From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ct

Hi, these are not on my pumpkin plants but there are literally thousands and thousands of these little black gnat/flies around and in my lettuce plants. They do not seem to be doing any damage yet. They seem to like hanging around on top of the soil or crawl up the 6x6 landscape timber a few inches.Most are concentrated around the lettuce however there are some near the peppers too { next row over }. I don't want to spray because we just started picking and eating the lettuce. What can these be?

6/1/2009 9:45:41 AM

Williamsburg,KY

Could be flea beetles..Try some soapy water or DE.

6/1/2009 9:55:48 AM

Ct

I just looked up flea beetles and that isn't what is out there. These are black and have two wings similiar to a gnat.

6/1/2009 10:07:10 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Aphids? The color can vary from green - brown - black.

6/1/2009 1:33:54 PM

Bethlehem CT

Sounds like fungus gnats to me. They don't usually cause any problems outdoors. Sometimes in a greenhouse they can cause problems.

6/1/2009 5:58:48 PM

Long Island,New York

If they move rapidly my guess would be fungus gnats...but kinda odd being outdoors and all.............

6/1/2009 7:19:09 PM

Upstate S.C.

Could be termites swarming. I have saw this several times. They look like little flying gnats or flying ants.

6/1/2009 10:48:20 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Probably aphids like Tremor said. Soapy water should knock them down or just a spray from a hose. Also, ants have a waist and termites dont.

6/2/2009 9:06:02 AM

Ct

After looking at some pics of fungus gnats I believe that is what they are. They are all over the garden now, by the thousands. How do I get rid of these??

6/2/2009 9:07:23 AM

Ct

I read up some more on these critters and most info seems to have these as an indoor nuisance. No idea why they are in the garden but I really want to get rid of them, if that is what they are.

6/2/2009 9:19:22 AM

Bethlehem CT

Usually fungus gnats occur in greenhouses when your potting soil gets overly wet. Maybe if your outdoor soil is overly wet. You could try try letting it dry out and maybe even scratch the soil around the plants to get some air into the soil. You can spray them but why bother if you can control them culturally.
If they aren't really harming your plants I wouldn't really be to worried about them. I believe it is the larval stage of the fungus gnat that can harm plants when they feed on the plant roots. Not the adult gnat.

6/2/2009 11:47:46 AM

Ct

Thanks John. My upper garden soil tends to hold moisture and is pretty damp just under the surface. I just scratched the surface and sprayed a weak mixture of merit, kind of just dusting the surface.I also soaked the pumpkin plants with the same stuff around the bases. { bayer tree and shrub }

6/2/2009 12:55:37 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Merit will be too slow to dazzle you. A synthetic pyrethroid like lambda-cyhalothrin will impress. Can you get that at an ag store up your way? Is there an Agway nearby?

6/2/2009 4:27:37 PM

Ct

Yes we have an agway in woodbury. Lamba-cyhalothrin? Will it disintigrate me if I eat the vegetables? lol!

6/2/2009 8:35:49 PM

Georgia

insecticides at this point wont matter...just spray early or late.. Kill the pests now and youll have a better late season. Just keep up on soil treatments and pestisides.

6/2/2009 11:47:44 PM