Black flies on ripe tomatoes - Ask Extension
Now that some of my smaller varieties of tomatoes are starting to ripen small black flies have started to appear on just the red tomatoes. They don’...
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Black flies on ripe tomatoes #583530
Asked July 25, 2019, 5:00 PM EDT
Now that some of my smaller varieties of tomatoes are starting to ripen small black flies have started to appear on just the red tomatoes. They don’t look like aphids or white flies. Can you help me identify them and a possible deterrent before more of my larger strains start to ripen? The attached pics are on a Juliet tomato plant.
Washington County Minnesota
Expert Response
Fungus gnats have another common name of "dark-winged fungus gnats. They don't bite and are common on over-watered soil. The adult do not feed. Fungus gnats adults are tiny flies one-eighth inch or
less in length. They have a dark, slender body and compared to more typical
flies such as house flies, fungus gnats have long, dark antennae. The
wings are dark, to light gray in color, giving one common and abundant
group the The larvae feed on decaying or damaged roots.They do not damage plants and are considered to be only nuisances.To control them, don't over water houseplants. Wash of the tomatoes before you eat them.