---
title: "Does anyone know what these are? The look like fruit flies and are…"
description: "Does anyone know what these are? The look like fruit flies and are not bothering my plants/leaves, they just seem to live in the soil. I tried insecticidal…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/6501fb465c8bcb4412bc498a?language=de"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems 🇺🇸"
author: "Kari"
published: "2023-09-13T18:11:18.863Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ws9e350wVCvocVU8hniqMmhTLwtHibHpL7_422M_YDw/bcdb6d4cb83949c98a0c697c952d71c2.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md?language=de) / [Pests, diseases and problems 🇺🇸](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md?language=de)

# Does anyone know what these are? The look like fruit flies and are…

_Gepostet von Kari am 2023-09-13_

Does anyone know what these are? The look like fruit flies and are not bothering my plants/leaves, they just seem to live in the soil. I tried insecticidal soap and that really didn’t do much. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

![Anhang 1 von 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ws9e350wVCvocVU8hniqMmhTLwtHibHpL7_422M_YDw/bcdb6d4cb83949c98a0c697c952d71c2.webp?size=large)

## 11 Kommentare

### brianna 🤍 kommentierte am 2023-09-13

it looks like a fungal gnat which can cause issues if they lay eggs. i’ve been dealing with them this week and i believe it’s because the soil for some of my plants have been consistently damp and that’s where they thrive. i found that my indoor potting soil mix was holding a lot of water so i repotted the effected plants into a mix of tropical soil with perilite and indoor potting soil for better drainage.

i believe you can also use sticky traps/pads to help or treat with a neem oil spray.

also, i’ve tried death drops from happy happy houseplant and they work wonders but are a little pricey if you are on a budget.

#### Kari antwortete am 2023-09-13

Thank you!! I do believe the bottom of the pot is always damp in my plants as well so I’ll try repotting with new soil and the neem oil.

### Niamh kommentierte am 2023-09-13

Other comment was right - it is fungus gnats. I’ve been dealing with them for months and it is better to get them sorted early rather than late. I have sticky pads which you can buy from amazon and cover the tops of your plants with gravel! I will try the soil tho as they are driving me bonkers lol

#### Kari antwortete am 2023-09-13

Same here. The plants are at my desk at work and I have them flying around me all day, it’s making me crazy lol I’ll grab the sticky traps too!

### laura 🩷🪴 kommentierte am 2023-09-13

I’m using Mosquito Beater to conquer my fungus gnats and it’s been helping a lot!

#### Kari antwortete am 2023-09-13

Do you use the spray or the granules?

#### laura 🩷🪴 antwortete am 2023-09-13

I use the granules! I actually just snip a corner of the dissolvable granule packet and sprinkle them into the top few inches of soil in every plant. I go by the usage amount described on the bag.

#### laura 🩷🪴 antwortete am 2023-09-13

This is the bag I bought!

![Anhang 1 von 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/3kmvW0IG5Co8-zlO2MGIGj2jYlcbbKqh8wU3qdgt08k/e7403794be1141e6b2734e3a89c29275.webp?size=large)

#### Kari antwortete am 2023-09-13

Ok thank you!

### Jess kommentierte am 2023-09-15

I had these for ages, there’s these yellow sticky pads you can buy from Amazon that work really well to get rid of them.

#### Kari antwortete am 2023-09-15

Ok thanks!

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