Question
Hello,

I had bought a peace lily back in January and It is very healthy and vibrant
although it had some browning on the tips .  However, I have noticed that the
leaves are starting to develop some holes in the middle of the leaves that
don't start from the edge of the leaves.  At first I had thought these were
caused by rough handling from the place where I had bought it but after
trimming off the damaged leaves, I noticed a couple of weeks later that there
were more leaves with holes in them. Regardless of these holes and black
tips, the plant is growing voraciously and seems to be thriving.  What can be
causing this? I have also noticed that there are many little black flies in our
house ever since I bought the plant but could these be come from the rubber
tree plant that I also bought at the same time?

Thank you,
Suzanne

Answer
The little black flies are probably not the cause, although you could have brought in some fungus gnats.  The gnats larvae live in the potting soil and can nibble on the roots.  As an adult they are a little black fly.  There must however, be some sort of insect involved.  Look closely at the undersides of the leaves at dawn and dusk and see if there is something coming from out of the soil and feeding on the leaves.  Otherwise, if there is not extensive damage, and it doesnt continue, I wouldnt worry about it too much.  If the holes increase in size or number you can treat the plant with a product like malathion and that will kill most houseplant bugs.  Let me know if this does not seem to be the case.  Good Luck.