Question
I am not a person who has alot of luck with house plants, so having been able to keep these plants alive for 8 months is exciting to me.  I do however have a problem with these little well they look like fruit flys.  Can you tell me how to rid my plants of these bugs without harming the plants?  Thank you for any help you can give me.

Answer
Sue,

You didn't say what kind of plants they are. The bugs are fungus gnats. They are there because the soil is too wet and the roots may be beginning to rot. Set the plants in the sink and remove the drain tray to drain as much water as possible. Then do not water the plant till the soil feels rather dry. If you want to let me know what kind of plants they are I will let you know whether they should be outdoors this time of year.  Indoors right now they are not getting as much light as they did during the winter because the sun is higher in the sky and not shining in the south windows as much. You can also pick up a bag of horticultural charcoal and a bag of perlite at you garden center. Then gently unpot the plant and remove as much potting soil as possible without disturbing the roots too much. Then mix the soil with the same amount of perlite and add a handful of charcoal. Then repot the plant with the newly mixed soil.  Your soil will drain better and not attract fungus gnats in the future.  Good luck.

                                         Darlene