Why do I have little bugs around my indoor plants?
A: They’re most likely fungus gnats. These little buggers are a really common pest over winter, and they’re more attracted to the moist soil in houseplant pots than to the plants themselves. These are fungus gnats, also known as house plant flies and sciarid flies. They’re mostly harmless – adult gnats cause little or no harm to plants, but they can become a nuisance in the home. Their tiny worm-like larvae live in the top 5-8cm of compost, where they feed on algae, fungi and plant roots.Gnats come to find a breeding ground and place to lay their eggs. They seek out moist places, decomposing organic matter and damp soil of houseplants, and can be found around your trash or recycling bin. They get into your house through windows, doors and cracks and holes in frames by any entryway.The main trigger of a fungus gnat infestation is overwatering, because fungus gnats thrive in soggy environments. Larvae feed on decaying organic matter in moist soil. The best cure is to allow your soil to dry out between waterings. Most houseplants are happier in these conditions, so this step alone can work wonders.Gnats are commonly found around decaying organic matter. They enter through open doors and windows or even hitch a ride on your fresh produce or new potted plant.
What can I spray on my plants to keep gnats away?
Kate’s Garden Plant Spray for Insects is a great solution for protecting your garden and getting rid of gnats in plants! Peppermint, Rosemary, and Citronella oils are the active ingredients in our Insect Spray, providing you with a natural approach to keep pests away without harming the environment. Make a typical baking soda spray by dissolving one teaspoon of baking soda into one quart of water. Optionally, add a few drops of insecticidal soap or liquid soap to help the solution spread and stick to the leaves. Only use liquid soap, like Ivory, and not laundry detergent.Mix 1 cup of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of mild liquid soap. Add 2-8 teaspoons of this mixture to 1 quart of water and spray your plants as above. The oil in this spray smothers the insects, so it is effective on aphids, thrips, mites, and scale.Kate’s Garden Plant Spray for Insects is a great solution for protecting your garden and getting rid of gnats in plants! Peppermint, Rosemary, and Citronella oils are the active ingredients in our Insect Spray, providing you with a natural approach to keep pests away without harming the environment.Homemade Insecticidal Soap – 1 tablespoon dish soap. Spray on plants to control insects.Cleaning plant leaves with olive oil is an alternative solution readily available in your cupboard. Add a few drops on the cotton pads and rub them gently to the surface. Alternatively, fine mist a cloth with an olive spray cloth, avoiding too much oil swabbing.
How long until gnats go away?
Once they reach the adult stage, gnats generally only live about 7-10 days. The entire lifespan of a gnat – without overwintering – can take 3-4 weeks, depending on the species. Gnats are active mostly during the day, especially around mid-morning and dusk. Biting usually peaks during a three-week period in late spring or early summer, and is usually more severe following droughts.
What do fungus gnats hate the most?
The only way to get rid of gnats without killing them is to repel them with scents they don’t like: vinegar, vanilla, pine oil, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, and lavender. Even dryer sheets could help. Vinegar Trap: Use an awl or a sharp nail to poke several small holes in the lid of a large mason jar. Fill the jar half-full of apple cider vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap. The vinegar will attract the gnats, while the dish soap makes the mixture too viscous for them to escape.Fungus Gnats lay eggs in the top 2 inches of damp potting soil in the potted plants. So in order to get rid of fungus gnats, let the top 2 inches of soil dry before watering, you can also use bottom watering technique, hydrogen peroxide, BT solution, mosquito bits, and spinosad to get rid of fungus gnats as well.Apple Cider Vinegar Poke a few holes in the top of the plastic wrap, making them large enough to allow fungus gnats to crawl through. The gnats are attracted to the vinegar, and soap breaks the surface tension of the water, which causes flies to fall into the solution and drown.Homemade gnat repellent spray: A mixture of dish soap, water, baking soda, and vinegar can be filled into a spray bottle. The mixture should contain a few drops of dish soap, a tablespoon of vinegar, and baking soda per cup of water. A few sprays of this mixture is an effective gnat repellent.
What is the best home remedy for bugs on plants?
Vinegar. If you have a bottle of vinegar lying around, it could be the perfect pest control solution! Start by adding one cup of vinegar to three cups of water, then mix it in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on your houseplants and the strong scent will irritate the insects enough that they’ll find food elsewhere. The acidity of vinegar can help break down hard minerals in the soil that prevent certain plants from thriving. Plants like hydrangeas, blueberries, and gardenias benefit from higher soil pH. Remember not to spray it directly on plants, unless you’re specifically using vinegar to kill weeds.Vinegar is a contact herbicide, so you can unintentionally kill plants in your garden if you accidentally spray them with vinegar. Using vinegar as a weed killer works best on newer plants. On more established plants, the roots may have enough energy to come back even if the leaves you sprayed have died.Vinegar can sometimes be effective; however, using vinegar for pest control is generally a short-term effort to control pests since it is not effective as a long-term treatment against serious pest infestations and will not keep pests completely away from your property.Some high strength vinegar is sold to kill weeds so even if household vinegar is less strength I just wouldn’t use it at all on my plants. There are other methods to get rid of spider mites including an alcohol dilute mix or dish soap or horticultural oil.Vinegar is a great natural alternative to commercial weed killers as it contains acetic acid, which will eventually break down cell walls and remove moisture from weeds. When using, make sure you spray it directly on the weed you want to get rid of.
How to get rid of fungus gnats naturally?
Neem Oil Neem oil is a natural insecticide that can disrupt the life cycle of fungus gnats. Mix neem oil with water according to the package instructions and water your plants with this solution. Neem oil can kill larvae and repel adult gnats, helping to reduce their population over time. Use to control aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, coddling moth, meal worms, powdery mildew, scab, rust, and black spot. The best time to apply neem oil is when trees are dormant to kill overwintering eggs and larvae. During the growing season, use neem oil as a repellant or to control infestations.Neem oil should be sprayed early in the morning or late in the day to avoid burning foliage. You can also spray it on a cool, cloudy day. For houseplants, simply remove them from direct sunlight until the foliage dries. Avoid spraying during very hot or cold weather.Apply early in the morning or late in the day. Make sure that foliage is thoroughly coated to effectively treat pests or diseases. Don’t use during extreme cold or hot temperatures. Refrain from using neem oil if plants are stressed due to over or underwatering, or after transplanting to avoid shock.You’ll want enough neem oil (ready-to-use or mixed) to soak all of the plant, including the leaves and stem, and the surrounding soil. While applying the neem oil, be sure to coat the undersides of the leaves (where many pests like to cluster and lay their eggs).
Can I spray my plants with vinegar to get rid of gnats?
Vinegar kills bacteria and vegetation. I put vinegar in a cup, add a little sugar and dish detergent, and set it near the plants. It attracts the gnats and drowns them. Routinely use biological mosquito larvae control in your water it will kill them as they live in the growing medium. A diluted solution of Hydrogen Peroxide and water poured directly onto the soil will kill fungus gnat larvae on contact and help stop the gnats’ life cycle.Neem is not very effective at combatting fungus gnats, it’s not zero, but it’s not going to make much of a noticeable difference. It does not work for the same reason systemic pesticides don’t; gnats aren’t sap suckers so they don’t ingest the stuff that these products are delivering.