Question
Help, please, I have over 50 houseplants. My mother-in-law passed away a few months ago and now I have more.  I love them all, but have now noticed an a UNBELIEVABLE  amount of gnats.  Because we have 3 cats that like to nibble on houseplants most are kept in a spare bedroom with south and west windows.  I can only imaging that the gnats came with the new plants, but what can I do to get rid of them?  As I sit here at the computer they are swarming all around, and will even fly in you nose or mouth ugh!!! How did this happen? They are now starting to infiltrate the other parts of the house(my husband thinks because of the heat ducts) I tried spraying a combo of water and dishwashing detergent on tops of soil--didn't work.  I tried small dishes of vinegar and dishwashing detergent--didn't work either.  Help

Answer
Hi Deborah,
Thanx for your question.  This question really should go to the experts in the Houseplants forum but I was able to find an answer for you because I too have houseplants.

I believe these pests are called Fungus Gnats.  Here is how you can control them.

Buy a package of mosquito dunks. (available at Lowe's and other DIYs  http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=92460-1643-110-12&...)>  These dunks have an organism called Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis(same BTi)>  Float a dunk in a container of water overnight, then use that water to water your plants.  The bacilli attack the larvae and kill them before they can become adults thereby interrupting the reproductive and life cycle of the gnats. You can also buy Knock Out Gnats from Gardens Alive (http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=614&bhcd2=1230655089) for control of gnats.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing Gardens Alive or Lowe's but merely using them as examples of vendors who have these products for sale.  You can do a Google search to find other vendors.

I hope this helps.
Tom