Houseplants-are theyharbouring insects?

Floozie

I seem to be having problems with every houseplant I grow. They seem to do well but then I notice there are a lot of small flies around the area they are in. I ended up throwing plants, simply to try and get rid of the flies.
My most recent purchase looks as if it is going the same way and I don't want to throw it away. Can anyone tell me what these flies are and is there any way I can get rid of them.

wellused

If they are the tiny black flies then they are probably compost flies which are harmless but a nuisance nonetheless, they thrive in the moistness of the compost so by keeping the top surface dry and watering from the bottom they can be kept at bay. If they are a great problem you can treat the compost with various insecticides.

sobie

small black flies around houseplants that come out of the soil are fungus gnats. (sciarid flies) their larvae feed on fungus, algae and dead plant roots. they cause little damage to houseplants, but can cause problems to soft cuttings and seedlings. The adult flys are completely harmless but are a real nuisence.

I suspect that you are watering your houseplants from the top of the pots.

To stop this happening in future, first of all always water from below (stand the pot in your sink for a while) allow the compost to dry out before re-watering or keep the soil surface dry, also a layer of grit or hydroleca on the soil surface makes it difficult for the flies to access the soil.

You can either hang up yellow sticky fly traps to attract the adult flies and stop them hassling you, or spray the plants with pyrethrins.