I live in Vancouver
5 pots by the window include:
- rubber plant
- monstera and snake plant
- an orchid
- a green anthurium
- this new plant:
They are very small, I didn’t notice they were bugs until today. I have been cleaning them away.
Some are dead, and some are walking. None are flying but they have wings.
What is it? What should I do to prevent the spread? How can I cure it in the long term?
They are still contained around the window sill. I want to get rid of them before they start flying around my home.
Should I put the plants outside?
@finitebanjo@feddit.online
Could be fungus gnats though our occasionals seem smaller than what’s photographed.
What’s worked for us for long term control of soil born pests is a combination of bottom watering and a layer of coarse sand for mulch for our indoor plants. Playground sand is too fine and can prevent proper gas exchange in the substrate but builder’s sand works well. It’s probably less expensive to call a landscape supply place near you and fill a bucket than to buy it in a box store unless you have enough indoor plants to use 50lbs/22.7kg. We use a large clay tray pot for the bottom watering and then everybody goes back to their own tray after a drink.
Fungus gnats in particular lay in wet soil, and not very deep. A few mm of sand keeps them from finding any hospitable place to lay their eggs. The bottom watering helps prevent any disturbance of the sand mulch which might reveal wet soil.