Lycoria mushroom mosquitoes (Sciara fly) are small black with a slender body about 1.5-2 mm long, laying their whitish, translucent eggs in the roots of plants. Mosquitoes themselves, if wound up, usually fly in large numbers, but do no harm. But the larvae of the mushroom mosquito eat organic matter, it is believed that mostly rotting remains, including small thin roots of plants. Contributes to the appearance of mushroom mosquitoes waterlogged substrate. And if the plant wilts, lowers the leaves, turns yellow - the reason is not in mosquitoes, but in rot of the roots from excessive watering.
Sometimes the plants were not flooded, the waterlogging was short-lived, the earth managed to dry out, the plant was not damaged, but the mosquitoes managed to get out of the eggs. In this case, you need to dry all the pots of flowers properly.
Photo of a sciarid (mushroom mosquito)
How to get rid of midges
First of all, you need to dry the soil by sprinkling it with dry river sand two fingers thick, but this is effective if mosquitoes have just appeared and have not had time to lay their eggs. It makes sense to thoroughly spill the soil with insecticides (fufan, actellic, inta-vir, see drugs). A plant can be transplanted with careful removal of old soil.
For more information on fungal mosquitoes and control measures, see Sciarids
ITALIA:
Fly eater helps well against mushroom mosquitoes. The drug is applied to the soil surface when pests appear. After application, the drug is embedded in the soil by loosening. The consumption rate is 2-3 g, i.e. 1-1.5 teaspoons. It is inexpensive. In my opinion, a very good and easy-to-use drug.
Elena:
I advise you to spill all the pots with an actara. Just do not water on dry soil (you can burn the roots). Actara helped me right away. Bazudin did not help.
Yamara:
In the morning, before leaving for work, in the room where midges flew in flowers, she left the liquid fumigator on all day. But still I bought more actara and bazudin. Coming home and turning off the fumigator, I was pleasantly surprised - there were practically no midges. And those two, which nevertheless turned up on my arm, were so lethargic and numb that it was not difficult to catch them. Absolutely all the pots, even freshly purchased ones and those near which I never noticed anyone flying, were taken to the bathroom, and powdered on the moist soil with a thin layer of bazudin. A day has passed - all plants are cheerful. Midges are not visible at all .
Elena:
The fumigator killed only the fliers, and the larvae remained in the ground, so that in a couple of days new individuals may appear. Therefore, it is additionally necessary to process either actara or bazudin. Do not use both means at the same time, the soil will turn sour.
Margarita:
I have mosquitoes appear precisely when waterlogged. I try very hard not to allow this, but it does not always work out. The most dangerous time for the appearance of midges is autumn. When the batteries have not yet been turned on, and it is humid outside, the ground dries for a long time, and mushroom mosquitoes often start. I do not shed plants, I just greatly reduce watering. After all, midges in a pot are a sure sign of waterlogging, plants can rot roots! If adult flies do not harm plants, then the larvae of mushroom mosquitoes can burn the roots of flowers.