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Original poster

Tiny tiny flies in my home

55 replies

AJ2009 · 11/02/2023 19:02

This is driving me mad. Over the last couple of months I see 1 or 2 really tiny flies flying around my living room.
It's usually when I'm sitting on the sofa I suddenly see it flying in Front of my eyes and I bat it away then a few mins later it's back again.

Today it landed on my jumper so flattened it and then I saw another a couple of hours later:

I never see them in my kitchen, always living room and maybe once or twice in bathroom. I think I'm mainly seeing them in the living room as that's where I spend most of my time when home.

I can't seem to find the cause of them. There's no rotting food downstairs and no bad smells either.

Bathroom the same thing.

And there's not loads just 1 or 2 at a time and it's everyday.

Just wondered if anyone else is having the same problem and if it's been sorted?
Or does anyone know what they are.

OP posts:
NashvilleQueen · 11/02/2023 19:04

Google drain flies. Could it be that?

Notthecarwashagain · 11/02/2023 19:05

Do you have any plants in the house?
Could be fungus gnats- I’ve had loads of them from a plant recently!

DoesItMakeYouFeelBetter · 11/02/2023 19:07

I was thinking fungus gnats in houseplants. They are practically impossible to get rid of. I’ve just thrown out all my houseplants because of them.

Ooshie · 11/02/2023 19:07

I’ve had fungus gnats recently, I’d never heard of them before! They live and breed in the soil of house plants.

Datafan55 · 11/02/2023 19:07

If there has been any rotting food and fruit flies, could be left over from that?

Villagetoraiseachild · 11/02/2023 19:09

Hi ,Op, same here! I've never had it before until recently and I think it must be from a compost I used in my pot plants.
I wiill do full repot of all plants come spring, as advised by local garden centre......

Villagetoraiseachild · 11/02/2023 19:11

Has anyone tried sprinkling cinnamon powder on the surface of soil? About to try that as short term strategy......

Original poster
AJ2009 · 11/02/2023 19:19

I do have a dragon plane that I got about 5 months ago. Oh damn!
That's in my living room. It looks nice but if it's causing the problem maybe best to get a fake?
It was to add something to the room and it's lovely to see but these little flies are driving me mad.

I have this thought that probably won't happen but I always think they are going to land in my ear and not come out. I don't know why I think this but I can't stop thinking bout it.
So I hate them near my face

OP posts:
KweenCnut · 11/02/2023 19:19

Definitely fungus gnats. I ended up binning a plant despite having repotted it and treated with bug killer. Think it's something to do with the new peat free compost, it doesn't drain as well

SeasonsBleatings · 11/02/2023 19:20

I had that from new compost. I bought some yellow sticky things to put in the soil and that really helped.

DoesItMakeYouFeelBetter · 11/02/2023 19:28

It’s d infinitely fungus gnats if they are flying in front of your face. They are so annoying. Don’t waste your money on traps or poison. Just bin the plant.

Notthecarwashagain · 11/02/2023 19:33

So annoying- always heading for the eyes!

I did read that small gravel on the top of the soil helps, hadn’t heard of trying cinnamon though- hope it works!

Original poster
AJ2009 · 11/02/2023 19:36

I'll have to get rid of it and find a fake as a plant really suits where it is.
Thanks for all replies. Gutted though

OP posts:
pebbles3004 · 11/02/2023 19:39

You all need mosquito bits! Sprinkle them on the top of the soil of all your house plants, and it stops the gnats from breeding.

We had an infestation at one point but I had spent a lot of money on all our house plants so wasn't willing to just chuck them. Problem solved 😌 we need to re- sprinkle every 6 months or so but it was a game changer! If this didn't work my husband was threatening that we'd have to chuck them all, so I am relieved it worked!

Tribollite · 11/02/2023 19:41

What are mosquito bits?

Inspired by this thread I just bought some yellow traps and some hydrogen peroxide which is supposed to kill the larvae. I have way too many plants to bin.

Happyher · 11/02/2023 19:42

Do you have a fruit bowl ? I get them sometime hanging round mine

adulthumanfemalemum · 11/02/2023 19:43

Fungus gnats here too. We bought sticky fly traps and it seems to have got rid of them for now.

Lindy2 · 11/02/2023 19:49

I had this last year. I'd bought an indoor pot plant and it had these little flies in the soil.

I had to put the plant outside to get rid of tge flies.

BobbyBleu · 11/02/2023 19:52

We had the same, it drove me mad. My husband moved the indoor plants and it cleared up straight away.

pebbles3004 · 11/02/2023 20:08

@Tribollite mosquito bits is made and meant to kill mosquito larvae but it works for fungus gnats.

Tiny tiny flies in my home
RamsayBoltonsConscience · 11/02/2023 20:14

I have been inundated with fungus gnats since I repotted all my house plants. I wasn't prepared to lose them all so have invested in sticky traps and nematodes. Seem to have cleared them now but they've driven me mad!

Callingallbutterflies · 11/02/2023 20:17

I had a fungus gnat infestation. I ended up binning all my lovely plants. I have tentatively bought new, but after 2 plants were infested, I now quarantine them and use the sticky shapes to check before they come in the house. Thank you for the tip about mosquito bits... Going to add to my arsenal.

Tribollite · 11/02/2023 20:20

pebbles3004 · 11/02/2023 20:08

@Tribollite mosquito bits is made and meant to kill mosquito larvae but it works for fungus gnats.

Thank you.

Interesting it seems to come from the potting soil, I did repot two recently. I assumed it was a fruit plant I had.

Lifesyoungdream · 11/02/2023 20:21

I have been complaining about little flies for weeks in our house I have them up in the bedroom. I thought it might have been the drains. No plants in the bedroom.

ForestMountainsDesertOcean · 11/02/2023 20:24

We have had this problem the last few weeks. We only have two tiny plants in the house.

I just googled fungus gnats, though, and the ones here don't look like that.