How to get rid of fruit flies? Housewives often ask themselves this question with the beginning of summer. The fruit fly is a type of fruit fly that feeds primarily on rotten fruits and vegetables.
The size of their bodies does not exceed three millimeters; they do not harm the person himself, they only irritate him with their number and presence. And this insect is not lacking in numbers.
The main lure for fruit flies is the smell of wine, apple cider vinegar.
They quickly appear in the place where a piece of apple or onion was forgotten, and the remains of watermelon and melon are a real delicacy for them. They do not neglect tea leaves, coffee, cereals and even meat.
August and September are the peak months for fruit fly infestations. They can dirty everything in the apartment if measures are not taken in time to destroy this small insect.
how to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen
There are several ways to get rid of fruit flies.
They will be useful to those who are interested in how to get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen:
- the most proven and reliable way removing fruit flies means a clean house. Hide all food in the refrigerator, do not leave anything in plain sight. Even one peel from the same banana is enough for your home to become a breeding ground for these insects. It is worth noting that they prefer to lay their larvae in places where food waste accumulates;
- spend at home general cleaning, wash everything with a bleach solution. This is especially true for places where vegetables and fruits were stored, this way you can get rid of flies faster. As soon as they have nothing to eat, they will leave the home themselves. In addition, the smell of bleach has a detrimental effect on them;
- throw out trash at night, don't keep it at home more than a day. Wash the trash can and sink thoroughly. Get trash bags if you don't have them so you don't have to empty the bin every day. This will help get rid of unnecessary guests in the kitchen;
- Adhesive tape, which is a fly trap, is ineffective on its own, however, you can use a little trick: soak it in wine or apple cider vinegar. The aroma of fermentation, like a magnet, will attract fruit flies, and the sticky surface will do its job;
- things like fumigators also practically do not work; their action is intended to fight mosquitoes, so there is no point in installing them. In this case, it is better to use special stickers on windows to prevent flies. The sun heats the glass of the windows, and they, in turn, act on the stickers, causing them to release poison. This will help get rid of fruit flies in the entire apartment;
- Dichlorvos also copes well with the invasion of fruit flies, but using it every day is not only harmful, but also tiring. After it, you need to ventilate the apartment, and before use, hide everything edible. In addition, you will have to poison fruit flies almost every day, since they appear literally instantly, you just forget to hide fruits or vegetables;
- pay attention to indoor flowers. Wine flies very often settle in the pots of house plants. Do not flood your garden on the windowsill; give the soil time to dry out a little. Plants are unlikely to suffer from a slight forced drought, but flies will not survive this.
how to get rid of fruit flies in the house
There are times when it is impossible to hide everything that attracts these insects, for example, when you decide to sour the same apple cider vinegar or a bottle of wine, or perhaps you just had a successful tomato harvest, which all does not fit in the refrigerator.
In this case, you can purchase special traps for fruit flies. Their action resembles the option with adhesive tape, only more aesthetically pleasing. In a special “house” with sticky internal walls A bottle containing a substance whose smell attracts fruit flies is installed. Insects fly into the “house” and remain inside, sticking to the walls.
You can make a similar trap yourself. To do this, you will need to prepare an ordinary half-liter jar, cling film, a needle and some rotten fruit.
Place pieces of fruit in a jar, and you can also add a little wine, beer or vinegar. Cover everything on top with cling film and use a needle to make small holes in it.
The size of the holes should be such that the fly could easily fit into it, then it would be difficult for it to find a way out of the resulting trap. Here's a simple way. The jar must be changed every day.
Drosophila are familiar to almost every housewife. These small flies appear as if out of nowhere and are quite annoying. They hover over food and penetrate bags and jars of supplies. And today we will tell you about how to get rid of fruit flies on our own quickly and at minimal cost.
Drosophila are very unpretentious and can feed on both rotting plant debris and microorganisms
Characteristic
Drosophila is a fruit fly, which is a representative of a genus of small insects from the fruit fly family. In total, there are about 1.5 thousand described species, and most of them are synanthropic, that is, their way of life is closely related to man and his home. In houses and apartments there are conditions that are most favorable for the normal life of fruit flies, in particular, an inexhaustible source of food. In nature, these insects feed mainly on plant juices and rotting organic matter. And the diet of their larvae also consists of microorganisms.
In our apartments, the most common drosophila is the common drosophila, a small fly with red eyes and a yellow-brown body color. Females are larger than males - about 2.5 mm, and at the same time, the tip of the abdomen is colored black in the latter. Females have dark transverse stripes on this part of the body.
Females lay eggs in rotting fruit, from which larvae emerge 24 hours later. Those, in turn, after 5 days turn into pupae and after another 5 days, adults emerge from the pupae.
The Drosophila fly does not live long - about 2 months, but since reproduction occurs quite rapidly, in a short period of time they are able to populate almost the entire apartment.
Drosophila in the apartment
Fruit flies have wings, but they fly rather poorly. The maximum distance that this fly can cover is about 180 m. Therefore, they cannot fly from afar. So where do fruit flies come from? Initially, they live in nature, usually in gardens with fruit trees.
In addition, if for landing indoor plants If you take soil from the street, you risk bringing the larvae of these insects into the house, which will hatch in the apartment.
Sometimes fruit flies still fly into apartments through windows and ventilation ducts. Before this, they can swarm in the dump near the house and in the trees. At the same time, these flies populate not only the kitchen. They will appreciate your indoor flowers, in the trays of which the water has stagnated and turned sour, as well as containers with pet food, where Drosophila can not only feed, but also successfully reproduce.
These flies are not capable of harming humans. They do not bite and do not transmit diseases. But at the same time, these insects, with their annoying flickering, cause some discomfort.
Fighting methods
With the appearance of fruit flies, it is advisable not to leave fruits and berries on the tables, especially in the heat, as the insects will immediately attack them and begin to lay eggs.
On a note! After eating contaminated foods, you are likely to get intestinal upset!
Look through all the cabinets and kitchen cabinets; there may be a long-forgotten apple or banana lying around somewhere. But the most common place for fruit flies to accumulate is the trash can, in which the remains of berries and fruits continue to deteriorate safely. It is this concentration of organic debris that is most attractive to these insects, since not only is there an abundance of food there, but also warmth.
And before you get rid of fruit flies in your apartment, you should:
- find rotting food and immediately remove it from the house;
- thoroughly clean the place where the trash can is;
- thoroughly wash all the bedside tables and cabinets in which you usually store vegetables and fruits, as there may be eggs and insect larvae there;
- change the water in your pets' bowls daily and try to feed them so that food does not linger in the saucers;
- inspect the pots with house plants, and if fruit flies are found in them, change the soil and wash the trays;
- make traps and place them in every room;
- If there is a large concentration of insects, use household insecticides.
Folk remedies
Let's start with folk recipes and fruit fly traps that you can make with your own hands.
Liquid traps. To prepare the product, you need to combine sugar with “live” yeast and dilute it all in water. Pour the resulting solution into small containers or saucers and place them around the perimeter of the room. The flies will fly towards the bait and drown in it. Is it up to you to replace them with new ones in time?
Advice! Instead of the mixture described, you can use regular beer, sugar syrup, any sweet juice or water combined with honey!
Mechanical traps. To make such a trap you need to take plastic cup and place a small piece of apple, pear, banana or a handful of berries in it. Next, cover the neck with cling film and make several small holes in it. Drosophila will flock to the bait, but once they reach it, they will no longer be able to leave. You can also use a paper cone instead of film.
Duct tape. Such traps are sold in stores and are used not only against flying, but also against crawling pests. They are laid out or hung in the kitchen and nearby flower pots. The insects stick and you throw away the trap. You can make a similar device yourself from double-sided tape. Small pieces of it are glued onto cardboard and placed near a cluster of insects.
Vinegar trap. This remedy will work for about a week. To prepare it you need to mix table vinegar with dishwashing liquid. Pour the resulting composition into small containers and place it in the room. Every seven days we change the solution to a fresh one until the fruit flies disappear completely.
Drosophila flies can also be removed using aerosols from flying insects. These include “Raptor”, “Combat”, “Dichlorvos” and others. Pre-hide or remove all food products from the kitchen, open the bedside tables and cabinets. Spray the product in places where insects accumulate and leave the room. After a few hours, the treated room should be ventilated and walked over all surfaces with a damp sponge. It is advisable to repeat the treatment after 10 days to destroy the larvae and newly emerged adults.
Drosophila also cannot tolerate cold, and if the infection occurred in winter, then it is enough to ventilate the apartment well. Turn off the radiators, open all the windows and open the doors kitchen set. The insects will die from hypothermia, and you will only have to sweep the fallen ones out of the apartment.
And remember about prevention, which will prevent the appearance and reproduction of flies:
- the most effective thing is regular cleaning of all rooms;
- do not leave fruits and berries on the tables - store them exclusively in the refrigerator;
- Take out the trash can every day, especially in the warm season;
- Clean your sink drain and clean it regularly.
It’s quite easy to get rid of fruit flies, but it’s even easier to carry out prevention. And remember that it is better to use insecticides only after gentle means have not brought the expected results. Let yours always be clean from flies and other pests!
The fruit fly, like most representatives of its species, is activated in summer time. However, thanks central heating these creatures are able to live and reproduce even in winter.
The more common name for fruit flies is fruit fly.
These insects are widespread in the natural environment. Currently, over 1,500 of their varieties have been described. Most of them live in regions with tropical and temperate climates, but these unique insects are also found in northern latitudes.
The secret to how annoying these flies are is that they literally multiply exponentially
This diversity of species is largely due to the high ability of fly genes to mutate, which allows them to quickly adapt to a changing external environment.
Throughout the 20th century, these creatures, due to their primitiveness and ability to mutate, were under the close attention of scientists around the world, so their genome has now been sequestered and well studied.
Today it is difficult to find a more studied creature than the Drosophila fly. During the observation process, not only many mutation abilities were identified, but also behavioral triggers that allow them to survive both in their natural habitat and in human homes.
Anatomical characteristics of fruit flies
These creatures are quite modest in size. The body length of adult individuals varies from 1.5 to 3 mm.
Most species of these creatures are yellow-brown in color with characteristic transverse stripes on the abdomen of a darker color.
Males are usually significantly smaller in size. There are other body features that distinguish them from females. In males Bottom part the body is usually darker and has characteristic pointed bristles surrounding the anus and genitals.
The beauty fly's compound eyes give her a wide view
In females, the abdomen has a more rounded shape. Drosophila are characterized by large eyes that occupy almost the entire area of the head.
Their color usually ranges from dirty brown to red.
Drosophila flies have long wings. This allows them to be maneuverable, although they are not able to develop great speed.
Drosophila species
In addition, there are 3 pairs of legs, crowned with tenacious claws. Thanks to this structure and relatively low weight, these insects can quickly crawl on almost any surface. Oral apparatus adult represented by a short proboscis. Flies feed mainly on the juices of vegetables and fruits, decaying plant debris and fungi.
Reproduction of fruit flies
The life cycle of these insects is quite short. After emerging from the pupa, the female is ready to reproduce in about 12 hours.
After mating, she can store sperm in her abdomen for a long time.
Experiments have shown that if unfavorable conditions occur during this period and the air temperature drops to 10 °C, sperm may die and not be used to fertilize eggs. In this case, when favorable conditions arise, the female again looks for a partner. 
During her life, she can lay up to 400 eggs, reaching only 0.5 mm in length. Typically, females hide their eggs in rotting fruits or other nutrient media. The larvae hatch in about 24 hours. Then they begin to actively feed and in just 5 days they molt 2 times.
During this time, the larvae consume microorganisms that are involved in the decomposition process, as well as substances present in this liquid medium.
Plenty of food is extremely important during this period. The size of adult individuals, as well as their further viability, depends on it. After this, the larva begins to surround itself with a puparium and transforms into a pupa. Usually the insect remains in this state for about 5 days, after which it is ready to undergo a new metamorphosis. For more information about the insect, see this video:
Next, a sexually mature individual with wings emerges from the pupa. Adult fruit flies use spiracles to oxygenate their tissues, so falling into water or decaying slurry is deadly. After about 12 hours, insects begin not only to actively search for food, but also for a mating partner.
Chemical insecticides in the fight against fruit flies
These creatures cause a lot of trouble for humans, since in the summer their numbers in residential premises can grow at incredible speed.
They not only circle over a person, but also land on food and fall into drinks.
This cannot but cause serious discomfort to people. In order to cope with the invasion, first of all it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning of the apartment and throw away all the garbage.
Chemical insecticides are represented by preparations of various actions, from aerosols to adhesive tapes and special films
Particular attention should be paid to removing plant juices and sour dairy products from surfaces, which can become a breeding ground for these insects.
If the general cleaning is carried out efficiently, in just a few days the midges will disappear on their own, since they need a certain amount of food for normal life.
However, if desired, you can use chemical insecticides to quickly eliminate them. Currently, many toxic agents have been developed that can be effectively used in the fight against these insects. It is best to use aerosols such as:
To achieve the desired effect, spray insecticide indoors with closed windows and doors. Next you need to go for a walk for about 1 hour. After this, the home is thoroughly ventilated. Before processing, you need to put all the food in the refrigerator and cover the dishes with a cloth so that aerosol droplets do not fall on it.
Traps against fruit flies
If desired, such products can be purchased on the market. Regular adhesive tapes in this case will be useless, but large traps, which, when the ends are glued together, form a cylinder, can bring very good result. They are attractive to fruit flies because they have White color. If you don’t want to spend money on such devices, you can do something similar yourself at home. For more details, watch this video:
For the manufacture of simple remedy of this type, you need to place pieces of any rotten fruit in a liter jar. Next, a funnel is made from plain white paper, with a hole cut at the tip.
The edges of this design are glued to the edges of the neck of the jar with the tip down.
In this case, the midges will enter the jar through the bottom of the funnel, as they will be attracted by the smell emanating from the spoiled fruit. Neither adult flies nor their offspring will be able to get back. Although such baits do not completely eliminate all fruit flies, they contribute to a fairly rapid decrease in their numbers. When the jar is sufficiently filled with these insects, it should be poured inside through a funnel warm solution baking soda. 
If desired, you can make another one a simple trap for fruit flies. To do this you will need a deep glass and cling film. At the bottom of the container you need to put some pieces of fruit or pour juice. Further top part Cover the glasses with cling film.
In the center of such an improvised lid, you need to pierce a small hole so that the fly can easily fit into it.
The bait needs to be placed in a visible place and wait until the insects flock to the smell. When the glass is filled with flies, you need to cover it again with cling film so that there are no holes left and throw it away.
Pour sweet syrup, juice or pieces of fruit into the trap
You can use a regular plastic bag as a trap. Pieces of apple or tomato should be placed inside it. Next, the edges of the bag must be tightened with string so that a small hole remains. After about a day, you need to completely close the bag and throw it away. Usually during this time, most of the food flies flying around the room manage to get into it.
If you wish, you can show your imagination using the same principle and make many traps that allow you to eliminate a significant number of these insects without the use of chemicals.
For example, some people pour a layer of beer about 2 cm into the bottom of a deep, wide container. This drink is extremely attractive to fruit flies. Read more about traps in this video:
Once in the container, most flies immediately drown. In addition, if there are fruit flies in the room, regular adhesive tape can be used, but they should be thoroughly coated with wine before use. This will attract insects.
Folk remedies against fruit flies
There are many excellent passive means that allow you to quickly get rid of these creatures, without the use of chemical insecticides.
For example, if it’s approaching autumn and the weather is cold outside, you can open the window in the kitchen and close the door, and in just one night all the flies will die.
These insects are extremely sensitive to odors. Drosophila flies really do not like the aroma of fern and elderberry leaves. These plants should be spread throughout the room, and within a few days the insects will find a more pleasant place to live. In addition, they cannot tolerate the smell of herbs such as tansy, chamomile and lovage. To combat midges, you can use dried bouquets of these plants.
An excellent way to get rid of such unpleasant neighbors forever is to wash the windows and all surfaces in the kitchen with soapy water and turpentine. This will not result in the presence of unpleasant odor, but at the same time it can repel fruit flies.
In some cases, flower pots may be the source of fruit flies. It is necessary to have geranium or eucalyptus.
In containers with other plants, insert a match with the sulfur head down. If desired, you can also catch most flies with a regular vacuum cleaner. These creatures are not strong enough and fly slowly, so they are quickly sucked into the unit. In addition, to drive away these insects, you can grate horseradish and leave it in the kitchen.
Drosophila flies, like most insects, become active in the summer, mercilessly poisoning the rest with their existence. The fight against these insects is never easy, and there are a great many methods, but before talking about them, you need to understand the sources of the appearance of flies. In order to initially eliminate the cause of their spread.
Drosophila are small yellowish-gray flies, about 2 mm long. Females are noticeably larger than males and have a sharp end of the abdomen. The eyes are predominantly red. They live in the southern regions of Russia, but with the onset of summer they penetrate into northern regions. The main sources of these insects are fruits and vegetables imported into our country. They feed on fruits, vegetables and tree sap. Usually prefers to be closer to human habitation. IN huge quantities live in orchards, vineyards, enterprises involved in wine production.
Reproduction of fruit flies
The fruit fly has 3 stages of development - egg, larva and adult. The larvae live in liquid or semi-liquid environments. The eggs are laid by the female on decomposed fruit or other places where there is a supply of nutrients. During this period of development, flies especially need nutrition; the viability, size and development of the future insect depends on its intensity. After about 3-5 days, young individuals appear and soon (7-9 hours) become sexually mature. After this, already on the second day, the females lay eggs; this process is continuous. One clutch contains from 40 to 90 eggs. The life cycle of a fly ranges from 15 days to 3 months, depending on temperature.
Drosophila flies are also called fruit flies. Their occurrence is associated with fruits that have begun to ferment, because fruit flies, especially their larvae, eat rotten parts of fruits and vegetables. In city apartments, flies mainly appear in indoor plants. Waterlogged soil, various evaporations, leaves starting to rot - all this is a green light for flies. Indoor insects are very resistant to chemical methods fight them, but it is also possible to eliminate them.
Preventing the appearance of flies
- You should not take soil for indoor plants from the garden; it may contain larvae and eggs of fruit flies. It is best to buy land in specialized stores or enterprises.
- To protect yourself from the appearance of flies in flower pots, you should water frequently, but moderately, avoiding waterlogging of the soil, and remove rotten leaves and flowers immediately.
- Sort vegetables and fruits in a timely manner; discard spoiled fruits immediately.
- Conduct general cleaning at least once every 1.5 - 2 weeks.
- Do not leave fruits, vegetables and dairy products on the table and store them in the refrigerator.
- Take the trash can out of the room in a timely manner and periodically rinse it with water and added disinfectants.
- Carefully look after your animals' dishes: throw away any leftover food and wash it often.
To get rid of already emerging fruit flies, you need to act quickly and use complex measures, rather than individual means.
Chemical control methods
"Dichlorvos". The most obvious remedy and you should not be skeptical about it. Over the many years of its existence, it has undergone a number of improvements and is practically odorless. In addition to it, there are similar products with other names. Spray the area thoroughly with the product and leave for half an hour. During this time, fruit flies will be exterminated and substances harmful to humans will have time to be neutralized in the room.
If a person is allergic to the chemical components of the same “Dichlorvos” or does not want to use ready-made products, but does not have the ingredients and time to make his own, then you can remember the good old folk remedies.
If chemicals don’t suit you, then you can easily make the poison yourself.
Getting rid of fruit flies using traps
- Place watermelon and melon rinds in plastic bag, without holes, preferably quite tight and leave open for a while. Then go to the bag and quickly close it. All flies will remain on the crusts, attracted by their sweet smell.
- Take a small container, maybe a jar or a bottle with a wide neck, put pieces of pears or any other sweet fruit on the bottom, make a cone out of cardboard or paper and place it with the sharp end inward. The flies will fly in, but they won’t be able to get back out.
- Pour any fruit juice into flat containers, after adding a little black pepper to it. Black pepper is poisonous to these insects.
- In a jar, preferably with a narrow neck, leave the fruit juice mixed with liquid soap(a small amount of). Having feasted on the juice, the flies will not be able to get back, sliding along detergent, and will remain there. Juice can be replaced with apple cider vinegar.
- Mix honey and sugar in a ratio of 10:1. Wet napkins with this solution and spread them on surfaces where flies are most common (window sills or dining tables).
- Mix 200 ml milk with sugar and a small amount of pepper powder. We also soak napkins in the mixture.
- Milk, soda and formalin - 6:5:12. Pour into flat containers and add pieces of black bread. This mixture is poisonous for fruit flies.
- The simplest thing is to hang sticky catch tapes throughout your living space.
Fresh air and natural smells
Oddly enough, they are afraid of flies fresh air, especially cold ones. It is best to leave open room for the night. The flies will simply freeze in the cold night air.
Drosophila can be scared off by smells:
- Elderberry and fern. Their leaves need to be spread throughout the room.
- Turpentine or kerosene can be added to the water for cleaning windows. People and pets do not recognize the smell, but this will be enough to remove unpleasant guests.
- The smell of tomato seedlings will also scare away pests.
- Geranium or eucalyptus. Their smell is quite unpleasant to fruit flies.
An unusual option for fighting is predator plants
Plants that feed on small flies, mosquitoes and other insects. They do not require special care, tolerate unfavorable conditions well and do not take up much living space, but, nevertheless, they fight flies well.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the reproduction of flies occurs quite quickly, which is why they are extremely popular among biologists. They are an ideal object for conducting many experiments. Genetic code These insects have many similarities with humans. Thanks to this, scientists have the opportunity to develop new means of combating cancer and hereditary diseases. To a greater extent, fruit flies are not pests; they process waste and enhance decomposition processes, returning minerals and oxygen to the cycle of substances, but, nevertheless, they extremely poison human life. When used in combination, the remedies proposed in this article will help make life easier and get rid of annoying fruit flies.
In this material we will tell you how to get rid of midges in indoor flowers using folk and by special means, namely from the following 3 types:
- Drosophila, also called fruit flies or fruit flies. They look more like small flies.
- Sciarids, other names are flower gnats or fungus gnats, and they really do look a lot like small black gnats.
- Whiteflies or Aleroidids, which look like small white or light gray small aphids. They settle mainly under leaves.
Ways to combat fruit and flower flies We will look at it in the first chapter, but if white flies have settled in your plants, then you can find out how to get rid of them in the second part of the material.
How to get rid of fruit and flower midges (drosophila and sciarid flies)
Midges in flowers are not only small flying flies, but also their larvae that live in the ground. Several generations of insects can simultaneously develop in one pot, from eggs to adults. Also, keep in mind that fungus gnats can spread quite quickly from one plant to another. Therefore, in order to remove insects forever, you need to fight them comprehensively and often repeatedly.
What causes midges to appear in indoor flowers: A common reason is that they could appear when transplanting a plant into purchased soil, which was already contaminated with eggs and larvae. In addition, midges could simply fly in during the summer or autumn period from the window and settle in your flowers. One way or another, the main factor in the emergence and reproduction of sciarids and fruit flies is moist, overwatered soil, which attracts midges and creates favorable conditions for the transformation of dormant eggs into larvae. By the way, fruit flies could get into your apartment along with purchased vegetables, fruits, or fly to the smell of a stale product, and only then take a fancy to your flower pots.
Damage caused: Adults themselves are harmless, but their larvae, feeding on the sap of the roots, destroy the plant. Flower midges are especially dangerous for seedlings and young plants.
Prevention: watering plants as the top 2 cm of soil dries, as well as periodic loosening and timely removal of diseased leaves. Moderate watering will make the soil less attractive to egg-laying adult midges and less favorable for the development of larvae.
Fighting methods
Instructions 1. Using folk remedies
Step 1. Let the soil dry out after the last watering so that at least 2 cm of the top layer is dry.
Step 2: Catch all adults. You can do this using:
- Traps: special (for example, a regular fly catching tape will do) or homemade ones. To make your own midge traps, you will need yellow cardboard (or cardboard painted yellow) and honey. Yellow cards should be coated with a thin layer of honey and hung (placed) near the pots. Remember to change traps as needed.
- Vacuum cleaner: remove the attachment or attach a small attachment without a brush to the hose and simply work the ground and window sill with it. The vacuum cleaner will easily capture insects even in flight. After this, the bag must be thrown away (if it is disposable) or emptied outside the apartment, and then treated with dichlorvos.
Step 3. So, we got rid of the adult egg-laying midges, now we need to cultivate the ground to get rid of the larvae. To do this, loosen the dry soil and water the plant with one of the following folk remedies:
- Garlic infusion: make a garlic infusion at the rate of: 1 grated head of garlic + 600 ml boiling water for 1 flower pot. Let the product sit for 2-4 hours, then water and spray the plant with it, and deepen the remaining pulp into the ground. You can also stick 1 head, cut into three pieces, into the soil of each infected plant. Don't worry, the smell of garlic will not appear in the apartment.
Instruction 2. Using insecticides and creating a “toxic greenhouse”
This method is effective, economical and, if done correctly, safe for humans and plants. With its help you can kill both larvae and adults.
Step 1. Wait until the soil becomes dry after the last watering.
Step 2: Gently loosen the soil.
Step 3. Place the pot with the plant in an ordinary bag, spray a little Dichlorvos into the soil and tie the bag tightly so that only the pot is completely covered. After 4-5 hours, the midges in the ground should die.
- If the midges are not only in the ground, but also settled under or above the leaves, then you need to do all the same steps, but choose a bag of such a size that the entire plant fits in it. full height", and spray Dichlorvos not only into the soil, but also onto the bag (!). In order not to damage the plant, it is important that the product does not get on the leaves, and to prevent them from becoming crushed, you should secure the bag with tape at the desired height to the furniture, door or floor lamp. Another way to create a “greenhouse” is shown in the picture on the right. The product will destroy insects both in the ground and on leaves in 7-10 hours.
- Dichlorvos can replace Raptor, Neo or Raid. In addition, instead of sprays, you can use solutions of special insecticides for plants, for example, Groma-2, Aktary, Bazudin, Actellik and Karbofos. In this case, before wrapping the plant in polyethylene, it must be watered and sprayed with the product.
Step 4. Hang special or homemade traps on the windowsill so that the remaining midges that did not fall under the bag will land on them.
Step 5. Repeat the procedure after 8 days to eliminate the possibility reappearance midges
If there are a lot of larvae in the soil, and you are sure that the plant will withstand replanting, then it is best to do this by transplanting the flower into new, pre-treated soil. To do this: loosen the soil and carefully pull it out, then clean the roots from the contaminated soil by hand or using a small brush, then quickly rinse the roots with water or one of the home remedies listed above and finally, replant the plant in a clean pot with uninfected soil. To prepare the soil, you need to bake it in the oven at a temperature of 100-120 degrees for 1 hour, and then restore the microflora with some kind of fertilizer.
How to get rid of whiteflies
To get rid of whiteflies, you also need to carry out comprehensive measures to destroy adult insects and larvae 3-4 times with an interval of one week.
Damage caused: Whiteflies themselves do not harm the plant, but due to their excrement, sooty fungi may appear on the lower leaves, which can seriously damage the flower. In addition, white midges can infect the plant with a viral infection. On the right is a photo of a leaf affected by whitewing.
Fighting methods
Step 1. First you need to catch all the adult flies. You can do this in the following ways:
- Place special or homemade traps described in the first instructions.
- Catch all the midges with a vacuum cleaner.
- Pour jam into a saucer, place it next to the pot and wait until the whiteflies fly to the bait and get stuck in it.
- In the morning, create a slight coolness in the room where the flowers are located, for example, by turning off the radiators or opening a window. The lower temperature will prevent the flies from taking off. Next, follow the procedure described below.
Step 2: Once most of the adult whiteflies have been caught, take the plant to the bathroom and wash the leaves of any remaining insects, eggs and nymphs.