Did you know that you can get rid of fungus gnats with a very simple remedy. By using a match, you can completely do without chemicals in the fight against the pest. You can find out on this page how effective matches are for fighting and how to use the recommended home remedy correctly.
How can matches be used against fungus gnats?
To combat fungus gnats with matches, stick unlit matches upside down into the potting soil. The sulfur compounds in the matchhead prevent females from laying eggs and destroy larvae in the substrate. Change the matches after two days.
Application
- Don't light the match,
- but stick it upside down into the potting soil.
- Replace matches after two days.
- Observe whether the infestation improves.
How it works
The matchhead contains sulfur compounds that both prevent females from laying eggs and destroy the young larvae in the substrate. The sulfur-containing substance mixes with the soil and has toxic properties on the brood.
Why fight the larvae?
Many people prioritize fighting adult animals. Especially when it comes to pests, it is the larvae that cause the real damage to the plant.
- Adult animals usually only live for a few days.
- The larvae eat parts of plants,
- suck the sugary juice from the leaves
- and then reproduce.
Of course it is important to prevent the females from laying eggs again. However, if you destroy the brood, it is only a matter of time before the population dies out and disappears.
Additional measure
If you stick matches into the potting soil, the flying animals will run away. But that doesn't guarantee that they won't settle on the plant again after a while. It therefore makes sense to also attach yellow stickers. These are yellow, coated boards to which the fungus gnats adhere upon contact. Just like the matches, you should also change the yellow stickers after a few days.
