Getting Rid Of Annoying Gnats

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By Peter L. Warren Special to the Arizona Daily Star

Q: We have tiny black gnat-like bugs flying around the house. They seem to live in the dirt of my plants and though they don’t bite, they annoy us endlessly. I put the plants outside to see if the change in temperature would encourage them to fly away but to no avail. They seem to end up even in rooms with no plants. We read somewhere to put dishes of soapy water out and we do catch a few this way, but I’d rather find a permanent way to rid myself of the annoying pests.

A: Your gnats are living on fungi in the soil of your plants. For this reason, we often call them fungus gnats. Unfortunately, the photo you sent wasn’t close enough to help identify which species. Fortunately, these are common insects in houseplants so we have a good understanding of their life cycle and some general methods for managing them. As you noticed, they don’t bite; in fact the adults don’t even feed. The adults are only alive for a week or so and their mission is to mate and lay eggs in the soil. They may fly to other rooms nearby seeking places to lay eggs. The larvae feed on decaying plant matter and fungi in the soil and complete their development in three to four weeks. The first step in managing them is to let the top 1 or 2 inches of soil dry out completely between watering. This step alone might be enough to solve your problem. If the population persists for a month after you change watering practices, you might need to use an insecticide. There are a few available including Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), pyrethroid-based insecticides and parasitic nematodes. Some of these are not easy to find in stores so you might need to order them online.

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Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions and photos may be emailed to [email protected]

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The lifespan of a fungus gnat is about a week. They live on fungi in the soil of plants.

• Katja Schulz

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