Question
I have a 12" high pony tail  palm in an 8" clay pot. It sits on a high counter facing a southern window. It has 6  "bulbs" that appear to be joined (not sure what the proper term is. I purchased it about 3 months ago at Lowes and it has been doing great. Suddenly, I find the tiniest little black bugs with wings dead all over the counter around the pot. I clean them up only to find the same again a couple days later. This has occurred 3-4 times in the last week. I have another one slightly smaller, sitting on the same counter about 8 feet away which doesn't have a problem. They are beautiful plants, I would hate to loose them or have any of my other healthy houseplants develop the same problem. Thanks for any help you can give!

Answer
Becki,

It sounds like your bugs are fungus gnats which usually only attack plants that are too wet. This plant should be treated like a cactus and only watered when it is very dry. This time of year that should be only every 2 to 3  weeks with the short days we have now. What I don't understand is why you are only finding them dead unless the plant was treated within the last year with a systemic insecticide. Those usually kill insects for up to a year. If the plant was purchased last summer it may have been treated before you owned it.

Be very careful not to overwater your plants this time of year. An hour after you water them empty the drain trays. They are not swamp plants. Give them as much sun as possible with drapes and blinds open and they will stay healthy. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck!

Darlene