RoseJasminMy houseplants have small dead bugs around them, what are these? đżđ
They are still contained around the window sill. I want to get rid of them before they start flying around my home.
Should I put the plants outside?
cybervseasLooks like fungus gnats
100% fungus gnats.
The only thing that worked for me was mosquito dunks.
Soak a dunk in water for at least 24 hours. The more potent the water is, the better it will be at eradicating the larva.
It will take a few waterings since it only gets the larva at a certain stage, but eventually theyâll be completely gone if you stay persistent with only watering with dunk-steeped water.
Thank you
Should I wait for the plants to get dry before I water it each time?
It really depends on things like the pots, how dry the room is, sun exposure, time of year etc. but it took some time for me to figure out a watering routine.
Iâll sometimes poke one of those bamboo skewers into the top third of the soil⌠if it pulls out dry then I water. If itâs dry past that then I make sure to give it a proper soaking.
FiniteBanjofungal gnats
Try watering your plants with a small amount of dish soap or vinegar. Theyâre likely propogating off of your plants but they could also be coming from some other mold such as expired fruit or rotten wood.
We added a new plant recently. I suspect that it started from there.
I read online that the ratio is 1:4, does that sound about right?
LallyLuckFarmCould be fungus gnats though our occasionals seem smaller than whatâs photographed.
Whatâs worked for us for long term control of soil born pests is a combination of bottom watering and a layer of coarse sand for mulch for our indoor plants. Playground sand is too fine and can prevent proper gas exchange in the substrate but builderâs sand works well. Itâs probably less expensive to call a landscape supply place near you and fill a bucket than to buy it in a box store unless you have enough indoor plants to use 50lbs/22.7kg. We use a large clay tray pot for the bottom watering and then everybody goes back to their own tray after a drink.
Fungus gnats in particular lay in wet soil, and not very deep. A few mm of sand keeps them from finding any hospitable place to lay their eggs. The bottom watering helps prevent any disturbance of the sand mulch which might reveal wet soil.
The other replies have it covered but to add a few things:
I agree with mosquito dunks but also get some of those sticky traps. The dunks kill the eggs, the traps get the adults. Youâll get faster results using both
They donât feed on or harm the plant. Theyâre just extremely annoying and multiply like crazy
KairuByteFungal gnats? Absolutely harmful to the plant. They damage roots in their larval state.
Only in extremely large numbers! The larvae would have to run out of easy-to-get food in the soil before turning on the much more difficult-to-eat plant
Adult fungus gnats do not feed on or damage plants but are a cosmetic nuisance. Fungus gnat larvae typically feed on decaying organic matter and fungi in the soil. However, if larval numbers are high, they may damage roots by feeding on root hairs or tunneling into the roots themselves. This sort of damage is rare in home settings.
I came home from a trip to an infestation so bad it looked like I was trying to breed gnats. I was cleaning bug crap off the walls for weeks but my plants were totally fine
Fungus Gnats on Houseplants
Fungus gnats (Family Sciaridae) are insects commonly associated with overwatered houseplants. They can become a nuisance when they are present in large numbers and fly around inside a home. In most situations, fungus gnats are a cosmetic problem. However, on occasion, fungus gnat larvae can cause plant damage.
Canadian_anarchistRepeating fungus gnats as the answer. I use a few strategies to manage them:
- yellow âsticky stripsâ (can be purchased at garden stores and Amazon) that you stick into the pot. Theyâre ugly, but the flies love them.
- dish soap bath for plants that can handle it (the blue Dawn extra strong soap is best).
- bottom watering, or letting the top of the soil dry out between waterings
Humid environments require lighter watering. You might want to get a soil moisture detector so you can see how moist your soil really is and determine if you need to water.
I used mosquito bits previously but have recently found a liquid source of BTI that is much more convenient since I donât need to wait for the bits to soak.
I find bottom watering an impossible thing with the amount and size of plants I have so just adding the BTI during normal watering a few times past when you think you got them all, along with the sticky traps, should do the trick.
If you replant or add more soil I recommend starting another round of BTI right away for several waterings to prevent them from occuring again, since they seem to be prevalent in potting soil mixes.
I work at a plant nursery and we always tell people to mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide 10 parts water, then water the plant as normal with the solution. It kills the fungus and the gnats will starve to death.
I donât have a good solution, but sundews seem to catch a shit ton of them
The only solution.
DasusNeem oil spray and watering could help. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_oil
GarboDog