Fungus Gnat Removal

Fungus gnats can cause houseplants to fail to thrive.

Fungus gnats in your home are nuisances when they are adults. As larvae, they pose a danger to your plants. They usually feed on fungal matter in the soil, but they can also eat and damage plant roots.

Adults

Adult fungus gnats are tiny flying insects. They often congregate around windows or light fixtures in your home. You can kill them with aerosol insecticides that are labeled for use on gnats or flying insects. Pyrethrin sprays are also effective for controlling adult fungus gnats.

Larvae

Fungus gnat larvae live in potting soil near the roots of your plants. They can be eliminated with a soil drench designed to kill them. The biological insecticide bacillus thuringiensis, sold under brand names Gnatrol and Vectobac, kills the larvae, according to North Carolina State University.

Considerations

Because you could have more than one generation of fungus gnats developing at one time, you may need to spray the adults or drench the soil more than once. Allowing the soil in your plants to dry in between waterings helps to reduce the number of fungus gnats in your home, according to Ohio State University.

References

• Ohio State University: Fungus Gnats
• North Carolina State University: Fungus Gnats Indoors