How to get rid of small midges in the kitchen using folk remedies and traps

Good day! I decided in the summer to buy strawberries for jam. Everything went according to plan, but the trouble came, from where they did not wait. Together with strawberries, a small midge appeared in my apartment.

At first I tried to slam them, the number was small. But they quickly bred and captured the entire kitchen, moving to other rooms.

It was worth leaving something edible on the table - and small insects immediately stuck around it. For starters, I just tried to remove all the less attractive for them to hell, and generally tried not to leave food unattended.

But that did not help. It seemed that they even somehow became more. Therefore, realizing that they won’t be able to expel them in a peaceful way, I switched to more serious methods. And finally, I was able to get rid of annoying midges.

Want to learn how to get rid of small midges in the kitchen? Where can they come from and how to prevent them from appearing? Read the article below.

Cats - description, structure and characteristics

Frogs are arthropod insects that belong to the dipterous order, the long-nosed suborder, and the midge family (lat. Simuliidae).

The body length of midges varies from 1.2 to 6 mm. The smallest species live in the tropics, the largest are distributed in the northern temperate and polar regions. In the structure of midges, 3 main departments are distinguished: head, chest and abdomen.

The rounded head of females has a wide forehead; in males it is narrower. Antennae of midges consist of 11 (sometimes 9 or 10) segments, they are very thin, tourniquet and covered with short hairs. The color of the antennae varies from dark yellow and brownish to dark gray and black. The antennae of the females are thicker and shorter than those of the males, and also have a slight flattening and taper towards the end.

The eyes of the midge are faceted, in males they usually touch on the frontal suture, in females they are divided by the forehead. Horizontally, the eyes of the males are divided into a larger upper part, where large facets are located, and a smaller lower part, where small facets are located.

The chest of insects is very convex. Hair grows on the back, and there may also be various spots of dark or silver color. The color and shape of the spots are different for different types of midges.

The abdomen of midges is oval, slightly pointed towards the end and consists of 11 segments. The dorsal part of the first segment protrudes up and back, forming a kind of collar covered with a brush of long hairs.

The midges have well-developed ground beetles, which are club-shaped. The ground beetles are paired appendages of the thoracic segments of insects; in midges, they are located on the posterior thorax and are modified wings. During the flight, they help the insect to maintain balance, vibrate and make a characteristic sound. This is why insects buzz.

The stalk of the ground beetle in midges is of medium length; at the end of the mace there is a slight impression.The color of the ground beetles varies from white-yellow, yellowish and ocher to brown and black. The mace is usually lighter than the stalk. In addition, the males of the ground beetle are darker and brighter than the females.

The midges wings are wide, round-oval, transparent, with longitudinal venation, 1.4 to 6 mm long. The surface of the wings is covered with small tubercles. In a calm state, the wings fold horizontally, covering one another.

The oral appendages of midges consist of palps and a complex-structured piercing-sucking proboscis. The proboscis is short and thick, it consists of the upper lip and epipharynx, hypopharynx, 2 mandibles (upper jaws), 2 maxillas (lower jaws) and lower lip. The upper lip, mandibles and maxilla in blood-sucking females have teeth of a trenching-cutting type.

In males and females who do not drink blood (for example, Prosimulium alpestre), the teeth are replaced by hairs. The maxillary palps consist of 4-5 segments; on the third segment, a special sensitive organ that performs sensory functions is developed. Palps are used by midges to orient on the body of a person or animal when choosing a place for an injection.

In the hypopharynx there is a channel through which saliva enters the wound, which prevents blood coagulation. The lower lip has a sensitive function and serves to lick. Like other bloodsuckers, in midges, water and liquid carbohydrate food enter the goiter through the esophagus, and blood flows directly into the middle intestine.

Midges have 3 pairs of fairly powerful limbs, each consisting of a basin, trochanter, thigh, lower leg, and five-segmented paw. Paws of midges are equipped with claws: males at their base have a wide tooth of a cup-shaped shape, females claws can be simple (short or long) or also have a tooth (large or small).

Most often, the extremities of the midges are black, although in some species the individual segments of the legs can have a yellowish or brown color or may be covered with silver spots. The coloring, pubescence and shape of the limbs depends on the variety of midges.

How many midges live?

The life expectancy of midges depends on species, weather conditions, and nutrition. Herbivorous species live very little - only a few days (less than a week).

The average life expectancy of blood-sucking species is 3-4 weeks, although some females of certain species can live up to 3 months.

Where do gnats live?

Frogs live on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica and the Sahara desert. These small insects live in the Americas, Australia, the Mediterranean countries, Russia, Central and Central Asia, Japan, Indochina, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Taiwan, the Far East and the Caucasus, the Baltic States and in North Africa.

Especially a lot of midges are found in taiga regions, in deciduous forests with high humidity, and also near water bodies. The presence of water nearby is a necessary condition for the habitat of midges, because three of the four life phases of development (egg, larva, pupa) occur in these insects in water bodies or in the immediate vicinity of them. On land, only adult adults live.

Midge breeding

The life cycle of midges consists of 4 phases:

Morphologically, females and males differ from each other in a number of ways. Females are slightly larger than males, although the size of both of them can vary greatly depending on nutritional conditions, especially the larval period of development affects this.

The female abdomen is somewhat rounded, with a pointed end; in the male it is cylindrical, with a blunt end. Also, the male can be easily distinguished from the female in the last few segments, which are completely pigmented. The upper chitin shield of the chest in insects is called tergites (they, together with sternites and pleirites, participate in the movement of the wings).

After fertilization by the male, the female just needs blood for normal growth and maturation of the eggs. With sufficient nutrition and favorable weather conditions, after 5-7 days, the eggs mature completely, otherwise the laying process can slow down for up to three weeks.

Female midges lays eggs in a single layer in rows or heaps of 50-100 pieces each, gluing eggs together with a special secret. Sometimes several females of one or even different species make masonry in one place at once.

Eggs of midges are laid on a constantly wettable substrate near a pond, on stones, driftwood or vegetation, protruding above the surface or completely immersed in water. The development of eggs, and then larvae and pupae, occurs in running water.

Hatching of the larva from the egg and the beginning of postembryonic development are associated with enhanced nutrition and growth. Excess food at this stage of an individual's life is of great importance: to a large extent, it determines not only the size of the fly, but also its viability. The first time after hatching, the larvae remain on the surface of the medium. Then they go deep into it and remain there until pupation.

The midge larva is worm-shaped and consists of 11 segments. The color of the larva is light yellow or ocher, interspersed with greenish, brown or brown spots. The chest section of the body is noticeably thickened and equipped with a kind of “leg” for movement.

The posterior end of the body has a strong swelling and a special organ (the so-called suction cup) with numerous hooks, with which the larva fixes its position. The abdominal part of the body is often flattened. The head of the larva is large, separated from the body by a clear lintel, most often darker in body color than the body, often black.

On the head of the larva there are developed long antennas, an oral apparatus with a pair of powerful mandibles, as well as special chitinous formations - fans that help the larva filter food consisting of plankton and algae.

In addition, the larvae have well-developed spider glands that secrete a secret with which they can move. But basically their lifestyle is half-seated.

Pupation begins with the fact that the larvae leave the environment, stop feeding and creep animatedly for some time. Then they become motionless, significantly shortened in length and acquire a barrel-like shape characteristic of the pupa.

At the end of the third day, through the cover of the pupa, the outlines of the eyes become visible, in which by that time a yellowish pigment is produced.A few hours before hatching, wings are clearly visible, eyes by this time acquire a bright red color.

The midge pupa is completely, and sometimes only partially covered with a cocoon, which has a round outlet - through it there is a breathing process carried out using respiratory threads. The cocoon is woven from spider webs secreted by a larva and can be of various shapes: in the form of a hut, shoe-shaped, boot-shaped or goblet-shaped.

The body of the pupa is sometimes covered with hairs, short bristles, various growths resembling plaques, tubercles, tiny cones, spines or cylinders. During its development, the midge pupa does not move and does not eat: it is important for it only at a comfortable temperature in the water and the flow of oxygen. In one or two weeks an adult is born.

Flies usually emerge from the pupa early in the morning. Young, newly hatched flies have a long yellowish body, almost devoid of pigment, short, not yet spread wings. After 8 hours, the females are ready for fertilization. Females begin to lay eggs from the end of the second day and continue until the end of life.

Depending on the type and temperature conditions in the reservoir, the rate of development of midges varies significantly. The vast majority of midges awaits the cold season in the egg stage. This wintering method is especially characteristic of species living in latitudes with a harsh climate, where water bodies freeze.

Very rarely, midges survive the winter months in the larval phase, and this is most likely an exception to the rule. In places with a warm climate, where water bodies are not covered by a layer of ice, midges winter in the larval stage, although their development may slow down during this period. Different types of midges can develop from 1 to 3 generations per year.

House midges

Often in a flower pot or in a greenhouse you can notice very small insects that fly above the surface of the earth or cling to the leaves of plants. This is the so-called popular flower midge. Surprisingly, these insects do not belong to the family of midges:

1. dark gray or black midges, as well as flower midges - usually these are leaf mosquitoes (sciarids, they are soil mosquitoes or fruit mosquitoes);
2. green midges - it can be lacewings or winged aphids;
3. white midges - most often these are whiteflies (they are aleurodides);
4. fruit or fruit midges, indoor or domestic midges are Drosophila flies, which can often be seen circling over ripe or rotting vegetables and fruits. They are also representatives of a completely different family.

How to distinguish fruit flies from another midge?

People often don’t know how to distinguish fruit midges from sewage midges, forest midges, “mushroom mosquitoes” and other insects. Some even believe that all of these are the same creatures. In fact, there is a difference. It lies in the degree of danger of insects, their habitats, reproduction rate, as well as in the "favorite dishes" of these creatures:

Fruit midges are one of the most harmless creatures on this list. It is referred to as a non-hazardous insect for humans. That's just it breeds too quickly. And also - little by little it spoils fruit plantations and homemade food supplies ... So we still won’t be “friends” with her. We will fight and for this we will learn the "fruit" closer.

So, by “fruit flies” we mean dozens of species of insects that have similar qualities. This is a small midge, the size of an individual of which is from 1 to 3 mm. It can be recognized by the oval, onion-shaped body and slow “drunk” flight.

Drosophila fruit flies lay their larvae only on the nutrient surface. Most often, these are sweet foods like fruits, vegetables, flavored cheeses. Most of all they “value” the fruits of citrus plants. Scientists recently found out that there their eggs do not touch the main exterminators of flies - wasp riders.

The larvae “travel” through the “tasty-house” and in 10 days turn into adults. Prior to this, they are almost invisible to humans: eggs and larvae quickly mask under the color of the fetus. And only at the very beginning, whitish “seeds” of 0.5 millimeters in size can be seen with the naked eye.

By the way, due to invisibility, people often bring spoiled fruit nurseries to their apartment directly from the store. And only then fruit flies appear at their place. Appear and begin to annoy.

Are fruit flies dangerous? What you need to know about them?

Immediately answer the main question about any house midges. NO, fruit flies do not bite a person! They simply have nothing to do ... Moreover, many experts claim that they do not tolerate harmful pathogens at all.

Although, theoretically, fruit flies can turn into a carrier of infection. But, apparently, this rarely happens in their lives (fruit flies travel a little and do not live that long).

What is Drosophila dangerous to humans?

Of course, these are enemies of food production and food service outlets. In rooms where a lot of edible, especially ripe fruit is stored, flies appear quickly. As a result, food is physically damaged. In some cases, they are not paid attention. And sometimes the product comes into complete disrepair.

They harm not only huge warehouses, but also small cellars with groceries. Farmers and lovers of winter stocks find midges in sacks of flour and sugar, in storages of potatoes, and also on tomatoes and oranges spread out on the verandas.

The presence of larvae in these fruits does not bode well for their owners and consumers. The sanitary situation here will deteriorate until the owners get down to business. Moshka is simply annoying. She flies into her mouth, nose and eyes, stains wallpaper and snow-white curtains ... scares guests and small children. In general, this is an unpleasant neighborhood.

Perhaps the damage from them will not even be noticed by the human eye and stomach. But who wants to eat fruit, stuffed with insect larvae? By the way, to avoid this, you can use natural garden insecticides based on pyrethrum - for example, the safe spray "Bona Forte".

The situation is complicated by some species features of these insects:

1. The midges are extremely prolific. Drosophila female leaves almost 20 insects in one ovipositor. Moreover, they begin to multiply within 8 hours after birth. By the way, experts warn: the larva turns into an adult fly in 8-10 days. Such a non-stop.
2. They lay eggs directly under the skin of mature or overripe fruits. True, the heroes of this article cannot bite too tight a “peel”. Therefore, they almost do not settle in whole watermelons, melons, etc. They prefer everything “soft”.
3. "Fruit" can put offspring in decaying organics. Therefore, they settle in sinks with a clogged gutter along with sewer flies. Hence the confusion between these two species.
4. The cat is born early in the morning. A person is sleeping at this time and may not notice how hordes of insects appeared from the void in his house.
5. Taste preferences of fruit flies are very democratic - usually these are fruits. The species Tephritid alone feeds and breeds on 400 species of plants.
6. They also enter the house through open windows and front doors. Moshka loves to live in one location, but nevertheless, he can make very serious flights on his weak wings if he is deprived of food. The simple principle of the fight against Drosophila is based on this: leave them without a nutrient medium ... and they will stupidly fly away!
7. In nature, there are natural bait for midges. This is manure and lake water, spicy and sweet smells. Flies are attracted even by air fresheners if they smell like orange, lemon or cherry. If insects have not yet appeared in your house - it is better not to overdo it with these smells. And they’ll definitely fly.
8. Fruit flies are slow but attentive. They capture fast movements well and fly away. Therefore, hunting for midges, move smoothly, like a Japanese ninja.
9. The cat loves moisture and does not like dry surfaces. She is almost not afraid of severe frost and loves alcohol.

Where do the small midges appear in the apartment?

The very first thing to do is to establish the cause of the appearance of midges. Only after this can you begin an effective struggle with them in the apartment.

Where they may come from is a mystery to many, because at the same time outside the window there can be any time of the year. Windows and doors are closed in winter, that is - there is simply nowhere to fly into midges.

We list the main reasons for the appearance of these unwanted guests in your home:

Midges enter the house exclusively with the help of a person who personally brings them into the house. Their further life and development depends on the cleanliness of the room in which they fell.

The most tidbits of promise in midges

For many years, the housewives have developed various folk remedies to combat small insects. But before you begin to get rid of pests, you need to find their accumulation. The first thing you need to start with is the fruits and vegetables that you leave on the kitchen table.

This is the first and most demanded source of larval deposition in small insects. In the hot season, food spoils quickly, even a small rotten piece can “please” you with malicious guests.

Remember, if the products of plant origin are stored on the shelves of the refrigerator, then the insects will not appear, and the question of how to get rid of midges in the apartment simply will not arise.

Carefully inspect all kitchen cabinets where cereals or other plant products are stored. It is also worth paying attention to packages and other containers where products used to be. You did not even guess, but empty cans from chemicals can become a tidbit habitat for midges.

Do not forget to check the filters under the sinks (especially in the kitchen), because particles of food accumulate in them, which later begin to decay. Due to its small size, midges can penetrate there without much effort.

If you have a small child, it is recommended to pay special attention to the place where the highchair stands. It's no secret that children love to play with food, scattering it throughout the kitchen. After all, even the most scrupulous mistress is unable to keep track of all the pranks of her child.

Cats love moisture, which is why indoor plants can be prone to attack. This is true if the hostess overdoes it with the frequency and abundance of watering.

Ways to fight

After finding soaring midges in the kitchen, it is not necessary to start a general cleaning by washing the floor and kitchen surfaces with bleach. It is enough to clean up the table, wash all recently bought fruits and vegetables and put them in the refrigerator.

1. If you want the food to remain on the table, replace disposable plastic bags with airtight containers that insects cannot get into.

   You need to hide not only fruits, but also all available food products.Moshkara can start in a bag with nuts and dried fruits, in jars with cereals and pasta.

2. Another risk zone is the bin. A lot of organic waste accumulates there in a few days.
3. Apple bits, yogurt packages, tea leaves, and coffee grounds attract Drosophila. In summer, garbage should be disposed of more often, as products deteriorate much faster.
4. The best option is to dispose of all food waste in a separate bag that you can throw away daily.
5. It is advisable for owners of private houses to have a compost pit for organic waste on the street.
6. Before putting on a new garbage bag, wipe the bucket with a damp cloth and detergent.
7. Get rid of the habit of leaving the dishes “for tomorrow” or “for later”. During the night, dozens of insects flock to the “remains” of food in plates. One cup left with a tea bag will lure the whole family. Do the cleaning by looking under the cabinets, behind the refrigerator and in other places hidden from the eyes.

   Perhaps a piece of cheese or cucumber rolled up under the cupboard. If you have cleaned and tidied the kitchen, but Drosophila do not leave your home, try to bring them out using special baits. You can use folk remedies and make a trap yourself.

List of the most popular folk remedies for midges in the house

Before buying chemical solutions or aerosols from small insects, we recommend using simple folk remedies:

If you have used all the methods presented, and the midges do not disappear, then the best solution would be the sanitary service. Specialists will save you from annoying neighbors in a short time.

How to get rid of midges in an apartment: folk methods

On the Internet, we found some "folk methods." Their effectiveness is hard to verify, so we decided to simply list the most original tips.

1. A vacuum cleaner. Dozens of users like to hunt for midges with a vacuum cleaner. An effective tool (you feel like a hunter or a killer robot), but ineffective. The next day, you still have to hunt for young midges.

   Although devices like this kind of portable vacuum cleaner for sucking midges for ~ 580₽ continue to be popular - it's at least fun, well, a few midges will become less.

2. Spray gun and humidifiers. More reliable tool. Insects really can't fly with wet wings. True, here you will have to correctly set the humidification mode. Yes, and dried insects will return to your kitchen again.
3. Ultraviolet and ultrasonic traps. On light "zappers" the midge flies not very willingly, but flies. But the effect of ultrasound against them has not yet been proven. Personally, we doubt the effectiveness of such funds.
4. Duct tape.To be honest, it is ineffective against midges. They will fly on Velcro only if it smells like their favorite foods. Smell strong. Or if you put the appropriate bait nearby - read about it below.
5. "Home repellents." Different people brag about the effectiveness of the repulsive aromas of horseradish, mint, cloves, laundry soap, vanillin ...

   True, some of these tools were included in the list of “folk methods” from methods of combating “biting” midges and mosquitoes. And these are slightly different insects. However, you can try - we are talking about quite penny means.

Homemade traps

Homemade homemade traps for fruit midges are very different from traps for sewer flies, mosquitoes or large flies. We have already said that sticky tape against these critters is a bad option. You need to catch them in special ways.

Below we will tell you about the three most popular homemade traps. They all work according to a similar principle: an attractant attracts insects into the structure, and then they can not fly out.

Choosing a ready-made trap for fruit midges

If you do not want to bother with sweet and sticky liquids, as well as keep rotting fruits in your house in a glass jar, then you should pay attention to the company traps against fruit midges.

For example, on the BEAPCO 6-Pack Drop-Ins Fruit Fly Traps. A set of six compact transparent traps, sharpened specifically for fruit flies, which costs from 700 rubles.

A non-toxic liquid chemical comes with traps. So it can be replaced with wine or apple vinegar. The principle of action of BEAPCO combines the advantages of liquid and conical traps: flies fly into a plastic box through a cone-shaped hole, and there is no way back for them.

They do not die from poisons - they just remain trapped. But, unlike bulky "home-made products", they can be placed throughout the apartment and not be afraid of leaks, flips or bad smells.If you believe the user reviews, then by the fourth day of use, fruit flies literally fill the trap.

True, a small group of users believes that a corporate attractant acts worse than natural ones. But they like the box itself. Diana writes: “In the first month they didn’t catch anything, although these midges buzzed everywhere - the trap was empty.

But when I poured vinegar there, these small flyers began to fight for the first one to fly inside it. So the container itself is cool. ”

The well-known trap TERRO Fruit Fly Trap T2500 certainly cannot be blamed for the fact that it can, in addition to fruit flies, lure and useful insects - butterflies and moths will not fall into it. The trap is designed specifically for "fruit insects" - it is even made in the form of a ripe apple. So I would have bitten!

In all respects, TERRO Fruit Fly Trap resembles BEAPCO. The “bullseye” also closes hermetically, smells good and keeps “alive” for 30 days. She has the same problems and the same advantages. And only the attractant formula changes here - it's just tinted apple cider vinegar.

But these are not all options - fruit flies can be eliminated using sticky traps. But not ordinary yellow adhesive tapes, which we are so accustomed to, but special adhesive sheets, which come with an effective liquid bait (usually it’s the same vinegar mixed with other ingredients).

Pay attention to the German trap “Aeroxon” for fruit flies - for only ~ 490 ₽ you will get as many as 2 traps that will help in eliminating flying flies. On sticky sheets, apples and oranges are not just depicted - you can additionally attract the attention of fruit midges!

Some users complain that all such traps simply do not work. But maybe it is not in them, but in the wrong definition of the pest? After all, we wrote above that it is very simple to mix up different types of small insects in a house. If the flies are not attracted to the bait in the trap, it is possible that these are simply not fruit flies, but, for example, sewer or mushroom ones.

If the flies fly out of the sewers

Well, if your flies chose a sink or other parts of the sewer as housing, then do the cleaning in the bathroom or in the kitchen, throw out the trash, remove sources of standing water and safely buy pipe cleaning gel like Invade Bio Drain Gel-1 qt.

If the blockage is not broken by organic means, use effective chemicals that will cope with any blockages - and thereby destroy the breeding ground for propagating sewer flies.

The “Gel Turbo Gel” sewage and sewer pipe cleaner proved to be quite good for ~ 240₽ - judging by the reviews, it cleans really quickly!

Attention to plants

If you find that the soil in the pots is wet, you should temporarily stop watering or spill the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. You can also spray the plants with the same barely pink potassium permanganate solution from the spray gun. The ground in the pot can be sprinkled with black pepper - flies are afraid of it.

Flies do not like the smell of geraniums, so you should have a pot of geraniums on the kitchen windowsill.It will not only delight you with large and beautiful inflorescences, but will also be an excellent prevention against the appearance of small flies in the kitchen.

How to prevent the appearance of midges in the apartment

Prevention of preventing midges in your home is very simple and straightforward. It:

1. Compliance with hygiene rules for residential premises.
2. Regular cleaning, garbage removal.
3. Regular cleaning of the bin.
4. siphon cleaning.
5. Timely throwing away products that have begun to deteriorate.

Also, as prevention of midges, caustic and persistent odors help well. For example, the smell of garlic or geranium, camphor or incense, if they do not prevent the appearance of midges by 100%, they will significantly reduce the risk of their appearance. These measures are guaranteed to save your home from annoying, uninvited guests.