Mozzie Bits - treats Fungus Gnats & Mosquitoes - 400 gms
Mozzies Bits 400gm sold out? Try the 200gm size of Mozzie Bits or get Mozzie Dunks instead (dunks are the same ingredients just different prep).
Oh. My. Goodness. I HATE Fungus Gnats. And that's from someone who dislikes using the word hate. And I've put it in capitals. Yep. That much.
When I first started collecting plants I was quickly over-run by Fungus Gnats. And because they love carbon dioxide, the only thing more appealing to them than the moist soil of my plants, was the CO2 in my breath, so you always know when you have Fungus Gnats.
Even one or two and they'll quite literally be all up in your face. Plus I couldn't leave a cup of tea uncovered without finding little unwanted floaters, and I really love my tea. They had to go.
Oh, and if you're thinking, "They're not that bad" just wait. One adult female fungus gnat can lay up to 300 eggs in just one week. If you get on top of them while the infestation is small, the good news is they are more annoying than harmful. They should leave your plant's roots alone. With the number of plants I had, they were having a ball and inviting all their mates to the party, so I tried almost every remedy to kill them. What DID finally work for me, was the combo of Mozzie Bits and Sticky Traps. This is for the 400gm pack of Mozzie Bits which makes over 74 litres of treatment.
Break the cycle
Mozzie Bits kill the larvae Sticky Traps kill the adults. No larvae = no new adults. No adults = no new larvae. Used together you can break the cycle, which is the key for saying bye bye to Fungus Gnats once and for all.
How do Mozzie Bits work?
Mosquito bits or 'Mozzie Bits' target the larval stage of the Fungus Gnat lifecycle. It's those larvae that hatch and eat yummy wet and rotting organic matter in your soil, including yummy roots if you have a big infestation. The adults that they hatch into are annoying, but it's the larvae that can do the munching.
The larvae are killed by a microbial insecticide called BTI. A naturally occurring bacterium that is deadly to mosquito larvae and fungus gnat larvae. BTI is short for Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. That's what's in Mozzie Bits. Although deadly to fungus gnat larvae, it's harmless to other living things. BTI is nature’s way of keeping fungus gnat and mosquito populations under control.
How do you use Mozzie Bits to kill Fungus Gnats?
The box gives you the directions for larger areas of water based on surface area, but used for treating indoor plants, I use the same method plant YouTubers have nicknamed 'Mozzie Tea'.
How to make 'Mozzie Tea'
For indoor plants, you can use a mixture of 4 tablespoons of Mozzie Bits per 4.5 litres of water. I use hot water (not boiling), and let the granules soak for 30 minutes so the BTI infuses into the water. I use a reusable mesh bag for mine and put the granules in that, but otherwise you can manually scoop out the used granules, give it a bit of a shake and stir, and water your plants as usual with your mozzie tea.
Scooping out the granules is probably the most annoying part, so you can also tip everything in to other containers through a sieve, or the easiest way is just to pop them in a mesh bag like I do, no sieve, scooping or extra containers needed.
One 200gram Mozzie Bits works out to just over 33 tablespoons, (a tablespoon averages 6gms of granules). One pack should make over 37 litres of 'Mozzie Tea'.
The cooler the water, the longer the mixture needs to infuse. I've heard of some leaving it in cold water to soak overnight but I'd keep to a 30 to 60 minute soak max, as the bacteria become inactive over time. You do have to wait for the water to cool before you water, so another option is a warm water soak for one hour instead. Once mixed, use fresh as the microbial activity breaks down in 1 to 2 days.
How often do you need to repeat the treatment to kill Fungus Gnats?
The Fungus Gnat lifecycle averages 17 days in good conditions (when warm and moist), with most of that time spent in the soil, not as adults. You'll need to give them a good top water drench with Mozzie Tea at least every fortnight (ideally more often), every time you water, until eliminated. You can bottom water if you prefer just as long as the soil is saturated until the surface is wet.
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