Flying flies over rotten fruit are called wine flies or Drosophila midges. And somewhere they are called vinegar or fruit flies. The genus Drosophila has up to 1500 species. Small insects reach up to 5 mm in height.
Develops in three stages:
- Eggs that are laid by an adult.
- Larva.
- An adult specimen.
It turns out that everything is quite simple. Adult specimens lay eggs on ripe fruits. That is, we bring them ourselves to the apartment or house. Special float chambers hold the eggs on a very small surface of 0.5 mm. One female can lay up to 80 pieces. Further, the presence of a spoiled place in the fruit will trigger the reproduction mechanism. Therefore, the next day there is a whole swarm of them.
The environment matters a lot. For example, at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, a midge can live up to 10 days. Reducing the temperature to 17 degrees prolongs its life by half; in winter, this can be 2 months or more.
The appearance of fruit flies is also caused by open windows in the summer.
Improper care of flowers can also cause an infestation of midges:
- When the soil is waterlogged. Stagnant water in pots will be a favorable environment for reproduction.
- Undisinfected soil leads to putrefactive processes.
Drosophila: description of fruit flies
The midge that gathers on fruits is called Drosophila. It is also called fruit midge. She really turns on fruits, because she loves sweets very much.
Perishable fruits and vegetables are the main breeding ground for it. It does not harm fruit and berry plantings and feeds on rotten ripe fruits.
Gray, yellow-gray flies often take root in kitchens. The size of the body of an adult fruit fly reaches three millimeters. Males are smaller than females.
Where do they come from?
Until the 18th century, scientists believed in a phenomenon called "spontaneous generation", suggesting that fruit gnats naturally reproduced from inorganic, dirty materials such as dirty laundry and rotting meat. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a case of spontaneous reproduction.
They can live almost anywhere. Even the cleanest kitchens look attractive.
Leaving out fresh food is like advertising free room and board for pests. As a rule, they get on fruit brought from the store or through open doors and windows.
Fruit flies breed anywhere there is moist, decaying organic matter. This includes sink drains (the dark, larger pests known as drain flies), trash cans, compost, tile grout, even wash rags. Since they can reproduce in many places, these nasty insects are difficult to eradicate.
If you don't provide fruit gnats with a place to breed by using thorough cleaning methods, spray pesticides as much as you like. The pest will return.
Fruit fly reproduction
Fruit flies rapidly increase their population in conditions of high humidity and high air temperatures. The putrefactive environment is favorable for females to lay eggs. Within a day, a larva hatches from an egg, and in five to six days it develops into an adult fly, going through all stages of the pupa.
The instant reproduction of fruit flies is explained by the ability of flies to mate half a day after emerging from the pupa. Mushki retains the sperm of males until it is fully mature and lays up to eighty eggs at a time.
Harm and benefit
Since the habitat and reproduction of the fruit midge is sewage (garbage cans, vegetable and fruit waste, garden fruit rot, sewage, spoiled food), it is a source of the spread of infectious intestinal diseases, so combating it is mandatory. Drosophila may be a factor influencing the manifestation of allergies.
Despite these facts, many terrariums and fish farms breed fruit flies as food for reptiles, amphibians and fish. Aquarium fish also love to eat fruit flies.
Biting flies
These are tiny flies that live throughout the world and cause painful bites to people and animals. Black midges attack quickly and effectively, remaining undetected once they have bitten.
Although these insects do not usually transmit disease, it is not impossible to get the bacteria from their mouths. The symptoms are a painful red patch on the skin that goes away naturally after a few days.
If you can see a small insect hopping around, you are looking at a tick or flea. These parasites are unique in that they do not have wings, but they do have the incredible ability to jump up to 20 cm in height. For an insect measuring about 2 millimeters, this is a feat.
In addition, ticks and fleas feed exclusively on blood. Fruit flies also like to snack on organic matter, the food groups are completely different. Fleas and ticks feed by biting a living host and extracting blood, fruit flies drink fruit juice.
These pests are disgusting, but they don't spread disease or bite through your skin.
Fruit flies don't have teeth or cutting tools, so the worst they'll do is be an irritant.
Flies belonging to the family Tephritidae are also called fruit flies. This causes confusion, especially in the Mediterranean, Australia, South Africa, where the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata is a pest.
How does a fruit fly get into an apartment?
- Midges appear in the apartment if the table is left uncleaned after a meal.
- Drosophila are infested by stale fruits or vegetables brought from a market or store. Fruits and vegetables tend to quickly deteriorate if improperly stored, which creates a breeding ground for harmful insects.
- They can enter through open windows and vents from the street and take root in the apartment.
- Ventilation passages and cracks in the walls are also ways for insects to enter the apartment.
- They can appear if the basic rules of home cleanliness are not followed (unwashed dishes, uncleaned pet food area, dirty refrigerator).
- A home orchard can cause the proliferation of fruit flies, which enter the room through door and window openings.
- Drosophila can also be brought into the house with purchased flower indoor plants. In the absence of food objects, midges can take root in flower pots, because they maintain a high level of humidity.
In the apartment, fruit flies find a source of food - table scraps and stagnant garbage, sewer holes.
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.
Recipes:
- place the leaves of fern, elderberry and tansy in all rooms, the midges will fly away due to the unpleasant smell; Tansy is prohibited for use in case of weak brain vessels, it can cause headaches in patients.
- 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;
- laurel oil - it is recommended to use it for rubbing window frames and jambs.
Drosophila is an insect that, under favorable conditions, is capable of rapid reproduction and development. Read about how long fruit flies live and what their life cycle is on our website.
Ways to combat midges
How to get rid of midges in an apartment? Having appeared in human habitation, she stubbornly fights for her survival. It is not possible to quickly get rid of it until its nest is discovered - a place of active reproduction. It can be hidden in an ordinary bowl of fruit, in a bag of vegetables, in a food cabinet, even in the refrigerator, in the trash can, in the siphon of the sink and washbasin.
The appearance of fruit flies indicates that it is time to start general cleaning and daily maintenance of ideal cleanliness. Both popular recommendations and special toxic preparations for killing insects help to get rid of fruit midges.
Insect spray
A remedy such as “Dichlorvos” is always at hand. This is the most effective drug for controlling flies. Spraying toxic sprays and aerosols, especially in the kitchen, is extremely undesirable; after using this method, you will need to thoroughly wash everything in the room - furniture, gas stove, cabinets...
Toxins can also end up on food, so many are interested in what means of killing flies is gentle and safe for humans.
Inventing bait traps
How to effectively get rid of annoying fruit gnats? What can be done to prevent them from appearing for a long time? Do you want your favorite jam left on the table to not be a treat for fruit flies? Then you just need to get some scented insect traps. These can be sticky tapes, store-bought repellents that are hung around the perimeter of the kitchen or other room where there is a large concentration of insects, or ultraviolet devices.
You can also make traps with your own hands using basic available tools. Here are some ways.
- A shallow container with a neck (a plastic bottle without a neck, a glass, a glass jar) is filled with fruit, jam, sweet syrup with a small amount of lost fruit or an apple core, covered with film, tied with a rubber band, and holes are made in the film with a fork. Place the trap on the table, near the sink, near the trash can. Within a few hours the trap will be filled with a large number of insects. It is necessary to continue using such traps until the fruit flies are completely exterminated.
- The trap can be made from transparent plastic cups with lids. To do this, pour a little honey into the container, add a piece of fruit and close the lid. The glass is turned upside down, holes are pierced in the bottom with an awl. Such traps are small and easy to use at home. The cups should be transparent so that the result of the trap’s operation can be seen. Such devices can be placed throughout the house.
- Sweet sticky caramel (5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 spoon of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water) is boiled over low heat until a sticky mixture is formed, it is applied hot to a sheet of A5 paper, allowed to cool and hung around the perimeter of the room. The midge flies to the sweets and sticks to the leaves.
- A wine bottle with a minimal amount at the bottom can also serve as bait for midges.
Vacuum cleaner efficiency
As trivial as it may sound, a vacuum cleaner gets rid of midges in the house. A powerful air stream can pull flies into the trash bin in a matter of seconds. This method is effective in large concentrations of fruit flies.
Aromatherapy and smoking midges
Camphor can help against fruit midges. It is heated in a hot frying pan until a specific evaporation of the product begins to form. It is necessary to fumigate all rooms in the house, especially carefully in places where there are large concentrations of fruit flies.
Midges cannot stand the smell of geranium; plant this plant on your kitchen windowsill and the midges will not bother you.
The aroma lamp is an excellent device for fighting insects. The fruit midge does not tolerate the scent of cloves. An hour of operation of the aroma lamp gives a sustainable result.
Preventive actions
The main fight against midges is to follow basic rules that must be followed daily:
- Take out trash and wash trash cans in a timely manner;
- store only fresh food in the refrigerator;
- regularly sort through vegetables stored in pantries;
- When bringing fruit from the market, it is advisable to wash it before putting it in a vase;
- wash dishes more often;
- Ventilate the apartment only using mosquito nets.
Follow these recommendations and forget about insects forever!
Prevention of occurrence
If you use the following recommendations, you can reduce the risk of fruit flies:
- Do not leave fruit cores or leftover food on the kitchen counter.
- They should be placed in a plastic bag, tied and thrown into the trash.
- Take out the trash daily and keep the bin with a lid.
- After the garbage is thrown out, the bucket is thoroughly rinsed and dried.
- Dispose of excess liquid from the potted plant tray.
- Wilted plants should be replanted.
- Pet bowls should be clean and free of food residue.
- Carry out daily wet cleaning of the kitchen with a disinfectant.
- Remove crumbs from bread bin.
- Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink.
- Store cookies in bags.
- Store vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.
- Onions should be sorted and rotten specimens removed.
- Throw away coffee and tea leaves on time.
- Place repellent drugs in the apartment.
Drosophila will not reproduce, since there is no favorable environment, and, therefore, they will die without additional destruction.
