How do I keep these gnats away?

[user 13649]

I have 4 different enclosures for my isopods and they are in a shoe box size Tupperware. I created the substrate of: cocoa fiber, sphagnum moss, charcoal, worm castings, & orchid barks. Pretty brand new substrate and yet on some of my enclosures these annoying gnats appears out of nowhere. Where did I go wrong?

 

[ANTdrew]

Probably fungus gnats. Reduce waterings to let the substrate dry out a bit. Mix Mosquito Bits into any future water you use to hydrate the setup. Also put yellow sticky traps near it.

 

[user 13649]

Probably fungus gnats. Reduce waterings to let the substrate dry out a bit. Mix Mosquito Bits into any future water you use to hydrate the setup. Also put yellow sticky traps near it.

Thank you. I just ordered the Mosquito Bits.

 

[kmsgameboy]

In the past I have had quite a bit if success using only cocoa fiber, and yes don't keep it wet. I would mist mine occasionally and kept a water bottle cap full of water in each enclosure.

 

[Vitalwings]

Try not to keep it wet

 

[TheWolven]

Thank you. I just ordered the Mosquito Bits.

How's the gnats treating you? I use Mosquito Bits in my terrarium when I have gnats and let the soil dry out as well hehe. There are also predatory nematodes you can that target the larvae of fungus gnats. I find the best method of prevention an outbreak of gnats is a healthy population of springtails to outcompete them. I like to keep a couple of colonies of springtails just in case (and feed them CGD to make their population boom) and then dump a hoard of them inside the isopod containers whenever I feel they could use it.