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Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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Posted by byonan (My Page) on Wed, Apr 12, 06 at 13:32
| I have four tomato plants, two cucumbers, one japaneese egg plant, two dif. types of squash, and two dif bell peppers as well as two strawberries and some beans I started from seeds. In a small green house I have different herbs and lettuce. I live on the third floor of an apartment building, the patio is quite large about 15x25. I have tiny black flying bugs that fly around and walk around on the dirt. I think these are gnats? HELP!!! Are they going to hurt my container garden? Or do I just need to live with them? Also, I was moving my plants around and noticed a big black beatle...since I live in the city on the third floor I figured it had to have hatched from one of the plants....maybe not. I need help, if more beatles come is this bad? What can I do? I have tried locating the plant it may be coming from but I don't know. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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| The little flies are probably gnats. it's a common problem. They are not harmful but I sure hate it when they get into my coffee. Some of the solutions people have posted: -buy a product called a mosquito dunk. Put it into a gallon of water, and then water the plants with the water. they contain a bacteria harmful to small flies. -top your containers with sand or gravel. Apparently mama gnats don't like to lay their eggs in it. -water less often -use a soil with less humus Not sure what the beetle is but it's probably harmless and I don't think too many of them colonize. Unless, of course, you notice big holes in your plants like something's eating them... but I think most plant-eating beetles are smallish. |
RE: Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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| WP gave good advice and it does appear that you may have what are commonly called "fungus gnats". They lay eggs on moist soil and those hatch to produce larva that feed on the rotted material in that soil. When mature, they become a flying insect and will start the whole process all over again. You can supplement what WP suggested, with some yellow sticky traps. That will help catch the adults so they can't lay more eggs in the soil. And since beetles have wings and can fly, your beetle probably flew in and landed in the pot. I'm in the city as well and my spot is up much higher than yours, yet I have hosted quite a zoo of critters out there like the below circada relaxing on one of my lilacs! LOL 
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RE: Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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| Thanks for the adive, this forum is really cool....I have been reading postings to get different answers to questions, this is my first post and I will do it again for sure. Thanks for the advice WP and Jenny. |
RE: Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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| Glad to see you visiting and welcome! If you hang around here long enough, we'll fill up your space!! |
RE: Bugs in Vegetable Containers
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| I've heard that camomile tea also helps with fungus gnats. |
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