Little flies infesting my Pansy container plant

Can anyone help me to get rid of the little flies that have infested my beautiful pansy container plant? I sprayed the whole plant with diluted dish soap and water and they are not gone. The plant has gone totally limp and looks like it's dead! I'm very new to gardening and don't know what to do. Someone said it might be in the soil and replanting it in new soil might help. If the flies are in the soil, would that not just spread to the new soil? Please advise. Here's a pix of the fly on the side of the container. What are they called?

they look like fungus gnats although the image is a little small. if they are there is a biological control that the greenhouses use for them but can't remember the name.

They look like a fruit fly. That's exactly what they remind me of. If I were to cut the plant back - like a brushcut- and spray the plant-would that be a bad thing? Or should I leave it, as wilted as it is, spray it and leave it alone?
DepartureBay

Fungus gnats look like fruit flies only they're black instead of brownish. Fungus gnats lay eggs in damp soil and then when they hatch you have larvae in the soil. If the plant has wilted it's possible that the larvae have eaten the roots. I've only had that happen when I've been starting seeds. I'm not sure if they could kill a larger plant. I mix some House Plant Soil Insect Dust into the top of the soil when I pot up plants. Unfortunately you can't buy it in Canada any longer. I also use Safer's Sticky Stiks. They trap the adults and work really well. Between those two things I manage to keep my fungus gnat problem pretty well under control, however, there always seem to be a few flies that escape to continue the cycle. I was reading a thread on this topic on the brug forum the other day. You might want to check that out. Somebody mentioned putting some Hydrogen Peroxide in the water they use to water their plants. I meant to ask them how much Hydrogen Peroxide they use because I think I'd like to try it. My container of Soil Insect Dust is getting low and I'm going to have to find something else that works.

Sandy

Go to the nursery and ask for diatamaceous earth. I probably spelled it wrong. It'll kill the fungas knats.

If you are going to repot instead of using some of the things suggested (No problem with that either!) you would have to remove the plants and wash all the dirt off the roots before repotting in new soil. And probably disinfect the pot oo.

Apart from diatomaceous earth you could use as well Gnatrol (bacillus thuringiensis based biological larvicide) or parasitic nematodes "Steinernema feltiae" (the tips I got from other DG member).

I found so far two products with Steinernema feltiae in Canada:
1. Nemasys from Plant Products ( http://www.plantprod.com/EN/catalogue/09BioControl.html )
2. Scanmask from BioLogic Company (can be bought here: http://www.richters.com/ ).

There is a thread about how effective Scanmask is, here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/473962/ and here: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/373721/

Here are some other tips: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/482480/

There could be other products with nematodes but I found so far those two (also searched mainly in Toronto area).

So far I find nematodes to be the best idea but didn't try it yet, have to order.

HTH,
Ewelina

Thank you so much for all of your help! It has been raining here and has been quite cool, so I can't even get any sunshine on the plant itself. I decided to spray the plant and the soil with a product called Insect Spray by Schultz. It says it is made from Pyrethrins from Chrysanthemum flowers. This product is probably a great big no no with you guys, but I was so desperate I sprayed the plant and the soil. That was yesterday. Today, I gave it a small drink of water with miracle grow in it and gave the plant a "brush cut" . Don't know what I'l wake up to tomorrow morning, although I realize that this will be a slow process. I just thought that if I cut it back, the plant would not have any old growth to contend with and should put all of it's energy into new growth (if it decides to come back at all). Is this the worst thing I could have done???

no not the worst thing at all (and insecticides made from chrysanthemums are actually approved for certified organic growers). that is the active ingredient in dr doom and i use it whenever i need to. problem is pyrethrum is much less effective in light. i generally put the plant in complete darkness in a confined area before spraying and it does have to be done on a cycle depending on the little critters breeding habits because it is not effective on the egg stage i believe. those nematode things are what the green house used last year and they were great

DepartureBay, I had a really bad time with fungus gnats last winter - they would even fly up my nose sometimes. Ugh!

This year the plants that had been outside for the summer (all of them) were thoroughly cleaned and rinsed down, then sprayed with insecticidal soap and put under a tent for an hour or so. A layer of fine stones tops the soil in the pots, my thinking being that the gnats are going to have a hard time laying eggs with the stones in the way.

BTW, Murphy Oil Soap can be used to spray plants, diluted of course.

Here's this year's pot.

Joan

http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~floriculture/grower/ipmmarch99.htm

Thanks so much for your input, Joan6aON . The concept behind the stones sounds like a good one, and if adds to the safety, then why not.

Thanks as well to echoes. That's very interesting information.
Kind regards,
DepartureBay