unibumps asks: Little flies around my indoor herb garden — how do I get rid of them?
I live in an apartment with no patio and I have an indoor organic windowsill herb garden of 5 herbs.
I just noticed there are little, tiny flies on my herbs and I’d like to know a way I can get rid of those suckers without using any chemicals on the herbs.
Any indoor gardeners have advice for me?
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If the flies are into the dirt, these are fungus flies.
Sorry to say, I fought these for 2 years before I finally got rid of them.
I tried a lot of home remedies, I replaced the dirt, I froze the dirt, etc., and they came back.
The flies mature and lay eggs in about 4 days.
The eggs hatch in about 3 (usually).
These flies have a week or so, life cycle.
I killed them off with vegetable and fruit tree spray, mixed in a squirt bottle.
Use it a little more diluted than the instructions say, or it tries to kill the plants.
It says not to use indoors, but I had no choice, so I locked them in a spare bathroom.
I sprayed (especially the dirt ) twice a week for 2 weeks.
Eureka. It worked.
I water once a week.
I have not seen any return.
The gnats are laying eggs in the soil, the source of the gnats.Getting rid of the source will get rid of the gnats.
We forget with the enhancement of technology how to live in a world without it. The same can be said for pest control. We have forgotten that pest control on farms and in home gardens used to be organic. We invented “better” methods for pest control when we began spreading pesticides over our crops. This method of pest control was supposed to save us time, save our crops, and help us produce more food, but as luck would have it this method is dangerous. The pesticides can be toxic to more than just the bugs. It can harm people and the land. It should come as no surprise to most people that organic garden pest control has been around for centuries. In fact the first crops ever placed on a farm had organic pest control.
People from the past taught us what types of bugs were harmful to crops and what types of bugs could eliminate these pests. Today many farms are going back to the organic garden pest control method in order to kill the pests and save the humans and land. We are demanding organic foods not only because they taste better, but also because we don’t have to worry about toxic substances hurting us or our family.
Organic Garden Pest Control – http://www.perennial-gardens.com/flower-articles/organic-garden-pest-control.htm
As part of organic garden pest control, you should take care of the soil in the garden and make sure it stays fertile and healthy throughout the year. You can do this by working on your garden throughout the year by adding compost and rearranging your plants. You should make sure that all the planting is done when conditions are not conducive for the growth of pests. Another useful strategy is to allow the growth of bugs that eat pests in your garden. This is where the use of chemicals can be disadvantageous as the bugs that are useful can also get killed.
More on Organic Pest Control – http://www.perennial-gardens.com/flower-articles/organic-pest-control.htm
You could try a mild solution of liquid dishwashing soap and water in a spray bottle. Make sure it’s mild and it won’t kill the plants. Spray the plants and the dirt.
Try Organic Neem Oil – Made from the Indian Neem tree. Safe for veggies and herbs and you can use up to the day of harvest.