Fungus Gnat / Sciarid Fly

Family Sciaridae

Appearance

•  Adult – 5-7mm. Grey/black bodies.
•  Larvae up to 5.5 mm long. White, shiny black heads and transparent.

Lifecycle

•  Females lay up between 100 and 300 eggs, which hatch in 4 to 6 days.
•  The larvae feed for 12 to 14 days.
•  The pupal stage lasts about 6 days.
•  Adults live about 7 to 10 days.

Habits

•  Larvae can injure the roots of bedding plants.
•  They are poor fliers and can generally be seen running across plant surfaces.