I've been reading the list for a few weeks and thought I'd join this
week's barrage of introductions. I'm a CP dilettante wannabe, not a
serious practitioner (but you never know what obsessions the future will
bring ;-), which is probably why I don't fit the recently discussed
"standard CP grower/collector profile" in terms of my dietary habits,
gender, sexual orientation and availability. I'll leave it at that, since
it's all irrelevant anyhow. :-)
I am an avid outdoor gardener, practicing astrological gardening,
companion planting and natural pest control in my year-round organic
garden. My garden is thriving, but my house plants are plagued by fungus
gnats. I've even broken my commitment to organics in an attempt to be rid
of them, but no luck. My partner (oops -- it slipped) recently suggested
that I get some CPs to eat the gnats, and when Bob Beer posted about this
list in rec.gardens, I signed on.
My approach to CPs is different than the way most of you probably work
with them. I'm looking at them in the realm of "biological pest control,"
the same way I figure out how many ladybugs or green lacewing flies I need
to release to control aphids outside. I suppose this seems rather
pedestrian or overly practical, but I'm fed up with the gnats and would be
thrilled if a CP exists that could answer my prayers to be rid of them.
So my questions are: which CPs (if any) will eat fungus gnats? Obviously,
they should be able to survive outside a terrarium. How many would I need
for a large two-story house? Where can I get ethically-collected
specimens? What is a good book for beginning dilettantes like myself?
Thank you in advance.
- Gretchen
P.S. I wanted to comment on the recent suggestion of using egg shells in
water for CPs. I do this all the time for my house plants, as well as use
unsalted water that I've steamed vegetables in. This seems to keep them
well-fertilized and supplied with good trace minerals. Don't know about
the nitrogen content of the egg shells, which may be a concern for some
CPs.