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Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Since I put my hoop house up I have a gazillion, yes, truly a gazillion tiny black gnats flying around in there. They are even landing on my seedlings! They aren't aphids. I'm concerned that they hatched out of the multitudes of manure spread in the patch. Anybody know what they are and if I should try and get rid of them?

5/11/2005 12:24:17 AM

Puyallup, WA

I've had them as well. They will not hurt a thing. Most will fly away when a good wind comes up with the doors open. The rest will die in a week.

5/11/2005 12:32:24 AM

Chico, Ca

If they are fungus gnats they could bring some coodies into your patch. heard they can carry some bad soil pathogens.

5/11/2005 12:37:24 AM

Olympia, Wa

I noticed them in my hoop house also....hmmmmm must be a washington thing?....
I noticed that they like the condensation inside on the plastic.
would a flying insect killer hurt the plants?

5/11/2005 1:12:48 AM

Deer Park WA

Sounds Like Poop Flies! They are from too fresh "O" manure, wouldn't worry about them as much as I would be from fungal deseases (sp) coodies... If you did use green manure likew I did my 1st year and get a desease (sP) It caused our leaves to turn copper color and entire laterals to die back to the main, eventually killing the entire plant. What a bummer year I now will not put anything on the patch unless it is thouroughly composted./// Although,,, the copper killer could have been from my neighbour spraying weed killer on my plant to protest our huge stinking piles of fresh cow manure.... Glad we moved out of the City since then!

5/11/2005 1:59:08 AM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

A fellow grower puts a bug bomb in each of his hoop houses to kill"everything". Wouldn't that kill good things in the soil?

5/11/2005 10:12:24 AM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Should I put down some kind of anti-fungal just in case? My husband's a foot doctor. I can probably score a ton of outdated Lotrimin : )

5/11/2005 10:15:24 AM

Montoursville, PA

Out smart your husband's Lotrimin by using corn meal. Corn meal is a fungal supporter working with manures and compost to be possibly even better than Lotrimin.

Should you know anyone with a body fungal problem that lotions will not cure try a corn plaster. Not kidding here. They are indeed effective.

Your flies will not likely hurt your plants. Unfinished compost offers many phases of living critters showing up. Few are really harmfull. I know of none that will but CYA is in order. They are helping to digest and convert your manures plus they poop too!

5/11/2005 12:36:45 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Thanks doc! But. . .I have this burning question. . . what's CYA? Corn Y'All? Clean Yurts Annually? Canned Yams Association? Crank Yankers Annonymous?

5/11/2005 3:37:34 PM

Sort of Sunny Sometimes, WA

Thanks Stan! Thanks Chico, Cheney and Olympia!

5/11/2005 3:38:48 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

...cover your ass...LOL

5/11/2005 8:51:46 PM