How to get rid of fruit flies and where midges come from: 20 removal methods

Any housewife has thought about the fact that if you leave a slightly rotten apple or any other fruit, a little later a huge number of flies will appear in the apartment. Although all doors, vents and windows are tightly closed, midges appear even during winter with its cold conditions. In other words, they won’t be able to fly in from the street. And it is true! Where do these insects come from in the apartment?

For some owners, such midges live in flowers, especially in indoor violets. Also, these insects can infest onions if they begin to deteriorate.

Fruit and berry flies feed on fruit juice and rotting plant debris. These flies are called fruit flies or wine flies. They have several species and subspecies, which range in size from 3 to 5 mm.

Like any insect, they have three stages of development - egg, larva, adult . If the necessary environment is created (rotting fruits and vegetables, garbage bags, sweet juices, used tea bags and much more), then development from egg to adult will take place in just a day. In general, these insects actively develop in a rotting environment.

What is the harm of a fruit fly and is there any benefit from it?

Drosophila do not bite, do not suck blood, and do not transmit diseases.
In general - harmless. But, hovering in a swarm over a rotting fruit or houseplant, they flicker before your eyes and create special discomfort. The harm from flies is one thing: if you eat spoiled fruit infected with larvae, you can get intestinal upset.

Fruit flies are so small that they would go unnoticed by humans if not for their intrusive lifestyle. You can also understand that they have really started up in the apartment when spoilage or areas of rotting appear on fruits and vegetables. If the food begins to rot, then the female insect has probably laid eggs in it or larvae have already appeared.

Types and varieties

At first glance, all midges are the same. But this only seems so because of their small size. There are dozens of varieties of midges, which are grouped into large groups. It’s quite difficult to explain what they look like, so it’s better to just look at the photo.

Note that white ones are practically never found in autumn and winter, since they cannot withstand cold temperatures. Therefore, if they are infested at home at this time of year, it is often enough to simply open the window to kill them. Unfortunately, this does not apply to brown and gray ones, so we’ll look at how to deal with them below after we get to know each other.

Drosophila

This is the most popular and widespread type of midge. These "friends" are also called fruit gnats or fruit gnats. As the name implies, they love fruits and vegetables, and if they are spoiled, then it’s just a Michelin star.

There are several ways they can appear:

from the store along with purchases;
from the window to the smell of spoiled food;
in the soil of domestic flowers - the larvae can “sleep” there for a long time and then wake up.

Depending on the product in which the midges are found, they are even divided into different types:

cereals;
flour;
fruit;
onions and so on.

Along with its prevalence, this is also the most harmless type of midge. They:

do not bite;
they will not bring infection on their paws;
are easily removed even with folk remedies.

But there is bad news: within a few days this colony can grow to several hundred, so the fight must begin when you meet the first midge.

It is important to know at what temperature onion/fruit midges die: they can only maintain their lives at above-zero temperatures. But both onions and fruits will not withstand minus temperatures.

Sciarid

This is a separate type of fly that lives only in flowers. You can distinguish it from the previous species by color - sciarids are almost black. They are sometimes called fungus gnats because they look really similar.

The main source of infection is the ground. Since fresh soil is required when replanting plants, when choosing it you may stumble upon infected specimens. This does not appear outwardly and cannot be checked in advance. After the flower is transplanted, it is watered - this is where the sciarids become active.

They are safe for humans. Adults are also harmless to plants, but the larvae feed on the juices of the roots, which leads to damage to the plant. Young plants and seedlings are most at risk.

Sciarids can also infect neighboring flowers, so the fight against them must be comprehensive.

Aleroidida

In order not to pronounce this complex name every time, people came up with another name for this type of midge - whitefly. These midges are easily distinguished by their white wings. Whiteflies also chose plants as places to live and eat. But, unlike their previous “brothers,” these midges can cause irreparable harm to the plant, for example, infecting them with an infection or causing the formation of fungus.

It is as easy to become infected with whiteflies as with other types of midges:

they can fly in through a window or door;
you can buy contaminated soil or the flower itself;
bring an infected flower from the yard into the house for the winter.

The whitefly is very afraid of the cold and dies at low temperatures (15 degrees and below).

How to deal with midges in an apartment using traditional methods?

Our distant ancestors knew how to remove midges from an apartment. They left many recipes for getting rid of them yourself.

They do not pose any danger to human health and allow you to get rid of midges for a long time, and sometimes even forever.

Homemade midge trap

The easiest way is to use an ordinary glass jar. This product is especially effective in the kitchen.

Take a container and then put the spoiled vegetable or fruit in it.
Cover the neck tightly with film or polyethylene.
They leave holes in them.
The jar is kept on the table all night.
In the morning, boiling water is poured into it, and then thrown away or its contents are flushed down the toilet.
If necessary, these actions are resumed the next night.

Beer bottle

It has been established that alcoholic drinks based on sweets, fruits or hops strongly attract midges. Therefore, a standard magazine container becomes no less effective after the beer has been drunk from it. It allows you to get rid of wine midges.

Place an empty bottle of wine, beer or liquor at places where insects accumulate.

After some time, the inside will be covered with parasites. Afterwards, the bottle is hermetically sealed and taken to the trash.

Recipe with detergent

Another great way to get rid of midges forever is to use a special type of bait. It is based on the fact that such insects have always been attracted to fruiting apple trees. Fruit flies are especially attracted to it.

A similar trap is constructed using the appropriate vinegar. It is poured into a bottle with a volume of at least 0.5 liters, supplemented with water at room temperature to the required volume and a little of any detergent is added.

Parasites will quickly attack the strong smell of apples, and then become firmly stuck in the soap suds.

Formaldehyde recipe

Another proven folk method is no less effective.

A plate is placed on the room or kitchen table. 20 g of formaldehyde, half a glass of sugar syrup and a glass of milk are poured into it. Food products attract midges, and the poison quickly destroys them, acting through the gastrointestinal tract.

What chemicals should I use to remove it?

Store shelves are replete with various anti-fly products. Their disadvantage is their synthetic composition, which often leads to allergic reactions in households. It is advisable to avoid negative consequences by leaving the room during the midge treatment period .
Popular remedies for fruit midges are: “Raptor”, “Aerokson”. It is good to pester the potted midge with Aktara or Grom-2.

An excellent alternative to store-bought chemicals are homemade traps, which almost anyone can make. You do not need any special skills to do this, and they will not harm your family members.

How to get rid of midges in the kitchen in 3 steps

These small midges themselves do not pose a threat to humans, but a larva accidentally swallowed with food can cause infection of the digestive tract. The fertility of fruit flies is extremely high: one female produces from 200 to 1,500 or more eggs. Insects can live in the kitchen for two months, which means the risk of developing myiasis increases.

Drosophila eggs can enter the home on the fur of cats and dogs, in food, or on shoes. The food supply of midges is rotting organic matter.

This could be rotten fruit, an unfinished glass of wine, spilled milk, waste lying in the trash can, a piece of meat that fell into a crevice while cooking, or damp soil from indoor plants. The list can be expanded endlessly. Midges even feast on pet food.

Types of Drosophila midges

Honey flies are a harmless insect, although annoying. Scientists count several thousand species, although only 1,500 of them are described in detail, 40 live in European countries.

Drosophila melanogaster (other names: fruit fly, honey fly, fruit fly, small fly, wood sorrel) is a small, approximately 3 mm in length, insect belonging to the family Drosophiliadae, order Diptera. External characteristics: red eyes and brown-yellow coloration with black rings on the abdomen. The female's body is approximately 2.5 mm, while the male is smaller and has a darker rear. It is these midges that usually appear in houses and apartments.

By the way, the melanogaster subspecies is highly valued by geneticists because it is ideal for experiments.

And especially for aquarists, a wingless subtype has been bred, which is used to feed fish and reptiles.

Drosophila funebris (called the large or vinegar fly) is larger than melanogaster by an average of 1 mm. It lives mainly near ponds, barrels or other vessels with fermenting/rotting liquids, and less often found in fruits.

Drosophila in indoor plants

Quite often, fruit flies hover around flower pots; they are attracted to rotting leaves and damp soil. Sometimes the cause of the spread of midges is soil contaminated in the store; if there is such doubt, the soil must be kept in the oven before use.

It is not recommended to overwater the plant; fallen flowers and leaves should be thrown away. A match, which must be stuck into the soil with the painted end, will also help reduce the number of insects. If midges are found in a flower pot, it is also recommended to water the plant with an insecticide that is harmless to it; the action of the drug is aimed primarily at destroying midges and their larvae.

Dichlorvos is considered the most extreme measure to get rid of midges; it is not recommended to be in the room during the disinfection period.

Folk remedies for getting rid of bugs

Available folk remedies and methods will help you get rid of pests on indoor plants. You can destroy flying insects using a vacuum cleaner: collect all the midges with a pipe without a nozzle and throw away the bag or treat it with dichlorvos.

To catch insects, you can use special sticky fly strips, which should be placed near indoor plants. You can also make a trap yourself by following simple instructions:

Cut small strips of thick cardboard.
Paint the workpiece yellow and brush it with a little honey.
Place traps on the windowsill.
Change the bait periodically until the pests are completely eliminated.

Homemade or purchased traps hung near flowers will help you catch insects. This method is effective in the fight against adult beetles, but will not destroy the larvae and eggs of beetles.

Garlic

The pungent aroma of garlic will repel midges and protect the indoor plant. You can use it in two ways:

Place several cut cloves of garlic, cut side down, around the perimeter of the flowerpot;
Pour 3 chopped heads of garlic into a liter of water and leave for 4 hours. Strain the finished tincture, spray the plants with a spray bottle and water the soil a little.

Soap solution

To kill insects, prepare a soap solution of 30 g of soap and 250 ml of water. Spray the plants with the resulting product and wipe the leaves. Repeat the procedure once a week until the pests are completely destroyed.

Spraying plants with a soap solution will not only destroy bugs and larvae, but also create a protective film against pests on the leaves and soil

Ammonia

An alcohol solution (50 g of ammonia per 4 liters of water) will help remove midges. The product is used for spraying plants at the stage of pest control and for prevention purposes. Spray the solution on the top of the flower, and you can also water it on the soil to destroy larvae and eggs. Treatment should be carried out until the pests are completely destroyed at intervals of 7-10 days.

Vinegar

Dilute 1 tsp in 1 liter of water. apple or table vinegar. Use the resulting solution to spray and wipe the leaves. This treatment will destroy pests, prevent their occurrence, and also make the flowers bright and shiny.

A solution of apple cider vinegar effectively copes with bugs, makes indoor flowers more vibrant, fresh and shiny

Other home remedies for midge control

Simpler steps will help you get rid of bugs:

Stick a few pieces of orange peel into the soil (you can use fresh or dried);
pour crushed wood ash into the pot. This product is not only effective in combating midges, but also serves as a fertilizer for flowers;
Stick a few matches into the soil, head down, and then water the soil. Check the matches regularly and if there is no sulfur, replace them with new ones. The duration of such treatment is 5-10 days;
put mint sprigs or chopped dried tobacco in the flowerpot;
periodically water the plants with cinnamon solution;
to spray the leaves, use an infusion of celandine (100 g of raw material per 1 liter of boiling water).

To remove midges and get rid of larvae, transplant the flower into new, high-quality soil. At the same time, rinse and disinfect the plant roots, soil and flowerpot well, and put the old soil in a tight bag and throw it away

Routes of penetration

It becomes clear from their name – fruit fly – where fruit flies come from in the house. They enter the home with vegetables and fruits. Enterprising flies, while still in the beds and during storage, managed to lay eggs on their surface. When the rotting process begins, this serves as a signal for their development. Before you know it, clouds of annoying insects will fill not only the kitchen, but the whole house. Another likely place is potted indoor plants. Heavily moist soil promotes the rapid development of flies. Attracted by the smell of rotten fruit, flies, due to their size, easily penetrate mosquito nets into the apartment. Some individuals carry out predatory actions from ventilation holes. Another problem area is a pet's cage, feeder, toilet, or open aquarium with fish.

An open aquarium can attract midges

How to get rid of wine midge

You need to start fighting midges as soon as you find them in the house to avoid their further reproduction. To do this you need:

find sources of reproduction and get rid of them;
clean the kitchen of all spoiled food and plant debris;
check the condition of rags for washing floors and dishes;
check if the water supply is clogged and remove the clog if there is one;
fill the drain with a special product or cover it with soda, and then extinguish it with vinegar, to eliminate food residues that fruit flies love so much;
if there are not a lot of midges, you can simply collect them with a vacuum cleaner;
Having gotten rid of spoiled food supplies, thoroughly wipe the shelves in the cabinets with soapy water and then vinegar;
in the case when midges are infested in house plants, it is necessary to reduce watering and water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or with insecticides specially produced for the soil (Grom, Fitoverm, Karbofos), if this does not help, then the contaminated soil must be completely change;
Garlic, lavender, and citrus fruits will help drive insects out of the house; their pungent smell repels insects;
It is possible to smoke fruit flies; to do this, pour the crushed camphor into a frying pan and place it on the stove; when steam appears, carry the dishes through all rooms. This procedure is safe for humans and pets.
Predatory plants that digest insects caught in their traps will help in the fight against midges. They are easy to care for, they are harmless to humans, but they cope effectively with fruit flies and other insects. In addition, it is quite interesting to observe the process of the plant hunting and capturing prey;
if it is cold enough outside, then you can simply cool the room thoroughly by opening the windows and all kitchen cabinets; fruit flies are sensitive to temperature and will die from hypothermia;
use homemade traps.

Homemade wine fly traps

One of the effective ways to combat midges is to use homemade traps, which can be prepared in the following ways:

Pour juice, compote or put pieces of fruit into a glass jar, make a paper funnel with a small hole at the end and insert it into the jar, carefully sealing the joints with tape. Attracted by the smell, midges easily penetrate the jar, but they will not be able to crawl out.
Place slices of aromatic fruit in a bag that does not have holes on the walls or bottom and leave it overnight. The next morning, quickly close it with flies and throw it away.
You can also catch fruit flies by placing saucers with syrup or juice, a mixture of sugar and yeast, in places where they accumulate. Insects will gather above the saucers and drown in the bait.
Take a plastic cup and put a piece of fruit in it. Cover the glass with cling film and make small holes in it. The midges will penetrate, but they will no longer be able to get out and they may be thrown out along with the trap.
You can use sticky fly tape by hanging it and placing it near places where insects gather.

Getting rid of fruit gnats is not very difficult. And for this it is not at all necessary to use toxic substances - the simplest methods described in the article turn out to be the most effective. Once fruit flies leave your home, do not forget about preventive measures.

What if there are midges in the sink?

If you suspect that midges have infested your sink, it’s worth checking first. The technique is very simple - seal the drain hole with tape or regular cling film, again smeared with honey. If after an hour insects were found on the surface, then the suspicions were confirmed.

Getting rid of this problem is very simple - you need to pour a boiling soap solution into the drain. After this, the walls are also cleaned from accumulated fat with a special brush. You can also use store-bought powders like “Mole” or gel-like products, for example, Tiret.

It is better not to let the sink reach this state.

Traditional methods

Over the years, people have also figured out how to deal with fruit flies. Fighting with these methods is not difficult, but at the same time very effective.

Recipes:

place the leaves of fern, elderberry and tansy in all rooms, the midges will fly away due to the unpleasant smell; Tansy is prohibited for use in case of weak brain vessels, it can cause headaches in patients.
kerosene, turpentine - it is recommended to add to water when washing floors or windows;
tomato seedlings, eucalyptus, geranium - flies will fly away due to the unpleasant smell;
laurel oil - it is recommended to use it for rubbing window frames and jambs.

Drosophila is an insect that, under favorable conditions, is capable of rapid reproduction and development. Read about how long fruit flies live and what their life cycle is on our website.

How to remove onions?

The onion midge breeds and multiplies inside the onion. This happens if you store supplies incorrectly, for example inside a bag, packing it tightly. In such an environment, the onions become damp and begin to rot. If you notice that midges are swarming around your onions, carefully sort through your supplies. Spoiled vegetables must be disposed of immediately.

Onion midge is well destroyed with the help of pine aroma . Soak the cotton wool in pine ether, place it near the vegetable storage area and wait. The midge itself will leave this place due to the discomfort it feels.

If there are too many midges, household traps will help you, which will be discussed below.

Reasons for appearance

The Drosophila fly most often flies around the apartment when it gets warmer. The abundance of food and favorable living conditions allow fruit flies to actively reproduce, and the number of insects increases sharply.

Routes of entry:

with vegetables and fruits from the supermarket or from the garden (inside peaches, apples, cucumbers, larvae enter the home);
through open windows;
with soil taken from a summer cottage for planting indoor plants;
on animal fur. When food often rots in a cat's or dog's bowl, Drosophila larvae receive enough food and multiply quickly.

The risk of invasion of annoying midges increases several times when the following factors are identified:

poor home hygiene, piles of dirty dishes in the sink;
the habit of leaving leftover food on the plate and not immediately wiping the table;
old tea leaves left in the teapot also attract fruit flies, giving them a lot of food and a breeding area;
accumulation of bottles of sweet soda, juice, leftover wine and beer in containers that were not thrown away on time;
excessive watering of indoor plants, water not only in the flowerpot, but also in the tray;
addiction to traditional methods of fertilizing plants, for example, watering with dried tea leaves. Tea leaves rot and attract tiny insects;
if the house is in perfect order, the kitchen sparkles with cleanliness, then midges fly onto the fruit, beautifully laid out on the plate;
the likelihood of an invasion of small flies increases if the housewife is accustomed to keeping bunches of grapes, bananas or fragrant peaches outside the refrigerator;
a trash bin not taken out on time, rotten apple peels, potato peelings, tomato skins, sour borscht - the favorite food of fruit flies.

Life cycle

The lifespan of these insects depends on the availability of food and air temperature. On average, life expectancy is 2 weeks in the presence of food and a temperature of about 18°; if the air temperature is 25°, life expectancy is reduced to 10 days.

Unfavorable conditions are air temperatures below 18°; the lower, the shorter the duration. A midge can only live for a few days without food.

Females lay eggs on fruits or other foods; within a day, voracious larvae emerge from them. Before moving to the next stage, the larva goes through 2 molts, after which it pupates.

After 5 days, a young individual emerges from the pupae, which is ready to reproduce and lay eggs. One female lays about 400 eggs in her life, they are very fertile and increase the population very quickly.

How to get rid of fruit flies

Usually people do not welcome the appearance of fruit flies in their home and dream of getting rid of it as soon as possible.

Cooling

If an adult tolerates low temperatures well and its life is extended by several weeks, then the Drosophila larvae die in cold conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to keep those vegetables, fruits and berries that do not spoil in the cold in the refrigerator, in a special freshness zone. It is better not to buy fruits such as bananas that spoil in cold places in large quantities, wash them with cold water and eat them immediately so that they do not lie.

Store fruits and vegetables in a fresh area - this is where Drosophila eggs die

Product audit

Some people naively believe that if you throw away all spoiled food and leave only fresh and good food, then the flies will disappear on their own. Perhaps there will actually be fewer of them, but this will not last long, because one female Drosophila can lay up to 400 eggs at a time - and the next day you will have a new “fresh” brood of flies.

Separate fresh fruits and vegetables from spoiled ones

Aerosols

Drosophila flies are very sensitive to changing environmental conditions and to various chemicals, so the most common aerosols used to kill any other insects will be very effective against them: Raptor, Combat, Dichlorvos.

Before spraying the aerosol, you must remove all products and close windows and doors. Animals and children should be moved to distant rooms. After treatment, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and after the time specified in the instructions for the aerosol, open the window in the treated area for ventilation.

Drosophila flies are very sensitive to various chemicals and die from them

Cleaners

Sometimes Drosophila flies settle in shells. It is difficult to explain why this happens, but you can get rid of them and especially their larvae by using boiling water (pour boiling water over the sink) or using sink cleaners such as Domestos, Mister Muscle and Mole.

If you don't wear gloves when using Mr. Muscle, your skin will deteriorate - what can we say about small defenseless flies?

Sticky tape trap

There are special sticky tapes that have a specific smell that attracts insects. This smell is unpleasant for people, but it is not very strong, so it is easy to get used to it. You need to hang sticky tape where there are the most flies. As the surface of the trap fills, it needs to be changed.

The hardest part about using sticky traps is not getting your hair, hands, or face in them. Firstly, the sticky composition is quite difficult to wash off. And secondly, it can cause irritation on the skin and destruction of the hair structure.

Sticky tapes will save you not only from fruit flies, but also from other annoying insects

Fumigator

Special devices called fumigators are often used against insects. Plates with toxic substances are installed in them or various insecticidal liquids are poured in, after which the fumigator must be inserted into the electrical network and wait 2–2.5 hours until the flies die or fly away.

A simple fumigator will save you from flies, mosquitoes and other insects

Predatory plants

Scientists have long learned that some plants are predators and feed on various insects, which are lured to them by their sweet aroma. The insect lands on the flower, the petals or leaves close, and the plant begins its meal. Some eat the victim whole, others suck the blood out of it and “spit out” the skin. Any such predatory plant can be used at home to combat flies.

Carnivorous plants feed on various insects, but are dangerous for pets

If you have an animal at home, especially a cat, it is better not to purchase carnivorous plants, because the pet may want to eat a bright and beautiful plant and get poisoned.

Where do they come from in winter?

First of all, it must be said that they cannot tolerate cold, much less frost; contact with low temperatures will immediately lead to death. In addition, if other insects can survive the winter due to diapause, when they hibernate and all processes stop, and resume with the arrival of warmth, then midges do not have this ability. Therefore, for a person, the appearance of these insects in an apartment in winter causes bewilderment.

But in fact, everything is quite simple and there is no science fiction in their appearance in winter. The fact is that in winter they are also active, but they do not live on the street, as in summer, but in rooms where food supplies are stored, for example, in warehouses.

There, females lay eggs on fruits and vegetables, which end up on the shelves of markets, shops, and then in living quarters. Just like in the summer, they can get into the apartment from neighbors through the ventilation holes. They can also fly in from basements, especially trees that store food and where cleanliness is not maintained.

Useful tips - how to get rid of midges

We take these tips from the comments under the article on the site - many of the tips are original and very interesting! So:

If a midge starts in flower pots, then you need to stick an ordinary match there, head down, they disappear.
Most often, flies appear due to rotten potatoes, onions - all spoiled root crops are a breeding ground for flies. The main thing is to remove the source. Gradually they will disappear. Be patient.
Once a week I do a total cleaning with ultraviolet light, and for a year I have had an ultrasonic trap running, and this is how we save ourselves.
I solved the problem with flies simply: 1) I collected crawling and flying ones with a hand-held kitchen vacuum cleaner (fortunately they don’t fly fast). 2) at night in the place where they accumulate (for me it’s a jar of kombucha) I turned on a mosquito lamp. The effect is amazing - in the morning there are almost no flies!
They can be caught perfectly with a vacuum cleaner, even on the fly!
The jar of flies can be placed in the freezer for a few minutes. They'll die. Verified.
I poured beer into the lid of the cake so that it barely covered the bottom, a lot of it collected and almost everyone drowned.
I have found that they really like spoiled bananas. In the kitchen I put a crushed, rotten banana in a bag. Problem solved.
Adhesive fly tape, spread with red wine. And here they are right there.

My husband accidentally left the remnants of apple compote in a jar on the table, during the night they filled with darkness, at first I covered them with a plastic lid and then thought for a long time about how to kill them, I can’t open them, throwing the jar away in this form is also not a good idea, I decided to put it in the microwave and turned it on for a minute!

The end came to them all instantly! The glass jar needs to be placed in the microwave, covered with a plastic lid, don’t be afraid, it won’t explode, 40 seconds at a power of 600 - 700 is enough.

Apple cider vinegar attracts flies and they fly into this jar; dishwashing detergent prevents them from getting out. This fluid needs to be renewed once a week.

Getting rid of fruit flies is very easy. Buy fly or mosquito repellent plates that are designed for raptors. Install the plates to the window glass and the problem is solved! The sun heats up the plate and releases a deadly poison for flies.

I accidentally discovered a remedy for fighting flies: I started peeling horseradish roots for a horseradish snack, left the horseradish peelings in an open bag - all the flies instantly disappeared. Several days have passed and they have not returned.

Cultivation of soil in pots

If midges have infested flower pots, and you are not sure that the indoor plant will survive replanting, you need to use the previous traps and ways to repel midges, and also start cultivating the soil. There are several solutions that will help with this:

garlic - rub the garlic head and pour boiling water (0.5 liters) and leave for 2-4 hours. The soil is watered with this solution and the plant is also sprayed. The remaining pulp can be buried to the roots;
soapy - you need to grate a quarter of the laundry soap, dissolve it in a liter of water, spray the plant once a week;

sulfur - four matches are stuck into the ground with the head down, replaced every other day. The plant must be watered after each replacement of matches;
antiparasitic - any antiparasitic product purchased at a veterinary store will do. Dilute according to the instructions in a dosage suitable for puppies and water the plant.

If the plant is able to survive transplantation, then it is better to acquire new land.

How to get rid of fruit flies without using various means

Keeping the kitchen clean
A favorable environment for fruit flies to live in is rotten vegetables and fruits, plant debris, and trash cans with waste. To get rid of flies, it is necessary to eliminate the food source and breeding sites.

How to destroy fruit flies in an apartment:

Small insects are attracted to rotting vegetables and fruits. The reason for their appearance can be even a small piece of pear or banana that has fallen into the gap. When a source that attracts flies is identified, it must be eliminated immediately.
Keep pet dishes clean. After feeding, she should be washed thoroughly.
Close the trash can tightly, as the odors from it attract fruit flies. Throw away garbage in a timely manner.
Fruit flies do not like low temperatures. In cool weather, windows should be opened to ventilate the home; in cold weather, closets should also be opened. In such conditions they will die from hypothermia.
Check the condition of food in the refrigerator; throw away spoiled food immediately.
Small flies can settle in indoor plants. Effective ways to deal with them: take containers with crops to another room, depriving them of food, cover the substrate with a layer of mulch, and reduce the number of waterings.
To avoid the need to get rid of fruit flies, the kitchen should always be clean. After eating, you should wash the dishes immediately, and not accumulate them in the sink.

Fruit flies, or flies, can infest any home. To prevent this, you need to keep your home clean. Remember, rather than fighting fruit flies in an apartment, it is easier to prevent their appearance by following preventive measures.

Fruit fly reproduction

Fruit flies rapidly increase their population in conditions of high humidity and high air temperatures. The putrefactive environment is favorable for females to lay eggs. Within a day, a larva hatches from an egg, and in five to six days it develops into an adult fly, going through all stages of the pupa.

The instant reproduction of fruit flies is explained by the ability of flies to mate half a day after emerging from the pupa. Mushki retains the sperm of males until it is fully mature and lays up to eighty eggs at a time.

How to drive out fruit flies

A midge crawling on food does not cause appetite, and most, when faced with such a nuisance, immediately rush to household chemical stores to buy poison. But there are also less radical methods. Sometimes it is enough to deprive fruit flies of food for the insects to choose a more favorable object for their habitat.

If the owners have gotten rid of the habit of leaving dirty dishes overnight, if the tables are wiped clean, if there are no rotten vegetables and fruits in the house, if the garbage is thrown out on time, and the plants are watered in moderation, but the midges do not want to leave the house, you can use the following measures:

traps;
traditional methods;
chemicals (as a last resort).

Traps

Most traps can be made in just a few minutes, and the tools for them are always at hand. Here, for example, is a trap made from a plastic glass or yogurt jar. You need to put a tea bag, pieces of rotten fruit inside, or pour in a little soda. Stretch cling film or bag over the top, make many holes with a needle and place it in a place where there are a lot of midges. In a few minutes, the insects will be inside the cup and all you have to do is throw it away. But this method also has disadvantages. In addition to the fruit flies that fly inside, new individuals will also appear, attracted by the smell of the bait.

You can also make a trap from the bag. It needs to be filled with “delicious” waste, and when there are enough insects inside, tie it up and throw it away.

You can pour beer or soda into the bottom of a can or cut-off wide plastic bottle. Roll a sheet of cardboard into a cone, insert the wide end inward, and cut the narrow end so that fruit flies can fly inside through it. All! All you have to do is wait until the jar is filled with midges and throw it away.

Folk remedies

This category of methods for controlling fruit flies most often involves using odors that are unpleasant for midges. The most effective:

almost all essential oils. You just need to pour them into the aroma lamp and turn it on for a while;
heated camphor;
needles;
sagebrush;
tansy.

Dried plants can be tied into bouquets and hung indoors, or they can be set on fire and fumigate the “attacked” rooms

Not all options are suitable for the kitchen. Here you need to use odors that will not be absorbed into the products. Regular table vinegar works well. You can pour it into lids or small jars and place them on tables and window sills. You can make a solution with water and wipe the doors and shelves of cabinets, using a spray bottle to treat the glass.

The smell of horseradish will probably repel midges. The easiest way is to spread pieces of root or leaves around the kitchen, but they dry out quickly and will need to be changed regularly. But if you grate horseradish root and put it in a jar with a hermetically sealed lid, then if necessary, you can open it for a few minutes and place it in a place where fruit flies gather. This product will last for several months.

You can make your own poison against fruit flies. Any of the recipes will do:

Mix 200 ml of milk with a spoon of sugar and ground pepper;
make a mixture of honey, water and sugar, taken in equal parts;
mix a spoonful of black bread crumbs, a pinch of soda and sugar, dissolve in 100 ml of milk.

Soak gauze or cotton fabric with any of the solutions, place it in a saucer, and place it in a place where midges accumulate.

Chemicals

A lot of household chemicals can be bought in stores. But not all of them are advisable to use in the fight against fruit flies. For example, dichlorvos

This is a very powerful drug that requires special care; it can cause harm to domestic plants and animals. But if you need to get rid of Drosophila flies in one day, this product is suitable

Before treating the room, you should remove all food from it, remove plants, drive out cats and dogs, rearrange cages with parrots and other living creatures. Then put on a protective mask, close the windows (there is dichlorvos that can only be used with the windows open - read the information on the packaging), and spray all surfaces. Afterwards, ventilate well.

But the electric fumigator is completely safe. Plates or liquid for it are also suitable against mosquitoes, but it is better if they are universal, capable of fighting other insects.

The Raptor trap is popular. It emits an aroma that attracts midges, and when they fly in, they stick to a special tape.

Regular sticky fly tape is also suitable for fighting Drosophila. Insects quickly stick to it

Just pay attention to the information on the packaging when purchasing. There are special tapes whose aroma attracts this midge

Means of struggle

If after general cleaning and total disinfection of the entire house, a flock of midges is still flying around and you don’t have enough patience to wait until they disappear on their own, you can use special means.

If there are few of them, folk methods will suffice:

spray the flock with water, alcohol or window cleaner from a spray bottle, and then collect it with a broom;
smoke camphor out of the house (heat it in a frying pan) or scare it away with the smell of garlic, geranium, horseradish;
collect fruit flies with a vacuum cleaner or with sticky tape;
make your own trap.

If the number of fruit flies is massive, you can use ready-made products:

traps. Thanks to the special shape and bait inside, they allow you to get rid of parasites in a short time;
sprays. Contain contact substances that are lethal to fruit flies;
zappers. Special devices that shock flies with electric shock;
repellents. Their work is based on repelling fruit flies, but there are also those that contribute to their death;
gels. Liquid substances toxic to insects. Excellent for wastewater treatment.

When using, please note that some of them are toxic and require compliance with safety regulations.

All methods are good in the fight, the main thing is to eliminate the paths from which midges can appear in the apartment and not give them a chance to further reproduce.

Preventing fruit flies from appearing in your home is both easy and difficult. Home hygiene must be maintained at all times. Not only fruit flies will have no chance of staying clean: other parasites and uninvited guests will also avoid your apartment.

If you use the following recommendations, you can reduce the risk of fruit flies:

Do not leave fruit cores or leftover food on the kitchen counter.
They should be placed in a plastic bag, tied and thrown into the trash.
Take out the trash daily and keep the bin with a lid.
After the garbage is thrown out, the bucket is thoroughly rinsed and dried.
Dispose of excess liquid from the potted plant tray.
Wilted plants should be replanted.
Pet bowls should be clean and free of food residue.
Carry out daily wet cleaning of the kitchen with a disinfectant.
Remove crumbs from bread bin.
Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink.
Store cookies in bags.
Store vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.
Onions should be sorted and rotten specimens removed.
Throw away coffee and tea leaves on time.
Place repellent drugs in the apartment.

Having even determined approximately the place from which midges suddenly appear, you can use a glue trap into which insects flock, attracted by the smell of a special liquid. Such effective baits are offered by various (Russia) or Aeroxon (Germany).

Insect repellent Raptor

To prevent the mass spread of midges, it is advisable to take some simple measures based on information about where annoying midges most often come from.

It is important to adhere to these rules

Wash the trash can daily.
Do not leave food residues, dirty dishes, vegetables, berries, herbs, or fruits on open surfaces.
Regularly sort through your stocks of onions or potatoes, throwing away spoiled ones.
Clean the cages where your beloved pets live at least once a day.
Do not allow water to stagnate in trays under flower pots.
Periodically clean the pipes and siphon to avoid blockages.

The methods are simple but effective. It is enough to prevent the appearance of dampness, promptly remove all unnecessary garbage from the apartment and there is no need to be afraid of the appearance of midges.