Gnats reproduce in decaying organic matter that is moist and shaded. The larvae feed on fungus growing in the soil and moist organic matter. The larvae will also feed on live plant tissue, especially in root hairs and small roots. The life cycle is about four weeks, with continuous reproduction in homes or greenhouses where warm temperatures are maintained. Adults live about 7 to 10 days and deposit eggs on the moist soil surface or in soil cracks.
Females lay up to to eggs in batches of 2 to 30 each in decaying organic matter. Eggs hatch in 4 to 6 days; larvae feed for 12 to 14 days. A single potted plant in your home or office could contain pests in all four phases of the gnat life cycle at the same time. If you see gnats flying around your flower pots or foliage, contact Western Pest Services to prevent a potential issue.
Gnat Life Cycle Egg Female fungus gnats lay their eggs a few inches below the ground in warm, moist soil. Larva Gnat larvae have white or clear bodies, no legs, and shiny black heads. Pupa Gnats start to pupate at the end of their larval stage. Get rid of bugs fast. Select a pest service Their population is kept in check by natural predators, weather and seasonal changes. Fungus gnats are sometimes confused with other small flies not discussed here, including black flies, midges, mosquitoes, shore flies, moth flies and March flies.
Adult fungus gnats are dark, delicate-looking insects, similar in appearance to mosquitoes. They have slender legs and segmented antennae that are longer than their heads. The common species have a Y-shaped wing vein.
Fungus gnats are relatively weak fliers and remain near plants running or resting on growing media, foliage, or plant litter.
They have mandibles for gnawing and tunneling. Females lay tiny eggs in moist organic debris or potting soil. They eat organic mulch, leaf mold, grass clippings, compost, root hairs, algae and fungi. If conditions are especially moist and fungus gnats are abundant, larvae can leave slime trails on the surface of media that look like trails from small snails or slugs.
Fungus gnats develop through four stages: egg, larvae four larval stages or instars , pupa, and adult. They produce many generations in a year. Adult females deposit 30 to whitish-yellow eggs singly or in clusters in crevices or cracks on the surface of growing media, and in moist, organic debris. They prefer to lay eggs where fungus is growing.
Indoors, they occur anytime of year. The larvae feed for about 2 weeks and then pupate near the soil surface within thread chambers. After 3 to 7 days in the pupal stage, adults emerge and live for about 8 days. The gnats develop from egg to adult in 3 to 4 weeks.
Their life cycle is dependent on temperature. The developmental time increases as temperature decreases. Live with the gnats. If damage is minimal, the prudent thing to do is do nothing. Use physical and cultural controls to manage the gnats. Maintaining good sanitation is vital. Dead plant material and debris must be picked up. Spilled growing media and algae must be cleaned. Over watering and sloppy irrigation need to be avoided.
To kill larvae, allow soil to dry as much as possible without damaging plants between waterings.. Provide good ventilation. Dry, level, weed-free, well drained greenhouses floors eliminate breeding larvae.
Use yellow sticky traps for trapping adult flies and monitoring their population. Biological controls.
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