plant question

[perSue]

i have a few houseplants... and "visitors".

since i brought the plants inside (due to cold weather), i've had a small problem with gnats.
now i've been watering the plants only once a week and i've added dish soap (as a natural way to prevent the new born from flying & will die & become compost for my plants).

what i'm wondering is...
can i use something like plastic wrap over the soil (but around the plants)? Or would this create too good of an enviro for the buggies?

I'm going away for an extended period of time and don't want to come home to the house filled with gnats.

Ideas & suggestions welcome!

Thanks in advance

[vickilynn]

I am no expert - but my little buggers eventually went away when I stopped over watering...... I also scrapped off the top layer of soil and threw it out.

good luck.....

[frugal-fannie]

Put a large bowl of water nearby while you are gone. Maybe drown a few. I would have said the dish soap, maybe use a higher concentration of dish soap to water.I wouldn't wrap it. Good luck.

[pinetree]

Try putting plastic wrap over a plastic cup or bowl, poke a hole in the middle, place a piece of fruit in it. I put alittle water/ dish soap in the bottom. They go into it but cant get back out. We use something we can throw out. If they are bad keep doing it until they are gone. Change it daily.
I bring them home from the grocery store every once in awhile.

[frugalfranny]

Oh yeah - THOSE THINGS! (?fruit flies?)

I posted this awhile back and got this answer:
water (cup) with 2 Tablesp. sugar and 2 Tablesp. white vinegar along with couple drops of dish soap. MIx and leave in area.
Would be a good thing to do while you are gone.

Along with what the other posters said - wash the tray/dish out real good with soap. If you have ever over watered and had water standing in the tray they will lay eggs in there.

If you aren't watering (IE: being gone) they won't hatch as bad. Mine are in the dirt and hatch out whenever I water.