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Hello! As of yesterday I noticed a tiny little fly showing up… | Pests, diseases and problems 🇺🇸 | Planta-Community

Aria

Hello! As of yesterday I noticed a tiny little fly showing up occasionally around my room. I have a ton of plants and I’m very new to plant care but I assume it is a gnat. I have a small tea station next to my bed with open honey and if it were a fruit fly I would have found it in there already. How do I know which plant is infected? Or are all of them infected now? I have many seedlings and herbs but I’ve just had them all in a different room for a few minutes today for some tlc, no sign of any flies of gnats. I moved my orchid down from her shelf and a few minutes later the fly appeared, is it safe to assume it’s the orchid? She had some extremely rotted roots about a week ago so I completely rinsed her roots off and repotted, would that not have gotten rid of any fungus? I’m very new to all this and admittedly a bit squeamish about pests so I would really appreciate any help at all :)

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  1. LearningPlantMom

    You could be over watering your plant, that is why the orchid had bad rotted roots… orchids should be in bright indirect sunlight, and I only water mine once every 2 weeks - and that works really well for me. As far as the fly, I would recommend purchasing the Shieldeck flying insect trap from Amazon. Works amazingly, and that should take care of those bugs… The only way to tell if your other plants are effected is if they attention wilt, loose leaves, or any spots appear anywhere… I would do a deep inspection to make sure. I would also look into getting some neem oil and insecticidal soap. Mix them in a spray bottle with some water and spray them on your plants. This kills bugs and any bacteria or fungus on your plant. P.S. I will attach a picture of the bug catcher.

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    • LearningPlantMom
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  2. Plant Father

    are your plants in plain potting soil? or has it been amended with additional drainage material, like pumice and perlite? most of the time when people have fungus gnat infestations it’s the soil they’re using. gnats are attracted to the peat in many commercial mixes. miracle gro is well known for being full of pest eggs and larvae, typically because the bags are stored outdoors. it sounds like you may also be overwatering your plants. fungus gnats breed and thrive in moist soil since they eat the fungus that also breeds and thrives in moist conditions. they love plants with root rot as the rot fungus digests the roots into food for the larvae. orchids are epiphytes and prefer to be in an airy, chunky mix that should prevent fungus gnats, they won’t lay their eggs in bark chips even if it’s wet. the media your orchid is in should dry out considerably between waterings (at least halfway) and this will also prevent fungus gnats. if your orchid is in a clear pot, knowing when to water is easier since you can see the moisture in the media and the roots turn silver when they’re dry.

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