Question
I have a ficus tree in my office and I have little black bugs flying around everywhere!  I think they are gnats!  I need to get rid of them and they are driving me nuts, any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Carolyn,
   What you probably have are Fungus Gnats.
Fungus Gnats are little flying insects often seen flying around plants. They usually stay near the surface of the soil or under the leaves of plants and fly around when disturbed.
The larvae are tiny and worm like and live in the soil. Fungus Gnats are more an annoyance than a threat to the health of the plants infested with them.
Fungus Gnats are hard to get rid of. The key to controlling Fungus Gnats is to kill the larvae since adult Fungus Gnats have a short life span (2-3 days). The absolute best way to get rid of them is to release beneficial nematodes into the soil that will seek out and kill the Fungus Gnat larvae. Another, more practical way of controlling Fungus Gnat larvae is to drench the soil with a 2% solution of malathion. If you don't like using such a toxic chemical pesticide in the soil there are a couple non toxic ways to control the larvae. One way is to place a slice of raw potato into the soil. The larvae will be attracted to the potato slice and will crawl inside of it. Simply throw the potato slice away and replace it with a fresh slice every day until there is no more sign of Fungus Gnat presence. A good way to get rid of the adult Fungus Gnats is to place a bowl or cup of water with a few drops of dishwashing liquid mixed into it next to your plants. The adult Fungus Gnats will be attracted to it and drown. Change the soapy water everyday.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
          Thanks
              Tracy