My daughter has a rubber plant about seven years old.

She has recently transplanted it to a larger pot with general-purpose compost and has found a lot of black flies (similar in size to greenfly) around the base of the pot and on the floor, although the leaves are healthy.

Can this be treated? – Anne McMahon.

RUBBER plants are great all-round survivors. They need very little attention and can survive, even thrive, in conditions that other house plants would die in – nutrientdrained compost, cold damp temperatures and dimly-lit rooms. They are every student’s introduction to indoor horticulture and one of those plants that retain a soft spot in the grown-up heart. The flies that your daughter has found in her compost are quite common in many indoor situations. They are called scarid flies.

The flies themselves don’t cause any damage. They more are annoying than anything else. In fact, their larvae, which hatch and develop from eggs laid just on the surface of the soil, don’t actually do much harm either. They munch away at any dead material; roots that have rotten away from over-watering, leaves that have dropped off and fallen onto the soil, stems that have decayed because the temperature is too cold.

So in one sense they are actually benefiting the environment of your living/sitting/bedroom by getting rid of rubbish, but at the same time, they are annoying and make things look unclean and untended.

There is an easy way to minimise and even get rid of them, though. Remove the whole plant from its container and shake off as much compost as you can without disturbing the roots. Repot with fresh multipurpose compost, and if possible add a slow-release fertiliser. In order to stop the flies from laying their eggs in to soil, add a preventative barrier, such as gravel, pebbles, slate, marbles, bark mulch, crushed egg shells or anything similar. This mulch also serves to retain moisture so less watering is needed, weeds find it harder to take hold and a multitude of pests are reduced. It can also look really attractive.

Jobs this week

Check out greenhouse heaters well before any serious frost is forecast so that you don’t get caught out.

Clean fallen leaves and debris from ponds to prevent them falling to the bottom and becoming sludge.

Collect the seeds from lavender bushes by rolling the flower heads between your hands over a sheet of white paper.

Sow them directly into a tray of fine compost and place in a sheltered spot in the garden or an unheated greenhouse.

Events

Sunday

ALONGSIDE the monthly farmer’s market and craft market at Nature’s World, in Middlesbrough, there is a wild bird care theme to the day.

Experts will be on hand to tell you how you can look after our feathered friends during the winter period.

■ Brigid presents the BBC Tees Gardening show on Sundays from 1pm to 2pm.

Questions can be answered on the day by emailing brigidpress@bbc.co.uk anytime during the week, or texting 07786-200995 and phoning 01642-225511 during the show.