Fruit (wine) flies or fruit flies, unlike ordinary flies, are completely harmless creatures: they do not carry diseases dangerous to human health, do not bite and do not spoil food. Nevertheless, it is worth getting rid of the swarm of small nimble insects that appears in the house.
Sources of penetration. Drosophila can enter a home in several ways: through open windows(and mosquito nets are not a hindrance), a ventilation shaft, with soil for indoor plants, with vegetables, berries or fruits. Insects are attracted to the sweet odors emitted by rotten fruits or food in open containers, as well as stagnant water and marshy soil in flower pots.
Before you start removing the swarm, find out where the fruit flies live in the apartment: check the trash cans, spaces behind pipes and under furniture (this is where potato peelings or apple cores can fall), places where fruits and vegetables are stored, flower pots.
Folk remedies for fighting fruit flies
1. If you prefer natural repellers, place pots of geranium, myrtle, eucalyptus or tomato seedlings. Hang bunches of dried herbs (tansy, elderberry, fern) in the corners of the rooms or wipe the frames and window sills with a rag soaked in laurel essential oil.
2. The simplest version of the trap: put it in plastic bag rotten fruits, wait for the swarm to flock to the “treat”, tie the bag tightly. Alternatively, pour some sugar syrup, jam or beer into a saucer. Most of the individuals, coveting a delicacy, will get stuck in the bait - all that remains is to destroy the insects.
3. Traps that are a little more complicated will also help get rid of fruit flies. Put in a plastic cup berries or a piece of apple, wrap the top of the container with plastic or stretch film, make several holes in the improvised lid. Instead of a glass, you can use a jar or bottle with a paper “funnel” inserted into the neck. The swarm will climb into the trap, but will not get out again.
The simplest design For greater effect, rub the inside of the container with soapy water: insects will stick to the walls.
4. Mix dishwashing gel and apple cider vinegar in equal proportions, pour the product into saucers (renew the composition once every seven days). In a couple of weeks there won't be a single one left in the house. fruit fly.
5. They don’t like fruit flies. low temperatures. If possible, “smoke” the flies out of your apartment or house with frosty air, leaving the windows open for a couple of hours.
Store-bought remedies for fruit flies
Elementary in principle of operation, but not very aesthetic option, allowing you to remove fruit flies - sticky tape for catching insects. Hang ribbons in places where insects are likely to accumulate: above window sills, next to trash cans.
Adhesive tape - not aesthetically pleasing, but simple and reliable Any sprays against flying insects are effective against wine flies (for example, “Raptor”, “Chlorophos”, “Dichlorvos”, “Kombat”). Before using the product, put the dishes in cabinets and food in the refrigerator or airtight container. Please note that there should be no people or pets (including aquarium fish) in the room. Wearing a respirator or gauze bandage, spray the drug in the room, close the room for 15-30 minutes ( exact time actions are indicated in the instructions for each specific product). After treatment, be sure to ventilate the apartment, wipe the window sills and furniture with a damp cloth.
Excellent results are shown by special store-bought traps designed to catch fruit flies, as well as aquafumigators (Raptor brand products are popular). The latter work by releasing steam that is poisonous to insects and destroy not only adults, but also larvae.
Aquafumigator is a new product, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions Prevention of the appearance of fruit flies in the apartment
The fight against fruit flies includes not only the use of baits and insecticides (poisons), but also preventive measures.
- Store vegetables, berries and fruits in a dry, closed place. Get rid of spoiled and spoiled fruits in a timely manner.
- Do not leave open jars of compote, jam and other products that attract fruit flies on the table.
- Empty trash cans, vacuum and mop the floor regularly. Where it is clean, flies do not appear.
- Monitor the condition of animal bowls and do not leave leftover food to sour.
- Check the flower pots: do not allow the soil to become waterlogged, remove rotten or dried leaves and shoots. If necessary, disinfect the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Clean the sink drain in a timely manner and remove any remaining food from the mesh.
- Ventilate the premises more often: any insects cannot tolerate drafts.
Every housewife has encountered the appearance of flies in the kitchen. Tiny creatures suddenly appear in a whole cloud: yesterday there was no one there, and today the annoying neighbors are leading a cheerful round dance. And they don’t seem to do much harm, but still their presence doesn’t make anyone happy. Today we'll talk about how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen. Of course, first of all, you need to identify the cause of their appearance, and then determine ways to combat them.
Quite often, tiny creatures bother residents of apartments and private houses in the fall and spring. And sometimes there are so many of them that you involuntarily grab your head. Let us hasten to reassure you right away: the Drosophila, also called the fruit fly or fruit midge, is a completely harmless species of insect. These creatures do not bite or carry infection, and are also very gentle. Therefore, having learned how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, you can easily do it.
There is also bad news. Drosophila reproduces very quickly. Therefore, if you do not take action in time, then you will have hundreds of small flies in your kitchen, very annoying with their presence.
Where to attack from
Before looking for a way to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, let's figure out where they come from. Maybe it’s easier to prevent a problem than to solve it later. In fact, it is difficult to prevent the appearance of these tiny creatures. There are three options in total:
- Drosophila can fly in from the street. Won't stop them mosquito net. They can be attracted by something. Most often these are vegetables or fruits. Therefore, before learning how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, you need to carefully check whether anything has fallen behind the table.
- Midge eggs can “come” to your home along with fresh vegetables and fruits purchased at the market.
- They can start in a flower pot standing on the windowsill.
Floral or fruity
One more thing. When talking about how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, we must not forget that they can be different. If insects hover around flower pots, these can be fruits or flower sciarids. Both are quite small, but can be distinguished quite easily. Flower midges look like black mosquitoes. They fly in flocks and do not fly far from the pots. Drosophila are not very interested in the ground, so they rarely stay for long near the pot in which they hatched. Today our focus is on these little flies in the kitchen. How to get rid of uninvited guests? Let's look for ways together.
Development with metamorphoses
We are dealing with insects, which means we must take into account the full development cycle. Flying individuals are only half the problem. There are also eggs and voracious larvae. Therefore, the fight against flying insects must be comprehensive, excluding the birth of a new generation. If a flower pot has been chosen as the breeding site, you will have to change the soil to get rid of the laid eggs.
Task No. 1
“Search and destroy” is exactly how it can be formulated. Since you can get rid of a fruit fly in an apartment only by completely stopping its life cycle, you need to look for where it lays eggs. Otherwise, you will only destroy flying individuals, which will be replaced by others. They are known to like to lay eggs in ripe, beginning to decay fruits and vegetables. But not only. Any place where there is food and moisture can attract insects.
note
- If you keep compost for indoor plants at home, then you need to take a closer look at it: it is usually an excellent breeding ground for these insects. Many gardeners use this method of preparing fertilizer. IN small box collect grass growing in pots, tea leaves, eggshells and much more.
- Garbage container. Even if you regularly throw away the bag, there may be a breeding ground for flies on the sides.
- Beer and wine, apple cider vinegar - these liquids attract insects like a magnet. If there is an open bottle lying around somewhere, they will definitely appear.
- The source of reproduction can be almost any food product. Mushrooms, cereals, fermented milk products, cheeses, if they were stored improperly, can easily become the object of attention of fruit flies.
- Clogged wet sponges and rags, mops - all this is a source of moisture important for midges.
- If the source was never found, the insects may have arrived from the street. Or a little nutritious liquid (jam or syrup) was spilled into an inaccessible place behind the countertop.
This is the first answer to the question of how to get rid of flies in the kitchen. How to destroy a nest? It’s very simple: we put it in a bag and take it away from the house.
Putting things in order
After the nest has been found, you need to take care of the adult insects. The most important thing now is to deprive fruit flies of a place for reproduction and food. In this case, they will die even without your help. Therefore, we hide all products that may interest them. Carefully cover jam, honey, vegetables and fruits. It is best to put all this in the refrigerator to deprive the fruit flies of their chances of survival.
Ideal cleanliness in the kitchen is, in some cases, a sufficient measure so that you no longer have to think about how to get rid of small midges in an apartment or house. Within ten days in the warm season, all individuals, including existing clutches, may die. In winter, the process can last for several months, since the development of the larvae will be delayed.
Bait traps
Nobody wants to share an area with flies for a long time, which is why the question arises of how to quickly get rid of small flies in the kitchen. A bait trap is a great method that works 100%. The principle is very simple: insects are lured into a container with the help of aromatic bait, but cannot get back out. Leave such a trap in the kitchen in the evening, and in the morning you will find it in it a large number of living and dead insects.
How to make it yourself
Nothing could be simpler. You will need a regular glass jar and a sheet of paper. You need to twist it into a cone and secure the tip with tape. Now place the funnel in the jar, after placing something attractive to insects at the bottom. It could be ripe fruit, a few spoons of jam or apple cider vinegar.
Experts say that a cone works best orange color. Despite the fact that the bait is the same, much more always flies into a jar with colored paper. more insects. This fact can be explained by the similarity color range with orange. Citrus fruits are very unloved by the main enemies of these insects - riders. The proximity of such a fruit suggests relative safety.
How to use traps
Today our goal is to consider the most effective ways. How to get rid of flies in the kitchen? There is nothing simpler: place traps in high-risk areas. This is a sink and a windowsill with flowers. After a couple of hours, without removing the funnel, you need to pour an aqueous solution into the jar to drown the insects. After this, it can be “charged” with bait again and placed in the room.
How to get rid of flying insects
Fruit flies are not very fast. Therefore, hunting them is not particularly difficult. To do this, fill the spray bottle ethyl alcohol and spray directly at the flying flies. They instantly drop dead. Alcohol is a completely safe insecticide. In addition, it will not cause harm if it gets on food (of course, bakery products better to cover it up).
Using a fumigator
If, after leaving for several days, you forgot a few bananas on the table, then when you return, you risk seeing a whole swarm of these little creatures in the kitchen. Since no one wants to waste time catching insects, you can turn on the mosquito fumigator and leave the apartment for a few hours. When you return, ventilate the rooms and sweep the flies off the floor. Aerosols are no less effective. They can be sprayed in midge habitats and easily get rid of them. Adhesive tapes also help a lot. You can buy ordinary ones, from flies, and lubricate them with wine.
Midges in the drain
Kitchen drains often become clogged with food debris. In this case, the water begins to drain slowly, leaving unflooded areas that become spawning grounds for flies. If you see that insects are constantly getting out of the drain hole, then you definitely need to solve this problem. First, call a plumber and clean out the system. After this, pour a bucket of boiling water with soap dissolved in it. The final touch will be the use of alcohol. No more than 100 ml will be required. Just pour it in drainer and do not turn on the water for 30 minutes.
There are several known varieties fruit flies, the same methods are used to combat them.
First of all, it is necessary to find the source of their distribution and get rid of it, most often these are stored in room temperature fruits or vegetables, and trash bag.
If there is no effect within several days, it is necessary to use certain techniques:
- clean the entire apartment;
- get rid of leftover food, regularly wash pets' plates, wash the trash can, thoroughly wipe kitchen cabinets using an alkaline solution;
- turn on the insect fumigator;
- Spread the adhesive tape with fruit juice and use it for its intended purpose;
- place the mosquito plate against the window; when heated, it will destroy pests;
- collect insects with a vacuum cleaner from the source from the spread, immediately take the bag of garbage outside;
- treat the sewer drains with chemicals, pour first soda into the drain, then vinegar, after the reaction is complete, turn on the water and clean the drain.
If you live near a garbage dump, you need to hang mesh on the windows, through which insects will not be able to enter the room.
Traps
You can find ready-made fly traps on sale, they are highly efficient, main manufacturers: Aeroxon, Raptor. The principle of their operation is that insects flock to the smell of the liquid and stick to it. inside design, the trap remains externally clean.
There are also natural trap flowers, which feed on insects; they are absolutely safe for humans, are not large in size and do not require special care. The process of closing and opening the flower while capturing prey is also very interesting to observe.
DIY traps
Most simple method getting rid of midges is considered empty bottle with a fairly narrow neck into which you need to pour a little mixture of fruit juice and soap solution.
- The solution should be poured into several wide-necked jars and placed in places where insects accumulate.
- Drosophila will fly towards the smell emitted by the solution, but if they get into the container, they will not be able to get out of it due to the absence of a film on the surface of the water.
- The solution must be added as it dries.
This simple technique allows you to get rid of pests, but it takes more time.
There is a high probability that the insects have already deposited the larvae in a secluded place; the process of getting rid of them may take a week.
It must be taken into account that midges can appear even as a result of a piece of apple accidentally left on the table.
The operating principle is the same, but in in this case you only need kvass, juice, or rotten pieces of vegetables or fruits. Can be used as a container old mug or glass jar.
- 1/4 of the container must be filled with bait;
- the inlet hole must be covered with a paper funnel;
- flies must fly in from the wide end, but they will no longer be able to find the narrow hole.
If midges appeared at the end of summer, they will help to get rid of them watermelon or melon.
- Fruit slices must be placed in a bulk bag and left overnight in the kitchen.
- The bag should have no holes, but should be open to allow insects to enter.
- In the morning you need to close it with a sharp movement and take it to the trash.
- If after this midges begin to fly in the kitchen again, it means that the insects laid larvae, from which new individuals hatched.
Drosophila in indoor plants
Quite often, fruit flies hover around flower pots, they are attracted to rotting leaves and wet soil. Sometimes the cause of the spread of midges is soil contaminated in the store, if there are such doubts The soil must be kept in the oven before use..
Plant It is not recommended to transfuse, fallen flowers and leaves must be thrown away. A match, which must be stuck into the soil with the painted end, will also help reduce the number of insects. If midges are found in a flower pot, it is also recommended to water the plant with an insecticide that is harmless to it; the action of the drug is aimed primarily at destroying midges and their larvae.
Dichlorvos is considered the most extreme measure to get rid of midges; it is not recommended to stay in the room during the disinfection period.
Traditional methods
Over the years, people have also figured out how to deal with fruit flies. Fighting with these methods is not difficult, but at the same time very effective.
- fern leaves, elderberries And tansy spread throughout all the rooms, the midges will fly away due to the unpleasant smell for them;
- kerosene, turpentine - it is recommended to add to water when washing floors or windows;
- tomato seedlings, eucalyptus, geranium- flies will fly away due to the unpleasant smell;
- bay oil- it is recommended to use it for rubbing window frames and jambs.
Tansy is prohibited for use in case of weak cerebral vessels; it can cause headaches in patients.
Prevention
In order to prevent the appearance of mold and rottenness, it is necessary to check and inspect food stored outside the refrigerator at least once a week. The reproduction rate of fruit flies is very high; if the source of their spread is not eliminated in time, their number will rapidly increase.
It is also necessary to throw out garbage in a timely manner and not leave vegetables and fruits outside the refrigerator for a long time.
Drosophila most often appear near decomposing products, especially in the kitchen, big problems may occur if the house is located close to a garbage dump. To get rid of them, it is recommended to use traps that you can make yourself.
It is very important to keep the room clean, regularly throw out garbage, and do not leave food at room temperature for long. As a last resort, you can use dichlorvos; if midges are infested in plants, they must be treated with insecticides. Compliance with these rules is the answer to the question of how to remove fruit flies once and for all.
In order to choose the right means of combating midges, you need to know what they are. The body of flies of this genus is small - only about 3 mm, and the color is black.
They can be recognized by their large concentration in places with high humidity, next to rotten fruits and berries. They also love sugar. Often flies appear in the kitchen or in flowers.
The development cycle is very short - it is only 10 days, but the egg laying is large. This is why insects develop quickly, and the number of flies in the room increases every day.
They lay eggs in various foods, rotten berries and fruits, and indoor plants.
The emerging larvae quickly pupate and develop to the adult stage. According to scientists' research, one Drosophila (female) can lay life cycle about 1500 eggs.
The appearance of these small flies should not frighten a person - they do not cause much harm. Unlike ordinary fruit flies, fruit flies do not bite and do not carry serious bacteria.
The maximum harm from their presence is gastrointestinal upset. However, this happens extremely rarely, but their constant presence in the field of view irritates everyone without exception.
The appearance of midges in the kitchen can occur for the following reasons:
In the latter case, they fly into the house through a window or window, but this is more relevant for rural areas.
The habitat of fruit flies in an apartment (house) can be bowls with food from pets and trays of indoor plants.
That is why, as soon as flies have been noticed, measures should be taken to clean the premises - simple cleaning using household chemicals will help get rid of the unpleasant neighborhood.
If these small flies appear in the kitchen or in any other room, then the first thing you need to do to get rid of them is to look for spoiled food and also take out the trash.
The next step is to check the flower pots - it is in the flowers that flies can develop, and in the trays they can feed on organic matter. Basic steps to combat flies:
If there is a large concentration of flies, you can use chemicals, one of which is dichlorvos. It helps get rid of flies, as they cannot tolerate strong odors.
If , then simple chemicals, such as dichlorvos, may not help - the larvae penetrate deep into the pot. In this case, replacing the soil is a necessity.
You can get rid of fruit flies folk remedies, for this you should have in the house:
Geranium with its specific smell, eucalyptus and myrtle also help in the fight against fruit flies. essential oils These plants work great. Bay oil also repels midges.
Thus, getting rid of the presence of small but annoying flies in the house is quite simple - daily cleaning in the kitchen and other rooms, using special means, such as dichlorvos and growing indoor plants with an unpleasant odor for fruit flies is guaranteed to save a person from an unwanted neighborhood.
Few people will like it when they run your house uninvited guests. Moreover, they do it brazenly and unceremoniously. Well, how else can you perceive those who are nasty? Drosophila fruit flies, which flock to the home like flies to honey.
However, honey has nothing to do with it. How to get rid of fruit flies in an apartment and the reasons for their appearance - this is what our article is about.
Where do fruit flies come from?
Drosophila flies themselves (they are also called fruit flies) are small insects that feed on rotten fruits, especially fruits. Sweet berry juice and spoiled vegetables are also ways to tempt these little dirty tricksters.
Another area where flower flies may appear is houseplants . Wet soil, evaporation, rotting leaves - all this attracts fruit flies. How to deal with house flies, read below. This is not so easy to do (they are aggressive and resistant to many chemical methods), but there is justice for them too.
How to kill fruit flies
So, if you know how fruit flies appear, then you already understand that the best means from small flies - this is depriving them of a fertile environment for reproduction and nutrition. That is, the first thing you need to do is to remove “out of the way” everything that this thin-winged army flocks to.
Pests will be discouraged if fruits, berries and vegetables no longer appear in your kitchen (all of this can be stored in the refrigerator, where pests are prohibited from access due to unfavorable weather conditions). temperature regime). Remove old supplies immediately, just throw them away. It’s better to take the trash bag out of the house right away, because the trash bin will not help you remove the fruit flies.
Chemical remedies for fruit flies
Meet: our old friend "Dichlorvos"! You should not be biased towards this method. Over the years of testing, Dichlorvos has managed to undergo a number of improvements, and now it smells less and works more efficiently. He had "brothers" - "Chlorophos", "Hexachloran", they will also help you with things like fighting house flies.
Act with these chemicals Care must be taken to ensure that the spray does not come into contact with food or utensils. It is also advisable not to inhale air while spraying. Leave the treated room for 15-20 minutes, then ventilate thoroughly. The annoying insect army must be exterminated, and if it has nothing else to eat, it will not appear soon.
By the way, about fresh air. These creatures are very afraid of drafts, so if you frequently ventilate the rooms, there is a high probability that they will have to retreat.
Folk remedies for pest control
If for some reason you do not want to get involved with the chemical industry, then “grandmother’s methods” will come to your aid. Fortunately, there are a lot of them in the arsenal of a good housewife who knows how to get rid of fruit gnats.
If there are fruit flies, they can be scared away by unpleasant odors. Such, for example:
- Tansy, fern, elderberry. Their leaves must be spread throughout the rooms, and the pests will fly away. Just keep in mind that tansy can cause headaches in people with weak brain vessels.
- Turpentine or kerosene will scare away house flies quite quickly. To prevent it from scaring away your household, add a small amount of these products to the water you use to wash your windows or floors. The human nose cannot smell the unpleasant amber, but uninvited winged guests can. This great way how to breed fruit flies.
- Tomato seedlings- also an excellent remedy. The smell of tomatoes is pungent, and no one will like it.
If you are annoyed that you will have to use such powerful heavy artillery, then perhaps you will not be upset geranium in a pot or myrtle tree or eucalyptus? Their smell is very unpleasant for flower flies, so there is a chance to get rid of them once and for all. And rub with laurel oil door jambs And window frames, which also contributes to success in the fight against household pests.
Midge poison
You can make poison for fruit flies with your own hands:
- Take half a glass of milk, pour in 40 grams of sugar and black pepper powder. Soak a napkin or piece in this mixture toilet paper, put it on a plate... Wow! And the uninvited guests disappeared!
- Mix three tablespoons of milk with formalin (half a teaspoon) and sweet baking soda (5 teaspoons). Pour into saucers and add pieces of black bread. Such poison should attract and destroy fruit flies.
- Mix honey (10 g) with saccharin (1 g). Soak the napkins in the solution and dry them. After sprinkling a little water, place them on the windowsill.
Traps for house flies
The easiest way is the apple bite trap. Pour into a deep container (the smell will attract pests), add water and dishwashing detergent. The latter will prevent the fly from flying back.
Paper funnel in glass jar, at the bottom of which there is a bait of rotten fruit - very smart way get rid of flies in the house.
All these methods will help you fight against household insects. All you have to do is choose to suit your taste!