Little red flies

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone has had a problem with little red flies? For the past week now, I've had a quite a few on my plants. I've never seen them in my yard before and am wondering if they're harmful to my girls? It has been rather humid for the past few weeks, which is not normal in my area and wondering if this is why I'm seeing them. Thank you, any help is appreciated!

I've never seen those around where I am in the central US, but there are a ton of bug pests here. Growing anything outdoor here gets shredded if you don't do something to control the pests. I apply preventative sprays and root drench every 1 to 2 weeks until buds start forming. If you haven't applied anything for preventative bug pest maintenance, you should do it before flowering. Don't spray stuff on your buds of you can avoid it.

I'm in Norcal, but have never seen anything like 'em. They're bigger than fruit flies, and seem to come out in the evening. Not sure what to use for flies as far as pest control goes. I recently sprayed with BT, but that's all I've used so far. Thanks for your response.

Bertha99 said:

I'm in Norcal, but have never seen anything like 'em. They're bigger than fruit flies, and seem to come out in the evening. Not sure what to use for flies as far as pest control goes. I recently sprayed with BT, but that's all I've used so far. Thanks for your response.

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BT is good for caterpillars like budworms. You can put mosquito bits on the soil to prevent fungus gnats and other soil borne pests. I spray and root drench with full strength mix of neem oil, BT, and spinosad. I stop spraying when buds start to form. Spray after sunset. If sunlight hits the plants still wet with those things, it will burn the leaves badly.

Some people don't like Spinosad because it is indiscriminate on bugs it takes out, good or bad, like bees too. If you spray after sunset, bees should not be around by then.

Good to know, thank you. I'll try the neem oil, not sure about the spinosad though, I hate killing any beneficial bugs.

Bertha99 said:

Good to know, thank you. I'll try the neem oil, not sure about the spinosad though, I hate killing any beneficial bugs.

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I feel ya. Where I am, the bugs shred gardens up. It's a battle outdoors. The spinosad does not affect the bees once it's dry. Bees leave the garden at sunset. I wait to apply until after I don't see any bees.

Tracker said:

Spinosad General Fact Sheet

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Thank you, you've been most helpful! It's my first grow and I appreciate folks like you that are so generous with your knowledge. Fingers crossed for a good harvest!

I have seen those around my yard, they are like a type of fruit fly. We have had plums and apples falling and the better I am at keeping them cleaned up the less of those flies I see around.

Bertha99 said:

Thank you, you've been most helpful! It's my first grow and I appreciate folks like you that are so generous with your knowledge. Fingers crossed for a good harvest!

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I'm glad I can help

Bertha99 said:

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone has had a problem with little red flies? For the past week now, I've had a quite a few on my plants. I've never seen them in my yard before and am wondering if they're harmful to my girls? It has been rather humid for the past few weeks, which is not normal in my area and wondering if this is why I'm seeing them. Thank you, any help is appreciated!

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This works well for me

Definitely fruit flies.

Make traps with mason jars, just enough red wine vinegar to coat the bottom of the jar + 2 or 3 drops of dish soap. Make a paper cone that sits in the jar & the point is just above the surface of the vinegar. Tight cone end with a very small hole These work like a charm.

PopAndSonGrows said:

Definitely fruit flies.

Make traps with mason jars, just enough red wine vinegar to coat the bottom of the jar + 2 or 3 drops of dish soap. Make a paper cone that sits in the jar & the point is just above the surface of the vinegar. Tight cone end with a very small hole These work like a charm.

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Thank you, I'll try that tomorrow.

Like this, i shorten the cone (red line), it seems to entice them into the jar better. 100% works within minutes, not kidding. I even go a step further and tape the cone to the jar around the rim of the jar, so there are no gaps for flies to escape.

NoWayOut said:

This works well for me
View attachment 4957696

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Thank you. Is that harmful to cats, dogs or birds?

PopAndSonGrows said:

View attachment 4957697
Like this, i shorten the cone (red line), it seems to entice them into the jar better. 100% works within minutes, not kidding. I even go a step further and tape the cone to the jar around the rim of the jar, so there are no gaps for flies to escape.

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Thanks!

TessaMaria said:

I have seen those around my yard, they are like a type of fruit fly. We have had plums and apples falling and the better I am at keeping them cleaned up the less of those flies I see around.

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Thank you!

Fruit flies dont harm plants

You don't need to spray anything for those. It's just chilling on the leaf. It does not harm cannabis. If you grow outdoors you're going to get all kinds of harmless bugs stopping by. Nothing you spray is going to prevent a few flies from taking a break on your cannabis leaves.

I think people are too quick to spray over bugs that pose no problem. I'm not saying that a preventative spraying of neem or other products shouldn't be done but that won't stop those flies from landing on your plants. They don't eat the leaves or colonize on the plants.