How to get rid of onion gnats

Onion gnats are common in all latitudes. They appear with the onset of spring in the kitchen with improper storage of onions and easily transfer to other vegetables and fruits lying without packaging. In garden plots, insects are able to destroy planted crops in a few days.

Who are the onion gnats

Midges are small flying insects. There are several species of midges parasitizing plants, mainly fruit midges (fruit flies) and soil midges (scyriads). The body of the midge is golden in color with black stripes, has an oval shape, the length of which does not exceed 1.5-3 mm. Females are larger than males. The insect has six legs, two wings. Midges are slow in flight, not as fast as in common flies.

Pests multiply at an incredible rate. Females lay eggs only on perishable fruits and vegetables that feed the larvae. Onion midges live for 20-30 days, during which time they go through all four stages of their life cycle: an adult, an egg, a larva, a pupa.

What do they eat

Most gnats serve as food types of onions: onion, leek, shallots, chives. The insect uses all bulbous plants for food: garlic, tulips, lilies, some types of lettuce.

In the kitchen, midges are attracted by the smell of spoiling vegetables, berries, and fruits. Spoiled foods are not only food for gnats, but also a suitable breeding ground, since larvae develop from laid eggs in the rotting pulp.

Insects instantly settle in open jars of homemade canned food: salted, pickled vegetables, compotes, jam. Insect feedingpests there will also be left food for pets, birds.

Where do they come from

Onion gnats fly easily over long distances. Attracted by the smell, they can enter the apartment through open windows, doors, through ventilation holes from neighbors.

Eggs and larvae can be found in vegetables, fruits, berries purchased in the store, in the market, brought from the personal plot. Cracks in overripe fruits serve as a good shelter for them. In these places, the process of decay begins, which always attracts midges.

Often, pests enter the house in a rotten onion when buying large quantities of onions.

Insects can be brought into the house with purchased cereals, flour. Eggs and larvae of the pest get into them during packaging, weighing. It is almost impossible to find them there.

Attention! Midge eggs and adult insects can be found in the ground of purchased houseplants. If the soil is constantly wet, this will attract new individuals, they will quickly multiply in it.

Are they dangerous, what is their harm

Onion flies appear in late spring. They lay eggs on young seedlings Luke... After 8-10 days, larvae appear, penetrating the inside of the bulbs for food, as a result of which they deteriorate and disappear.

In kitchens, insects spoil food on the surface. They lay eggs on fruits, vegetables. Winged insects are carriers of various diseases. An onion midge bite can cause a severe allergic reaction, accompanied by swelling. This is especially true for people prone to allergies.

On unpackaged products, pests lay eggs that can enter human food. Midges stain the surface of furniture, walls. During flight, it can enter the respiratory tract of a person.

What to do if they appear in the apartment

To get rid of onion gnats, you first need to find places for their feeding and active reproduction.

Important! The main principle of the fight is to leave insects without food and a favorable environment for their reproduction.

This requires:

• review and discard spoiled bulbs;
• put the stored onions into the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator;
• with a large amount of onions, store them in well-ventilated nets;
• do not leave vegetables, fruits, berries, citrus fruits unnecessarily on the table;
• throw away garbage in time: midges flock to the smell of food waste;
• do not leave dirty dishes in the sink, especially cups in which fruit juice has been poured;
• block the access of insects to water: wipe the sinks, do not leave dishes with water unopened;
• use disinfectants to clean siphons, drain pipes, sewers;
• monitor the cleanliness of bowls for pet food, remove excess food in time, clean the cages.
• revise and hermetically close containers with cereals, flour;
• if midges are found in flower pots, reduce watering, replace the top layer of soil.

How to get rid of midges

When onion midges appear in the kitchen, take action immediately, without waiting for the number of insects to increase several times. To get rid of pests, chemicals, folk methods and homemade traps are used.

Chemical methods

In the fight against onion midges, chemical preparations are most effective. But keep in mind that they are much more harmful than traditional methods. There are a large number of insecticides that can be used to spray onion crops, but most of them are used only in open areas. Their action is aimed at damaging the nervous system of insects, as a result of which paralysis and death of the pest occurs.

These drugs include:

1. "Aktara" acts on adults and larvae. Dilute in water: 1 g of powder or 1 ml of liquid per 10 liters of water, and the plantings are sprayed twice a season.
2. "Alatar" (10 ml per 10 liters of water) - also acts on adults and larvae. They process the beds twice a season.
3. "Zemlin", "Mukhoed" (granules) is poured onto the beds when planting the bulbs.
4. "Karate Zeon»Destroys harmful insects at all stages of the life cycle.
5. "Terradox" applied to the soil when planting bulbs.
6. "Maxim" - prepare a solution of 20 ml of the product and 10 liters of water, process the planting material, adult plants.

After applying insecticides, the fruits can be eaten no earlier than three weeks later.

At home, aerosols "Reid", "Odorless Dichlorvos", "Raptor", "Neo-dichlorvos" are used to combat midges. These drugs, if in contact with the skin and mucous membranes, can cause allergic reactions. Therefore, after processing, the room must be ventilated.

Important! Insecticides in the form of aerosols in the home are used with extreme caution, since when sprayed, their particles can get onto the dining table, kitchen utensils, utensils, or food for human consumption.

Folk ways

So that the midge does not start in the stored onion, the hostesses and owners use folk safe methods.

• Laundry soap is grated, filled with water until a homogeneous solution is obtained. The prepared solution is lightly sprayed on the stored onion. During the growth of onions, onion beds are sprayed with this solution.
• Carrots are planted next to onions, midges do not tolerate the smell of this plant. At home, when storing a small amount of onions, put several carrots between the bulbs.
• Horseradish - its smell repels insects. The plant is cut into pieces and laid out in several places in the kitchen, the windows are slightly opened. Pests will quickly fly away from the premises.
• Tobacco, juniper - small pieces of twigs are set on fire in a metal container. Smoldering plants give off a scent that repels midges.
• They do not tolerate pests and the smell of camphor oil, lavender, lemon, cloves.Open containers of essential oils are easy to place in the kitchen.
• Spray the surfaces in the kitchen with infusion of wheatgrass, wipe the floor with it.
• The smell of vanilla repels pests. Its pods can be put in a glass. The room is sprayed with a solution of vanillin.
• Chop the garlic, pour hot water. This solution is sprayed on the ground in flower pots, in which pests hide.
• Geranium - the smell of its leaves repels the onion pest.

Traps

Settling in the kitchen, onion gnats multiply at high speed. Sometimes getting rid of rotting fruit does not bring quick results. In these cases, housewives take more serious measures by preparing baits and traps for flying insects.

1. A piece of any fruit is placed on the bottom of a plastic disposable cup or a little juice, compote is poured. The top of the glass is wrapped with cling film, several small holes are made in it. The trap is left overnight in the kitchen. Insects will flock to the smell, through the holes they will penetrate into the glass. In the morning, a glass of midges is tied in another bag and taken out of the house.
2. A little juice is poured into a jar or pieces of overripe fruits are put. From above, the jar is closed with a funnel made of paper, with its neck inward. The trap is left overnight in the kitchen. In the morning, a jar with midges attracted into it is poured with water and poured into the sewer.
3. Pour some water into a wide container, add a few drops of a citrus-scented liquid detergent. The smell will attract pests, they will land on the water, but once they get into the solution, they will lose their ability to take off. The liquid with the midges is poured.
4. The baits are made from plastic bags by placing pieces of overripe fruit in them and twisting the bag so that only a small hole remains in it. In a short time, a large number of midges will accumulate in the packet. The bag is tied tightly and discarded.
5. Apple cider vinegar, table vinegar, wine leftovers, sour compote, juice, poured into any containers overnight, also serve as bait for midges. Insects will flock to such smells and die in vinegar and wine.
6. One of the most effective fly traps is sticky tape. The effect of the sticky tape is enhanced by sprinkling with drops of wine.
7. The pulp of the fruit is soaked with insecticides, placed in a disposable dish and left overnight. In the morning, traps with dead midges are thrown away.

How to prevent onion gnats

To prevent insects from appearing indoors, conditions are created to prevent their appearance and reproduction:

1. First of all, they clean all the drain holes by flooding them with boiling water.
2. A tablespoon of soda is poured into the plums, vinegar is poured. The resulting mixture cleans gutters well.
3. The stored cereals are carefully reviewed, suspicious, spoiled, with traces of cobwebs are thrown away.
4. Do not leave rotten fruits, fruits cut into pieces, sweets on surfaces.
5. Pay due attention to good disinfection of the bin.
6. Do not leave tea bags in cups overnight.
7. They monitor the cleanliness of kitchen rags, sponges, napkins, as when washing dishes, a large amount of invisible food residues accumulates on them.
8. Food is put into the refrigerator overnight.
9. Particular attention is paid to the proper storage of onions.

If vegetables are in a warm, dark place, in a closed plastic bag, the process of decay begins in them. Packets of rotten onions are ideal breeding grounds for pests.

To prevent the appearance of insects, the stored onions are periodically sorted out, the rotten ones are thrown away, high-quality ones are stored in open nets.

Conclusion

The onion midge is a lot of trouble for housewives and even experienced agronomists. It quickly spreads throughout the household plot, harming green spaces.To prevent its appearance, destroy weeds in time, process the soil when digging, and remove spoiled fruits in a timely manner. It is not difficult to deal with a pest, the main thing is to take the necessary measures after detecting a midge in time.