Maria Lukyanenko/ article author
Identification of pests, work with insect cultures, micrograph of insects, bibliographic studies.

How to get rid of midges in the kitchen

 

 

Each of us was faced with the problem of the appearance of midges in the apartment - small flying insects that interfere and annoy with their presence. They start very quickly: it is enough to delay the release of garbage, not to notice a piece of fruit rolled up under the refrigerator or to bring vegetables infected with pest larvae into the house. And after a while a whole swarm of annoying insects will live in the kitchen. How to get rid of midges in the kitchen, this article will tell.

Varieties

In nature, there are about 1800 species: brown, black, orange and even green midges. Sciarides (start up in the soil of houseplants) and Drosophila (food or fruit midges) more often appear in apartments.

Food gnats are small (up to 2 mm) insects that are able to multiply rapidly. They are safe for human health, but can cause significant damage to fruits, vegetables and other products. Most often, brown or vegetable midges are brownish, but sometimes black and orange individuals are found.

Sciarides - small black flies living at the roots of plants with dense leaves. They are absolutely safe for humans, but they cause him great discomfort. Flying around the house, insects can sit on plates with food and cups with drinks. For plants, this is a real threat. A large accumulation of sciarides can lead to the death of a "green friend". In addition to them fight on white flowers with whiteflies, shields.

Gnats and sciriidae
Gnats and sciriidae

Sources of occurrence

Many housewives wonder where the midges come from in the apartment. More often insects start in the summer or autumn, but can also appear in winter, even in a room with windows and doors tightly closed. Therefore, before starting to fight them, it is necessary to find the source of their occurrence:

  1. Contaminated and slightly rotten fruits brought into the house from the store or the beds are the most common cause of midges in the kitchen. They create ideal conditions for feeding and breeding insects. Especially often, midges start on the balcony in the fall, where many vegetables are stored for conservation. To get rid of it, you must destroy the missing products.
  2. Inadequate bin hygiene and irregular waste disposal can also precede the appearance of fruit midges in the kitchen. Despite the fact that the life span of insects is only 24 hours, they manage to lay eggs in rotting food waste. As a result, you have to look for ways getting rid of midges in the apartment.
  3. Untimely cleaning of the pet’s cage can also cause midges in the apartment. An excellent tool for the spread of insects is a groomed dog or cat bowl, a dirty aquarium and rotting algae in it. Getting rid of pests in the house will help with regular cleaning of the animal’s dishes.
  4. Moshkara in the house can start in the soil of indoor plants. Excessively abundant watering and fertilizer used tea leaves create favorable conditions for the propagation of flower midges on the windows.
  5. A clogged sewer can become the cause of midges in the kitchen. The food particles stuck in the siphon continue to decompose there, which provokes the emergence of new individuals. In such a situation, getting rid of insects will help cleaning the siphon with a special tool.

    Sources of midges
    Sources of midges
  6. Defective plumbing can also contribute to the appearance of midges in the kitchen. The constant flow of the tap creates dampness in the apartment, which insects love so much.
  7. Insects can enter the kitchen through the ventilation openings or simply fly into the house from the street through a window or door.

How to get rid

The question of how to get rid of midges in the kitchen worries everyone who finds them. After all, if you do not take urgent measures, the number of insects in the house over a short period of time will increase several times. If there are midges in the kitchen, the first thing to do is to locate their habitat, where pests feed and breed.

  1. Inspect the shelves and tables in the kitchen where the products are. Often midges sit on fruits and vegetables stored on the balcony. It is enough to sort through them and get rid of the damaged copies. Pour cereals into hermetically sealed containers.
  2. Wash and dry the bin thoroughly.
  3. If you find midges in the house, you should also check the bathroom and kitchen sewer systems. If necessary, get rid of the blockage in the sink siphon with a special product. In the absence of one, you can pour soda into the neck of the sink and pour a little vinegar. After the reaction, accompanied by intense hissing, the siphon must be thoroughly washed with water.
  4. Eliminate the leakage of all taps, as constant humidity creates ideal conditions for midges to live.
  5. Carry out a wet cleaning: perhaps the cause of midges in the kitchen was a piece of fruit lying around or a drop of jam on the floor.
  6. If there are indoor plants in the kitchen, they should be carefully examined for flower midges. Water the flowers as needed, preventing waterlogging of the soil. Stagnant water is a real breeding ground for pests, and get rid of midges in indoor colors not so easy.
  7. Use industrial and folk remedies that will help get rid of midges in the house.

Industrial controls

Dichlorvos and Raptor from midges
Dichlorvos and Raptor from midges

The easiest way to remove midges in the house is to purchase a fumigator or use repellents from flies and mosquitoes. No less effective are such remedies for midges like aerosols. For example, Raptor or Dichlorvos. With their help, you can easily get rid of pests in the kitchen, having processed the places of the greatest accumulation of insects.

However, it is not always advisable to use a chemical agent for midges in the house. Where there are children or people suffering from allergies, it is better to use light traps (zappers). The principle of their action is based on exposure to insects of electric current.

According to customer reviews, they guarantee protection against house midges and ultrasonic traps. To get rid of insects in the house, you must regularly plug the device into a power outlet.

On a note
Effective in the fight against midges - duct tape for flies. You can enhance the effect if you grease its surface with wine. Insects quickly flock to their favorite wine aroma.

Folk remedies

Despite the fact that insecticides in the fight against parasites give a faster effect, it should be borne in mind that chemistry can kill not only insects, but also cause serious harm to human health and pets. You can get rid of small midges in the kitchen with folk remedies, which are much safer.

Home traps

Midge traps
Midge traps

Traps are a fairly popular remedy for midges in the house. They can be made independently at home. At the bottom of the jar put a little jam, juice or another sweet drink. Then insert the paper cone with a small hole down. The smell of goodies will attract pests, but they can’t get out.

You can get rid of home midges with a plastic glass. But to the juice or compote poured to the bottom, you need to add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. It is important that the contents of the container can be thoroughly diluted. All pests living in the kitchen will readily flock to such a “treat”, but they will no longer be able to fly up due to detergent.

If a midge is wound up at home, you can get rid of it with the help of an ordinary plastic bag, in which several pieces of apple should be left. The very next day, the fruit will begin to deteriorate and midge trap will gather around itself a lot of insects. Then quickly fasten the bag and take it outside.

On a note
Matches stuck with sulfur in the ground, or a weak solution of manganese will help get rid of the midge in the house. You can also deal with the pest with the help of laundry soap.

Geranium

Geranium is something that can be saved from midges without much effort. It is enough to put a flower pot on the windowsill, and midges in the kitchen will no longer appear. It is desirable that in the house such a flower was not only in the kitchen, but also in each room, then house plant pests will not stand such a neighborhood.

Camphor

Camphor is another tool that will help get rid of midges in a private house. The ground substance is placed in a pan and heated on gas until steam is formed. Camphor smell is poisonous to insects, but for humans it is absolutely safe.

On a note
Fighting midges in a damp room will be inconclusive if it is not thoroughly dried.

Essential oils

Folk remedies for midges
Folk remedies for midges

You can also get rid of fruit midges in the kitchen with the help of essential oil of verbena, clove, patchouli or ylang-ylang.

Herbs

Many housewives know how to get rid of midges in the house with herbs such as wormwood or tansy. In addition, they are effective in fight against moths. Enough to spread the grass in several places in the kitchen.

Garlic

In winter, you can get rid of midges in the house with the help of garlic. A few cloves need to be finely chopped or grated, and put in pots with soil. The smell of garlic will help to remove not only flower midges, but will also serve as a natural inhaler in the fight against colds.

Observing cleanliness will help to prevent the appearance of midges in the kitchen: regular cleaning, garbage removal, compliance with the rules for caring for indoor plants. And then the question of how to remove midges from the kitchen you will not have.

Reviews

Elena, Kiev: I did not keep track of the fruits in the kitchen and they began to rot. As a result, midges appeared. She dealt with them with ordinary Dichlorvos. Naturally, after cleaning the kitchen.

Olga, St. Petersburg: I ​​always get rid of midges in flowers with ordinary matches: I stick them head down into the ground. And they often appear: mom too often water the flowers. Fight flies in flower pots I don’t risk using chemical agents, as there are children and pets in the house.

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