Almost everyone knows who the midges are. Insects that look like humpback mosquitoes are often encountered in the warm season. It is surprising that even such small creatures are capable of delivering a lot of trouble to a person, ranging from the ability to fly into a plate of food or a glass of drink, to the ability to carry infection and bite. After all, there is also such a type of pest, for which the blood of mammals is food. However, before talking about what the midges eat, it is worth considering the characteristic structural features of these annoying pests.
How long do midges live?
Midges appear most often in the houses of the old housing stock, but such insects can also be found in new apartments. Their lifespan is short, but the size of the colony does not decrease due to high fertility.
The fight against midges is often delayed due to the fact that adults quickly mature and manage to lay a large number of eggs in a short time. They do not bite people, they annoy them exclusively with their presence.
Home
How many midges live in apartments depends on several factors.:
- air temperature and humidity;
- availability of food (not relevant for everyone) and conditions for reproduction;
- applied methods of struggle.
Under favorable conditions, some species can live up to 10-15 days. At the same time, the population will grow rapidly, since the maturation of the pupa will be reduced.
In nature
How many midges live on average in nature depends on their species and environmental conditions. This type of insect is a food source for many birds, therefore, in the wild, the expansion of the midge population is limited.
With the onset of cold weather, some species hibernate, which prolongs their life.
Pest insects live longer in the wild. The optimum temperature and humidity for most of them are greenhouses. In nature, these midges have the opportunity to choose the most suitable crops for breeding.
For whitefly, these are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. The longest life expectancy for such midges is in conditions of year-round closed ground (greenhouse farms).
Bite process
Midge bite
When bitten, a substance enters the wound with the saliva of the midge, which behaves like an anesthetic. Therefore, the very moment of biting and absorbing blood remains invisible to humans. The pain occurs only after a while, when it has already flown away.
At the site of the bite, redness, swelling occurs. The wound itches a lot. These phenomena are caused by the fact that the saliva of the midge is poisonous.
If there are a large number of bites, there may be swelling not only of the surface of the wound, but also of the internal organs. In some cases, hemorrhage occurs, and symptoms of severe poisoning appear. This situation requires immediate medical attention and emergency assistance.
On the territory of Russia, the largest number of midges is represented in the taiga zone. How many species and who are life-threatening? The following types represent the greatest danger to humans:
Consequences of a midge bite
- tundra midge;
- Kholodkovsky's midge;
- decorated midge.
The air temperature (comfortable for the life of a midge), at which an attack on a person occurs, ranges from +6 to + 23˚С.
How many diseases can this little insect carry? Of particular danger are midges that carry diseases such as:
- plague;
- leprosy;
- tularemia;
- glanders;
- anthrax.
Types of midges
The following types of midges can be found in the apartment: fruit flies, sciarids, butterflies, whiteflies. They are safe for humans, but they can spoil plants and infect food with larvae.
Drosophila - small red midges, fly slowly, chaotically changing direction (moving in a straight line with sharp turns). Rotten, overripe vegetables and fruits are their habitat and reproduction.
They appear mainly in the kitchen near the sink, bucket, vegetable boxes. They can multiply on the rotting pulp of cacti.
Sciarids (detritus, mushroom gnats) are translucent midges with a black body. They live in the upper soil layer of flower pots in rotten plant debris.
These midges reproduce especially actively on waterlogged sour soil under saintpaulias (violets), orchids, and chrysanthemums. One gets to the apartment in two ways: with purchased soil or from the street (through open windows).
They reproduce especially actively during cold weather, when the evaporation of moisture from the soil slows down.
Sewer midges (butterflies) are small moth-like butterflies that live in rooms with high humidity. They often appear in houses with faulty sewerage systems, old pipelines, damp basements.
They enter apartments through ventilation ducts and pipes.... Eggs are laid on decaying plant debris. They fly slowly and over short distances.
Usually they are seated on ceilings and walls. Some information sources contain information that butterflies carry dangerous diseases, but there is no official confirmation of this.
Whitefly (Aleuroda) is a type of midges that parasitize mainly on greenhouse cultivated plants.
In apartments it appears with soil purchased for flowers or seedlings, with houseplants or seedlings. From the street through the windows, such midges rarely enter.
How to prevent the appearance of insects in the apartment
- Store fruits and vegetables in a cool place where they will not spoil.
- Before putting dirty dishes in the sink, clean them of food residues, jars - from the remnants of berries and fruits.
- Take out the trash regularly, and wash the bucket every time thereafter if it is dirty.
- Monitor the condition of the site near the house (important for private buildings) so that there is no debris left there, since midges can initially start in the grass.
- Do not leave open cans and bottles of beer, compote, wine, jam, syrup and so on. All this can cause the appearance of small flies.
Life cycle
Each clutch of butterfly midges contains several dozen brownish or cream-colored eggs. Larvae, provided there is sufficient heat and humidity, appear after 2 days.
In 1-2 weeks, they turn into an adult. The entire life cycle is no more than 3 weeks.
Sciarid midges lay eggs (up to 250 in a clutch) in the soil of a flower pot, wet rotten wood. Larvae - legless transparent worms 2-5 mm long with translucent intestines - appear in a week.
The larval to pupa stage lasts about 2 weeks, then the pupal phase begins. It lasts up to 8 days, after which an adult sciaris appears, which will live from 3 to 7 days.
The female fruit fly lays an average of 400 eggs in her entire life. In a day, midge larvae will appear from the egg. Ontogenesis (development from egg to adult) of Drosophila at 18 ° C is 20 days, at 25 ° C - 10 days.
The larvae grow for 5 days, the first time molting in a day, the second in two. For the next 5 days, Drosophila is in the pupal stage.
After emerging from the cocoon, the adult is ready for mating within 12 hours. An adult midge does not like heat: it lives for 10 days at a temperature of 25˚С, 20 days at 18˚.
The life cycle of a whitefly consists of the following stages:
- clutch of eggs (mainly on the upper leaves of domestic plants). The average amount in one clutch is 80 pieces. The eggs of midges are pale green, 0.2 mm in size, after 1-2 days they turn brown;
- from 7 to 13 days, eggs mature, black or dark brown larvae appear (transparent, 0.25 mm long). They molt three times, increasing to 0.9 mm. They feed on plant sap, are mobile. The larval stage lasts 7 to 15 days;
- the larva loses mobility, the formation of a protective shell (prepupa) begins. The period lasts 5-7 days;
- the next stage of midge development (pupation) is the longest. It can take anywhere from a week to 4 months, depending on the environment. The pupal stage lasts from a week to a month. The warmer the surrounding air, the faster the process takes place.
The life span of the whitefly depends on the type of plant. The female lives up to 24 days, the males - up to 16 days.
Habitat
The larva that emerged from the eggs lives only in running water
Midge larvae are very sensitive to the amount of oxygen in the water. Therefore, in places with little content, they quickly perish. Such places include stagnant water or an aquatic environment with a large number of rotting microorganisms.
If the environment in which the midge larvae live changes, they are able to release a cobweb. How long is it? The length of this web reaches two meters. On it they keep for some time in the fast flow of the river. If the natural balance is restored, the larva returns to its former place of residence along the cobweb.
An adult emerges from the larva in 10-14 days (duration of the process: larva-pupa-adult - up to two weeks). Leaving its cocoon, the midge surrounds itself with an air bubble. It is in it that it rises to the surface from the water completely dry.
Live midge under a microscope
What do midges eat?
Microorganisms that decompose fruits or vegetables, as well as the biochemicals of the product itself, are what the fruit flies mainly eat. Adults, in the absence of rotten fruits, need moisture for life.
It can be wet sponges, rags, towels, water for animals, compotes, wine, juices. Until a source of reproduction is found, it will not work to get rid of fruit flies. How much fruit rot or wine ferments, so many new batches of midges will fly out.
Sciarid midge larvae feed on organic matter in pots with house plants: leaves, roots, stems that have rotted against a background of high humidity. In violets, the bases of the leaves often rot, and a large amount of warming plant debris forms around the stem under the rosette.
Sciarids can eat up young roots, causing damage to the plant... The larvae removed from the ground quickly die. Adults do not need food.
The sciarid population will die if you remove all plant residues from the pot, loosen and dry the soil, and rinse the pan. You can stick several matches with their heads down.
Adult butterfly gnats eat the mucous layers inside the tubes. For this they are even called plumbing orderlies (a large population can really destroy impressive layers of plaque).
In the bathroom, organic deposits and mold, which accumulates at the joints of tiles and baseboards, can become their food. To remove these midges, it is necessary to replace or clean the pipes, disinfect the tile grout.
Whiteflies feed on plant sap, which not only entails an aesthetic defect in the form of yellowing of the leaves, but can also lead to the death of domestic flowers.
The population of midges settles in foci. They can sit on curtains, window panes. To get rid of the whitefly, special chemicals are needed.
Effective remedies against onion fly
If preventive measures were not taken or for some reason did not work, it's okay, since it's easy to deal with an onion fly. This insect does not like strong odors, so the beds should be sprayed with decoctions of valerian, wormwood, wild rosemary, infusions of needles and mint. These products are safe for people and plants, for this reason they can be used often and not be afraid for the harvest.
You can also remove an onion fly with the help of other substances. Experienced gardeners recommend using wood ash. This natural remedy will bring double benefits: firstly, it will destroy the pest, and secondly, it will serve as a fertilizer for the soil, which will positively affect the productivity of growing crops. As a rule, in the spring and autumn months, there are always dry tree branches on the site. After burning them, ash remains, which can be collected and used when an insect appears. To prepare the solution, you need to add ash to the water and water the plantings.
The next proven onion fly remedies are peat and manure. Peat is no less effective than ash, but it is used much less often, since it is not available in all regions of the country. Manure repels insects and fertilizes the soil at the same time. It can be used in two ways: the first is to dissolve in water and watered with the composition of the garden, the second is to spread out on the site.
An effective remedy for onion flies is tobacco dust, which is sold in specialized retail and online stores that sell garden products. This product can be used in a "pure" form, that is, scattered over the soil at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. component per 1 m² of area. It is often used in combination with sand or naphthalene in a 1: 1 ratio. You can pollinate the soil with a mixture of tobacco dust, wood ash and ground pepper. After the procedure, weeding should be carried out. You can also spray infested beds with tobacco infusion. To prepare it, you need to add 200 ml of the product in 10 liters of water and let the composition brew for two days.
Folk remedy - salt from onion fly
To get rid of the pest, you need to water the area with saline. An excess of the product in the ground should not be allowed, as this can negatively affect the growth of plants. Considering the fact that the onion fly does not like salt, the first treatment is carried out 14–20 days after the germination of the bulbs. The solution is prepared in a proportion of ⅓ part of a package of salt per 10 liters of water. It is recommended to repeat the procedure with the same composition two weeks after the first, but in an increased concentration of the main component (0.5 pack). The third time to treat the onion from the onion fly with salt should be after three weeks in the proportion of ⅔ packaging per 10 liters of liquid. After 4–5 hours after the planting procedure, watered with clean water. It is recommended to pour the saline solution under the root of the plants, without affecting their above-ground part.
Onion fly: how to deal with it chemically
There are many methods for exterminating the insect. Which one to use each one chooses individually. Chemical preparations for onion fly help to quickly get rid of the pest, but create the danger of pesticide accumulation in grown products.
An effective way to rid green spaces of a pest is to water them with a solution of ammonia. To prepare it, add 3 tbsp. To a standard 10–12 liter bucket of water. l. drug. Watering plantings should be done in the afternoon.
Even if it was possible to destroy insects after carrying out one procedure, for preventive purposes it must be repeated twice, because flies can settle in the same place up to 3 times per season. The frequency of processing is once a month.
Onion fly, how to deal with it by chemical methods:
- Spraying the area with a solution of the Dachnik preparation (concentration 0.15%), gives an effect of 77.8-79.3%.
- Pour on the surface of the soil, followed by loosening, a preparation designed to combat soil pests. The recommended dosage of the product is 50 g per 10 m².
- During the massive summer of insects, use insecticidal preparations to combat onion flies.
- A good result in the destruction of pest larvae is shown by pesticide treatment, during the period of egg laying with the insecticide Bazudin (20 g of granules per 100 m²). It can be applied during the sowing of the material and after 2-3 weeks into the grooves next to the young seedlings, followed by watering.
Important ... Traditional methods of dealing with onion fly are more preferable than chemical ones. They are more economical and guarantee ecological cleanliness of the crop.
Onion fly, larva: how to fight
The onion fly larva is dangerous for leeks, chives, onions, garlic and bulbous flowers. It makes its way through the husk to the inside of the bulb and destroys its fleshy scales.
Four ways to get pests out of your garden:
- In the fall, dig up the soil after the onion, so the onion fly larvae will be on the surface and die from the cold.
- Use drugs for worms. To prepare the composition, dissolve 5 tablets of the product in 10 liters of water.
- Mix naphthalene and sand in a ratio of 1:10. Sprinkle the resulting mixture on ridges infected with small worms.
- Water the plants and plantings with a solution of laundry soap (50 g of solid product per 10 liters of water).
Pests and vectors of infections
This kind of insects can harm property and human health:
Cockroaches
Very nimble insects of the order are cockroach. They lead a nocturnal secretive lifestyle. Body sizes reach from 1.7 to 9.5 centimeters. They feed on plant and animal debris, various garbage and even feces. The coloration is mostly yellow-brown and black. Life expectancy is about 30 weeks, and in some species even several months. Habitat - basements, garbage cans, human dwellings. Harm indoor plants, book bindings, spoil food, furniture.
House ants
Tiny insects of the Hymenoptera family. Lead an active lifestyle next to a person. Body measurements are 2-4 millimeters. House ants are omnivorous, but prefer meat, fish, sweets. The color is mainly yellow, brown. They live in large families, the number of individuals reaches up to 1 million in one family. Life expectancy is as follows: males live only 20 days; working ants and common females - up to 2 months; female queen - 275 days. They live mainly in human dwellings, trade and public catering establishments. Harm plants, spoil products, are carriers of all kinds of microbes.
Dvuhvostka
Insect type - arthropods, detachment - six-legged occult maxillary. They lead a secretive nocturnal lifestyle. They have a body length of 2-3 centimeters. They feed on microscopic insects, living microorganisms. The color is red-brown. They live for about 1 year in damp rooms (bathroom, kitchen, etc.). They cause dislike in humans by their very appearance, they bite painfully, spoil plants, books, furniture.
Woodworm
Arthropod insect order - isopods, suborder - crustaceans. They lead a hidden lifestyle (they hide under stones, trees) in damp places. The body length reaches 20 millimeters. Life expectancy is from 9 to 12 months. They feed on plants that are living and decaying. The color is gray, the abdomen is white. They do not harm a person and do not pose a danger.
Carpet leather
Beetle, detachment - coleoptera, family of kozheedov. Lives mainly in houses, apartments, in nature in bird nests, tree hollows. Body sizes from 2.5 to 5.5 millimeters. It feeds on organic residues in house dust. The color is uniform from light brown to black.It is a serious pest of leather, fur, wool, feathers, silk, carpets and rugs, upholstered furniture and toys, as well as all types of grain and food.
Development
Only a few Diptera need 10 to 12 days to complete the full development cycle. There are insects that reproduce only once a year. The number of eggs laid can also vary.
Diptera
Such midges are known that bear future offspring inside themselves, while being born, they immediately turn into a pupa. Another curious form of development has been found in some species of insects. This is pedogenesis or the appearance of offspring in individuals that have not reached puberty.
For example, gall midges can be cited: the female can lay only 4 or 5 eggs, from which the larvae will then emerge. In each of them, another 5 or 30 daughter larvae develop, which will then reproduce in the same way. At the same time, they use their mother for food. After several cycles, they become pupae and then adults. Thus, development takes place without mating.
The same phenomenon was noted in several other Diptera. The female laid unfertilized eggs, from which only females were obtained. In the process of development of all Diptera, such a phenomenon as a rapid increase in numbers in a short period of time is often observed. And if this factor is not restrained, then the number of individuals can reach astronomical figures.
