Wine midges: where do they come from in the house and how to quickly get rid of them

Wine midges or Drosophila are known to all because of their prevalence. They got their name because they are attracted to the smell of wine, which comes from rotting fruits. In the house, most often they can be seen in the kitchen, since all food products are concentrated there. Having settled in the apartment, small ubiquitous wine flies pretty annoy the residents. In a short period of time, their number becomes such that they are found: on domestic plants, curtains, in the bin, on any product not cleaned on time, in jars of honey or jam, tend to get into your morning coffee and, apparently, consider themselves full owners in your kitchen. Because of this, many are worried about the question - where do they come from and how to get rid of wine midges in the house?

Insect description

Drosophila is also called fruit flies. These insects have long settled near humans, for the reason that humans are an inexhaustible source of food for them. Spoiled fruit, flower nectar, plant debris and the juice of house plants eat midges. All this in large numbers is next to people.

Outwardly, Drosophila are very small midges. They do not live long and breed very actively, developing in a warm environment from an egg to an adult insect in just ten days. One female has the ability to lay up to 400 eggs. Therefore, wine flies in a short time can populate the entire territory on which they settled. Midge eggs are laid in spoiled berries and fruits. Hatched larvae penetrate deep into the product and pupate there. Already on the second day after hatching, the female is already able to lay eggs.

Important! These insects do not bring much harm to the person himself - they do not bite, do not suck blood and, moreover, are not carriers of diseases. The main harm from them is the annoying flickering in the apartment and the absorption of food. Theoretically, eating foods infected with fly larvae can only produce intestinal upset.

Causes of Drosophila

In order to effectively deal with wine midges, you must first understand where they came from and find the sources of their reproduction.

They enter the human home in various ways:

• with the fruits that we bring to the house, on whose skin wine flies laid eggs. They give preference to soft fruits, the peel of which they can easily bite through;
• flies through open doors and windows, attracted by the smell of rotting fruits, sometimes they are even attracted by the pungent smell of a fruit freshener.

Recommendation! Often we have no idea where the midges appear on fruits recently bought at the store. The fact is that larvae are noticeable only at an early stage of formation, when the midge only laid eggs in white. Then they take the color of the fetus, so we can not see them when buying.Vegetables and fruits that you cannot be stored in the refrigerator should be thoroughly washed with water or even rinsed with boiling water, because it is likely that Drosophila has already laid eggs on them. As soon as the process of decay begins, adult insects will appear from the eggs.

As a rule, these insects conduct their activity in the following places:

• in the kitchen among food and plant debris;
• in the bin;
• in the bathroom when storing wet rags, wet stale items and with a clogged water supply;
• near cages with pets, aquariums with fish, if they are not daily cared for;
• in pots with indoor flowers, especially if they are watered heavily;
• in vases with long-standing flowers.

How to get rid of wine midges

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

1. find sources of reproduction and get rid of them;
2. clean the kitchen of all spoiled foods and plant debris;
3. check the condition of rags for mopping and dishes;
4. check if the water supply is clogged and eliminate clogging if any;
5. fill the drain with a special tool or fill it with soda, and then extinguish it with vinegar to eliminate food residues that Drosophila love so much;
   
6. if there are not many midges, you can simply collect them with a vacuum cleaner;
7. getting rid of spoiled stocks of products, thoroughly wipe the shelves with soapy water in the cabinets, and then with vinegar;
8. in the case when midges are wound up in domestic plants, watering should be reduced and the soil should be spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or with insecticides specially made for the soil (Thunder, Fitoverm, Karbofos), if this does not help, then the infected land should be completely change;
9. insects from the house will help to drive out garlic, lavender, citrus fruits, their pungent smell repels insects;
10. Drosophila is possible to smoke for this you need to pour the crushed camphor into a pan and put on the stove, when steam appears, bring dishes to all rooms. For humans and pets, this procedure is safe.
11. predator plants that digest insects trapped in them will help in the fight against midges. They are easy to care for, they are harmless to humans, but with Drosophila and other insects cope effectively. In addition, it is quite interesting to observe the process of plant hunting and the capture of prey;
12. if it’s cold outside enough, you can just cool the room thoroughly by opening the windows and all the kitchen cabinets, fruit flies are temperature sensitive and die from hypothermia;
13. use home traps.

Wine Fly Home Traps

One of the effective ways to combat midges is to use home 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 gluing the joints with tape. Attracted by the smell, midges easily penetrate the banks, but they will not be able to crawl out.
• In a bag that does not have holes on the walls and at the bottom, place slices of aromatic fruits and leave it overnight. The next morning, quickly close it with flies flown and throw it away.
• You can also catch Drosophila by placing saucers with syrup or juice, a mixture of sugar and yeast in places where the saucer is. Insects will gather over saucers and sink 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. Cats can penetrate, but they will not be able to get back and they can be thrown out along with the trap.
• You can use masking tape from flies, hanging and spreading it near the places of accumulation of insects.

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

Prevention of the appearance of wine midges

In order for Drosophila not to appear in your home, it is important:

• Do not leave fruits and berries in the heat for a long time on the table;
• Get rid of dampness and dirt;
• Maintain cleanliness, throw out spoiled foods on time, pay special attention to stocks of onions and potatoes;
• Throw away garbage often, especially in the hot season;
• Wash the bin;
• Regularly care for cages with animals and fish tanks;
• Do not leave pet food for a long time, apply it a little so that it is immediately eaten;
• Pay attention to the systemic cleaning of ventilation shafts and water drains;
  
• It is important to constantly wash the sink and clean the drains and siphon using chemicals;
• Do not leave dirty dishes for a long time;
• Do not fill indoor plants, do not use tea leaves or coffee grounds for watering;
• Avoid stagnation of water in pallets under flower pots;
• Change the water in a vase with flowers in time and throw out rotting or withering bouquets in a timely manner;
• Maintain cleanliness in the room, do regular cleaning regularly, carefully examine and examine every corner.

Fulfilling these conditions, you can protect your home from the invasion of wine midges.