As a rule, midges appear in the kitchen in the summer, which indicates acceptable conditions for their reproduction and existence. They move briskly around the kitchen in numerous flocks, getting into packages of cookies, settling on fruits or vegetables, etc. At the same time, a huge number of them can be seen near the trash can or among house plants.
What to do in this case to get rid of annoying midges? It turns out that in order to get rid of such an unpleasant neighborhood in the kitchen, it is enough to arm yourself with a number of tips and recommendations.
Reasons for the appearance of midges in the apartment
Drosophila, as these small midges are called, prefer to feed on rotten plant matter, which indicates the presence of fermentation processes. These processes release corresponding odors into the air, which attract these insects. The desired food for these little pests is rotten fruits or vegetables, fermented juice, compote or unfinished beer. They prefer to lay their eggs in leftover food.
In addition, tiny insects are attracted to the smell emanating from a clogged sink or from a wet rag that has not been washed for a long time. Therefore, deteriorating food debris combined with high humidity is the fertile environment in which such insects feel very comfortable.
Quite often, midges can be found in flower pots where tea leaves are rotting, which some housewives use to fertilize indoor plants. But they forget to remove it from the flowerpots on time, and in combination with abundant watering, often unjustified, ideal conditions are created for the existence and reproduction of such pests. Such conditions attract not only midges, but also other insects, on whose vital activity the well-being of indoor plants may depend.
What they look like
These insects have small body sizes that do not exceed 2 mm. The black body is covered with short hairs. Outwardly, they may resemble miniature moths.
Adults have fairly long antennae on their heads, as well as leaf-shaped caps. These insects are also called butterflies or drain flies. They are active in the evening and at night, preferring to rest during the day.
It is worth saying that they fly quite poorly, so they can often be seen crawling. The lifespan of adults is about 2 weeks, but this is not reflected in the population decline at all, since they are very fertile and the population is constantly growing. The life cycle includes several stages of development.
Individuals at the larval and pupal stages are protected by a thin film. They are often found in septic tanks and drainpipes at this stage. The larvae's diet consists of rotting organic matter, as well as microscopic vegetation.
They remain in the larval stage for 9-15 days, then enter the pupal stage, which lasts about 20-40 hours. Young sexually mature individuals emerge from the pupae, ready to reproduce and lay offspring. At one time, a female can lay from 30 to 100 eggs.
Types of midges
Two types of midges may appear in an apartment, especially in the kitchen or in flowerpots:
- Drosophila.
- Soil midges.
All types of midges live and reproduce under accompanying conditions, when there is an abundance of spoiled food and moisture. And yet, fruit flies or, as they are also called, fruit flies, appear more often in apartments. Quite often they are called “wine”.
Midge larvae are located in the fruit pulp and, under favorable conditions, they begin to emerge. As a rule, housewives are often surprised at how quickly these tiny creatures appear, as if out of nowhere. Therefore, the more midges in the kitchen, the greater the likelihood of their mass appearance.
How dangerous are midges for humans?
Countless numbers of these tiny creatures move around the home at high speed. They are found either next to the trash can or next to indoor plants. If you leave a few grapes on the table, they will immediately appear above them. Many owners practice storing fruits and berries on the table, in fruit vases, which naturally attracts fruit flies, as the fruit quickly begins to deteriorate. At the same time, it is not difficult to imagine what they could leave on food if their route of movement intersected with a trash can, bathroom or toilet. The result of their vigorous vital activity may be contamination of fruits and other food products with various fungal or infectious diseases.
There is only one conclusion: it is necessary to take all measures to ensure that these little parasites no longer exist in the apartment. If you don’t fight them, they will multiply to such an extent that it will be very difficult to fight them. Despite this, the matter will have to be brought to its logical conclusion. Who would like to see swarms of insects moving around the kitchen or throughout the apartment? They won’t even let you eat in peace!
How to GET RID OF DROSOPHIL flies at home?
Getting rid of it using traps
Today, there are many ways to get rid of fruit flies at home, in addition to folk remedies. For example, special traps have recently been widely used. They are small containers with a small hole. Inside the container there is a bait that attracts fruit flies so much. This method is excellent, since there are rooms where, for some reason, chemical treatment is prohibited. Let's look at what traps exist:
1. Trap in the form of a jar. Something sweet is placed in a glass container, a paper funnel is inserted inside, through which the midges sink to the bottom. Once inside, they can no longer get out.
2. A sticky trap can be made independently and at home. To do this, you need to boil sugar syrup, pour it into a saucer and place it where midges like to be most. Having arrived to feast, they will stick to the syrup and die.
3. You can buy adhesive tape in the store, the effect is that a special composition is applied to the tape that attracts fruit flies, and when they sit on it, they instantly stick.
Rules for getting rid of midges in an apartment
There are many ways to get rid of midges in an apartment, but first you should carefully analyze everything to find out the reason for the appearance of such insects in the kitchen. As a rule, they are attracted to food and moisture, which they need so much. If such paths for existence are blocked for the midge, then it will disappear on its own without wasting effort or money.
If there are a lot of insects, then you will have to help them so that they quickly leave the apartment alone. In this case, you can use primitive traps, special solutions or aerosols.
10 basic rules that will help get rid of annoying midges:
- First of all, you should put things in order in the kitchen by storing all food products in special containers, and some in the refrigerator.
- Make sure that there are no uneaten food items, as well as unfinished juices, tea, beer, etc. left on the dining table.
- Do some general cleaning, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. At the same time, it is necessary to thoroughly wipe or wash all cabinets and shelves on which food was stored, carefully removing their remains.
- Regularly and promptly remove garbage from the trash can, washing it afterwards with a cleaning solution.
- Wash all rags in the bathroom and kitchen, and also check the sewage system and water supply system for leaks.
- Use a “mole” to clean the sewer, depriving midges of an unpleasant but attractive smell for them.
- Clean kitchen furniture from dirt and grease, which also attracts such insects. We should also not forget about the area adjacent to the kitchen furniture.
- If you have ornamental plants in your apartment, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of their care. It is possible that they do not need abundant watering and they suffer from it. At the same time, it is better to replace the top ball of soil and not practice watering them with tea leaves, or remove the used tea leaves in a timely manner, preventing it from rotting.
- For greater efficiency, it is better to wash all flower pots, as well as their trays. In the future, dirt should not be allowed to accumulate here.
- Midges are also afraid of attentive housewives who carefully monitor all areas where such insects may appear, leaving not the slightest chance for them to have comfortable conditions.
How to prevent kitchen bugs from returning
To prevent fruit flies from appearing again, you must follow these simple rules:
- Take out the trash promptly and do not allow the waste bin to become dirty.
- Do not leave food or uneaten food on the table. Be sure to make room in the refrigerator for perishable foods and in plastic containers for cereals.
- Wash dishes on time.
- Wet clean the kitchen every week. Try to wipe the stove, sink and counters dry.
- Water your house plants in moderation, immediately remove fallen leaves, and sprinkle the soil with sand or decorate with decorative stones. This will prevent the appearance of midges.
The use of chemicals against midges
Is it worth fighting midges in the kitchen with chemical insect control products? Most likely not, but in the bathroom, they can be destroyed with the help of Dichlorvos. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that the midges do not return, creating unfavorable conditions for them to live and reproduce. You must always remember that results can only be achieved through an integrated approach.
As a rule, chemicals are used when they cannot be dealt with using conventional methods. And so, it is better to use folk remedies, which are safe for everyone living in the apartment.
Folk remedies for fighting midges in the kitchen
Based on natural ingredients and other substances, you can prepare effective formulations that can cope with the main task - getting rid of annoying insects. And although they are not as effective as chemical ones, their use is justified in most cases.
Remedies for midges in the kitchen:
- Fight with camphor oil. To do this, you need to take a frying pan and heat camphor oil in it until a strong smell and smoke appears. After this, go around the apartment, dousing it with smoke with a pungent odor. As a rule, after such a procedure, all the midges disappear somewhere.
- Midges, like many other insects, cannot tolerate the strong aromas of some plants, such as tansy, lavender, wormwood, etc. It is enough to place small bouquets of these plants in the kitchen and other rooms. This will help get rid of annoying midges. At the same time, you need to remember that a plant such as tansy should not fall into the hands of children.
- If you light a candle with a pine or spicy aroma and walk around the apartment, lingering a little in each room, then these little “terrorists” are unlikely to like it, and they will begin to look for other places to live.
- Essential oils of many plants repel midges and are very effective. These include citrus fruits, lavender, ylang-ylang, patchouli, etc. At the same time, it is enough to add a few drops to the container of the aroma lamp so that the midge can feel who is boss in the house.
- If you take a few pieces of peeled garlic and chop them, and then put them in lids and place them in places where insects like to accumulate, this will also help expel tiny pests from the apartment.
Homemade midge traps
Despite the fact that such traps can be made in about 15 minutes, their effectiveness cannot be compared with the costs, since it is obvious. In addition, you don’t have to deal with toxic substances or plants, spending time preparing or purchasing them, which also requires spending money.
How to make homemade traps:
- You can catch midges with a beer or wine bottle, filling it with fermented juice or leaving some beer in the bottle. You need to wait until a lot of insects have collected in the bottle, after which, with a sharp movement, the bottle is closed with a cork and thrown out into the street.
- You can catch it with a plastic bag filled with rotten fruits or vegetables. At the same time, the bag needs to be covered a little, leaving space so that midges can get to the food. After the entire swarm has flown into the bag, it must be closed with a quick movement and tied. All that remains is to throw the bag in the trash.
- The presence of plastic bottles allows you to make a super catchy trap. It is better to take a bottle with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters. After this, the upper conical part of the bottle is cut off and inserted back into the bottle with the narrow part with the neck. The result is a container with a funnel. Jam, beer, sweet syrup are poured into the bottom of the bottle, or rotten foods are placed. The midges will be able to get inside the bottle, but they will not be able to get out of it.
- A jar trap works on the same principle. Take a jar with a capacity of 0.5-1 liter and cover it with cling film. The top layer of the film must be stretched, after which small holes are made in the film, but sufficient for midges to crawl through. At the bottom of the jar you can place the same thing as at the bottom of a plastic bottle - slightly spoiled vegetables and fruits, as well as fermented juice or compote.
The easiest way to get rid of midges at home | Life hacker
Preventive actions
To reduce the risk of such insects appearing in your apartment, it is enough to use a number of tips. For example:
- Monitor the proper sanitary condition of the kitchen and the apartment as a whole.
- Do not leave leftover fruits or vegetables on the dinner table.
- Store vegetables and fruits exclusively in the refrigerator.
- Immediately throw away rotten fruits and vegetables, not in the trash, but immediately outside.
- Keep dishwashing sinks and washbasins in the bathroom clean.
- Care for indoor plants correctly, avoiding overwatering in pots, and also often removing the top layer, replacing it with a fresh one.
- If numerous flocks appear in the kitchen or apartment, immediately analyze the reasons for their appearance and then solve the problems.
If you carefully study the information presented in this text, then getting rid of midges in the kitchen is not at all a difficult task. And it is not necessary to immediately resort to the use of chemical control agents, especially since their use in the kitchen is generally undesirable. It is enough to get by with folk methods of struggle, making primitive but effective traps for this. But the most important thing is to keep your home clean, leaving no chance for the existence of many pests that are not as harmless as this midge.
Midges often appear in kitchens in apartments or private houses in the summer. As a rule, this happens due to the carelessness of some housewives who provide such an opportunity for insects.
How to get rid of eggs
Since adult insects lay eggs on ripe fruits, getting rid of them is quite simple:
- Wash the brought fruits or vegetables thoroughly under the tap.
- Next, pour boiling water over them.
- All vegetables and fruits must be kept in the refrigerator, since the reproduction process does not occur here.
It is a little more difficult to get rid of midge eggs from indoor plants:
- The flower from the pot should be replanted.
- The leaves should be wiped with soapy water or alcohol.
- Next, the soil changes. It is good to use a purchased substrate. It is specially treated against all kinds of parasites.
- When using soil from planting, you need to do your own preventative measures.
- Place the soil on a tray and put it in the oven for a couple of hours.
- All parasites in the soil will die during this period.
- Plants are treated with a floral remedy against midges.
- Rotten roots are cut off.
- Next, prepare a warm solution with potassium permanganate, into which the plant is lowered for a few minutes. A weak concentration is used.
- Then plant the flower in a pot. All fruit fly eggs will be destroyed.
- When further caring for the plant, do not forget to loosen the soil and monitor excess moisture.
