Is there any trick to prevent "fleas" or any other bugs from partying around your house plant soil??? I think they're fleas because they're not very fast flyers and I can clap my hands and kill some of them. Fleas or gnats.

Our indoor plants seem to have fleas (or like bugs) roaming around in and about the soil, pots, and plants. I would take the plants outside to get rid of the fleas, but somehow, they magically appear again. Our house doesn't have pets and is clean all or most of the time.

Your input is greatly appreciated....

I really don't know what kind of bug it is.

The bug is not that fast. I can easily kill/catch them. Every time I try to catch one, they run for cover (hiding under the pot rim or under soil bark, etc). Their wings are parallel/cover the back to their body and don't stand up. Their wings "flicker." Seems like they prefer to run rather than fly (if they can).

The ones that do fly, I can smack it with my hand and kill them. The bug is around 1 mm and they don't look like house flies.

Sorry if the description sounds funny. Could it be "fungus gnats" then??? I'll stop with the watering.

The way I solve this is to get a saucer of water and put a couple of drops of dish soap in the water and leave it out where you see them. Once the flying pests get on top of the water, the dish soap prevents them from flying away and they eventually drown and die. After several days, you'll see that the saucer is full of them. I would dump them out and add more water and soap. It's always worked for me. Let us know if it works for you!

Can anyone help with IDing these pests? I've seen a few with wings, but mostly they'll just "hop" and crawl around on the ground. I think they are fungus gnats. I'm afraid that they are fleas, but will fleas live in houseplants? I do not have any pets and also have not had any symptoms of itching or flea bites.

Thanks!

Try those sticky yellow cards to see if you can catch any, and then maybe you can ID them. Or you can make your own using a yellow post-it note covered in vaseline. If they look like little flies (kinda like fruit flies, but frailer) then you probably have fungus gnats. They're not super hard to get rid of, just try to limit your watering. Wait until the first inch or so of soil on top is dry before watering again. I seem to recall the larva can only live in that top inch, which has to stay moist. Using mosquito dunks is another way to get rid of them.

Good luck.

The gnats won't all disappear overnight though, but eventually they will all die off.

Even though I no longer have the gnats, I still continue to water with my "dunk water".

- Diatomaceous Earth
- Throwaway breathing mask

Buy diatomaceous earth, found at any organic gardening shop and few home improvement stores. It is essential to ensure the bag is not designed labeled for swimming pools. It must be agricultural or food grade. Its price should be about $10. Diatomaceous earth is prepared from fossilized microscopic shells and is found naturally.

I wouldnt try this with an orchid or other really delicate plant...but most of my plants are peace lilies, tropicals, yuccas and other hard to kill specimens.

I was hesitant to try this, but after everything else failed, I watered some of my least favourite (if there is such a thing) plants first to see how they fared. I ended up by watering all my plants with hot hot water.

Sherry