What are these flies around my plant, and how do I get rid of them?Updated 3 years ago
Have those tiny nano flies come to visit? Do they seem to multiply? Are you finding yourself swatting, smacking the air, and filling the air with bleeped-out words? Uh-huh. We understand. You have fungus, gnats. So find the culprit. There will be a plant in your midst that's hiding them. Get a stick or pencil and dig around the top of the soil in each of your pots. You'll soon find a fly or two emerging from the disruption in the soil. And don't make the mistake of assuming it's in just one of your plants. They like to bury themselves in wet or soggy soil so keep fishing until you find them all. Then quarantine them in a safe place while you treat them.
First, check to see if the soil is too moist for what your plant likes. If so, use the method of drying the soil as fast as possible. Take the plant out of the pot and wrap it in an old newspaper to soak up the moisture. Keep repeating this until the paper isn't soaking up any more water.
Afterward, sprinkle mosquito bits over the soil's surface, and when watering, it will disperse the nontoxic substance that contains bacillus thuringiensis. It sounds toxic, but BT is a species of bacteria that is naturally found in the soil. This bacteria is harmful to some pests like fungus gnats who lay their eggs in the soil. It will take about 2 1/2 weeks for the eggs to turn into adult gnats, so as you water, the BT will continue to disperse to the eggs. Yay! For an extra layer and complementary treatment, add a yellow sticky trap to catch them in their tracks! You can stick it down into the soil with a little left on top so the fly will land on it. It's like "quicksand" for those nasty gnats.
If you're rather impatient and want to remove them immediately, you can repot the plant in new sterile soil. At the next watering, add a concentrated solution of BT to the water when watering to safeguard against any lingering gnats in the house. Each gnat lays up to 150 eggs so they can multiply fast!