I have approx 30 houseplants, some of them very big. I started noticing all these little insects in the soil of one of them about November - one of my girls came to stay and said she had the same going on in her plants and told me they were Fungus flies. I had never heard of them before or experienced them either. On her advice I bought sticky things you put in the soil and the flies get stuck on them. I realised after a few more weeks, ALL of my plants have been infected and although the sticks are doing their job, the population doesn't seem to have shrunk.
Have any of you ever had this problem and if so, how did you combat it? If I have to re-pot all of these plants, it's going to cost a lot of money.
There is a lot to be said for being part of a group, and the support and friendship that is gained from this.
Not a clue BellaT, ( no surprise there then!), but it sounds nasty, for you and the plants.
So, I did what I always do and consulted that well known gardener and gnat expert, Google Tichmarsh, and as you are a back to nature sort of gal, ( that's what your neighbour says anyhoo ), I thought this may be useful
How to Kill Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats are slow, erratic flyers, so killing them is not hard. Here are some of the most effective ways to get rid of adults:
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Fill a shallow container (about the size of a tuna can) with 1/4 inch of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap, and cover with plastic wrap. 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.
So, basically, drown the sods, here is a link to the website I found it on