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Private_Part t1_ixmkmmw wrote

Probaby fungus gnats in the soil. Really hard to control.

You can try watering less, adding about 3/4 of an inch of sand on top of soil and putting up some yellow sticky traps.

All of the soil from the big box stores comes with this little treat these days.

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invenio78 t1_ixmmjt0 wrote

Replying to Private_Part (#651,503)

My wife loves gardening and brings in a lot of plants for the winter. We always have some (nothing like OP, just see one flying in front of the computer screen here and then).

Those yellow sticky pads work really well and I put one in every pot. I also will spray down the plants with insecticide before bringing them into the house. I've also used those small bug zappers and fan operated glue traps and those work as well. I don't think there is universal fix but if you stay on top of it, it's just one or two here and there.

Links to products I've used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IMTVAI6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CDB8PDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Bluejay1889 t1_ixmmlge wrote

I am going through the same situation. I have indoor plants. I think it's due to the weather conditions (change in humidity inside, etc). They are fungus gnats.

You need sticky traps (little yellow things, put them on soil around the plant. They are cheap on Amazon)

You can also create your hydrogen peroxide and water solution. Helps a lot.

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dorelda t1_ixmq1pj wrote

I top the soil with a layer of medium polished aquarium/terrarium stones. It breaks the bug breeding cycle, and is decorative.

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chosen566 t1_ixmuqwq wrote

Get rid of the plants and spray the walls with bleach… done deal

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dorelda t1_ixmxny6 wrote

Replying to pachucatruth (#652,795)

Yes. The dang flies are gross, and find their way in so easily.

I switched to “self watering” pots, too, to improve drainage (another reason your sand recommendation is a good one).

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woolsocksandsandals t1_ixmznf1 wrote

I don’t think these are fungus gnats. Too large. Can you get a better photo of just a couple of them? Zoom in to a little less than 50% and hold the phone about a foot away. Should get decent resolution and detail.

After that get out your vacuum and suck those things up and kill as many as you can with a swatter. If it looks like they may be from your plants get some play sand loosen the top layer with a fork and smother the top with sand then let the plants dry out and vacuum the top layer and the sand off them reapply sand and treat with a light solution of cold pressed neem.

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misserlou t1_ixn2xa1 wrote

They look like termites swarming. I had this happen to my apartment because it’s an old building with little to no window insulation lol but they swarm and lose their wings when they’ve found a place to inhabit. I would call a professional

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movdqa t1_ixn5z8k wrote

They look like flying ants but it's hard to tell as you're some distance away. I'd recommend a vacuum cleaner to get rid of them in the short-term. You might need a pest control person to figure out where they are coming from if it isn't obvious.

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Frederick_Foz t1_ixn706p wrote

Looks like fruit flies, make sure you don’t have any food lying around

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Bkbunny87 t1_ixn821i wrote

Scrolling the first few comments is hilarious as totally different bugs are thrown out as the offending insects with confidence.

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Glucose12 t1_ixnbplc wrote

Look like aphids to me. One of your plants infested?

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LaserRedstang t1_ixng01s wrote

Thank god I saw the replies about fungus gnats. I was gonna say some demonic stuff going on. 🤣😂🤣😂

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MissorNoob t1_ixnhzd7 wrote

Dealt with this recently. Spray the soil with Neem oil or a sulfur based insect repellent (depending on what the plant tolerates). Turn the soil over once a day and spray again. Hang up sticky traps. Should get rid of them in less than a week. Get rid of any dead or decaying plant matter too. And don't water while you're getting rid of the insects. They hate dry environments.

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DrJewballs t1_ixnoigh wrote

Looks like some type of bug

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kamikaziboarder t1_ixnpwzk wrote

Replying to MissorNoob (#655,039)

This. We brought in our pepper plants. We sprayed the soil with neem before after one bad experience. Seems to have solved our problem. I also set up home made fruit flu traps with a small bowl. Half apple cider vinegar, half water, a drop of dish shops. Plastic wrap over the top with a few holes poked in it. They seem to have been attracted to that.

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xforce4life t1_ixnq7tl wrote

Am I the only one that was thinking of the Amityville Horror when i see this picture??

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reefer_roulette t1_ixnvl4v wrote

100% fungus gnats.

You're probably over watering your plant. They are attracted to moisture and decaying matter in the soil. They're harmless to you and your plants but they're annoying as hell.

Instead of pesticides, try repotting it in drier soil with better drainage and water it less. The larva lives in the soil. Vacuum the adults (shown), clean the window area and repot.

Don't put rocks at the bottom of a pot for drainage - it leaves a pool of water for the roots to rot in and the gnats to be attracted to. You don't need stones or sand on the soil either. Use a good soil mix with perlite (the white stuff in potting soil) and stop watering so much.

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eastst328 t1_ixnw2yb wrote

They have made a city in your dirt. Put them outside.

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Authoress61 t1_ixnxgad wrote

Had the same. Repot if you can with new clean soil. Get some sticky traps too. Put cinnamon on top of the soil of your plants, they hate that. And if you have that many outside of your plants, I’d vacuum them up and immediately go dump the bag/canister outside. These little bastards are insideous.

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No_Yard_7363 t1_ixny3sf wrote

These are definitely aphids, not fungus gnats. I have 40ish plants and have had fungus gnats on different levels for years. I just got over an aphids infestation where I had to toss an entire Aerogarden. I had the same congregation of mature aphids at my slider near the infested plants. Google mature/ flying aphids vs fungus gnats. You definitely have a plant that is infested with less mature aphids that they are feeding off of. They'll be green and crawling. Take a close look at the stems and under the leaves of all of your plants.

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sertater t1_ixo2cge wrote

Replying to 800grandave (#656,537)

Sadly this is not a world record, but you are on your way! I'm sure if you continue with this pace, and being a waste of oxygen much like your other comments suggest, you'll hit the record in no time!

As for being the "always helpful counter guy," it comes naturally. I'm here to make sure you know just how much time you spend online instead of doing something productive!

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800grandave t1_ixo39zy wrote

Replying to sertater (#657,144)

oh im sure youre a real fucking captain of industry type yourself. shucks mister, how do i find value and purpose?!?

by calling you a cunt, of course! tally another one fuckface

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Future_Ad8467 t1_ixo3o9o wrote

Just need bug spray for indoor plants.

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uberwoots t1_ixo4ex4 wrote

Post this in the termite subreddit. I always have termites in my home. I cannot tell from this picture. I would say no to termites at first glance tho.

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Lilly6916 t1_ixofkl0 wrote

Replying to Zealousideal_Walk515 (#655,837)

I got some great traps from Amazon as well. They’re yellow very sticky tubes that you can stand or hang. You can put cider vinegar in the base. It took awhile to clear them all. I think new generations hatched after I caught the first round.

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Baremegigjen t1_ixpeqzr wrote

Replying to Zealousideal_Walk515 (#655,837)

A bowl of vinegar with a few drops of dish detergent is a great trap for fruit flies. They’re attracted to the vinegar and the soap makes it so they can’t get out once they get in so they drown in the vinegar. Had an infestation in the kitchen and they were dead by the next day, having drowned in the vinegar.

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[deleted] t1_ixpwwcc wrote

Hopefully child services doesn’t see this

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danmac1152 t1_ixqdxhq wrote

Looks like fungus gnats. They usually like potted plants with overwatered soil. There’s several organic pesticides that will take care of them. AZAMax watered in and diatomaceous earth sprinkled on top of the soil liberally will take care of the adults and the larvae. They lay their eggs in the soil.

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vk208 t1_ixqnx53 wrote

Not NH but in MA! I had a million of those recently once I brought in my plants for the winter. I just ended up vaccumming all of the young ones before they could lay their eggs in the soil. I also cut down the watering and added a DIY trap with sugar, dish soap and water. My infestation was gone in about 4 days. The yellow sticky traps really help too!

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Amylynn860 t1_ixseqto wrote

If you get doctor bronner's peppermint soap place 20 drops in a 10 oz bottle of water. Spray the plants 2 times a day plus the soil. It won't hurt the plants..in a week they will be gone.

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