fruit flies Archives

Fruit Flies or Fungus Gnats?

Fruit flies are different than fungus gnats. If you care to differentiate, read this article from Get Busy Gardening. I just assume the tiny flies in my kitchen are fruit flies and the ones around my house plants are fungus gnats. I’ve never taken the time to look that closely or distinguish between the two.

Separate and Wash Your Bananas

As soon as you bring them home, separate your bananas so they are no longer in a bunch, and wash them in soapy water. Yes, I said wash them! This will remove the eggs of fruit flies from the bananas. I have never thought to wash my bananas, even during the pandemic, when everyone was washing everything that came into their home. Apparently, fruit flies like to shelter in the crevices between bananas that are attached to each other in a bunch, so separating them is crucial too.

Who knew?

Vinegar Down Your Drain

Another trick is to pour vinegar down your drain to get rid of both fruit flies and fungus gnats. Fruit flies not only like banana stalks but also the wet, sticky environment in our kitchen drains. So do fungus gnats, AKA drain gnats or drain flies. Rotting fruit in our garbage cans and compost buckets also attracts fruit flies, so spraying those containers with vinegar helps too.

Other Tips to Reduce Fruit Flies

Changing garbage and compost bags often helps keep fruit fly infestations down too. Another tip is to keep your fruit in the fridge instead of on the counter, although I’ve never put bananas in the fridge. Some people use liquid traps made with apple cider vinegar or wine and dish soap to attract and kill the fruit flies respectively.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Sticky Traps for Fungus Gnats

As I do love my houseplants but hate fungus gnats, I have a procedure I am diligent about. Especially as these little buggers can be a quickly escalating issue when purchasing or inheriting new plants:

Shake the plant well outside before bringing it into the house

some people cover new plants with a plastic bag and leave them in their garage for a few days to isolate any fungus gnats before bringing them into their homes. I’ve never tried this.

wipe the leaves of new plants with hydrogen peroxide when they arrive in your home and at least once a month afterward.

use sticky traps to catch adult fungus gnats

shake plant pots once in a while, spraying any adults or babies that you disturb

spray the wet soil in each pot with hydrogen peroxide each time you water your plants

Microwave or bake new bags of potting soil. This kills any fungus gnat adults or eggs that might be unwanted guests within the bags, Let the soil cool of course before using it.

let the top of the soil in your pots dry out between watering. Some plants tolerate drier soil than others, but most hate overwatering, in fact, the quickest way to kill your houseplants is to overwater them.

fruit flies and fungus gnats — sticky traps

Conclusion

Well, whether or not you care which tiny insect is flying around your home, you are now equipped to battle them and win. If they are in your kitchen and you have no houseplants, they are probably fruit flies. If zipping around your houseplants in other areas of your home, they are most likely fungus gnats.

Bottom Line: Fruit flies don’t like wet soil and fungus gnats don’t like rotting fruit. Also: Don’t use vinegar on your houseplants.

I’ve learned lots since I decided to replenish my collection of houseplants almost two years ago. I had given up on them years ago when my boys were young, mainly because my middle son destroyed most of them by pouring stuff into the pots. I even caught him urinating in one once. Houseplant care is a learning experience.

Facebook Groups

I have to admit, most of my new found knowledge of houseplant care has been gleaned through a few Facebook groups I joined. Houseplant Help is just one of many, simply submit a request to join on their page.

From this Houseplant Help group, I discovered Will Creed, an expert on the subject. I have ordered his book, and cannot wait to read it. Most of the information I share in this blog post is advice I learned from him.

Pandemic restrictions have spawned many of these groups, a therapy of sorts for some of us not used to being stuck at home.

Insect Infestations and Houseplant Care

Houseplants do attract bugs, so if (tiny) bugs flying around gross you out, houseplants may not be for you. These tiny bugs include fungus gnats that love wet/damp soil, spider mites, thrips, you name it.

There are, however, numerous ways to combat the bugs, depending on how big of an infestation and how many houseplants you have.

Repellers

I have not yet tried the repellers but like the idea. They work using sound waves, so no chemicals, radiation, smell etc. They are more expensive than other methods as you need one per room; they simply plug into an electrical socket. They also deter other pests like mice, spiders, and other unwanted guests you might not want in your home. I might consider these to keep mice, chipmunks, and squirrels from the cozy warmth inside our cottage.

Houseplant Care: What I've Learned — pest repeller

Sticky Traps

A second, less expensive option, is sticky traps. As their name implies, the bugs get stuck on the sticky surfaces of these traps. Some people might find the sight of the bugs stuck to the traps offensive. The traps come in many shapes, I have this butterfly version in my home. My husband is one of those people that hate the sight of them covered in little black dots. The bonus to these is that they work for fruit flies too, something (I’m sure) everyone finds bothersome in the summer. I keep one stuck to the underside of my kitchen cabinet above the spot I store bananas. Works wonders, and you don’t see the proof that they work…

Insecticidal Soap

Another way to minimize insect infestations on your houseplants is to spray the soil and leaves with insecticidal soap. This is especially important when transferring plants from the outdoors to inside your home. Here in Canada we like to put our houseplants outside for the summer to let them flourish in the fresh air, rain and sunshine. When frost threatens we bring them back inside to overwinter. However, if you fail to treat the soil and leaves before bringing them inside, you will bring in much more than just the plants!

Watering Tips and Houseplant Care

Most experts will tell you overwatering houseplants is the fastest way to kill them. To determine how often to water them, stick your finger in the soil of each potted plant to determine how dry the soil is. Each pot will be different based on the type of plant, type of pot (clay pots dry out faster than plastic), where in your home it is located (sun exposure), and even what the weather is like outside (plants need less water in cooler months here in Canada).

Some plants need to dry out considerably before you add water. Others should only dry out to the top half inch of soil. Do your research to see which ones prefer which method.

Repotting Do’s and Dont’s

One of the biggest mistakes I made was repotting my houseplants into pots that were too large. Apparently, you must only move up one pot size at a time to avoid root rot. I lost several plants going too large too fast; my impatience got the best of me. I chose large planters to complement my decor, not to suit my plants.

I have since managed to salvage a few of these mistakes by removing the struggling plants from the large pots, then tucking them into smaller pots. I have several small pots sitting on top of the larger, decorative pots that I purchased. Eventually, they will fit into the large pots…

Unfortunately, the plant on the left did not survive in the too large pot.

Another repotting tip involves washing the roots of your plant before repotting it. Root washing is especially helpful if the plant was not thriving in its previous pot. This practice of washing the roots is also recommended when planting perennials and annuals in your outdoor gardens and containers. Although I have just started to do this in my outdoor gardens, I can see how root washing is beneficial to remove excess fertilizer and relieve root-bound plants, not to mention flushing out any diseases or pests inadvertently transported home from the nursery or a friend’s garden.

Did I forget anything? Do you have any tips for houseplant care that I did not mention?