What kind of bug is this and how do I get rid of it?
Question:They are black with clear wings, about the size of a gnat. They seem to breed in between my storm window and the screen. I clean the window out everyday, and by morning they're all over the place again. I have an aloe plant sitting by the window, but they don't bother it. Yet they look similar to those gnats that eat fungus in house plant soil. They are no where else in the house.
Answers:
They do sound like fungus gnats, and could be hatching out of the soil of the aloe plant. Could you try using a mulch of pebbles (or gravel) on top of the soil to limit their access in and out of the soil? Also, you can buy sticky bug traps to catch them... the traps are just bright yellow plastic strips coated with super-tacky non-drying glue. The bright yellow color attracts them, and when they land on the trap, they get stuck. There is no toxic stuff, just the glue. Also try watering the aloe less often, so the soil isn't too soggy and appealing to gnats. If you can stop them from multiplying, you might not even need the trap.
The gnats don't really do any harm, except that in a greenhouse they can spread disease from one plant to another.
Take your screens out and wash them thoroughly and clean inside and outside the sil and all surrounding parts. Is the screen in good shape? If they are smaller then the screen try opening a different window and not the one they are getting in from.
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