Fruit flies!

If you do feel these tiny flies are on your house plants be sure to water them from the bottom only. Don’t water the top of the soil.
The flies thrive in the wet soils at the top of the pot.
I sprayed my problem plants with fly spray that got rid of the flies but didn’t damage the plant.

Probably fungus gnats if you have plants around
Get some fish tank gravel and fill the top of the pot with it then the new babies cannot emerge they soon die out if they can’t get out the pot

The type of fruit flies we get here in Australia are very,very destructive. They are wasp like in appearance. I’m not talking about the tiny little things you get when fruit is overripe. There are many different species.

Diggingdoris

You can get rid of fungus gnats easily. Strike a few matches then blow them out and push head down into compost. They don't like the sulphur.

Ooh, thanks. I'll try that. Mine are definitely fungus gnats, as they are in the sitting room where the plants are, not in the kitchen. They don't seem interested in fruit .

Oh, interesting tip.
Sulphur dioxide, of course.

You can get rid of fungus gnats easily. Strike a few matches then blow them out and push head down into compost. They don't like the sulphur.

If they are fungus gnats, the beat thing to do is to get rid of your houseplants. When you replace them, spread a thick layer of gravel / chipping on the top of the soil and only water from the bottom. I speak from bitter experience 😪

I keep an empty plastic container to put veg peelings netc in before transfering them to the garden bin. Afew weeks ago I had a small plague of fruit flies so cleaned it out and haven't seen any since. However a friend mentioned she had had a lot around that time so there must have been something around that time which encouraged them, not just me having not cleaned the container enouigh.

Are you sure they're fruit flies? There's a type of gnat that loves the moist top inch of so of a houseplant.

A thin layer of gravel will help, as will watering from the bottom rather than the top. The little blighters can take months to die out, though.

Citronella candles. Work like a treat. Have just received my order of 100 for the next invasions. They smell lovely and the fruit flies HATE them.

I had a lot of them during the summer when it was warm.
They hovered around bunches of bananas I bought.

I realised this after trying to fathom out where they were coming from.

After that I covered them with a tea towel.
They seem to appear around bruised or very ripe fruit.

They get into an cracks and crevices and just wait to come out to annoy you. It's not because your house is unclean, they are just as happy in a totally sterile home too.

shallow bowl with vinagar adrop of soap

I've got a case of fungus gnats just now. I thought I'd got rid of the blighters when I last repotted my houseplants and stuck those yellow flags in all the pots. I caught lots of them, and thought that was that, but maybe they have a lifecycle that means a new generation has hatched or the central heating has brought them to life? Something has happened though, and I'm sick of them hovering about. Any ideas welcome. I'd Nepalm the things if I could.

What is the killer liquid you bought zDeeAitch56

Got them for the first time this year, unfortunately home remedies didn’t work so ended up buying some little bottles of killer liquid that they get attracted to and drown in it

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I get flies from the soil in my pot plants. They are like house flies but vey tiny. Even if you spray them the eggs seem to survive in the compost and it takes 2 or 3 sprays to get rid of them.

Allira

SueDonim

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

I bought a couple of small packets of compost to repot indoor plants and was horrified spot see loads of little gnats emerging and flying around.

I have some of these tiny flies cos I re potted a couple of plants, they go in and out of the pots and fly about near them.
They’re so tiny! Harmless things.

spot
to

SueDonim

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

I bought a couple of small packets of compost to repot indoor plants and was horrified spot see loads of little gnats emerging and flying around.

Mum had a fruit fly so I waved a newspaper to get it out. Car outside went honk. Mum said blimey you must have whacked his bum!

They are not nice, my fruit bowl lives next to the garden & compost does encourage them so I get them in a really hot spell. But apparently they are no risk to health, unlike bluebottles which are a major risk to health, so follow the helpful tips on here & I'm sure they'll go.

I was told to sprinkle cinnamon around, and it did work.

Are you sure they are fruit flies? I learnt from GN about fungus gnats and it turned out that what I thought were FFs were actually FGs. If you have any house plants, it could be them.

They come into the house on plant compost, apparently because compost nowadays is no longer sterilised as it used to be. When I lost my house plants (thank you, cats) the FGs went as well.

Imarocker

Fruit flies come home with your shopping. Put cider vinegar in a bowl with a drop of washing up liquid.

With cling film over the top with holes poked in. I sometimes use wine so at least they die happy. My compost caddy encourages them unfortunately.