Bits more quickly. The active ingredient, thuringiensis israelensis, is deadly for mosquito larvae. As the larvae eat it, it becomes a poison to them and will kill them in a few days. Because it does not hurt full-grown bugs, the impact on the broader food chain is minimal and deemed safe. As long as he dunks remain in contact with the water, they should work as directed by the manufacturer.
It should be noted that Dunks and Bits are intended for larvae. If you need to control populations of adult mosquitoes, it is too late for these products. You will need to find another way, such as a mosquito fog or professional treatment. There are also ways to keep grown, active mosquitoes away from key living space like patios or swimming pools. Check out our piece on mosquito killers such as magnets and zappers for more information on the topic.
If you are on top of the problem, though, and attacking the mosquitoes in the spring or where they reproduce, the dunks can be a great option. Given that 100 years ago, the solution for mosquito larvae was to dump harsh oil and chemicals in to standing water, we have come a long way with safer products like Dunks and Bits!
Note that we have heard several people say dunks and bits also work on
How To Make Mozzie Tea
For indoor plants, you can use a mixture of 4 tablespoons of Mozzie Bits per 4.5 litres of water. I use hot water , and let the granules soak for 30 minutes so the BTI infuses into the water. I use a reusable mesh bag for mine and put the granules in that, but otherwise you can manually scoop out the used granules, give it a bit of a shake and stir, and water your plants as usual with your mozzie tea.
Scooping out the granules is probably the most annoying part, so you can also tip everything in to other containers through a sieve, or the easiest way is just to pop them in a mesh bag like I do, no sieve, scooping or extra containers needed.
One 200gram Mozzie Bits works out to just over 33 tablespoons, . One pack should make over 37 litres of Mozzie Tea.
The cooler the water, the longer the mixture needs to infuse. Ive heard of some leaving it in cold water to soak overnight but Id keep to a 30 to 60 minute soak max, as the bacteria become inactive over time. You do have to wait for the water to cool before you water, so another option is a warm water soak for one hour instead. Once mixed, use fresh as the microbial activity breaks down in 1 to 2 days.
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Are Mosquito Bits Harm Plants
Mosquitoes bit contains organic bacterium which kills fungus gnats but is not harmful to plants.
When your potted plants look unhealthy then they are infested with fungus gnats. Fungus gnats can attack the roots of your plants so use this mosquito bit tea for your plants just water your plant with this tea then fungus gnats immediately kill because of the active ingredient which is called BTI.
If you are worried about how to make mosquito-bit tea read this article carefully because the recipe for making tea is mentioned above in this article.
Controlling Larval Fungus Gnats
Option #1 Beneficial nematodes
Beneficial nematodes are a microscopic organism that feeds on the larvae of fungus gnats. It is delivered to you in a dormant, refrigerated form that looks like a powder. They are not harmful to humans.
How to use: During early morning or evening, you will
Within a week or so, adults should stop appearing because larvae are gone.
Option #2 Mosquito bits
Mosquito bits contain a bacterium that is poisonous to fungus gnat larvae when eaten.
One recommendation to soak mosquito bits in water . Then you can water your plants with the mosquito bit-soaked water once per week for three weeks.
Another recommendation is to shake some mosquito bits onto the plants soil surface or mix the bits into the plants soil, allowing the larva to feast on the bits directly, eventually controlling them.
Option #3 Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide can also be used in a solution of 1 part 3% hydrogen peroxide to 4 parts water. When plants are in need of watering, use this solution to water each plant. The soil will fizz for a short time and eliminate the fungus gnats on contact. You can safely repeat if needed.
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