Gnat Life Cycle

They can be found in small groups 10 or singly on surface soil or host plants.

Gnat life cycle. Adults are attracted to lights and are often first noticed at windows or flying around potted plants. Stage 2 Gnat Removal Techniques. With a life span of about four weeks from egg to adult each female can lay 200 to 300 eggs and cause havoc all year.

In about 4-6 days these eggs hatch into larvae and begin snacking on the roots of your plants in the moisture rich soil. Fungus gnats grow through four life stages- egg larvae pupa and adult and produce many overlapping generations in just one year. And are usually active in the summer.

Infestations and the Fungus Gnat Life Cycle. These small flies are holometabolis which means they develop in four stages egg larva pupa and adult. As a result residents will soon notice adult Fungus gnats swarming around plants windows and lights.

At various stages of the gnat life cycle gnats can be harmful to plants. The pests favor high temperatures making greenhouses garden centers and plants in heated homes popular sites for infestation. Fungus gnats and dark-winged fungus gnats are found throughout the United States and occasionally become a nuisance indoors when adults emerge in large numbers from potted plants from flower boxes containing damp soil rich in humus or from heavily mulched flower beds.

However they can occur during any time of year in moist coastal regions. Male gnats swarm at dusk. Serious fungus gnat damage is more common in greenhouses nurseries and sod farms.

The mating occurs as soon as the females enter the swarm. The fungus gnat life cycle is quick and they can quickly take over your entire interior plants if they are left untreated. Reproduction and Life Cycle of Fungus Gnats.