What to do about midges on beer taps. How to get rid of beer midges

There is a lot of food waste in the kitchen, which is attractive to insects. Therefore, the latter often appear in the house and cause the owners a lot of trouble and trouble. Sometimes they disappear as soon as you take out the trash. But more often the “guests” stay for permanent residence. In this case, you need to immediately start fighting them.

There is no need to endure the unpleasant proximity of kitchen insects. We need to get rid of them.

Mostly midges called fruit flies appear. These are fruit insects; they prefer to eat rotten fruits and vegetables and other spoiled food. If left in open access fresh food, then they will get to them too. Therefore, fruit flies are expelled by all available means. There are many methods of insect control. But midges at home, because some types of chemicals are harmful to humans? They help folk remedies, but not always. But there are time-consuming methods based on a full-fledged control system that work effectively.

The dangers of insects in the kitchen

If insects appear, then you need to get rid of small flies in the kitchen by any means. This can be done using folk remedies or using chemicals, which are sold in specialized stores. The damage caused by midges is great:

• Carrying infections. They cannot bite through human skin, so the danger is underestimated, because... people are able to eat the product where the female has laid larvae. The infection will enter the body in this way;
• Discomfort for small children. Adults can easily remove a midge if it gets into their mouth or eye. Children are not able to cope with such a task on their own;
• Product spoilage, resulting in material damage.

The list can be continued endlessly. Therefore, you need to quickly find a way to get rid of small midges in the kitchen or other room.

Presence of insects in other rooms

To effectively get rid of fruit flies in an apartment, you need to find a place where they nest. More often it is located in the kitchen, because... there are all the necessary living conditions: moisture, food. But sometimes flies do smarter things. They make nests in other rooms with high humidity, and feed in the kitchen. They also love the bathroom, pantry, closet, cellar or mezzanine. The first rule of productive struggle is to correctly determine the location. To fight midges in your apartment, you need to ensure it is clean. This will not immediately affect the number of insects, but it will drive them out of some rooms (bedroom, living room). If you constantly maintain cleanliness, the presence of midges will soon cease to bother you.

What causes floaters to appear?

Before removing midges from the apartment, the cause of their appearance is determined. More often they enter the house along with berries, fruits or vegetables. If they rot, then they are created favorable conditions for insects. But females can lay eggs using fresh fruits and vegetables when they are ripe. After hitting warm atmosphere at home, the larvae develop.

Fly larvae

When talking about where midges come from, we need to consider pockets of garbage. If buckets and bags are kept indoors for a long time, then excellent conditions are created for midges. Insects breed in indoor plants and shells. Sometimes flies come home through the ventilation if it is too dirty. Complex option– presence of midges among neighbors. If they don’t start fighting them, the neighboring apartments will suffer.

Types and characteristics of flies

There are two types of midges: fruit flies and sciarids. The former reproduce in fruits (fruits, berries, vegetables), the latter - in the soil. Sciarides also appear in apartments when available. The insect feels comfortable: it can feed in the kitchen, and constant watering of home flowers provides the necessary moisture.

Before getting rid of midges in the house, their type is determined, because... methods of struggle are different. Fruit insects are eliminated by throwing out rotten fruits and taking out trash. You can't do this with sciarids. You will have to work with the soil of the plants to influence them.

Drosophila fly

Danger to humans

Apartment midges do not pose a direct danger to humans. They do not bite, so they do not spread diseases or other infections. But since there are many ways to get rid of flies (chemicals and folk remedies), there is some danger:

1. Damage to products. If a midge gets to fresh food, it destroys its integrity. Subsequently, it may become completely unusable.
2. Destruction of stocks. Many people store onions, potatoes and other vegetables in bags for the winter. The appearance of harmful insects can damage some of the stocks, as well as destroy them completely.
3. Annoyance. Besides the fact that insects constantly fly into your eyes, nose and mouth, they stain white tablecloths, curtains and towels.
4. Damage to house plants.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the midge nest is difficult to find. And it reproduces very quickly (20 larvae at a time, the ability to reproduce begins 8 hours after birth).

Ways to combat midges

To get rid of fruit flies in the kitchen, you don't have to use drastic methods. If you deprive them of food, they will fly away on their own. Therefore, you need to put the food in the refrigerator or pack it in bags, throw out the garbage, after inspecting the bucket and the space next to it to detect any remaining waste.

Perishable foods should be stored in the refrigerator, and bulk foods should be stored in airtight containers

If cleaning does not help, then the situation has become neglected. Now, in order to remove midges, you need to resort to one of the complex and radical methods. They are divided into dangerous and harmless to humans.

Safe ways

The method of dealing with midges will differ depending on where exactly it appeared:

• Fruits vegetables. In this case, you need to throw away all the rotten fruits, and put the remaining ones in sealed containers or bags. If you put the food in the refrigerator, the larvae will stop developing, but will not die. To be on the safe side, it is recommended to get rid of all fruits in the house;
• Sink. Here you need to pour a little soda into the drain hole, and then pour in vinegar. After 15 minutes, you can rinse the sink with water and clean the drain hole with a plunger;
• Houseplants. An excellent remedy for midges is a weak solution of potassium permanganate or ground pepper. This needs to be poured/filled onto the ground under the plant;
• Garbage cans, neighbors, ventilation and other reasons for the appearance. It would be advisable to make a trap here. You need to pour sweet syrup or put rotten fruit at the bottom of the jar, cover the neck with cling film, then make several holes in it. Insects will crawl inside without being able to get out. You can use store-bought sticky traps.

Such methods do not pose any danger to humans, cats or dogs. But they are only effective for quickly detecting midges. When the situation gets worse, you can’t do without poison.

Methods dangerous to humans and domestic animals

A chemical fly repellent can help solve several problems at once. In spring and autumn, they appear in apartments various insects– cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes and others. Radical drugs eliminate everyone comprehensively. But there is a danger. If not all representatives of midges are poisoned, then the next generation will not react to the poison. We'll have to select a different chemical.

A quick method of poisoning midges is dangerous for humans and household members. Therefore, precautions must be taken to avoid chemical poisoning. It is even recommended to contact specialists who will clean the entire apartment and offer guarantees for their work.

Preventing the appearance of midges

Killing midges at home is difficult. It is much more effective to take preventive measures to prevent their occurrence:

1. Rub wet surfaces. Water promotes the formation of rot as soon as a crumb of food gets in;
2. Get rid of garbage in a timely manner;
3. Frequently check places where crumbs or food debris may fall (gaps between furniture, far corners);
4. Clean the kitchen and bathroom regularly;
5. Immediately get rid of rotten, spoiled products;
6. Wash pet feeders and bowls every day;
7. Immediately remove leftover food into containers, bags, and the refrigerator.

In order not to act in a hurry later, trying to find an effective way to combat harmful insects, you need to keep your house clean - midges will not come to places where the conditions for their development and reproduction are not favorable.

Conclusion

Insects always appear in the house as if out of nowhere. But they immediately begin to cause inconvenience and become a cause of concern for its inhabitants. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with them immediately.

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In fact, at home, it is quite possible on your own, using folk remedies, and without resorting to the use of chemicals - to drive out the insect in a safe and non-radical way. There is no need to spray poisons and poisons in the apartment once again. But if the population grows, and no traditional methods help, then they turn to pollination specialists. They will rid the apartment for a long time and will exclude the emergence of a second generation with immunity to chemicals. Now you know how to get rid of flies in the kitchen.

Nobody likes small flies that feed on rotten fruits and berries. The question is, where do fruit flies come from in the house, if the windows and doors do not open, housewives.

According to scientists, there are several types of small flies in nature. Some people like to live in animal fur, others settle on indoor and garden plants, and fruit flies become frequent guests in apartments and houses. We need to find out where these annoying midges come from.

Drosophila breed in the following places:

• kitchen (remnants of rotting food, mainly pieces of fruit and vegetables);
• bathroom (damp rags, stale things; water supply if there is a blockage);
• pet cages and aquariums;
• flowerpots with flowers that are always damp from excessive watering.

There are enough such places in the home; the main conditions for the reproduction of insects are dampness, darkness, dirt and food debris.

In winter, flies live in places with temperatures elevated to 18 degrees or more, near people. In a warm room, Drosophila can live up to 2 months. The insect reproduces by eggs, and the female is capable of laying more than 80 eggs at a time. This explains their sudden appearance, and in large numbers.

Drosophila appear in the home, even when it is completely clean. This is due to the fact that the insect has already laid eggs in some suitable place. The larvae are carried on shoes, with animals, with vegetables and fruits, and fly into the windows through mosquito net And ventilation holes. Therefore they do not appear out of nowhere. Their appearance happened well before people noticed the presence of foreign insects.

Food left behind or a trash bin not taken out on time awakens insects with their smell and collects them in these places.

It is advisable to scald fruits just purchased and brought into the house with boiling water or disinfect them with some means. It is possible that Drosophila larvae are already contained on the peel. If the fruit sits in a warm place for some time, the midges will hatch and begin to multiply.

The insects themselves do not pose a threat to humans, since they do not eat rotten food, but larvae that enter the stomach can cause severe intestinal poisoning.

Knowing where fruit flies come from in the house, you can easily get rid of them. You don't have to resort to chemicals to do this. It’s enough just to clean up, and without food, the flies will leave the house themselves.

Everyone has encountered small fruit flies or vinegar flies that appear in places where there are spoiled fruits. This is the Drosophila fly, which is widely used for research by genetic scientists. Currently, about one and a half thousand species of this insect, which is a representative of the order Diptera, have been studied and described.

Drosophila flies are avid travelers and may arrive at your home along with fruits and vegetables brought from the south

Drosophila are small gray or yellowish-gray flies with a body length of 1.5 to 3 mm. Females have a pointed tip of the abdomen. They are noticeably larger than males, whose abdominal tip is dark, almost black, and rounded. The eyes of the Drosophila fly are bright red. Under natural conditions, these insects are widespread in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, but are found up to 60 degrees north latitude. In the summer, they penetrate into the northern regions with fruits and vegetables supplied from the south of the country.

Fruit flies feed on vegetables and tree sap, but prefer fermentable fruits. In the southern regions, Drosophila lives en masse in gardens and vineyards, where no one tries to fight it, since it does not harm plantings and harvests. In the middle regions, the fruit fly prefers to be closer to human habitation. This fly is observed in large quantities in fruit warehouses, factories producing fruit juices and canned fruits, wine cellars and wine production. Drosophila appears outdoors when the air temperature rises above 16 degrees; its numbers quickly increase at high temperatures and high humidity.

The fly experiences the cold season in places with a fairly high temperature near people - in various storage facilities for vegetables and fruits, in wineries, and feels great in a city apartment, settling in trash cans and indoor flowers. While it is not very difficult to remove Drosophila from human habitation, it is impossible to get rid of it in fruit processing areas.

To reproduce, Drosophila requires a nutrient medium in which the larvae will develop - usually half-rotten fruits or vegetables

The fruit fly goes through three stages in its development, characteristic of all dipterous insects:

1. Eggs laid by a female
2. Larvae
3. Adult Drosophila

Insect eggs and larvae are adapted to live in a semi-liquid environment. The female fruit fly lays eggs on half-decomposed fruit or other growing medium. They stay on the surface thanks to special float chambers. The eggs are about 0.5 mm in size. Larvae hatched from eggs are white and up to 3.5 mm long. Sufficient amount of food in this period development is crucial, the size and viability of emerging flies depends on this. At first, the larvae float on the surface of the nutrient medium, then go deeper and remain there until pupation. After four days, young fruit flies emerge from the pupae and become sexually mature after eight hours. Female fruit flies begin laying eggs on the second day and carry out this process for the rest of their lives. At one time, the female usually lays 50-80 eggs.

How long Drosophila lives depends largely on the ambient temperature. If the air temperature is 25 degrees, then the fly lives about 10 days; when it drops to 18, the life expectancy approximately doubles. In winter, the life cycle can increase to 2.5 months.

Drosophila can outwit the owners of the apartment - while they are looking for them in the kitchen, near food, midges can hide in pots with indoor flowers

Drosophila live in abundance in places where fruits and vegetables are stored and processed, from where they are distributed to retail outlets. It becomes clear where fruit flies come from in the apartment. Once brought into a person's home, they multiply rapidly, and getting rid of fruit flies becomes difficult. Having miniature sizes, these insects are easily ventilation ducts and small crevices migrate into apartment buildings, unexpectedly appearing in an apartment where a source of food was found. They settle in trash cans, garbage chutes, and even in house flowers if the owners water them abundantly enough.

In order to get rid of this scourge, you must first try to deprive flies of food and breeding sites. You need to start fighting them with the use of preventive measures in the apartment:

• Trace where fruit flies come from in the kitchen. This could be soggy potatoes, spoiled onions or rotting fruit. A piece of apple that has fallen into a crack can serve as a source of food for flies. Spoiled food must be disposed of immediately.
• Wash animal feeders thoroughly immediately after feeding, this will also help fight these insects.
• It is necessary to close the trash can, wash it and dispose of garbage in a timely manner.
• Check containers with vegetables and fruits regularly. If you find spoiled fruits, you must get rid of them immediately.
• Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink.
• Drosophila often settle in domestic flowers, from where it is quite difficult to remove them. To get rid of flies, it is necessary to reduce watering and cover the soil with a dry mulch layer. It is advisable to take the pots to another room where the insects will have nothing to eat.

If preventive measures are carried out carefully and regularly, then you can get rid of annoying fruit flies without the use of chemicals - after some time, which depends on how long the fruit fly lives without food, they will disappear on their own. Otherwise, you will have to resort to more serious measures - the use of pesticides and traps.

Most often the question arises of how to get rid of flies in the kitchen, but these little “pests” also appear in other rooms. Where would a fruit fly come from, for example, in the bathroom? After all, they don’t eat here, there is no trash can, there are no and cannot be sour drinks. The fact is that flies can live in sewer pipes and enter the room through the sink drain hole.

The likelihood of flies appearing in the bathroom is especially high if the house has old cast iron communications. Such pipes are no longer smooth from the inside; irregularities form on their inner walls, in which food debris accumulates, which causes the appearance of flies. The way to combat flies that appear in the bathroom is to regularly use products to remove and prevent blockages. These products are available in the form of gels, granules and powders.

If you don’t have such a remedy at hand, you can use the folk method: pour regular baking soda into the drain hole and fill it with vinegar. The reaction will begin and you will hear a characteristic hissing sound. As soon as the hissing stops, pour half a glass of water into the sink or bathtub drain and wait about fifteen minutes. After this, it would be good to work with a plunger. This procedure will, firstly, destroy the flies, and secondly, prevent the appearance of a blockage.

In order to answer the question of how to get rid of flies in the kitchen, you need to find the source of their appearance. Sometimes it is enough to detect and throw away a rotten fruit that accidentally fell past the bucket, and the flies will disappear. Deprived of food, they cannot live. But if there are indoor plants in the kitchen that you fertilize, for example, with sleeping tea, there is a possibility that flies have laid eggs in the ground, then you will have to save the plants.

Constant waterlogging can also provoke the appearance of soil flies. If you notice flies on the surface of the soil and in a watering can left next to flower pots, immediately start fighting them! A weak solution of potassium permanganate will help get rid of flies that appear in flower pots; in addition, flower shops Special products are sold to combat soil flies; you just need to choose the right one.

You can also try traditional methods: Scatter ground black pepper over the surface of the soil or stick matches into the ground with their heads down. But the main thing in the fight against soil flies is to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. It is also better to stop using organic fertilizers. Organics are good for the garden; for indoor flowers it is better to buy special concentrated fertilizers.

As you can see, in order not to wonder how to get rid of flies in the kitchen, it is not enough to be a good housewife. You have to be both a plumber and a growing specialist. indoor plants.

Everyone has encountered Drosophila flies. These are small annoying insects whose size does not exceed three millimeters. They do not cause much harm, do not bite people or animals, and do not spread diseases. But their constant flickering cannot help but become boring.

Where do fruit flies come from?

Drosophila flies usually live on rotting fruits or berries, attracting them with the smell of rot and sweet juice. It is no coincidence that these insects are popularly known as “fruit fly” or “wine fly”. If fruit flies appear in an apartment, getting rid of them will be problematic. In addition to rotten fruits, they feed on sugared water or any other moisture containing sugar. They are also attracted to indoor plants, wet soil around them, rotting leaves, sour saucers in which the pots stand. Having taken a liking to the plant, fruit flies settle on it and gradually destroy it. They can also live in pet food bowls.

Insect eggs can enter an apartment with fruits or vegetables, soil on them, or soil for planting. Adults can enter the apartment through ventilation or windows.

The difficulty in getting rid of fruit flies is that they are very breed quickly and develop from an egg to an adult insect. This entire process takes only ten days. That is why insects can very quickly colonize a room. They will lay eggs in foods, rotten fruits and berries, and on plants. The hatched larvae penetrate inside and there develop into pupa. The fly that emerges from the pupa can lay eggs already on the second day.

As already mentioned, fruit flies do not threaten human health, but in theory you can get an upset stomach if you eat fruits infected with larvae or eggs. But this is very unlikely, since a person will not eat rotten or spoiled fruit.

How to properly get rid of fruit flies

You need to get rid of Drosophila flies in the following sequence:

• Find and destroy insect habitats
• Destroy the remaining individuals using baits and traps
• Periodically carry out preventive measures to prevent the appearance of Drosophila flies

How to find insect habitats

When searching for insect habitats, you should carefully inspect the entire room.

Most likely, berries or fruits, compote or jam in jars, potatoes or other vegetables in bags, tea leaves in a teapot have been forgotten somewhere and have begun to spoil.

Be sure to take out and wash the trash can, which may contain spoiled fruit that attracts midges.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should be washed and place in the refrigerator, where it will be difficult for midges to reach them.

It will be more difficult with indoor plants. It is better to replant them to ensure that they get rid of eggs and larvae that may be in the soil. It is better to use purchased land because it is treated to prevent pests. If this is problematic, then the prepared soil should be poured into a metal container and placed in a preheated oven for two to three hours. High temperatures are guaranteed to destroy eggs and larvae. It is necessary to remove rotting leaves or roots from the plant itself and treat it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to get rid of any eggs that may be on it.

After these procedures you should thoroughly clean and sanitize the kitchen, because flies could hide in peeling joints of wallpaper, in curtains or other secluded corners of the kitchen. The kitchen should be washed with water, to which you need to add any product containing chlorine. This is not only a disinfectant, but also a deadly poison for most insects, including fruit flies. It would be useful to treat the room with Dichlorvos, Chlorophos or Hexachloran, after which it should be ventilated and washed again.

Making traps for Drosophila flies

After the kitchen has been sanitized, it's time to get rid of the remaining insects.

For this traps should be made.

Traditional methods will help scare away the remaining insects.

Drosophila can't stand the smell of tansy, fern or elderberry, the leaves of which should be placed indoors.

Kerosene or turpentine will help a lot, a few drops of which should be added to water and washed with it on the floor or windows. You can rub laurel oil on window frames or door frames.

Smells repel flies tomato seedlings, geranium, eucalyptus or myrtle in pots.

Prevention of Drosophila flies

To prevent Drosophila flies from appearing again, you should regularly perform a few simple steps.

The above steps will help get rid of fruit flies and prevent their appearance in the future.

Due to their small size, the Drosophila is called a midge, but they are flies, are 2 - 3 mm in length and have many subspecies. It lives almost everywhere where it is warm. There are especially many fruit flies in humid tropical climates. He lives in the apartment even in winter, if there is a power source.

Little flies love sweets

The main food of small flies consists of sugar and alcohol. She lays eggs on rotten food. The larvae can be completely immersed in the liquid and only swim to the surface before turning into an adult fly.

Drosophila flies do not bite. But their appearance in the kitchen is unpleasant. They rise in a cloud above the trash can, cover the bitten apple, desperately rush into the owner’s food and die in it. After such a meal with undetected small midges, a person experiences an upset stomach and may develop intestinal diseases. Children have a particularly difficult time with nutritional supplements in the form of fruit flies and their testicles.

There are places where flies are specially bred. Given their size and fertility, this is an excellent food for aquarium fish and home anthills.

Drosophila is an excellent food for fish

Scientists have been studying Drosophila for over a hundred years. It is of interest to geneticists because it is the only insect that has 8 chromosomes. This allows the mutation to be investigated. Virologists test the reaction of flies to various microorganisms and drugs. The agreement between the results and the human body is very high. It is easy to hatch experimental creatures and they do not take up much space.

Narcologists were interested in the ability of Drosophila to resist the effects of alkaloids. After all, it feeds on fermentation products and sugar-containing alcoholic beverages. The fly has taste buds and perfectly distinguishes between types of beer and understands its quality.

A distinctive feature of Drosophila is its round-the-clock activity. She never sleeps, constantly eats a lot and reproduces. Already on the second day, after turning into a fly, the Drosophila reaches reproductive age. After 2 days, it begins to lay eggs, from 40 to 90 eggs every day.

During the warm season, fruit flies live outside. Their closest garden relative prefers to spoil fresh vegetables. The food house midge prefers sweet fruits and berries, and does not disdain pet feces and sweat. Places of its accumulation:

• garbage dumps;
• basements;
• fruit bases;
• animal habitats;
• pots with indoor plants;
• store warehouses.

Drosophila can get into an apartment in various ways:

• with fruit from the store, especially spoiled and leaking ones;
• fly through the ventilation;
• live in a trash can;
• come with pets;
• with soil for flowers;
• fly into the door and window.

Most often, the fly appears in the form of testicles, the size of which is 0.5 mm, on bananas, grapes, strawberries, and apples.

Fly testicles can be brought into the house along with apples or other fruits

Like fruit flies, Drosophila primarily follows the smell of sweets. But getting it out is more difficult. She quickly scatters, lays many eggs in different places, not limited in movement.

The fly can live in flower pots, feeding on succulent leaves. It actively settles on plants without a pungent odor that are abundantly watered. Doesn't like the smell of geranium.

How to get rid of fruit flies in an apartment forever. First it must be destroyed, then preventive measures not to let her settle again.

Fruit fly doesn't like Fresh air. It is enough to open the window, especially in sunny weather, and the number of midges will be significantly reduced within an hour. At temperatures below 10 degrees, the fruit fly will simply die. But its numerous testicles and larvae will remain.

It is necessary to deprive the fly of food:

1. Throw away all rotten food.
2. Put the rest in the refrigerator.
3. Immediately wash fruits purchased in the store and pour boiling water over them, rinse off the eggs attached to their surface.
4. Always take out the trash, wash the bin and cover it with a lid.
5. Do not leave food on the table.
6. Disinfect pets' litter trays and throw away anything they haven't finished eating.
7. Make sure that water does not accumulate in the flower trays. Wash plants regularly by watering them with a spray bottle containing mite repellent.
8. Buy ready-made, treated soil for planting indoor plants. Do not take it in the front garden or in the country.
9. Keep the kitchen clean.

Keep your kitchen clean

Gradually, the fruit fly will die without food. It can live up to 3 months, depending on temperature and conditions. Therefore, you will have to wait a long time. We need to get rid of midges in other ways.

Do not forget that the persistent midge will fly to the smell of wine and beer through the ventilation and open window. She is easy to kill because she has poor vision, is almost blind, and uses her scent to pave her way. Small size allows you to get through everywhere and remain invisible in small quantities.

We must remember that Drosophila is a fly. Her immunity against poisonous substances is much weaker than that of her winged sisters. Any means are suitable for getting rid of midges.

You can additionally glue a small piece of rotten banana onto the adhesive tape, or add a drop of apple cider vinegar. Determine the location largest accumulation midges. Remove all food items from there. If it hangs over the sink, wash and dry it. Hang Velcro over this place as bait. Most flies will stick overnight. Change the adhesive tape regularly until the midges are so few that they are difficult to notice.

You can buy any aerosols for domestic insects, especially flies. It is enough to spray a little product in the air and ventilate after an hour. The midges will disappear. Repeat this periodically with the new generation until the small flies are completely exterminated.

Drosophila are killed by mosquito repellents

Drosophila dies from the smell of plates and mosquito liquids. It is enough to plug in the fumigator and the midge will die. On a clear day, you can simply place the record on the windowsill. The sun's rays will heat it and kill the flies.

The advantages of traps are their environmental safety. They do not emit volatile substances. Most often used:

• Raptor store Velcro;
• a jar with a cone;
• low glass and film;
• wine vinegar with dishwashing detergent.

The Raptor, which says it is a fruit gnat repellent, is a piece of cardboard with a sticky side. Taking off protective film, the trap is assembled like a house. A balloon with liquid is placed inside to attract fruit flies. They fly to the smell and stick:

• the device has an aesthetic appearance;
• the corpses of annoying midges do not irritate the eyes because they are inside;
• There is no need to deliberately spoil the bait products.

You can purchase Raptor against flies in the store

You don’t have to spend money on a purchase and make a trap yourself.

A bait made from a piece of overripe banana or grape is placed at the bottom of the jar. An inverted cone made of thick paper is inserted into the neck, like a funnel with a hole at the narrow end. Drosophila do not see; they follow the smell through a narrow passage. They can't get back out.

Pour some bait, such as malt beer, into a low glass. Cover the top with cling film. Then take a thick needle, called a gypsy needle, or an awl, and make several holes. The holes should be up to 1 mm. Then the fly will get into the glass and will not be able to get out. You can use disposable dishes and throw them in the trash. A transparent glass allows you to see how many victims have accumulated there. For a fly, light doesn't matter.

DIY fruit fly trap

In a disposable dish, pour wine vinegar into the bottom. Lubricate the sides with dishwashing detergent. The bait is ready. Change more often.

To combat fruit flies, poisons made from home remedies are used.

1. IN flat pallets pour out a mixture of ground pepper and sweet juice. The drug is placed in places where flies accumulate. Black pepper is poisonous to fruit flies.
2. Dissolve the same amount of honey in a tablespoon of water. Crush 2 tablets of saccharin and mix everything. Replace the flies' regular food with treats.
3. Pour a tablespoon of small crumbs of rye bread, sugar and baking soda into a glass of milk.
4. You can add sugar and ground pepper to the milk.

The poison can be placed in a shallow, wide bowl, or rags of thick fabric can be soaked in it and placed closer to where midges accumulate.

Getting rid of Drosophila also includes the use of substances with a pungent odor that is unpleasant for midges.

Geranium will help get rid of annoying midges

You can place geraniums on the windowsill in the kitchen. A fly will leave the apartment if you spread out the leaves:

• horseradish;
• tomato;
• bay leaf;
• eucalyptus.

Horseradish can be prepared as a reserve in case of unexpected guests. Grate its root on a coarse grater, put it in a jar and close it. When midges appear, place it next to their favorite place and open the lid.

When cleaning, add to the water you use to wash floors, windows, tiles, a little kerosene or turpentine. One tablespoon of the substance is enough for a bucket of water. The person will not hear the smell, but the flies will leave the apartment.

It is good to wipe countertops, cabinet shelves and trash cans with water and a few drops of bay oil.

Ground pepper, bay leaves and geraniums placed in the microwave for a few minutes will drive away the fruit fly. A strong smell will spread throughout the apartment, forcing small flies to leave your home.

No, I will not convince the reader of the dangers of drinking beer - those who have been visiting the Tavern for a long time know that I am not averse to drinking a glass or two of good beer myself from time to time. Oh, here's the first one keyword- "good". What is it, good beer? It is impossible to answer unequivocally. If only because there are a lot of criteria for good beer, including taste. I really want to sort them all out one by one, it’s worth a try at least. But today I’ll dwell on perhaps the most important question for many - do they sell real beer? And under the present, everyone is free to choose - “non-poisonous”, “correct”, “no preservatives” and so on.

Unfortunately, the current regulations for beer products are such that the manufacturer is not required to indicate on the label the full component composition of the drink - as a rule, he hides everything that does not exceed 0.5% by weight. I have so far met only one fairly honest brewing company whose product boasted the preservative sodium benzoate in the list of ingredients. Others believe that the buyer sleeps better if he knows less.

The worst thing is that it is very problematic to carry out the analysis yourself at home, contacting commercial laboratories is expensive, and government laboratories will respond to your request only if there is a fact of violation. And if, say, for sour cream it is not difficult to find such a fact, then for beer, alas, it is more difficult.

I am following with interest all the news about the imminent appearance of personal food quality testers, and even took part in a startup to create one of them, but for now it remains to be used available funds to suggest whether a particular beer is “right” or not.

What, exactly, are we risking?

Indeed, why do we need to know what the manufacturer is hiding from us and does not write on the label. Beer seems to be like beer, you drink it, you get drunk and make you happy. But here there are several options:

• The beer is real, original, does not contain anything extra, only natural ingredients. Everything seems to be fine. Just don't overuse it.
• The beer is real, but genetically modified components were used in the preparation process. It's time to write serious article about myths and the real possible harm from GMOs, based not on popularized populist facts, but on knowledge of genetics and biochemistry (I will try to publish it before the New Year). For now, let’s just note this point and keep it in mind for all subsequent ones (if the manufacturer hid the use of a preservative from us, he could also hide the fact of using GMOs).
• The beer is real in the sense that it is brewed using technology. But then, to increase shelf life, preservatives are added. Possible harm variable - from the simple feeling that we were cheated by something not indicated on the label full composition to possible harm to the body (allergic reactions, microflora addiction to antibiotics, gastrointestinal problems, and so on - for more details, if interested, read the appropriate section).
• The beer was brewed in violation of the technology, then the manufacturer tried to give it the “right” taste, color and smell by adding various “left” components (foaming agents, taste improvers, colors, etc.). The possible harm is even wider than in the previous paragraph; for additional information, again, see our special section.
• Not beer at all, but a “beer drink” that only resembles real beer in taste, color and smell. Can be produced however you like. Accordingly, the harm from it depends on the composition: from minimal to serious.

Methods for determining preservatives

Many compounds may be present as preservatives in beer and nutritional supplements. The most common are benzoates, ascorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, nisin, etc. Can we try to determine their presence in beer? With the exception of sulfur dioxide, which you can easily recognize (but is rarely used), it is not so simple.

Of course, the most reliable is analysis in the laboratory, for example, chromatography. But it is not available to most beer lovers, so we will assume the presence of preservatives in beer in other ways, not 100% reliable, sometimes indirect, but allowing us to at least determine which beer is better. I know a person who determines the quality of beer in a very specific way: in a few hours of the evening he tries to drink at least three liters of beer with a modest snack. I will leave aside the expediency of this method, I will only say about the criteria in the direction of increasing quality (the author's style is preserved):

I will not offer you such a method, I will simply tell you about possible home methods of comparison, and I hope you will offer your own.

First, let's look at the label.

I repeat, I only once saw a mention of a preservative on the label of a beer bottle. But how many times he was not there is an interesting question. But the label itself sometimes contains enough information, in addition to indicating the composition. Firstly, if the inscription is not “Beer”, but “Beer drink”, then the likelihood of preservatives and other additives in it increases. Secondly, if the beer is unpasteurized (the label says so), and the shelf life is more than two weeks, then the beer clearly contains a preservative. Thirdly, any shelf life of more than six months requires the presence of preservatives.

And again the Drosophila fly guards our interests

The idea of ​​inviting an outside expert to taste beer for additives did not come out of nowhere. Once, while leaving on vacation, we forgot a potato in the kitchen under the sink. It began to rot, and upon returning home we found a joyful flock of fruit flies. We, of course, threw out the potato when it was discovered, but gave up on the flies: there would be nothing to eat, they would hatch on their own. In the evening, friends came to visit and brought beer with them to celebrate our return. The holiday, as usual, dragged on past midnight, I no longer wanted to wash the dishes... In general, a couple of mugs with half-drunk beer at the bottom were left standing in the kitchen. Imagine my amazement in the morning when I discovered drowned fruit flies in beer mugs. The whole flock decided to end their lives in such an interesting way.

Since then, we have often used this approach if we suddenly needed to get rid of fruit flies somewhere, and we advised it to others, until one day, having gone on vacation again, we forgot some fruit on the windowsill. The fruit flies are scurrying around in the kitchen again. I go to the nearest store (at that time beer was still sold in stalls), the choice was small, and I bought a can of Baltika No. 3. I don’t like it myself, so I just poured it into several glasses and mugs and left it overnight. Alas, in the morning no one was swimming in beer, and the flies continued to fly around the kitchen, as if mocking me. I was surprised and, since my profession had long taught me to establish the cause of the incomprehensible through experiment, I walked to the pub and bought my favorite beer at that time. I poured it into mugs and glasses in the same way and left it standing next to the Baltika. The next morning, you probably guessed it, there were no flies in the kitchen - they were all drowned in beer, and all of them - not at Baltika-treshka.

I decided to complicate the experience. I didn’t want to introduce Drosophila flies again through rotten fruit or vegetables, so I simply stopped by my friends’ laboratory where they raised these flies for their experiments, the benefit of substandard flies, as well as large desiccators, in which we observed the drowning of Drosophila flies, there were a lot of them. I also bought Baltika, now “kopeks” (No. 1), took a couple of varieties of local beer (the Victoria brewery was still operating at that time, who among my fellow countrymen remembers) and brought with me sodium benzoate, which, as I then believed, could be the only preservative for beer. We placed chemical cups in the desiccator, poured beer into them, and what we got was this: two cups of Baltika, two cups of Baltika with benzoate (for the purity of the experiment), two cups of light local beer, two cups of it plus benzoate and etc. The result was disappointing both for the fruit flies, which again drowned everything, and for the Baltika and for those glasses of beer into which we added benzoate: a maximum of 1-2 flies drowned in them, all the rest were drowned in local beer without adding benzoate.

This is how Drosophila flies again demonstrated their irreplaceable role in biological experiments :). And since then, I periodically indulge in testing beers that I had not drunk before, thus checking for lice. It should be noted that every year the probability that fruit flies will not go for a swim grows and grows. Alas and a pity. I’ll tell you, if you suddenly have fruit flies, you can use this fact to check your favorite types of beer: whichever one drowns you in will probably have fewer additives.

Of course, such an experiment cannot be called a full-fledged test for preservatives, but the results make you think and ask questions to the manufacturer.

Beer sour test

IN Lately I prefer unpasteurized beer from a local German brewery. It is not strong (4°), with a pleasant pronounced taste (two varieties: one with a more pronounced hint of hops, the second slightly sweet), non-carbonated. It's a shame that this brewery doesn't produce dark varieties. So, the guaranteed shelf life of the bottled version of this beer is half a month. At the same time, I would like to note that already on the 5-6th day from the date of production, a subtle sourness is felt, and I would not recommend purchasing this beer with an age of more than 8 days (it, however, does not linger). It's in a sealed bottle! And, on the other hand, I have a fresh memory of a bottle of beer half drunk by my graduate students (I don’t remember the type and manufacturer of this beer), which was capped and stood there for a month, not only without turning sour, but also practically without changing its taste. Do you think there were no preservatives in it?

This leads to one of the simplest tests, but it requires some courage. Pour beer into a small glass so that it fills half the capacity. Place in a warm (35 - 40 degrees) place, covering with a piece of paper. Every 8-10 hours, check the smell and taste of the beer (literally tasting a little at a time. This is what requires a certain dose of courage). Unpasteurized beer without preservatives will acquire a sour taste and/or characteristic odor after a maximum of 12 - 16, pasteurized beer will last 6 - 8 hours longer. Beer with preservatives will either last longer than a day (my record so far has been more than 4 days without changing taste or smell), or it will acquire a bitter, slightly oily taste (in this case, most likely, an antibiotic was used as a preservative).

You can dip strips of indicator paper into cups to check for acidity. But it’s still safer to try :) If you don’t have enough courage, take a look at the next test, which is a little more difficult.

Joint milk-beer test

For this test you will need natural milk, whom you trust. It should sour normally in a warm place, and not acquire a bitter or oily taste (you can read more in the material “Why are dairy products bitter?”). Then everything is simple: you place in a warm place in identical containers (also half a container, I use plastic test tubes for microbiological research, they are convenient to label and arrange on a tripod, but as they say, everyone uses what is at hand), covering them with a piece of paper, milk and a mixture of half and half milk with decarbonated beer (just stir a little beer in a glass with a teaspoon for 3 -5 minutes for degassing). And periodically check for souring. Your milk and beer mixture should sour at about the same time as just milk (well, maybe half an hour to an hour later or earlier). If this happens, the content of preservatives in the beer is minimal or absent. In all other cases, you should assume the worst.

I tested many types of beer (it’s not difficult - it’s a quick test if you bought or were given a type or subtype of beer that you haven’t drunk before), many did not pass this test. The test is far from 100%, but it is not difficult to carry out. By the way, beer produced outside the Russian Federation also contains preservatives, and I often came across this.

Let's stop for now

Unfortunately, laboratory tests suitable for accurately detecting preservatives in beer are practically unavailable for home use. Even TLC (thin layer chromatography) requires equipment and reagents. Therefore, these are the tricks with the ears. I admit the possibility of error in some cases, but my experience as a chemist and biologist tells me that in most cases the tests work correctly.

The appearance of numerous small midges in the apartment causes a lot of anxiety. These insects have an incredible reproduction rate, so it is advisable to start looking for methods to get rid of them at the first sign.

Reasons for the appearance of insects in the house

Before you start fighting midges, you need to understand what causes their appearance.

Eggs can be introduced with contaminated fruits, berries, and vegetables. When the fruits begin to rot, larvae appear. Their growth occurs very quickly. After five days they are already pupae, and after another five days adult insects fly around the apartment.

Before looking for means to kill midges, you need to establish the place from which they fly:

• bin;
• an aquarium if the water in it is rarely replaced;
• a cage with a hamster, guinea pig, rat and other animals;
• bowls with leftover cat or dog food;
• potted flowers, especially if the remains of tea leaves are poured under them;
• stagnant water in flower pots and pallets;
• food residues stuck in siphons.

Physical methods of killing midges

There are simple ways to help fight a midge infestation. After checking all places in the apartment and determining that these insects are flying out of the sink drain, you need to thoroughly rinse the pipes, opening them to high pressure hot water. This will destroy the larvae and eggs. To finally solve the problem, you should remove any possible blockage by using a plunger or using special means. In the future, control flushing of pipes with hot water is carried out regularly.

A small amount of midges can be easily caught with a vacuum cleaner. During daily cleaning, it is enough to pay attention to the presence of flying midges and quickly eliminate them. If there are no household members in the house, you can use a method that involves the use of camphor. Since midges cannot stand its smoke, just pour crushed camphor into a preheated frying pan and walk through the rooms with it, opening the windows.

Cope with midges that have settled flower pots, a weakly concentrated solution of potassium permanganate will help. It is enough to pour it over a clod of soil and spray the plant. If necessary, the procedure is repeated after a week. Ash, which is mixed with the soil, helps reduce the number of insects. If there is an excessive number of flying midges, you will have to replant the plant, throwing out all the infected soil. The roots and the pot itself are washed with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then the flower is planted in fresh soil.

By pouring dishwashing detergent diluted in water into a spray bottle, you can spray it when you detect midges taking off. Due to the sticky composition getting on them, the ability to fly is lost, as the wings stick together. This gradually leads to a decrease in the number of insects.

Various methods of dealing with annoying midges will be successful if you first eliminate all sources of dampness and put fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. Check your cereal supplies and stock up on special containers with lids for storing them. After such measures they will help get rid of annoying insects sticky tapes. Since new midges will no longer appear, this measure will be enough to deal with them quickly enough.

Homemade traps

Once the source of the midges has been identified and measures have been taken to eliminate it, all that remains is to get rid of the flying individuals. For this purpose, traps are effectively used, placed in the apartment in places where they will be inaccessible to children and will not interfere with adults in carrying out everyday activities.

There are several varieties of such traps designed to combat specifically adult flying insects.

• Taken plastic bag, into which overripe pieces of banana or green apple are placed. Gradually, the midges gather, attracted by the smell of the delicacy. When there are quite a lot of them, you need to quickly tie the bag and throw it away.
• The next type of trap is made from plastic bottle. Cuts off from her top part about a quarter total length. Several holes are made in the lid, large enough for a midge to crawl through. Any fruit bait is placed on the bottom, then bottom part The cut top is attached with the lid facing down. After being filled with midges, the trap is thrown out along with them.
• You can place plastic cups with bait in the house, in which a paper funnel is attached. It should have a small hole at the bottom, and the top part is glued to the glass with tape.
• It is also possible to collect flying midges in a trap in the form plastic cup with the remains of compote, covered with cellophane on top, in which several small holes are made.

All these methods allow you to completely get rid of midges within a few days.

Folk remedies

Various folk remedies that involve the use of available substances cope well with midge infestations.

• You can place small open bags of chopped horseradish in several places in the house, the smell of which midges do not like.
• Small containers are placed in the apartment, into which a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a little liquid dishwashing detergent are poured. Midges are attracted by the smell of vinegar and they sit on the bait. The thick consistency of the detergent composition does not allow them to take off.
• If you leave a yogurt cup with a small amount of beer in it overnight, then in the morning there will be a lot of drowned midges in it.

There are also unusual folk tips on how you can get rid of midges in your home that have taken a liking to flower pots. It is recommended, for example, to stick regular matches into the ground with their heads down or sprinkle it with ground pepper.

Midges do not like the smell of geranium, so it is advisable to grow this flower not only for the sake of beautiful buds, but also as a prophylactic against annoying insects.

Chemicals against midges

If simple, proven means different people, do not help, you can turn to chemicals. You need to purchase them in a specialized store. Before starting processing, carefully study the instructions. There should be no children, elderly people or animals in the apartment.

To protect yourself, you should wear a thick robe with long sleeves. You will also need gloves, a respirator, glasses, and a headscarf. It is convenient to use an aerosol, which is sprayed not only in the air, but also in places where larvae may be located. Then the windows in the house are closed. After a few hours, the room is thoroughly ventilated. Of course, poison the midges chemicals Not possible in all rooms. For example, this method is not recommended for the kitchen.

The final stage after the final disappearance of the midge is spring-cleaning. It is important to rinse all hard-to-reach places and make sure there are no leaks. Stock up on a sufficient number of containers with lids for storing cereals. If there are animals in the house, it is necessary to clean the cages and wash the bowls daily.

Video: How to make a mosquito and midge repellent

With the arrival of August, the time when most fruits ripen, unwanted insects such as fruit flies appear in the house. Inconspicuous fruit flies begin to attack all fruits and vegetables as soon as they lie down for a while. You can find out how to get rid of them without harming yourself by reading this article.

Where do fruit flies come from in the house?

These insects are eternal companions of humans; they feed on spoiled, rotten foods, which people have in abundance. Only with a massive harvest and constant presence of vegetables and fruits in the house, there will be a lot of fruit flies. They reproduce intensively and lay eggs on food. Since the eggs and larvae are very small, humans cannot notice them on the fruits. Having left the purchased watermelon or apples and pears, the next day you can see fruit flies actively interfering with your usual way of life.

Methods of disposal

If you cannot remove the cause of their appearance, and also hide all the products, then you can use the following means:

1. Jar trap. Place bait (a piece of fruit or juice, compote) on the bottom. Make a paper funnel with a small hole. Glue the joint with tape. Place the pointed end of the funnel down. Leave overnight. In the morning, cover and throw the “harvest” outside.

2. Plastic cup trap . Take a glass and put bait on the bottom. Cover the top with cling film and make several holes with a thick needle. Place it near the fruit fly habitat. After a few hours, throw away the glass with the caught flies and make a new blank.

3. Batch trap. Place the bait in a new bag with high walls and leave for a while. When insects fly inside, quickly close the bag and take it out of the house.

4. Adhesive tape. Coat the fly catching tape with wine or sour compote. Drosophila will fly to the smell and stick.

5. Bottle with mixture. In a small glass bottle Pour juice or compote into a narrow neck. Add soap solution. Leave it in a place where flies accumulate. They will fly inside, but will not be able to get up.

Here are some effective advice that help stop the invasion of fruit flies in the house:

• When there are flies in flower pots, you need to stick several matches into the substrate with their heads down. The midges will disappear.
• You can use a vacuum cleaner to catch fruit flies if they are very annoying and fly around a lot.
• If you have mosquito repellent plates, you can stick them on the window, with sunny side. The smell will be killer for flies.
• To avoid the reappearance of these insects, you need to remove all fruits in bags. Do not leave leftover food on the table. And spoiled products should be disposed of immediately.

Drosophila appears in the house very easily, but getting rid of it is not an easy task. If you apply the proposed methods correctly, you can get rid of these insects in a few days. But the best thing is not to give fruit flies a reason to appear: do not leave food on for a long time"unattended"