Fungus gnats, also known as sciarid flies, are yet another pest you have to deal with, but these ones are especially interested in indoor houseplants.
Their love of moist potting soil makes an ideal breeding ground for adult gnats to lay eggs and before you know it, you've got an infestation. And it's easily spotted once you see flies crawling around the soil, or flying slowly around your plants.
While fungus gnats have a short lifespan, they're also great at reproducing, so just as you think the adults may be leaving your houseplants alone, their young won't. It's the larvae in fact that feeds on the roots of seedlings or decaying matter.
But, gardening and plants expert Calum Maddock at HomeHow.co.uk has stepped up with a solution to rid your home of fungus gnats before they destroy your houseplants forever.
And while there's a range of techniques you can use, Calum has a simple method that uses ingredients you probably already have in your home. And if there's one thing I love, it's a natural pest solution that costs me nothing.
How to banish fungus gnats
To banish fungus gnats from your home, it's as easy to gathering up a three ingredients you'll most likely already have in your cupboards; water, cider vinegar and washing up liquid.
To create the 3-ingredient homemade trap, simply pour all three items into a jar. Maddock says this works because: "The smell of the cider vinegar draws them in, and they enter the jar. However, the washing up liquid breaks the surface tension of the liquid, so when the flies land on it, they fall into the mixture and drown".
So, place the jar near the affected houseplant (or make up a few if they're in different rooms) and soon enough, the trap will become your first line of attack on a fungus gnat infestation.
Other expert methods
As I mentioned briefly, there's a variety of other tried-and-tested methods that'll also help you battle the fungus gnats bothering your houseplants.
If you don't want to make a homemade trap, you can also buy bright yellow sticky traps that lure the flies in and traps them.
Maddock has an expert tip for using this method, though: "While some of these traps can be placed vertically, they work best when horizontal, as the flies are more likely to land on them".
Another method is to make sure the top of the houseplant soil stays dry, either by reducing how much you water your houseplants (depending on what they can tolerate) or by watering them from underneath.
For this, Maddock suggests: "Set your plant in a container or saucer of water when it looks like it needs a drink. After about 20-30 minutes, you should discard any water from the container that has not been absorbed by the plant".
You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth onto the soil, which is easily purchased from garden centers or online. Flies hate the texture of it and it'll put them off returning.
In the end, you may just want to repot your houseplants altogether by throwing away the infested soil and replanting it with some fresh potting mix.
"As the surface is covered by the gravel, horticultural grit or pebbles, the flies are unable to gain access to the soil to lay their eggs"
And it may be worth replacing soil with pebble or gravel mulch instead, as Maddock explains: "As the surface is covered by the gravel, horticultural grit or pebbles, the flies are unable to gain access to the soil to lay their eggs".
So, whether you mix up a quick trap or try something a little more drastic, it's certainly not something you have to learn to live with.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
