Many of you have asked if the black flies and the white jumping bugs are harmful to your plants and how you can get rid of these intruders. First of all, I have to say that both the adult black fly and the adult white jumping bug do not directly harm the plant. But they are extremely annoying when you want to water the plants and they start flying and jumping in every direction.
Instead, you must know that the larval stage of the black fly can cause damage to the root of the plant and then your intervention is needed. Both the black fly and the white jumping bug are small and so is their life cycle – they don’t live for more than a month. So, if you want to get rid of them, you have to act fast. Maybe you do not know exactly what these pests look like, especially the white jumping bugs, so here is a short video below.
They always prefer damp and moist environments that have peat in soil composition. Their presence always indicates an exaggerated watering, root decay and a bad drainage. If your plants are a good host for such guests, find out that their health is being jeopardized and that it is time for these tenants to disappear completely from the area.
Here are the 3 main steps to get rid of black flies and white jumping bugs:
1. Keep the soil as dry as possible and try to use a mixture of soil in combination with perlite or vermiculite. Under these conditions, the black-fly larvae and the white jumping fleas will not survive. As a first step, try to change the surface layer of the soil from the pots with a less organic mixture.
2. Treat the soil with insecticide in order to eliminate black fly larvae and eggs, as well as the white fleas. I recommend insecticides based on active substances such as pyrethrins – they are made from chrysanthemums and are extremely friendly to plants and the environment.
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Black Flies
It is important to follow the treatment schedule to get maximum results. The use of highly toxic insecticides can affect the beneficial organisms in the soil, so I recommend something with natural content.
3. For black flies, place sticky traps made of yellow paper around the pants – similar to those used to catch flies. Black flies are attracted to the yellow color and thus will remain captive on the paper glue.
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Sticky Yellow Trap
You can also make a liquid mixture of mint leaves, cinnamon and sesame oil to spray on the plant to remove adult flies.
In most cases, by reducing watering and changing the surface layer of the soil with a mixture of perlite or vermiculite, the whole problem is solved. Resort to insecticides only if the natural method fails. I hope this information will help!
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