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OfflineMycoplex
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Fungus Gnat Control with BTi - Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis * 6
    #27741213 - 04/18/22 10:55 PM (1 year, 9 months ago)

Fungus Gnat Control with BTi - Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis


I wanted to put this writeup together to catalog a method I've been using for the past 1-2 months for fungus gnat control with indoor cultivation.  I don't get fungus gnats very often but after seeing a few with indoor woodlover cultivation, I decided to take a proactive approach and catalog it here.

The general methodology here holds for any scenario where fungus gnats might pop up in your indoor grows, and to a limited degree can be used as an outdoor tek as well.

In this writeup, I'll show you how to use a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) as a means of controlling fungus gnats without the use of chemicals, inorganic pesticides, or other insecticides.

I'm keeping this succinct as far as Teks go so let's dive into it!

What is BT?


Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt or BT) is a bacteria found in soil.  It's commonly used in gardening and commercial growing as a biological pesticide that targets specific organisms.  The most common use of BT is as a means of controlling caterpillars which can otherwise decimate plants like tomatoes and peppers. 

Upon sporulation, BT forms crystals which are the means of which we make use of this bacteria as an insecticide.


What is BT subspecies israelensis (BTI)?

BTI is a subspecies of BT which is used to target mosquitoes and fungus gnats.  In the same way that traditional BT selectively targets caterpillars, you can imagine that BTI selectively targets specific insects like fungus gnats and mosquitoes.


How does BTI work?

The means of insecticide here is the ingestion of the BTI bacteria by the larvae of fungus gnats.  Adult fungus gnats are not susceptible to BTI, but the larvae are.  By wiping out the larvae, the population will eventually decline as the adults die off.

The 3-Step Tek


Step 1:  Obtain BTI

Googling or searching Amazon for BTI can be challenging because the products that contain it don't typically have BTI in their name.  Here is an example product which contains BTI.





Step 2: Prepare the BTI mixture


Take one gallon of water (4 quart jars) and mix in 4 tablespoons of BTI crystals.  You can probably get away with using an even smaller ratio if you'd like and I bet as little as 2 tablespoons might be sufficient here.

Let this soak for 30 minutes.  You'll notice some crystals stay floating while others sink, this is normal.



After 30 minutes, skim off the floating granules.  Don't worry about getting the ones that sank to the bottom, just be careful when displacing the mixture in the next steps. 

If granules end up falling into the substrate, there is no great harm in this.  In my experience with Ovoids, they will simply cover and devour the crystals over time.  You can also manually pick the crystals out of the substrate if you'd like.


Step 3:  Apply the BTI


You can apply this BTI mixture as either a substrate soak or by loading it into a mister/sprayer and spraying the substrate.  I personally use the former method (soak).


Method 1:  Substrate Soak

Once you've skimmed off the BTI crystals from the mixture, pour it over the substrate and let it soak for 15 minutes.  Drain it off.

Method 2:  Spray

If you prefer, take a spray bottle that you're not using for other work and load the mixture into the bottle, spraying the tubs as needed.


An indoor Ovoid tub being soaked in BTI.

Looking Ahead


One treatment should last about two weeks.  If you find that you're still seeing more fungus gnats after two weeks, you should identify the root cause of why that is happening and address that.  For the other majority of cases, you should notice results from one treatment and might not need to repeat it.


References

Wikipedia:  Bacillus thuringiensis


Edited by Mycoplex (09/02/22 11:18 PM)


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OfflineSeamonkey84
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 1
    #27741241 - 04/18/22 11:32 PM (1 year, 9 months ago)

I was honestly wondering how I would control gnats if they get into tubs. I’m familiar with the use of mosquito bits and BTi, with plants. But would this become a infection or stress to mushrooms? Guess that it could deal with bacteria better than being eaten by gnat larvae.


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Seamonkey84]
    #27741244 - 04/18/22 11:39 PM (1 year, 9 months ago)

Quote:

Seamonkey84 said:
I was honestly wondering how I would control gnats if they get into tubs. I’m familiar with the use of mosquito bits and BTi, with plants. But would this become a infection or stress to mushrooms? Guess that it could deal with bacteria better than being eaten by gnat larvae.




This is a good question that I will probably address in some capacity in the original post when I have more time to edit.

I personally use this tek with fully-colonized subs, which are at a point in age where I've never had any worry or experience with them "contaminating" with this treatment. 

If one were to try this on a tub that has not been fully colonized yet, it would be interesting to see the results.  I personally think that the mycelium would not be hampered by BTi even if it has not fully colonized, but this is just a hypothesis on my part based on this being a pretty selective (and effective) bacteria in my experience.


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Offlinekeeno
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 1
    #27741384 - 04/19/22 04:51 AM (1 year, 9 months ago)

:popcorn:


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: keeno]
    #27745057 - 04/21/22 10:49 AM (1 year, 9 months ago)

Hey fellas, I hope it's OK to bump this somewhat shamelessly just once to get it more visibility.  I did not expect this thread to become a popular tek, but I also did not expect it to get buried either.

If someone has a more effective and scientific method of controlling fungus gnats, then I definitely understand why this tek would get put aside, but I've been using this method for some time now and have found that it seems to work well without the need for chemicals or insecticides, and it is easy to replicate.

I can understand hesitancy of using a bacteria on tubs that are NOT fully colonized, but for ones that are I have yet to see some kind of negative consequence to using this bacteria when used as intended.


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Invisibleseldom seen
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 2
    #27745087 - 04/21/22 11:17 AM (1 year, 9 months ago)

Perfectly logical to bump I forwarded to a friend who is struggling with gnats.


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OfflineV.L
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: seldom seen] * 1
    #27758660 - 05/01/22 12:14 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

:thumbup: Didn’t know about israeli one but trying too with BT after some trouble with gnats


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InvisibleSwabMarleyS
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: V.L] * 1
    #27767465 - 05/07/22 02:42 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

Some good information here. I got gnats in my first attempt at pans a few weeks ago and had to throw the sub away because I didn’t have quick access to any dunks or anything. I now have a pack ready to use as and when.

I’ve just spawned 4 more boxes now so will wait for them to colonise and then case.

Just wondering whether you can use this as a preventative measure also ie misting with your BTI infused water after full colonisation. I know it doesn’t work as a repellant and doesn’t generally effect adult gnats but just an idea to keep the little bastards away.


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InvisibleLotKid
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: SwabMarley] * 2
    #27767476 - 05/07/22 02:57 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

I use mosquito dunks and bits on my plants and cacti. Havent gotten around to seeing how it effects colonizing sub yet tho.


--------------------

:mushroom2: LotKid's PE Tips        :shpongle:    LotKid's Chocolates :mushroom2:
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InvisibleSwabMarleyS
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: LotKid] * 1
    #27767487 - 05/07/22 03:08 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

Yeah they weren’t interested in my CV tubs, just the one with manure and my pans. Wankers!


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OfflineRotnpins
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 2
    #27767503 - 05/07/22 03:26 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

Would it still work for fruit flies? Are they the same thing as fungus gnats?... I've been trying Everything I can to keep fruit flies away from my grow the past couple weeks..


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Rotnpins]
    #27767702 - 05/07/22 06:38 PM (1 year, 8 months ago)

Quote:

Rotnpins said:
Would it still work for fruit flies? Are they the same thing as fungus gnats?... I've been trying Everything I can to keep fruit flies away from my grow the past couple weeks..




BTI will likely not work on fruit flies since they are a different species altogether from fungus gnats. 

These BT bacteria (Bt, Bti) are very selective and are used strictly for controlling very specific pests while not affecting anything else.


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Offlinemechanics
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex]
    #27872525 - 07/22/22 07:20 AM (1 year, 6 months ago)

Thanks for putting this out into the universe? How long should this take to work? I've been spraying some infected shoeboxes 2-3 times a day since Sunday (so about five days) and still have gnats. It's not the worst it has been, but there are still a lot.

Soaked a skeeter dunk in water for 24 hours, put in a spray bottle, and have been misting heavily. There are definitely dead gnats in there, but no idea if that is from the treatment or just their lifecycles.

Happy growing


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: mechanics] * 1
    #27873001 - 07/22/22 02:51 PM (1 year, 6 months ago)

Quote:

mechanics said:
Thanks for putting this out into the universe? How long should this take to work? I've been spraying some infected shoeboxes 2-3 times a day since Sunday (so about five days) and still have gnats. It's not the worst it has been, but there are still a lot.

Soaked a skeeter dunk in water for 24 hours, put in a spray bottle, and have been misting heavily. There are definitely dead gnats in there, but no idea if that is from the treatment or just their lifecycles.

Happy growing




This tek targets the larvae of fungus gnats rather than the adults that are already flying around.  It disrupts the lifecycle of the gnats by wiping out the larvae so that once all the adults die there is no next generation.  That's why you might still see adult gnats flying around while using this treatment.

If the ones that are flying around are a nuisance you can try putting up some basic traps with apple cider vinegar and dish soap, I have a couple of those in use.


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InvisibleSwabMarleyS
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 1
    #27873569 - 07/22/22 11:49 PM (1 year, 6 months ago)

Just wondering mate, I mixed some BTI up a few months ago. With it being a ‘live bacteria’ does this stay good indefinitely or will I need to make up a fresh batch for when I do my next batch of pans?

I’ve just germinated your Cosmoplex the other day actually, nice and clean, ready for a transfer any day now :rockon:


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OfflineTweeq
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: SwabMarley] * 1
    #27873620 - 07/23/22 12:39 AM (1 year, 6 months ago)

Good that there's a write up about this!

I have been using BTI in my sprayer for the last two years. Works like a charm. OP stated he didn't know if this also works on uncolonized subs. I can confirm it does! I always spray the top layer of my new tubs with it, before I close them.


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Tweeq]
    #27874143 - 07/23/22 12:41 PM (1 year, 6 months ago)

Quote:

Myc Hunt said:
Just wondering mate, I mixed some BTI up a few months ago. With it being a ‘live bacteria’ does this stay good indefinitely or will I need to make up a fresh batch for when I do my next batch of pans?

I’ve just germinated your Cosmoplex the other day actually, nice and clean, ready for a transfer any day now :rockon:




Hey Myc Hunt.  I think the mixture can keep for a few days without issue but I'm not sure about a lot longer than that.  I would imagine it can survive but have never tried keeping it around after making the solution.    Very cool to hear about the Cosmoplex, keep us posted on that.


Quote:

Tweeq said:
Good that there's a write up about this!

I have been using BTI in my sprayer for the last two years. Works like a charm. OP stated he didn't know if this also works on uncolonized subs. I can confirm it does! I always spray the top layer of my new tubs with it, before I close them.




Good to know Tweeq, this question came up a few times in the thread too so I'm sure people will appreciate reading this.


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InvisibleCapSlinger
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: Mycoplex] * 2
    #27874455 - 07/23/22 05:54 PM (1 year, 6 months ago)

:kaneclap:
Nice thread buddy, solid info. Cheers mate!
:leocheers:


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OfflineSnarfBarf
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: CapSlinger] * 1
    #27885193 - 08/01/22 10:17 AM (1 year, 5 months ago)

Super great post! Very informative and helpful. Appreciate you Tweeq for putting in your long term experience as well.

I need to figure out if I have gnats or flies today. Just noticed some buggers last night in the garden. Used the musquito dunks before in soil but never in another setting. Excited to try it out if I need to!


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Snarf


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OfflineMycoplex
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Re: Simple Tek: Controlling Fungus Gnats with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BTI) [Re: SnarfBarf]
    #27885592 - 08/01/22 03:53 PM (1 year, 5 months ago)

Glad the tek has resonated with a few folks already.  I plan on adding a section above on how to control the adult population with rudimentary apple cider vinegar traps so that the tek encompasses controlling both the larvae (via BTi) and the adults.


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