Where do fruit gnats come from and how to get rid of them

Where are the midges in the kitchen?

Drosophila midges, or as they are also called fruit or wine flies, are born, most often in those places where there is a sufficient amount of food, warm and humid. Therefore, the kitchen is the ideal habitat for these insects.
It gets into the house of midges in two ways:

• with fruits and vegetables infected with fruit (wine) midge larvae;
• through open windows and outside doors.

The areas of their comfortable habitat are the remains of fermented sugary drinks, wine or beer in containers, rotten fruits and vegetables, damp rags and soil in flower pots, sinks and sinks and bathtub drains, unwashed dishes and long-stored garbage.

What is the difference between the fruit fly

This insect has a number of other names, such as vinegar or wine fly. Firstly, this insect is tiny in size, with a body length of no more than 3 mm. Secondly, they move in extremely numerous flocks, at an enviable speed. Because of this, they bother a person.

Fruit flies prefer to feed on rotten fruits, berries and vegetables, as well as other food waste that is not of the first freshness. They are especially attracted by their wine smell, or rather products that are in fermentation conditions. Wine fly larvae also feed on tiny microorganisms.

These ubiquitous insects are difficult to confuse with other insects due to their characteristic movement and diet. If some very small insects are swarming over the rotten foodstuffs, then these are most likely Drosophila flies. It is almost impossible to meet lonely flying creatures. If a fruit fly was seen somewhere, then you can be sure that in a couple of minutes there will be so many of them that it is impossible to count.

General

The main problem with wine gnats is that they multiply very quickly. Having settled in an apartment, they usually do not rush to leave it. They can be seen on houseplants, curtains, in trash cans, on all slightly spoiled foods, in honey jars, and on jam.

Another common name for these insects is fruit flies. Visually, they are oversized midges that live and develop in a warm environment. As already mentioned, these pests multiply extremely quickly. It is believed that one female is capable of laying up to four hundred eggs, which is why insects can occupy almost any territory in a minimized time.

Usually, the midge lays eggs in spoiled berries and fruits, but even completely fresh products can become the base of the location. The hatched larvae are able to penetrate deep into the product, where they pupate. Already on the second day after emergence, the female begins to lay eggs, as a result of which an almost endless cycle starts.

What are these midges: what are they?

Most often, small insects start up in the apartment, which are otherwise called fruit flies, fruit or wine midges. This is the most common type. They are found everywhere in the natural environment and adapt perfectly in the apartment.

Small: up to 3 mm, midges are solid in color from yellow to brown with transverse black stripes on the abdomen. In addition, the appearance of fruit gnats is complemented by a pair of transparent wings and red mesh eyes.A distinctive feature is the rate of reproduction.

Wine gnats are unusually fertile, with up to 400 eggs per clutch, preferring warmth, moisture and decay. This is the answer to the question: where did the uninvited guests come from in the apartment?

How to get rid of fruit gnats?

The first and most important factor in getting rid of fruit flies is keeping the kitchen clean.

The main points, the observance of which will help you get rid of such a scourge:

• the purchased fruits must be thoroughly washed with warm water and stored in the refrigerator (this is especially true in the summer);
• carefully monitor the vegetables stored for use (pay increased attention to potatoes and onions);
• to put the perfect order in the kitchen and keep this area in constant cleanliness;
• monitor the condition of the trash can;
• do not leave mountains of dirty dishes in the sink;
• disinfect the sink and drain with special means.

By adhering to these points, you can avoid the appearance, as well as destroy the midges.

Prevention of the appearance

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

1. Do not leave fruit pieces or food leftovers on the kitchen counter.
2. Place them in a plastic bag, tie them up and throw them in the trash can.
3. Take out the trash every day, and keep the bucket with a lid.
4. After the garbage is thrown away, the bucket is thoroughly washed and dried.
5. Get rid of excess liquid from the potted flower pan.
6. Withered plants should be replanted.
7. Pet bowls must be clean and free of food residues.
8. Perform daily wet cleaning in the kitchen with a disinfectant.
9. Remove crumbs from the bread bin.
10. Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink.
11. Store cookies in sachets.
12. Store vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.
13. Onions should be sorted out and rotted specimens should be removed.
14. Throw away coffee and tea infusions on time.
15. Place deterrent drugs in the apartment.

Drosophila will not reproduce, since there is no favorable environment, and, therefore, will die without additional destruction.

Where do fruit flies or wine gnats appear?

Having noticed a scribe in an apartment, it is necessary to find a source from reproduction, it may be:

• fruits left in a warm open place that have begun to deteriorate;
• cotton wipes left damp;
• leftover food remaining in the bin for a long time.
• Having found the background to the appearance of wine gnats, the following steps must be taken to eliminate them:
• sort out fruits and vegetables, get rid of those that have begun to deteriorate;
• take out the garbage and disinfect the container intended for this, washing its walls and bottom with laundry soap and drying it well;
• check the floor under the cabinets and the refrigerator for pieces of fruit or spilled sweet liquids, if you find out of order, immediately remove it;
• spill the shell with boiling water in order to destroy the eggs laid by fruit flies;
• wash the flower trays and keep them dry.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Anaerobic organisms ... What are Anaerobic organisms?
Naturally, before taking any measures to exterminate wine gnats, you need to analyze the sources of their appearance. As already mentioned, these insects prefer predominantly soft fruits, the peel of which, if necessary, is easily bitten. They can get into the apartment through the openings of doors and windows.

The following places of localization of midges can be distinguished:

• The kitchen, where they are organized in food and all kinds of plant residues.
• Trash cans.
• Bathrooms in which stale things and wet rags are stored; can also say clogged water pipes.
• Cages with pets.
• Aquariums (especially aquariums with "old" water, which the owner was too lazy to replace in a timely manner, attract midges).
• Pots with indoor flowers (especially if the plants are heavily watered).
• Vases with flowers that have been standing for a long time in the absence of water renewal (a situation similar to the situation with an aquarium).

Which midge has bitten?

Many midges bite because they need the blood of humans or animals to lay their eggs - which is why only adult female gnats drink blood, and males feed on nectar. But they are so small and so similar to each other that it is sometimes difficult to determine who exactly bit ... Our comparative table will help you.

Attention! Biting gnats are especially painful because they pierce the skin not with the proboscis, but with their jaws, pulling out microscopic pieces of flesh. That is why sharp pain, swelling and burning are the main symptoms of all biting gnats bites - so you can distinguish them from mosquito bites.

How dangerous can midge bites be for humans?

It is extremely unpleasant when gnats fly into the eyes or bite, isn't it? But in addition to discomfort and unpleasant symptoms - itching, burning and swelling - the bite of any midge can provoke an allergic reaction. Common signs of allergies include a severe rash, fever, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, etc. Any alarming symptoms associated with a gnat bite require urgent antihistamines (if allergies are established) or an urgent visit to the doctor.

Worst of all: the gnat can infect with any disease. The list of viruses varies depending on where you were bitten and who. So, the easiest way to grab something while in Central America, South America and Africa, so you need to carefully prepare for trips to such hot regions:

1. Bite-biting abominations. In Central and South America, West and Central Africa and in some islands of the Caribbean, filarial worms can be transmitted to a bitten person. These parasites cause skin damage and dermatitis in humans as the adult worms lodge in the skin. They are also potential carriers of the dangerous disease leishmaniasis, which is almost impossible to catch while in the United States, but easily when traveling to Mexico or Latin America. American scientists authoritatively declare: there is no vaccine for leishmaniasis either, and a particularly dangerous form of the disease is deadly. But do not worry: not all types of biting gnats are dangerous: black midges, for example, bite painfully, but do not transmit any diseases.
2. "Eye" midges. Despite the fact that they do not bite, these parasites can carry diseases such as "pink eye", yaws, etc. These gnats are aimed at attacking the mucous membranes, due to which the transmission of pathogenic viruses occurs as quickly as possible.

How to get rid of midges on home flowers?

Sometimes on flower pots, you can see hordes of midges of three types:

• fruit flies - fruit flies;
• sciarids - small flower mosquitoes;
• aleurodids - white-winged butterflies.

Their appearance can be caused by excessive watering and the use of organic fertilizing: sleeping tea leaves or coffee grounds, dried parts of the plant or its inflorescences, which create a putrefactive process.

Indoor flowers can be treated both with the help of purchased disinfectants and protection products, which modern industry offers a wide range, and folk ones: watering and spraying plants with solutions of salt, laundry soap or potassium permanganate.

spring-cleaning

Naturally, when wine gnats appear, first of all, you need to do a general cleaning. Find all sources of breeding and get rid of them: clean the kitchen of spoiled food, check the condition of the rags, pay attention to the condition of the water lines. If necessary, you can use a special agent (or even ordinary soda) in order to fill the drain and clean it; this will eliminate all food debris that attracts unpleasant insects.

Naturally, you need to get rid of all the stocks that have already deteriorated (they are often forgotten about as simple as possible). Wipe all shelves thoroughly using regular soapy water and vinegar. If necessary, to destroy the midges themselves (if there are not many of them and we are talking only about the initial stage of infection), you can use a vacuum cleaner.

How to make a trap with your own hands?

You can make an effective fruit gnat trap yourself. A piece of apple, apricot or other sweet bait is placed on the bottom of the glass jar. A sheet of paper is inserted into the neck, rolled up with a funnel in its lower part, a hole with a diameter of 3 mm should remain). Flies will begin to sneak into the jar to the bait, but they will not be able to get out back.

Getting rid of a brood of fruit flies is easy enough. The main thing is to notice the infection in time and take action quickly. Then the insects can be defeated with the help of homemade traps or folk remedies. And of course, don't forget about prevention. Throw away rotten fruits in time, do not forget about cleaning - and fruit flies will not become a problem for your home!

How to get rid of onion gnats?

Many gardeners come across onion-eating midges that have laid their eggs in the soil. As a result, the larvae that appear settle in the body of the vegetable and begin to eat it systematically. As a result, the bulb rots, and the feather begins to turn yellow.

1. Salt solution in the following proportions: 1st treatment - 300 g of edible salt for 10 liters of water, spray young onion sprouts that have reached five centimeters in height with this composition; The 2nd treatment is carried out after 2 weeks and the following proportions are taken - the volume of the liquid remains the same, and the salt is needed already 0.5 kg;

We suggest you familiarize yourself with midges in the flowerpots

200 g of tobacco is taken in a bucket of boiling water, infused for 48 hours and can be used; 3. A solution based on manganese - for 10 liters of liquid, take a little powdered manganese to get a light pink color, a large spoonful of ammonia, drops of three iodine; 4. Sprinkling the beds with wood ash helps a lot; 5.

It is worth remembering that delaying the fight against onion midges can lead to the death of onion crops. Purchased chemicals have a positive effect than folk remedies, but the latter are much more environmentally friendly. It's up to you to choose.

Tips & Tricks

1. Take 100 grams of milk and 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon. pepper. In this mixture, moisten toilet paper and place on a saucer.
2. A piece of rye bread should be placed in a plate and poured with the following solution: 3 tbsp. spoons of milk, 4 tsp. baking soda and ½ tsp. formalin.
3. Put a napkin soaked in 10 g of honey and 1 g of saccharin on the windowsill.
4. Stick a match in a flower pot, gray into the ground, the fruit flies will die.
5. An ultrasonic trap and cleaning the room with ultraviolet light help a lot, with a frequency of application 1 time per 7 days.
6. Leave the kombucha overnight.
7. The caught flies must be sent to the freezer for a while, they die instantly.
8. In order not to throw out the glass jar with flies, you can put them in the microwave and turn on for one minute (power 600).Flies die, and the dishes are thoroughly washed with detergent.
9. Mix apple cider vinegar with water and detergent, pour into a jar. Leave it on for a few hours. Vinegar is a strong attraction for insects, and the detergent will keep you from getting out. Renew the solution periodically (once every 7 days).
10. Place the raptor plate in a sunny place. When heated, a pungent odor will be released, which is poison for fruit flies.
11. Put the rest of the horseradish in the bag, the midges will all disappear.

There are a lot of methods of dealing with uninvited guests and they are quite simple. Choose what you like.

Fighting the enemy

If, nevertheless, the enemy has appeared, then you need to think about how to get rid of fruit midges in the apartment. To begin with, you should throw away all the garbage on which the fruit fly can multiply, and then carry out a thorough cleaning of the premises with detergents.

If there is an opportunity to leave the apartment, then the best way to get rid of fruit gnats in the kitchen and throughout the house will be the use of special aerosols such as "Dichlorvos" or "Raptor".

If midges appeared in the apartment, and there is no way to go somewhere, then use any trap for fruit flies. It can be either a shop velcro or a variety of homemade products, which have long been in honor of our fellow citizens.

Sweet sticky tape can be easily made at home by spreading honey or sugar syrup with rosin and glycerin on a strip of paper.

You can use, for example, such a simple device:

1. Take a bottle with a wide mouth or a jar with a narrow one.
2. Pour sweet fruit juice or compote into it.
3. Insert a thick paper funnel into your throat and secure it there securely with tape or electrical tape.

The principle of operation of this trap is simple: gnats, attracted by a delicious sweet smell, easily penetrate into the can through the funnel, but they can no longer get out.

At the end of the article, we will provide a link to a video plot telling about the fight against these nasty fruit flies.

Naturally, the best way to kill pests is to use professional products. The need for the latter arises if the infection has reached a critical point, when ordinary cleaning is no longer able to correct the situation. In this case, it is not recommended to use "traditional", "folk" methods (for example, to place homemade traps), since they are not highly effective. We'll have to pay attention to industrial insecticides (however, you can find them in almost any specialized store).

The most classic and traditional option is an insecticidal aerosol. Let's say many people use dichlorvos. However, keep in mind that it can be dangerous to process the areas in which food is stored in this way; it is highly discouraged by experts. However, the aerosol can be useful in the toilet and - in some cases - in living quarters.

If we are talking about a kitchen or other room in which food is stored and prepared, it is recommended to use factory-made adhesive tapes. This option cannot be called a win-win (it does not differ in absolute efficiency), but among its advantages are low cost and simplicity. It is enough to unfold and hang the tape directly under the ceiling - and soon you will find that the number of pests has significantly decreased.

Preventive actions

Before you know how and how to get rid of wine insects, it is worth considering preventive measures to avoid the appearance of individuals. They are simple and accessible to every housewife who dreams of a house without midges:

• the sanitary condition of the housing should be normal;
• measures should be taken to prevent the ingress of insects from the outside;
• purchased fruits (vegetables) are thoroughly washed;
• fruits are stored in the refrigerator;
• soil in pots with flowers is treated with a weak solution of manganese;
• garbage in the house is not delayed.

To kill eggs laid on purchased fruits, they must be washed only with boiling water. The gifts of nature in the form of wild berries, the harvest of fruits and vegetables from summer cottages and vegetable gardens are no exception. Everything that is brought into the house must be quickly processed and processed, or put into the refrigerator. Only slightly perishable food is stored outside the refrigerator. Otherwise, the appearance of fruit flies is a matter of the day!

How to get rid of midges in the croup?

You can get rid of the insects that have appeared in cereal stocks by the following methods:

• sort out cereals or sift to remove pests;
• be sure to ignite them in the oven;
• can be placed in the freezer for 2 days (especially this should be done with uninfected foods for prevention purposes);
• treat containers and inner surfaces of cabinets with vinegar or soda solution;
• put dry citrus crusts, garlic cloves on the shelves.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with Polysorb: how it works, what is it for, how to dilute it, how to take it to cleanse the body || Polysorb harm and benefit

How much does it cost to get rid of midges in an apartment. Price

How to get rid of midges in the bathroom?

The bathroom is not a kitchen, here chemical preparations can be used to combat these flying insects. But, first of all, it is necessary to find the source of their reproduction. It can be:

• various cloth items for cleaning that are constantly wet;
• poorly cleaned drain holes;
• a place of constant accumulation of moisture.

By eliminating the above points, gnats in the bathroom will no longer bother you.

How to get rid of itching from a midge bite?

The bite of midges is very painful, as they bite through the skin and lick off the blood that has come out. Therefore, red edematous spots appear on the surface of the dermis, which constantly itch. But we must try to refrain from scratching them, by such actions, it is not for long to bring the infection into the wounds, which leads to inflammation and suppuration of soft tissues.

It is recommended to rinse the bite site with water and disinfect with special products or cologne. You can apply ointments and creams with a calming effect: synthomycin, levomegol, baby cream, etc.

Herbs will help perfectly, with the juice of which you can lubricate the bitten area or apply a compress based on these plants:

• dandelion;
• succession;
• mint;
• St. John's wort;
• calendula;
• Melissa;
• parsley.

You can brew them with boiling water and wipe the damaged epidermis with the resulting composition.

What to do after a bite

You can minimize the effects of the poison by wiping the place where the biting midge has dug with alcohol or an alcohol-containing agent. If the wound is strongly combed and the process of decay has begun in it, it is best to consult a doctor who can provide the necessary assistance.

If you make a compress immediately after the bite, you can relieve pain and itching. This will require:

• A tablespoon of vegetable oil;
• 1-2 drops of peppermint essential oil;
• 5-6 drops of lemon essential oil.

After thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, soak a piece of gauze with the solution and apply it to the affected area. Place polyethylene on top of the compress and bandage it tightly. After two hours, the compress can be removed, the skin can be treated with alcohol or boric acid. Sometimes the product is left overnight.

Midge bite remedy

How to get rid of midges with folk remedies?

Vile does not like the smells of vanilla, camphor, geranium and eucalyptus. Pelargonium (geranium) pots can be placed on the windows of the apartment. Periodically light scented candles or use aroma lamps. Camphor fumigation of a room is done in the following way: a small amount of camphor oil is poured into a pan, heats up until smoke appears, and a smoking container sweeps through the apartment.

1. A slightly spoiled piece of fruit or sweet juice is placed in a plastic jar, the top edge is tightly tightened with cling film, punctured in several places (the size of the holes should be small). Drosophila will fly into the inviting aroma of fruit and will not be able to get out back, after such a trap is thrown away; 2.

Something rotten is left on the drain grate in the sink overnight, and in the morning the accumulated insects are simply washed off with water from the tap; 3. Pour an aqueous mixture of soap and vinegar into shallow containers, attracted by the smell of Drosophila will sink in them; 4.Using a vacuum cleaner, remove gnat colonies from surfaces, but in this case, after work, do not forget to immediately shake out the garbage bag.

Description

In total, there are more than 1000 species of different midges, but most often Drosophila flies (they are also called wine flies in another way) settle in the apartment with pleasure and feel quite comfortable.

These are small dipterans, only 3-5 mm in length (females are slightly larger). Their life cycle takes place in 3 stages: egg, larva and imago.

Drosophila reproduce rapidly: during its short life, each female lays about 400 eggs, and this is a very high speed.

Their eggs are small, only half a millimeter. From the moment they are laid by the female until hatching, under normal conditions, it takes only 5-10 days.

Adult Drosophila flies are very nimble, it is not always easy to catch them. They feed on the juice of fruits or vegetables, especially food waste and rotting fruits, where they lay their eggs.