Why Fungus Gnats Often Show Up Around Houseplants in Fall
Fungus gnats are small flies that tend to survive in the presence of wet soil and organic matter. The adult flies might hover around leaves, though this is not always the case; they tend to cluster around the soil.
The fungus gnat larvae can thrive underneath the potting soil. They usually feed on fungi and decaying organic materials. In some cases, they may also feed on thin plant roots in case they have many larvae. A Bradford pest control expert can help confirm the insect when activity keeps occurring.
The Bradford residents may experience increased activity of the fungus gnats during fall due to changes in routines for the houseplants during this period. There could be new plants brought into homes from outdoors, which spend some time outside in the warm weather, or even introduction of new houseplants.
Inside homes, plants get less sunlight and water slower compared to when they were outside. Therefore, the soil, which previously dried out fast during the summer, will stay wet for long periods of time.
Adult fungus gnats usually stay close to the affected pots. Homeowners may notice them:
- hovering just above the soil;
- walking along the rim of a plant pot;
- flying up when a plant is watered or moved; or
- gathering near several plants placed together.
Seeing a few tiny flies does not necessarily mean every houseplant is affected. One damp pot can sometimes be responsible for most of the activity.
How to Tell Fungus Gnats From Fruit Flies
However, as fungus gnats and fruit flies belong to the same category of insects, namely small flies, it becomes difficult to distinguish between them. The habitat of the flies proves helpful for distinguishing them.
The fungus gnats are dark colored, slim insects that are equipped with long legs. Fungus gnats look like mosquitoes due to their delicate body and flight.
The fruit flies are more compact compared to the fungus gnats. They can be considered more connected with ripened or overripe fruits and fermentation of organic materials.
A quick way to find the source of the insects is to observe the location where they constantly go back to.
When the flies keep landing in the potting soil, fly around plant pots, or rise out of the soil in case the pot gets moved, it means that there are fungus gnats.
When flies stay around fruit or similar food rather than house plants, it means that there are fruit flies.
Individual pots may be moved and any insect activity observed at the soil level. Fungus gnats become evident almost immediately after the infestation of a plant.
It is important to make a correct diagnosis, as a wrong one will result in the lack of a solution to the problem. Removal of the fruit will be of no use if the insects live in the soil, and changing plant care will not help with fruit flies.
How to Find Which Plant Is Causing the Problem
Sometimes it can be hard to identify which pot of multiple houseplants produces the fungus gnats. The best way to identify the infested plant is to look at each one separately.
First of all, spend some time looking at the surface of the soil. Adults usually gather around the pot, where larvae develop. You can also lift the pot to make several adults fly out of it.
Observe the plants you recently bought or repotted, or just brought inside. They can have soil, which stays wet for a longer period of time than the soil of the established indoor plants.
Also pay attention to how fast the soil dries out. The plant, which stays wet for a longer period of time than the other plant next to it, might offer better conditions for larvae development.
Another tool that helps identify the source of adult gnats is the yellow sticky card. Put it near the soil of a separate plant and see how many adults stick to it during the next few days.
If several pots show activity, more than one plant may be affected. Checking plants individually makes it easier to focus attention where it is actually needed instead of changing the care routine for every houseplant.
What Bradford Homeowners Can Do When Fungus Gnats Keep Multiplying
After identification of the affected plant, the next thing will be to evaluate the method of watering the plant.
If possible in the particular type of plant, let the topmost layer of the soil in which the plant is growing to dry up before re-watering. This is because the larvae thrive well in moist environment.
Avoid using watering program where watering will be done according to a set schedule. In autumn, it may be necessary to reduce watering of indoor plants due to cooler temperatures and lack of sunshine that would increase drying up of the soil.
Clear off the top most surface of the pot from dead leaves, stems of dead plant and other decayed plant material. This plant material serves as habitat for fungi and organic matter for the larvae of fungus gnats.
Monitor the affected plants for sometime after doing this. Existing adult fungus gnats might be around for a period of time, so you want to establish if there is reduction in the population of these adults.
The fact of ongoing activity might imply the involvement of more than one pot or the conditions that favor the presence of the larvae have not been completely rectified.
In case large populations of fungus gnats are seen in the home of a person called Bradford despite having made all necessary adjustments in the care of plants, an expert in pest control at Simcoe PestX can assist in confirming the identity of the insect.