wrote:
> First off I am new to the forum so play nicely please.
> I have searched the forum and all over the internet but can't seem to
> find an answer.
> Since are central heating came on we have been infested with extremely
> small black flies. I had noticed them coming out of a cactus plants
> soil, and as much as I didn't want to was forced to move the plant
> outside. Now we have flies coming out of other plant pots inside the
> house.
> My question is what are they exactly and what can I do to get rid of
> them. Hopefully without losing my plants.
> To the forum admins, I am sorry if this is posted in the wrong section
> as I couldn't find an indoor plant section to the forum.
> Any help with my problem will be greatly appreciated thank you.
> --
> darronb
What you have is Scarid fly
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciaridae
On Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:34:49 +0000, darronb
>First off I am new to the forum so play nicely please.
>I have searched the forum and all over the internet but can't seem to
>find an answer.
>Since are central heating came on we have been infested with extremely
>small black flies. I had noticed them coming out of a cactus plants
>soil, and as much as I didn't want to was forced to move the plant
>outside. Now we have flies coming out of other plant pots inside the
>house.
>My question is what are they exactly and what can I do to get rid of
>them. Hopefully without losing my plants.
>To the forum admins, I am sorry if this is posted in the wrong section
>as I couldn't find an indoor plant section to the forum.
>Any help with my problem will be greatly appreciated thank you.
Welcome to the UK.Rec.Gardening Newsgroup to which GardenBanter
forwards posts (I doubt if there are any admins in the group to read
your "apology" as it's all done automatically).
Most likely you've got scarid flies, otherwise known as fungus gnats.
There are bio controls available but these are generally expensive.
Probably the easiest solution is to get some of those sticky yellow
fly traps you normally get for greenhouses. Hang one above the
affected plants and if you give the plants a shake to get the little
blighters flying you'll gradually catch them. You can also try fanning
the plants gently with one of the traps. This will take a while as any
babies in the soil will need to mature and fly before they get caught.
The usual cause is over-watering. You can help to prevent future
infestation by watering from below (stand the pots in a tray of water)
rather than from above. And let the soil become nearly dry before
watering again.
Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.
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> I have searched the forum and all over the internet but can't seem to
> find an answer.
> Since are central heating came on we have been infested with extremely
> small black flies. I had noticed them coming out of a cactus plants
> soil, and as much as I didn't want to was forced to move the plant
> outside. Now we have flies coming out of other plant pots inside the
> house.
> My question is what are they exactly and what can I do to get rid of
> them. Hopefully without losing my plants.
> To the forum admins, I am sorry if this is posted in the wrong section
> as I couldn't find an indoor plant section to the forum.
> Any help with my problem will be greatly appreciated thank you.
> --
> darronb