Transportation: Fungus gnats are generally brought in
with a new plant. They can fly from plant to plant.
Pictured: Fungus Gnats
General
Houseplant Pest information: Fungus gnats are small black flies that
are attracted to carbon dioxide. That's way the are always in your
face when you have an infected plant. Fungus gnats feed on decomposing matter in the potting
media. Fungus gnats won't really hurt a large plant, but they are very annoying.
Signs of infection: Generally
you won't see any plant damage just the little black flies buzzing
around. Fungus gnats and over-waterers go hand in hand.
Control: Allow the potting media of your plant to
dry out as much as possible without damaging the plant. Keep the
plant as dry as possible for as long as possible. A Fungus gnats
life cycle is less than 8 days If we can keep the plant dry for a
couple of weeks we will in effect "burn them out" of
their home.
Once we have completed running the plant dry give it a good
watering. Then add
systemic granules to the soil and water the systemic in . You could place yellow sticky traps
around the base of the plant to catch the adult black Fungus gnats.
For other chemical controls of houseplant pests and bugs call or visit one of our
sponsors, or order this excellent indoor/outdoor pest and disease reference book
for further eco-friendly solutions.