Summer is a great time when you can throw off the warm clothes that are boring for the winter and fully enjoy the sun and communion with nature. However, every trip to the forest and to water bodies brings not only pleasure, but also discomfort after insect bites. Blood sucking insects
It is certainly nice to watch butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, or a bumblebee drinking flower nectar. Meanwhile, there are other insects that feed not on flower nectar and other smaller cousins, but on the blood of humans and animals. It is they who give people a lot of inconvenience, and often their bites cause health problems at all. And if the main inhabitants of big cities are mosquitoes, villagers and people who have a rest in nature, one cannot avoid meeting with other blood-sucking animals, which include midges, horseflies and biting midges. What are these insects and how to deal with them?
When do midges appear?
Midge occurs most often when summer begins, or in late spring. It all depends on the weather conditions. After the air warms up, larvae hatch from the eggs, which later become midges.
Also, midges can appear as a result of the purchase of fruits in supermarkets. Often, the eggs of the pest hide under the skin, and treatment with water does not give the desired results.
Habitat
The midge lives most often in places with high humidity. Pests usually accumulate in last year's foliage and near water bodies. In the middle of summer, the insect appears in the place of growth of fruit trees and bushes. Parasites are attracted by the smell of spoiled food, so mosquitoes can often be seen near garbage cans and in places where rotten vegetables accumulate.
Also, a pest often occurs in residential premises. Moshkara in the room or in the kitchen can appear as a result of the acquisition of berries and fruits that have insect eggs. Adults can appear at any time, including in winter, if the room has all the optimal conditions for their life.
Depending on the species of insect, the habitat may vary.
The following types of midges are distinguished:
- fruit fly - appears in rooms where there is missing food, or garbage has accumulated;
- wardrobe - the pest appears in dirty laundry or in wet things. Most often, this parasite appears near laundry tanks or in a closet;
- flower - pests accumulate in the ground. Occur with improper watering;
- water - manifests itself in outdoor conditions near water bodies, indoors in places where moisture accumulates.
Outwardly, insects have similar features and can attack humans. During a bite, a midge releases poison into the skin, resulting in swelling and redness.
Insect eggs can tolerate cold temperatures. They are deposited on fruits, and when optimal conditions arise, a new generation of midges appears in a short time.
Prophylaxis
In order to prevent the appearance of midges in the home, you must be guided by a small set of rules, namely:
- systematically carry out general cleaning and often take out the trash;
- store all food products only in the refrigerator, as in a cold environment, midges do not
develop; - all fruits and vegetables brought into the house should be thoroughly washed with hot water to get rid of the eggs;
- systematically clean the sewerage system and eliminate excessive moisture;
- get rid of spoiled food in time, and thoroughly wash the place where they lay;
- properly care for houseplants, change the soil in time and do not overfill.
Following all of the above rules, you will exclude the possibility of midges appearing in your house and protect your life.
Insect life cycle
The life cycle is short, midges live on average no more than 4 weeks. However, during this time, the insect can lay up to 400 eggs. Depending on the type of pest and habitat, some females can live up to 2-3 months, while continuing to lay eggs.
Larva appearance
After the insect has laid eggs, a larva appears on the 3-5th day. Outwardly, it has a worm-like shape and small size. On the thoracic region of the larva there is a kind of seal for movement. These parasites tend to accumulate in humid areas. In natural conditions, these are reservoirs or old foliage. Indoor conditions - accumulation of debris or wet things.
Development
After the larva has appeared, it feeds on algae or rotten fruits for several days. The emerging larva quickly finds its way to a humid place in which it can feed before pupation. After a while, the pest pupates. The pupa is covered with a cocoon and does not move. Such individuals can hold on with the help of cobweb threads that make up a cocoon on a vertical surface. After 1 week, an adult emerges from the cocoon, which is ready for fertilization.
How does a female lay eggs?
After growing up, females mate with males. After fertilization, the female begins to feed on blood. Only after saturation does she form a shell, and the female herself lays eggs. The shell is necessary for the safety of the offspring.
Interesting! Some types of females lay eggs in or near water. This increases the number of offspring.
Reasons for the spread of midges in housing
Before getting rid of midges in an apartment, it is important to find out under the influence of what factors they appeared. Most likely prerequisites:
- Dirty or tainted fruit. In most cases, insects start in a rotting environment. Females of insects can leave their eggs on ripening fruit and vegetable crops, and after entering the room, suitable conditions are created for their life.
- Clutter in the apartment. The midges will easily find rolled berries under the refrigerator or crumbs from a bun eaten in bed that have fallen under the bed. They can live in the house of a hamster or other pet if the remains of food are buried in sawdust. A full bin will also attract insects.
- Sink not cleaned. If you do not periodically clean the drain and use anti-blockage agents, the rotten deposits that form inside will attract midges.
- The presence of midges from neighbors. Insects move easily from one apartment to another.
- Floral plants. Midges appear in pots due to an excess of moisture, which is formed due to excessive watering of flowers.
Life span
Outdoor conditions differ from indoor ones, so the period of life of indoor and outdoor insects is different. Life expectancy can end unexpectedly, especially if there are sudden changes in temperature and excessively humid conditions.
On the street
Street midges live, as a rule, near reservoirs and places of accumulation of water. This speeds up the period for the emergence of a new generation. In outdoor conditions, midges live no more than 2-3 weeks. At air temperatures above 25 degrees, the insect lives no more than 10 days.The life of an insect can end immediately after emerging from an egg, this is due, first of all, to a lack of nutrition and cold.
In the apartment
The life of an insect in an apartment environment can be up to 1-1.5 months. This is due to the optimal conditions in the room, which most often retain their stability. However, if there is no power source in the room, the insect will live for a short time, no more than 1 week.
Indoor insects begin to reproduce 8 days after the appearance of the larvae. An adult can lay up to 20 eggs at a time.
Descriptive characteristics of head lice
In nature, there is a huge number of insects that parasitize only humans. These include head lice. This is the most common type of insects, human parasites. They chose the scalp as their habitat and can affect all people, regardless of age, gender and social status. What a louse looks like, what are lice eggs, how to recognize them and what danger a human louse carries - this is our article.
General characteristics of insects
The head louse is an insect parasite, well adapted for growth, development and reproduction in human hair. Its legs are adapted to live on hair with a round cross-section. These are the hair on the head, beard, mustache, for which head lice got their name. Pubic hair has a triangular cross-section, which is why the pubic insect species lives there. Head lice simply cannot stay on this type of hair.
How does life span change at different times of the year?
Insects appear after the air warms up; midges can be at the stage of eggs or pupae for a long time. In summer, when the air temperature reaches 25 degrees or higher, insects decrease their activity and can disappear completely.
In late summer, midges can appear in large numbers. Especially during the ripening period of grapes and other fruits.
In autumn, after the air temperature drops below 18 degrees, insects reduce their activity.
Basic means of control and protection against insects
In order to prevent the appearance of midges, the following prevention methods must be taken:
- promptly eliminate vegetables and fruits that have deteriorated;
- close containers with food;
- properly care for indoor plants. Over-watering can lead to pests;
- take out the trash bin regularly;
- avoid dampness in bathrooms, timely repair drains and pipes.
Often the gnat problem can start again. In such cases, additional control methods are used.
To protect against pests, the following preventive measures must be taken:
- do not spend time near water bodies in hot weather;
- use protective equipment against blood-sucking insects;
- use a thick cloth that covers exposed parts of the body.
It is also necessary to regularly loosen the soil in the pots and prevent stagnation of water.
Folk methods of struggle
The use of folk techniques contributes to the fact that the midges will disappear for a long time. The proven methods include:
- cloves - has a bright smell and repels the pest. For use, it is necessary to insist a tablespoon of cloves in 100 ml of vegetable oil for 4-5 days. The resulting extract is applied to the body. For placement, the oil must be mixed with water in a 1: 1 ratio and sprayed in places where the pest accumulates, as needed;
- if the pest appears from the street, it is necessary to use mosquito nets;
- put a few pieces of banana in a plastic bag, leave for 2 days.After all the midges have accumulated in the bag, carefully tie and remove from the room;
- outdoors, you can use a shallow container of sweet water. Insects will congregate over the plate and drown in the syrup;
- pour a spoonful of honey into a half-liter jar. Mount a paper funnel on top and lower it with a small hole into the container, leave this device for a day. Insects will be attracted by the smell of honey, however, they will not be able to get out.
Home methods allow you to remove the pest for a long time without harm to the human body. Traditional methods are tested and available for everyone.
You can eliminate the pest by using fly sticky. The midge sticks to the sticky part and dies in a short time. The tapes are placed near congestion points.
Chemical methods
With a large accumulation of pests, it is necessary to use special preparations that eliminate the midges:
- Reid fumigators are special devices that emit chemical compounds that negatively affect the pest. Fumigators are used at night;
- Dichlorvos is a proven product that must be sprayed in places where midges congregate. It can be used every day, however, it is toxic to humans and animals;
- Deta - a spray that is sprayed on the skin and scares off the pest with its smell;
- light traps are special devices that scare away midges.
In order to remove midges indoors, it is necessary to re-spray, as a new generation may appear from the eggs.
Midges often cause a lot of discomfort. Insects reproduce in a short time. The use of chemicals and other protection methods will reduce the risk of a pest in the room. Midges can be carriers of infectious diseases and allergic reactions, so you need to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Pharmacy remedies for the treatment of head lice
As mentioned above, the treatment of head lice is to kill lice and nits, preventing them from further reproduction. For these purposes, there are special preparations in the following forms:
The principle of action for all these funds is the same. They contain components that are safe for humans, but toxic to lice and nits. After treating your head (to enhance the effect, it is advisable to put on a plastic bag), after one and a half to two hours, you need to wash off the product. The main thing is not to overexpose, so as not to harm your hair or scalp. As a rule, there are no live lice after such a procedure. But a certain amount of live nits may remain, so after 5-7 days it is necessary to do a control treatment.
Shampoos are distinguished by the mildest effect of these funds. In most cases, they do not irritate the skin and also have a beneficial effect on the hair structure. The main thing is to make sure that the foam does not get into the eyes and on the sensitive areas of the skin of the face.
If the scalp is healthy, and the person himself is not prone to allergic reactions, you can use more practical means - creams, lotions or sprays (the latter are not recommended for acute and chronic respiratory diseases). But no matter what pharmaceutical drug you choose, before using it, you need to carefully read the instructions, and if in doubt, consult your doctor.
Important! Since pharmaceutical pediculicides contain toxic components, their treatment is contraindicated in pregnant women. Expectant mothers are advised to use a folk recipe for a herbal decoction or a special comb for mechanical removal of nits.
