I have lots and lots of little black gnat-like things on my houseplants...they seem to mostly be in the soil and around the pot of the plants. I've seen them go under the soil, they don't fly much but have wings. Alcohol seems to kill them right away...does anyone know what these could be? The plants don't seem affected. (although the lemon balm's leaves are getting a little blackish on the edges, I think that's from too much sun)
Little gnat things?
- Thread starter MameJenny
- Start date
digitS'
Garden Master
Fungus gnats?
Do your potted plants have fungus gnats?
I've used pyrethrin insecticides on the soil surface of plants that have spent the summer outdoors and then been brought into the house. The gnats just keep coming.
I used yellow sticky traps last winter but think I'll use the Bt mosquito killer this time around. The sticky traps work fine but they are kind of ugly.
The garden center sells "dunks" that float on ponds and kill skeeters. The USDA doesn't say that they are for fungus gnats but, I guess, it is the same type of Bt for both.
Steve
Do your potted plants have fungus gnats?
I've used pyrethrin insecticides on the soil surface of plants that have spent the summer outdoors and then been brought into the house. The gnats just keep coming.
I used yellow sticky traps last winter but think I'll use the Bt mosquito killer this time around. The sticky traps work fine but they are kind of ugly.
The garden center sells "dunks" that float on ponds and kill skeeters. The USDA doesn't say that they are for fungus gnats but, I guess, it is the same type of Bt for both.
Steve
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
Yup, fungus gnats. It is possible to get them even in excellently-managed houseplants, but *usually* they're a sign that you are letting your plants' rootballs sit soggy for too long -- either overwatering, or insufficient container drainage, or too-water-retentive soil mix for your watering habits. So that's another thing to think about.
I've found it hard to 100% permanently eradicate them, but correcting the underlying problem and then applying the sorts of solutions that extension webpages suggest has generally been pretty effective for me in knocking the populations way, way down to just an occasional gnat.
Good luck,
Pat
I've found it hard to 100% permanently eradicate them, but correcting the underlying problem and then applying the sorts of solutions that extension webpages suggest has generally been pretty effective for me in knocking the populations way, way down to just an occasional gnat.
Good luck,
Pat
