Fungus gnats or ground gnats are a nasty little insect that bug the homeowner as much as the beloved plant.
The larvae live and grow in the moist soil we provide for our houseplants especially a soil that is high in peat moss. Letting your plants dry out completely between watering helps prevent the larvae from hatching. Most of our plants can take a bit of dryness while inside for the winter. They are after all resting from a summer of growth and bloom time.
You could repot your plants in a soil that is low in peat moss either when you find the gnats or before you bring them in for the winter. Be sure the roots of the plant are clean before placing in the new soil.
Signs that this fungus gnat is present can be as simple as seeing them flying under your nose or at the light coming from windows. When you disturb the soil or water your plants this insect will fly up to greet you.
Enticing the gnats to another source of food is another option; placing raw fruit that has ripened into a small dish or bowl will draw the gnat then you can spray them with insecticide for house plants; using a container with a small opening like a water bottle and pouring in some vinegar will draw the gnats inside and you can dispose of them by simply pouring out the vinegar.
The family of pyrethroid-based insecticides is considered to have continued control in killing the adult fungus gnats. The short term control such as soaps, oils and neem do not provide enough control for killing the adult gnat. None of these insecticides kill off the larvae, letting the top of the soil dry out is the only method that really works.
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