Question
Hello, I have many different plants including several types of Ivy, Vinca vine, Peace lilies, Delphiniums and Spider plants. I also recently started Morning Glory seedlings. In almost all of my plants I have little black bugs that fly around them. If I knock on the pot they come up from the soil. I tried washing the plant roots and  found no larvae or infestation in the roots. I re-potted but sill have these pests! I am at a loss as too what these bugs are. Almost all of my plants are starting to look sickly. I've researched online but they don't seem to fit anything I've found. The only other problem with my plants is that they seem to stay damp even if only water every other week! (Using Hydroponics potting mix) Please help!

Answer
Holly,

These sound like fungus gnats (see http://www.livingwithbugs.com/fungus_gnat.html for a drawing). The larvae feed on roots which would account for the lack of vigour and water uptake. Generally these occur when the soil is too wet.

Jack DeAngelis