Emma Miller
Small midges in the house – a problem often faced by many housewives. And they can appear at any time of the year – there are plenty of reasons for this.
Types of midges in the apartment and causes of their appearance
Most often, small midges are found in the apartment in the warm season. Sometimes people confuse them with flies and even mosquitoes, but in order to effectively choose a remedy for insects, you need to understand their species. Household gnats come in:
- Fruit (fruit, kitchen gnats) – those that circle over food and enter the house through animal hair.
- They also like rotting and sweet smells, so they sit on fruit, and stains from spilled yogurt or wine.
- They are not dangerous for humans, but if you eat fruit with such a midge, you can get a gastrointestinal disorder.
- Earthworms are the inhabitants of indoor flowers, which appear due to excessive watering.
- Wet soil becomes an ideal place for laying eggs, and the midges themselves enter the apartment through the garbage chute, ventilation, and open windows.
- Both types of gnats are not considered a threat to people, they are more likely to cause discomfort and disgust. If you do not plan such a neighborhood, it is better to find out how to get rid of it now.
Be sure to remember that leaving food on the table during the hot season is categorically not recommended. Insects are quite comfortable at temperatures of 20-25°C and like humidity, so change the water in decanters and humidifiers regularly and avoid dampness in the room.
If midges do attack your apartment, there are several ways to flush them out:
Bottle trap
An ideal option is to lure the insects to overripe apples, pears and bananas, sweet liquor, honey, or compote at the bottom of an open plastic bottle. When the midges have flown in, close the bottle and throw it away.
Vinegar and soap
Take a glass jar, pour 1\4 of water into it, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent (or liquid soap). Whisk the solution with a fork and leave it in the jar – the insects will flock to the smell of the vinegar and the soap will keep them from flying out.
Food wrap
You’ll need any container in which you can pour the sweet bait from the first method or vinegar and soap. Stretch clingfilm over the top and make holes in it with a toothpick. This way you can create a trap from which the insects cannot escape.
IMPORTANT: leave such a trap for more than a day, as well as place it near open windows – you can lure insects from the street.
Vegetable components
Fruit midges are afraid of the smell of wormwood, so you can bring the plant home and spread it around the apartment. If there is no wormwood, camphor oil will do, a few drops of which should be heated and left in the dwelling.
Alternative means to combat such insects: basil, rosemary, lemon thyme, cloves, and mint. You make a tincture of them – mix the herbs with 0.5 liters of boiling water, stir, insist, cool, and then strain through gauze. In the end, you need to add 1 tbsp of vodka or alcohol. With the prepared solution, spray the surfaces in the apartment.
Glue tapes
A classic method that is actively used to control mosquitoes and flies, but it is also suitable for small pests. Place ready-made adhesive tapes near the habitat of gnats, but remember – after the insects have disappeared, spoiled food or rotting flowers should be thrown away, so as not to provoke the appearance of new “roommates”.
