Backyard Aquaponics
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Gnats in Aquaponics
http://byap.backyardmagazines.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25744
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Author:  -Mischief [ Aug 14th, '15, 02:44 ]
Post subject:  Gnats in Aquaponics

I moved my AP system from a side porch to my basement so I could keep it going year round. In a matter of only a few months, I now have a boat load of growth BUT....the leaves, GB edge, top of the bell siphon, etc has a lot of tiny, little brown specs on them. I'm assuming these are from the tiny, little green gnats that are there. What is safe to use to kill/deter these gnats??

Author:  scotty435 [ Aug 14th, '15, 05:26 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

Any idea what type of gnats they are? Good pics might help.

Author:  -Mischief [ Aug 14th, '15, 21:25 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

Here are a few pics. Tiny little green bugs and A LOT of same size brown specs...eggs?

Attachments:
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green aphid.JPG
green aphid.JPG [ 124.16 KiB | Viewed 5374 times ]

Author:  Mr Damage [ Aug 14th, '15, 21:46 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

You have aphids (the green ones), probably run-of-the-mill peach aphids or similar, the white bits are their sheddings.

The pics are a bit out of focus so it's hard to see what the brown dots are, but they are quite a bit smaller than the aphids, so they could be spider mite.

Author:  -Mischief [ Aug 14th, '15, 21:51 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

How do I get rid of them..."organically"?

Author:  Mr Damage [ Aug 14th, '15, 22:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

Neem Oil...

It's non-toxic to humans, mammals, birds etc, but kills insects on contact and can also have a repellent effect that lasts for 4 or 5 days.

Thoroughly cover any exposed areas of gravel in the grow bed with newspaper 3 or 4 sheets thick, then spray the underside and upper surface of the leaves with a fine mist almost to the point of run-off.

Using the Neem oil concentrate at the recommended rates usually kills any aphids on contact, but they start coming back within a couple of days. I've found that when making up the solution I need to add the concentrate to the water at twice the recommended rate for it to have a longer lasting repellent effect. Also, use slightly warm water when making up the spray solution, about 35C.

Author:  scotty435 [ Aug 14th, '15, 22:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Gnats in Aquaponics

Avoid getting the neem oil in the system water as much as possible.

You might also have luck with a chili/garlic spray that's listed around here someplace.

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