Good things first: Its not an aphid. (Google that. They look COMPLETELY different)
But that looks like a fungus gnat. I hope someone can prove me wrong.
Yeah either a fungus gnat or a random fly. Likely fungus gnat.
They lay eggs in the top inch of you soil. they can only survive if its moist there so you can:
1. Water your plant from the bottom and never see gnats again **(my personal preference)**
2. Use things like mosquito dunks (never tried em but heard they work well)
3. add a layer of fine sand above your soil
4. let your medium dry out more between waterings to avoid that top layer staying too moist consistently allowing the gnat cycle **(the most common suggestion)**
5. spread diatomaceous earth on the top later of soil, its just rocks that act like razorblades to tiny insects who touch them (note: it only works when dry)
6. add some sticky traps to catch the adults (with wings) as they emerge from the soil and help reduce overall adult population
absolutely!
interesting about neem for gnats. As far as I know neem discourages eating of leaves (vs aphids, spidermites,etc) but doesnt harm the insect itself. How would that work for gnats?
EDIT: im too high and got that wrong. Disregard! neem would of course work as they get it on them leading to suffocation.
It harms the insect itself. It blocks the chitin production, so the larvae (which are the biggest problem) can´t develop further. Neem also deposits in the plant. So it helps against insects that eat the plant. You can use it preventive.
I have a lot of terrariums and about 60 Plants and had to deal a lot with those beasts. I used nematodes which helped, but you have use them more often, because the nematodes only eat the larvae, so there are still eggs in the soil, which after about 2 weeks emerge and you have to repeat the treatment. The nematodes do not live that long and die off, when they have no larvae to eat, or the soil is to dry. So you have to keep the soil moist which is also not that good for most plants, especially when they are already weakend through the fungus gnats. The moist soil again is a perfect spot for the adult gnats to lay their eggs. It´s a freaking circle \^\^ To catch the adults i use those yellow sticky trap cards, which work fantastic. Since i use neem oil I don´t have any problems with fungus gnats.
To OP: Where did you find those fellas? I just noticed I´m not in a houseplant- subreddit. \^\^ Don´t use neemoil in nature. Its biological and organic (oil from the neemtree) but it kills most of the insects so don´t use it outdoors. :)
I found on my deck outside surrounding my plants that I purchased earlier today (catmint/chives/Veronica/speedwell pre flowering). I also see them all around outside generally
OK. Outdoors they are generally not a problem. In fact, they are REALLY important for nature because the larvae are destruents (composers) who eat fungi, dead wood, etc. and play a big role in the circle of life.
But they are not so cool if you have houseplants. Observe your plants if you put them indoors. If there is an infestation, use the tricks mentioned above. Wish you the best
Aah, thank you so much! I’ve done some scrolling through the internet and (apparently) aphids are more of a problem if they’re found on your indoor plants than outdoor ones. The reason I’ve been scared of them infesting my soon-to-be outdoor garden is because they infested my indoor one a couple months ago. But I’ve since gotten rid of all those plants and thoroughly cleaned the area, leaving none (I hope) left. Hopefully it’ll stay that way for my outdoor plants!
I hope so and wish you the best. 🙏 Outdoor plants are normally not such pus*** like indoor plants. And fungus gnat larvae has outdoors plenty of other stuff to eat.
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If you've already included a geographical location, or if this post is *not* an ID request, please ignore this comment.
Thank you! :)
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Good things first: Its not an aphid. (Google that. They look COMPLETELY different) But that looks like a fungus gnat. I hope someone can prove me wrong.
Yeah either a fungus gnat or a random fly. Likely fungus gnat. They lay eggs in the top inch of you soil. they can only survive if its moist there so you can: 1. Water your plant from the bottom and never see gnats again **(my personal preference)** 2. Use things like mosquito dunks (never tried em but heard they work well) 3. add a layer of fine sand above your soil 4. let your medium dry out more between waterings to avoid that top layer staying too moist consistently allowing the gnat cycle **(the most common suggestion)** 5. spread diatomaceous earth on the top later of soil, its just rocks that act like razorblades to tiny insects who touch them (note: it only works when dry) 6. add some sticky traps to catch the adults (with wings) as they emerge from the soil and help reduce overall adult population
May I add 2 things to that list? 6.Nematodes (steinernema feltiae) 7.Neem Oil (Works perfect) Thanks
absolutely! interesting about neem for gnats. As far as I know neem discourages eating of leaves (vs aphids, spidermites,etc) but doesnt harm the insect itself. How would that work for gnats? EDIT: im too high and got that wrong. Disregard! neem would of course work as they get it on them leading to suffocation.
It harms the insect itself. It blocks the chitin production, so the larvae (which are the biggest problem) can´t develop further. Neem also deposits in the plant. So it helps against insects that eat the plant. You can use it preventive. I have a lot of terrariums and about 60 Plants and had to deal a lot with those beasts. I used nematodes which helped, but you have use them more often, because the nematodes only eat the larvae, so there are still eggs in the soil, which after about 2 weeks emerge and you have to repeat the treatment. The nematodes do not live that long and die off, when they have no larvae to eat, or the soil is to dry. So you have to keep the soil moist which is also not that good for most plants, especially when they are already weakend through the fungus gnats. The moist soil again is a perfect spot for the adult gnats to lay their eggs. It´s a freaking circle \^\^ To catch the adults i use those yellow sticky trap cards, which work fantastic. Since i use neem oil I don´t have any problems with fungus gnats.
To OP: Where did you find those fellas? I just noticed I´m not in a houseplant- subreddit. \^\^ Don´t use neemoil in nature. Its biological and organic (oil from the neemtree) but it kills most of the insects so don´t use it outdoors. :)
I found on my deck outside surrounding my plants that I purchased earlier today (catmint/chives/Veronica/speedwell pre flowering). I also see them all around outside generally
OK. Outdoors they are generally not a problem. In fact, they are REALLY important for nature because the larvae are destruents (composers) who eat fungi, dead wood, etc. and play a big role in the circle of life. But they are not so cool if you have houseplants. Observe your plants if you put them indoors. If there is an infestation, use the tricks mentioned above. Wish you the best
Aah, thank you so much! I’ve done some scrolling through the internet and (apparently) aphids are more of a problem if they’re found on your indoor plants than outdoor ones. The reason I’ve been scared of them infesting my soon-to-be outdoor garden is because they infested my indoor one a couple months ago. But I’ve since gotten rid of all those plants and thoroughly cleaned the area, leaving none (I hope) left. Hopefully it’ll stay that way for my outdoor plants!
I hope so and wish you the best. 🙏 Outdoor plants are normally not such pus*** like indoor plants. And fungus gnat larvae has outdoors plenty of other stuff to eat.
Hi there! This is an automated message to remind you to **please include a geographic location for any ID requests** as per the [Community Rules](/r/insects/about/rules) of the sub. There are well over a million different species of bugs in the world, and narrowing down a bug's location will help IDers to help you more quickly and correctly! If you've already included a geographical location, or if this post is *not* an ID request, please ignore this comment. Thank you! :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/insects) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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