By Luke Sumpter


Nothing can be worse than investing time, effort, and money into getting a cannabis grow going only to encounter uninvited guests that devour your precious plants. Along with mites and other critters, one common cannabis pest is the fungus gnat. Learn how to spot, prevent, and eliminate fungus gnats on sight using the guide below!

What are fungus gnats?

Fungus gnats are tiny, dark, short-lived gnats that look like small flies. If you have an infestation, you will see them jumping around on the soil. Unlike some other cannabis pests, fungus gnats don’t have much of an interest in the leaves or flowers of your weed as they live in the soil. Instead, larvae gnaw on the roots and damage them. Since the root system is critical for healthy growth, a fungus gnat infection can be a problem.

Fortunately, fungus gnats are not the worst pests you can encounter. If you have mature plants with a strong root system, fungus gnats may be more of a nuisance than a catastrophe. On the other hand, they pose a serious threat to young plants and seedlings. A massive infestation left unattended can also be a problem for bigger plants.

Where do fungus gnats come from?

Fungus gnats are almost always an indication of moist conditions in your grow room, and usually occur when cannabis plants are being overwatered.

  • Life cycle

Fungus gnats develop in four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. In favourable warm and wet conditions, adult females deposit hundreds of eggs in the soil. Larvae feed for about two weeks and then pupate near the soil surface. After 3–7 days in the pupal stage, adult gnats emerge and live for about eight days. It takes about 3–4 weeks for adult gnats to develop from eggs.

As fungal spores are around us everywhere pretty much all the time, all gnats need are wet conditions and organic matter to appear. Many times, their eggs are already included in unsterilised shop-bought soil.

How To Stop Fungus Gnats From Damaging Your Weed Plants

What do fungus gnats do to cannabis plants?

Fungus gnats don’t consider the roots of your cannabis as their favourite food. They’d rather devour fungus and decaying matter in the soil. But, they do become a problem when organic matter in the soil is depleted. In that case, fungus gnat larvae devour and damage root hairs and the tender cannabis roots themselves.

Symptoms of fungus gnat infestation:

  • When roots are damaged, plants can show various signs of disease including yellow leaves, wilting, spotting, and drooping.
  • Symptoms of nutrient deficiencies can occur (sickly growth, leaf discolouration, etc.) despite correct pH and proper nutrients.
  • Seedlings weaken, autumn over, and die (“damping off”).
  • Stunted growth and low yields.

How to spot a fungus gnat infestation

A fungus gnat infestation is relatively easy to diagnose. Fungus gnats are small, but you can see them if you get close to your plants. Here’s how to spot them:

  • Tiny “flies” crawling and jumping on the soil around your plants.
  • White maggots wiggling in the soil. Not as easy to spot as they are very tiny and may be hidden in the soil.
  • Otherwise unexplainable plant issues including, but not limited to, pale leaves, spots, brown edges on leaves, and drooping plants. Signs can vary and may appear as other plant issues and diseases.

How to eliminate fungus gnats from cannabis plants

In a certain sense, fungus gnats can be a good thing, as they alert you to issues with your watering regimen. When they appear, it’s almost always because your plants are being overwatered. Fortunately, getting rid of them is relatively easy:

  • Water less frequently

The first, and most important, thing you should do is rethink your watering routine. Allow the soil to dry out fully between waterings—it will be fine. Most of the time, if you do that, the fungus gnat problem will go away on its own.

  • Yellow sticky traps

Get yellow sticky traps from the garden shop and position them around your plants. These traps attract the fungus gnats, which will stick to them. Know that yellow traps alone will not entirely eradicate an infestation. But, they are a good indicator of whether you (still) have fungus gnats and can prevent many of them from harassing your soil.

How To Stop Fungus Gnats From Damaging Your Weed Plants
  • Neem oil

If you have a pest infestation, you don’t need to get all hardcore with chemical insecticides. Neem oil can help get your infestation under control. It’s also good as a preventative measure. Treat the top layer of your soil with it to eliminate the larvae.

  • Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth is another way to get rid of bugs naturally. Sprinkle the fine powder on the soil around your plants. This should take care of the nasties in no time.

  • Blow air over the soil

A simple standing fan gently blowing air across your soil has lots of advantages. Making life miserable for bugs is one of them. It will also help dry out the soil quicker to eliminate the gnats for good.

  • BT bacteria

Some growers know the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria for getting rid of caterpillars. There is a variety of these bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, that works for fungus gnats. Just add water.

How to prevent fungus gnats

Prevention is always better than treatment—here’s what you can do to keep those nasties away.

  • Water less frequently!

More than anything else, pay attention to the amount of water you give to your plants! Wet, warm conditions are practically begging for fungus gnats. Allow the soil to dry out. If you are not sure when to water, you can do the “lifting test”. Simply lift up your plant with its pot and compare the weight when fully watered versus dry. Water only if the pot feels noticeably lighter.

  • Cover the soil

Since fungus gnats live and breed in soil, you can cover it with sand, gravel, or perlite to prevent them from getting cosy. Keep in mind, however, that while covering the soil may prevent the gnats from appearing, your plants may still be water-logged.

  • Sterilise your soil

Sometimes, you simply can’t prevent bugs from appearing, for instance if they were already present in the soil. To be on the safe side, sterilise your soil first. Do this by putting some soil in a flat, oven-safe container like a baking pan and cover with foil. Place a meat thermometer into the centre and “bake” for at least 30 mins at 82–93°C. While you’re at it, ensure your pots and growing area are clean as well. This way, you can minimise the risk for all manner of diseases, fungi, and pest infestations.

  • Consider alternative growing media

If you find your cannabis plants are frequently "bugged", consider growing in an alternative medium. When you grow weed in coco, perlite, or hydroponically, pest infestations are less likely.




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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: