Insect and Spider Identification: tiny flying insects on my houseplants, 0 by mistiquee

mistiquee wrote:
I've noticed these and thought they were tiny flies (like blackflies that are outside in the spring) but finally got a picture I could crop bigger and they look almost like ants. They are tiny! I can barely see them with the naked eye. I looked in Google images and read about varous tiny fling insects on plants, but none seemed to look like ants. They were like ants that lay eggs in the soil and ruin it, and to either spray them, or replace the soil, or start with new plants. I mainly have plants I'm growing from seed, and plan to put outside when the weather gets a little warmer (flowers) I put some of the plants on my porch, sheltered and the flying things are still on them. I found all sorts of advice, besides buying bug spray, like spraying the soil in the pots with vinegar and water, putting a jar cover with vinegar and water (or beer) near the plants and the bugs are attracted to it and drown. They don't seem to be on all the plants, just some of them. I did bring soil in from outside, but heated it up in the overn at a low temp first, which I remember a gardener I know used to do, to kill things from outside. Some of the plants (some with the insects) are in potting soil I bought sealed in a bag.
Where they are so tiny I thought they might be interesting to have on here as a picture. If there is anything here already that looks like it I missed it. (which is possible LOL) I was surprised to see they look like ants, to the naked eye they look more like tiny blackflies (which I have never seen up close like this, so really don't know)