How to get rid of little flies in my African Violet?

My African Violet has little flies - maybe the fungus gnats or fruit flies others have mentioned. I know Violets are delecate plants - so is there a product out there (or a natural remedy) safe for Violets? Thanks!

How to get rid of little flies in my African Violet?
I hate those things! And before you know it your swatting them all over the house. I'll tell you my little trick for this problem. Get a small bowl, I use a white custard type glass one, put a few drops of dish soap in and fill with water. Place it next to your house plants and start counting the dead bugs every hour. You won't even believe how many of those things are living in there. I've used household insecticide and it doesn't work even close to this method. I just dump it every couple of days and put new water in it. Eventually they'll just kill themselves and you wont have too. Best of all there are no dangerous chemicals around you, your family, or your pet's. Best of Luck!!!
Reply:Check with your Garden Centre or local Nursery...there is a really great "green: product I use that takes care of insects, mites, and fungi all at the same time. I use it on my roses. Unfortuntely, I cannot recall the name of it. But your local Garden Centre or Nursery will know for sure.
Reply:Fungus gnats are usually associated with too-wet soil- checking your watering frequency might help.





In the meantime, look for a sundew (Drosera sp.) and set it next to the violets- in no time, the sundew will be feasting on the gnats...
Reply:This may seem too easy but a layer of sand works wonders. If there are flies living in the soil a half inch of sand will prevent the little buggers from flying all over the place, it rips off the wings so they can't fly. Most soil born insects are there in the first place because of decaying roots, or too much water. African Violets like to water from the bottom and sometimes its hard to tell if your watering them enough. Try watering once a week maybe once every other week to dry the soil out. Someone else suggested re-potting, if the sand doesn't work then that may be your only option, short of tossing it in the compost pile.
Reply:i wish i had the answer. i had the same problem a few weeks ago. i tried repotting with all new soil, washing the pot, and leaving it outside overnight. nothing worked. i finally threw my poor baby out :(
Reply:Try repotting it - try to remove it from the pot and dump the old soil...and gently shake off as much off the roots as possible...clean out the pot, and then repot.
Reply:I'll be curious to see the answer...I have 3 of the plants and my house is full of little flies. YUCK!