Help with tiny little house flies!!

[Genevieve]

What the heck are these things and how can I get rid of them???

They drift around my house like fruit flies but they're not fruit flies. They're just as tiny but they're not pink.

I find them mostly flying around:

my potted plants

my kitchen sink

my bathtub &

the garbage can

God forbid I forget the butter on the counter one morning... they'll be two stuck in there by the time I get home! Any glass of water or juice left for more than an hour is sure to have one floating it in and one always seems to drift around my face while watching TV!

I can't take this anymore! I've sprayed my potted plant's soil with dish detergent and water but they won't die!

What can I do??

[willshak]

On 11/22/2004 8:18 AM US(ET), Genevieve took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Fruit flies are not pink, but they do have reddish eyes. Google on 'fruit flies', or 'phorid flies' (different but similar fly), for answers.

[Phil]

I have a feeling they are fruit flies , never tried this but I think it will work, get a small jar smear the insides with honey or jelly, drop in some small pieces of banana , flies will be attracted to the banana , land on the sides and stick to the honey, this is based on a fly trap I saw in a bar , they hung around the drip trays of the draught beer in the summer .

[Al]

Sounds like you most likely have Fungus Gnats or Shore Flies. Take a look at the identification section of the link below for a better diagnosis. The easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at the antennae and wings. Fungus Gnats have segmented antennae that are longer than their head. Shore Flies have short, fuzzy, barely noticeable antennae and 5 white spots on their wings. Getting rid of them long term is not easy. A few drops of dish soap in the plant water will kill some of the larvae. Don't use anti bacterial detergent because it can upset the balance of the soil. The link suggests adding bacteria to the soil to combat the larvae.

[Kevin French]

Let them dry out

Clean,Clean, CLEAN

See above

Quickly tie the top and remove

Keep it covered Any glass of water or juice left for

I had them at work and got rid of them with sprays using above methods

The honey also suggested may work just watch it and make sure they are not multipuling there