Tiny flying bugs

SlapSlapSlappy

This is just a matter of curiosity, these bugs don't seem to be harming my trees in any way. I have recently put in some humidity trays, and after I put them in, little black bugs started to come. Now whenever I spray my soil, little bugs fly out of it. This never happened before I put the trays in though...but I also bought a Serissa. It could either be the Serissa (which is in horrible soil I might add), or the trays. Could these bugs be harmful in the near future?

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bonhe

I think those insects are very tiny flies which they have been used in the genetic lab. I don't think they will cause any problem for your trees or your health ;-). Bonhe

eeiko321

heya

yeah i think i know what you mean

they are so small, that you cant really even make out what shape they look like...

well, does your growing area have alot of bush or trees etc?


because ive got alot of trees for free from a friend...and her area is nearly like the bush. alot of insects.

where i live its basically all concrete like a courtyard at the side of the house...very clean...

when you water it, they crawl around or fly off.

i dont think they are damaging out trees..
but its enough to get you paranoid aye?

damon00

I've had the exact same thing and thought that they were aphids and sprayed the trees. The spray completely wiped them out on the trees I sprayed, but since then I've seen a few on other tres that I hadn't sprayed.

Although today I looked up some pictures of aphids and they look completely different.

The bugs I've got look like really, really small black flies. And they tend to pop out and fly around when I water the tree.

Anyway, if anyone knows what these are I'd also be very interested to know.

eit27

It sounds like black fungus gnats. From what I have heard they come from moist soil and higher levels of humidity.

damon00

Do they damage the trees?

eit27

To my knowledge no. If you are keeping the soil extremely wet it could cause root rot.

Glider

eit27 is right, they won't harm the tree. Their larva feed on dead organic matter, but can damage tender seedlings or the base of soft cuttings. Healthy trees or plants are safe.

They're just a pain as each adult female can lay up to 200 eggs and the broods can overlap. The eggs hatch in 5 to 7 days and the young reach breeding age in 20 to 25 days, so more or less each month you get hundreds more (because more than one female will have laid) breeding whilst their parents are still breeding so you get exponential growth in numbers.

Happily, you can interrupt that cycle with any household fly spray.

On the other hand, they could be drosophila (fruit fly), some species of which also feed on rotting vegitation. The way to tell the difference is fungus gnats look like miniature mosquitos (thinner bodies, longer legs) and drosophila look like miniature house flies (squatter bodies, shorter legs).

Either way, the same rules apply.

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aesir22

def sound like fungus gnats. have had them frequently on other plants not bonsai. can guarantee over here whenever you buy a plant and the compost is damp, its been overwatered and has fungus gnats happily living their lives in the soil.

squish the things when you see them. or do as i did and just position one of those hanging fly traps, that really sticky tape stuff. they love it and it will never let them go! draw the larvae out of the soil by chopping bits of raw potatoe into inch sized cubes and placing on the soil surface for a day or two. they love nothing more than a potato dinner, and you will probably get the joy of a canny few little worm things burrowing through the spud! gross to behold but is a small step toward eradication!