Fruit fly fruit fly: description and control measures
Drosophila are small insects that can often be seen in the home. These fruit flies appear literally out of nowhere and multiply very quickly. Therefore, having noticed such neighbors in your kitchen, you must immediately get rid of them.
Description
Drosophila flies are very small. The body size of such an insect is 2-3 millimeters. A fly with a black or brown body has red eyes and small wings. Females of insects are much larger than males. They lay about 400 eggs per day, so they reproduce at a very high speed.
The fruit fly has a lifespan of 1 to 2 months. Since insects are thermophilic, they prefer to settle in man-built rooms. In addition, they have a large number of power sources there. It is almost impossible to meet lonely flying insects. They usually fly over food in large flocks.
Reasons for the appearance
People who encounter such insects are always worried about where they come from. In nature, these insects live in warm regions. Drosophila enter the house in different ways.
- With fruits and vegetables. Most often, flies appear in a room if fruits have been lying there for a long time. Over time, they begin to rot and spread a smell that attracts these insects. If you do not get rid of the spoiled product, then the number of insects in the apartment will increase very quickly.
- Through ventilation or garbage chute. In this way, flies enter the premises during the summer season. Usually they are also attracted to the smell of fruits or sweets. Due to their small size, flies easily overcome any obstacles.
- With indoor plants. Adults often lay eggs in flower pots. Since there is always rotting organic matter in them, flies develop there with comfort.
- Through open windows. Insects can penetrate the room in this way if there is no protection in the form of mosquito nets on the window openings.
- On clothes and shoes. Sometimes people bring eggs of flies on their things. But this happens quite rarely.
Also, insufficient cleanliness in the house, especially in the kitchen, can lead to the appearance of flies. After all, it is in rooms with poor sanitary conditions that such insects appear.
Why are they dangerous?
Fruit flies do not pose a great danger to humans. They do not tolerate any diseases, do not bite anyone, and in fact show no interest in either people or animals.
Flies can only cause harm if a person eats a fruit infected with their larvae. In this case, he can get an intestinal upset. In addition, the very sight of flocks of small midges flying around the apartment causes unpleasant sensations.
How to get rid of it quickly?
In order to get rid of these small insects, you can use both chemicals and improvised means.
Chemicals
You can quickly destroy a flock of flies using conventional aerosols. They help to cope with even a large number of insects. Such tools work very quickly. All fruit flies can be destroyed in just half an hour. After using the aerosol, the room must be well ventilated.
It is worth using proven products, for example, "Dichlorvos" or "Combat", to treat premises from flies.Before carrying out the procedure, you must remove all food from the room and protect the respiratory tract by wearing a mask or respirator. When processing a room, there should be no pets and people in it.
Used to control fruit flies and sticky traps designed specifically to attract these insects. One of the most popular products is the Raptor remedy for fruit flies. The trap operates on a very simple principle. The product contains a special substance that attracts flies. Following this smell, insects fall on the sticky surface of the trap and can no longer get out of there. The advantage of such a trap is that it does not take up much space, so you can safely put it even in a very small kitchen.
A fly fumigator is also an effective remedy. It's easy to use. In order to get rid of insects indoors, you just need to connect it to the electrical network and leave it to work overnight. In the morning, there will be no trace of insects. Fumigators from any brand can be used to combat fruit flies.
Folk ways
You can also fight these insects at home using folk methods. To do this, it is best to use those products that attract flies.
- Apple vinegar. This bait is great for attracting fruit flies. She attracts them with her rich aroma. You can add not only a few drops of vinegar to a cup of water, but also a little dishwashing liquid.
- Fruits. You can attract fruit flies by making a small trap. To make it, you need to put a piece of any fruit in a small glass jar and pour fresh juice or compote there. A paper funnel with a wide neck and a narrowed bottom should be inserted into the jar. Attracted by the scent of the fruit, insects will enter the funnel and drown in the sticky liquid without a chance to get out.
- Watermelon or melon peels. These products should be placed in a tight plastic bag without holes. The bag should be left open for a couple of hours. After the insects flock there, it should be quickly closed in one motion. Then discard the bag along with the trapped insects.
- Beverages. You can also use regular duct tape to fight insects. But in order to make it more attractive to flies, it should be smeared with red wine. Insects will be attracted to the wine fumes and will quickly adhere to the tape.
- Kerosene and turpentine. Add a few drops of these liquids to clean water. Then the solution must be used in order to rinse the walls and windows with it.
- Honey. Will attract insects and a sweet solution. It is prepared from honey and sugar, mixed in a ratio of 10 to 1. With this mixture, napkins should be wetted and laid out on accessible surfaces - for example, on a kitchen table or window sills.
Some smells also help scare off insects.
- Tomatoes. Tomato tops have a pungent odor that actively repels insects. To prevent fruit flies from starting in the kitchen, you can simply grow seedlings on the windowsills.
- Camphor. This product can also repel insects with its scent. In order to destroy insects, camphor must be poured into a frying pan and heated over a fire. The rich smell of this product will very quickly scare away fruit flies.
- Aroma oils. Eucalyptus, basil, or anise oils can be used to ward off midges. A few drops of this substance should be added to the room spray solution. Suitable for fighting fruit flies and bay oil. They need to rub the window frames and doorframes. Literally a couple of hours after processing the premises, the number of insects will significantly decrease.
- Herbs. You can also plant geraniums, eucalyptus, tansy and myrtle in pots. Their smells also repel pests. Having decided to remove insects in this way, it should be borne in mind that the smell of tansy can cause severe headaches in people with weak cerebral vessels.Therefore, the method is not suitable for everyone.
- Candles. You need to use candles with a spicy or coniferous aroma. They will scare away insects very quickly. The advantage of this method of dealing with flies is that the smell of scented candles is pleasant and does not cause any allergic reactions.
Having found small black midges at home, which are called fruit or fruit flies, you should also do a general cleaning in the kitchen. Particular attention should be paid to hard-to-reach places by washing them with a brush. You also need to thoroughly wash the sink and clean the drain. To do this, you can use both a commercial product and soda drenched in vinegar.
It is worth noting that fruit flies love warmth and can hardly survive in cold conditions. Therefore, in order to get rid of them, it is advisable to ventilate the room. Especially if the temperature outside is low.
Prevention measures
To prevent flies from getting in the house, you need to keep it clean.
- Fruits are best stored in the refrigerator instead of outdoors. All spoiled and rotten products must be disposed of immediately, without leaving it for later. After all, it is them that Drosophila feed on.
- Potatoes, carrots and onions stored for the winter should be sorted out regularly. If you notice signs of rotting on vegetables, they should also be thrown away immediately. It is also necessary to constantly check for the presence of fruit fly larvae and cereals. Store them in tightly closed containers.
- Keep the trash bin closed. It is also advisable to ensure that a large amount of food waste does not accumulate in it.
- Do not leave unwashed dishes in the sink. In addition, you should always carefully monitor what the sink looks like. There should be no food leftovers in it. It is advisable to wipe the sink dry after washing the dishes. Remove and clean the siphon from time to time.
- Do not leave a teapot with leftover tea leaves or bottles of unfinished sugary drinks on the table.
- To prevent insects from growing in flower pots, the soil should be carefully mulched. You can use nutshells, pine needles, or seed husks for this purpose. In addition, plants should not be watered too vigorously. All fallen leaves must be immediately removed from the pot so that they do not have time to rot.
- If there are animals in the house, food and water bowls should be kept clean at all times. Leftover food can be put in a refrigerator or a special container.
Fruit flies can be found in any home. To face this problem less often, you must always keep your home clean.
Learn more about the fruit fly below.
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