How to get rid of midges in flowers

Question answer

What causes midges in indoor flowers?

A common reason is that they could appear when a plant is transplanted into purchased land, which has already been infected with eggs and larvae. In addition, midges could simply fly in the summer or autumn from the window and settle in your flowers. One way or another, the main factor in the emergence and reproduction of sciarids and fruit flies is moist, overflowing soil, which attracts midges and creates favorable conditions for the transformation of sleeping eggs into larvae. By the way, fruit flies could get into your apartment along with purchased vegetables, fruits, or fly to the smell of a stale product, and only after that they choose your flower pots.

Why are midges in flowers dangerous?

Adults themselves are harmless, but their larvae, feeding on the juice of the roots, destroy the plant. Flower midges are especially dangerous for seedlings and young plants.

What to do to prevent midges in indoor flowers from starting up?

Watering the plants as 2 cm of the top layer of the earth dries up, as well as periodic loosening and timely removal of diseased leaves. Moderate watering will make the soil less attractive to oviparous adult midges and less fertile for larval development.

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For more information on how to get rid of midges in indoor plants, see the next video tutorial.

How to avoid the appearance of midges, prevention

It is necessary to properly care for our indoor pets.

The purchased flower must be transplanted into new soil, treated and disinfected with special means. To do this, you can use purchased soil, and if you prepare the soil yourself, it must be calcined in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees.

Land in flowerpots is necessary loosen regularlyto breathe.

Be careful with watering - flowers do not like excessive moisture... Always install a drain to prevent water from accumulating in the pot. If you water the plant from below, it will take the amount of moisture it needs.

Ventilate the room regularly, which contains indoor plants.

Spend prevention of midges in the form of a weak solution of manganese, watering the plant once a month.

Each type of plant requires different care, so learn all about the flower you are about to buy.

Description of the problem

Midges in indoor colors

Often, indoor florists do not pay special attention to unwanted guests appearing on their green pets, which, of course, is a mistake. The small size of the pests should not be misleading. The very fact of their appearance suggests that the plant is in danger, since it is of food interest for midges.

In addition, the life cycle of these pests is very short - from a few days to several weeks. The second generation will appear very quickly and will be more numerous. If you ignore the problem, you can lose your favorite culture in less than a month.

Midges and their larvae

The danger in most cases is not the midges themselves, but their larvae living in the ground and feeding on the roots of a houseplant. Another vulnerable part is their flowers.Stems and leaves, as a rule, are of no interest for this type of pest.

It is difficult and simple to answer the question of why midges settle on indoor plants at the same time. Simply because an acceptable breeding environment is created on the ground. And it is difficult because there are many ways of penetration of pests into the home and it is very difficult to block even some of them.

In particular, midges can get into a house with a poor-quality substrate, appear when a culture is transplanted from a garden or other room, get into an apartment simply through an open window, etc.

The species diversity of midges dangerous for indoor plants is very great. Consider which midges can harm indoor plants. Usually, they are classified according to their appearance and divided into three large groups:

Fruit flies

Tanzanian fruit fly is a typical representative of fruit midges

Fruit flies

They are fruit or fruit midges. Outwardly, they resemble reduced copies of ordinary flies.

Coloring is very diverse, but yellow-brown specimens are predominantly found. Sizes - up to 3.5 mm.

Sciarids

Detritus is the most common representative of the family in Europe

Sciarids

Another name is black midges or mushroom gnats. One of the most extensive families, it is estimated that the number of species is several times greater than that of fruit flies.

These pests are similar to small mosquitoes or flying black aphids. Sizes - up to 2 mm.

Aleurodids

American whitefly - the main pest of most ornamental crops

Aleurodids

They're whiteflies. Outwardly, they look like small flies or aphids. A distinctive feature is the white color of the body and wings. They like to hide on the underside of leaves. Sizes - from 1.3 to 1.8 mm.

Fortunately for flower growers, despite the huge variety of arthropod parasites, the means of dealing with them are almost the same, which greatly simplifies the approach to solving the problem.

Other pests

Weed flea - a typical representative of earthen fleas

Other pests

Often other insects that parasitize plants are confused with midges - earthen flower fleas. Unlike the previously considered pests, they belong not only to a completely different family, but also to the order (Coleoptera). Flower earthen fleas are actually small beetles.

They, of course, can parasitize on indoor plants (mainly affecting young plants and seedlings), but these cases are quite rare. The main food base for these pests is plants from vegetable gardens and meadows: sorrel, heather and shepherd's purse. In some cases, they can act as pests of vegetables and fruits.

Puffs, or springtails, are another species of arthropods that are often confused with midges. They do not fly, but they have a jumping fork that allows them to move between plants quite easily.

Like earthen fleas, this pest rarely infects indoor plants, since its natural habitat requires a lot of water. In addition, podura breed exclusively in the aquatic environment.

Poduras usually live in shallow bodies of water

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Where did midges come from in indoor flowers?

The reason for the appearance of this pest at home is improper care of the plant. An insect can appear as a result of the following:

1. Use of soil contaminated with insect larvae. Therefore, before adding to the pot, it should be thoroughly disinfected with elevated temperatures or potassium permanganate solution. What to do if a white bloom appears on the ground in a flower pot - read here
2. Purchase of plants affected by midges. To prevent such an acquisition, you need to carefully examine the flower and the ground around it right in the store.
3. Excessive watering.Determining the liquid requirements of a plant can be quite simple. If after watering, water remains in the pan, then this indicates too abundant irrigation of the soil.
4. The presence of eggs and pest larvae in organic feeding;
5. Insufficient air circulation in the room or dense arrangement of containers with flowers;
6. Insect infestation from the street. Midges can fly into an apartment through an open window or window. Therefore, to protect the plant from this pest, it is recommended to install mosquito nets on the windows.

Midges lay eggs in the ground, worsening the growing conditions of the plant. In addition, the insect larvae feed on the roots, which very soon leads to decay of the root system.

Some species of midges first live in the ground and only then become noticeable to humans. Therefore, it is so difficult to get rid of them with only folk remedies.

Folk remedies for getting rid of bugs

Available folk remedies and methods will help get rid of pests on indoor plants. You can destroy flying insects with a vacuum cleaner: collect all the midges with a pipe without a nozzle and discard the bag or treat it with dichlorvos.

For catching insects, you can use special fly tape, which should be placed near the houseplants. You can also make a trap yourself by following simple instructions:

1. Cut small strips of heavy cardboard.
2. Paint the workpiece yellow and brush a little with honey.
3. Place the traps on the windowsill.
4. Change the bait periodically until the pests are completely exterminated.

Homemade or purchased traps hung near flowers will help you catch the bugs. This method is effective in the fight against adults, but it will not help to destroy the larvae and eggs of bugs.

Garlic

The pungent scent of garlic will scare away midges and protect your houseplant. It can be applied in two ways:

• spread several sliced ​​garlic cloves around the perimeter of the flowerpot, cut down;
• Pour 3 chopped heads of garlic with a liter of water and leave for 4 hours. Strain the finished tincture, spray the plants with a spray bottle and water the soil a little.

Soap solution

To kill bugs, prepare a soapy solution of 30 g of soap and 250 ml of water. Spray the plants with the resulting product and wipe the leaves. Repeat the procedure once a week until the pests are completely eliminated.

Spraying plants with soapy water will not only destroy bugs and larvae, but also create a protective film from pests on the leaves and soil

Ammonia

An alcohol solution (50 g of ammonia per 4 liters of water) will help to remove the midges. The product is used for spraying plants at the stage of pest control and for the purpose of prophylaxis. Spray the solution on the top of the flower, and you can also water it on the soil to kill larvae and eggs. Treatment should be carried out until the complete destruction of the pests with an interval of 7-10 days.

Vinegar

Dissolve 1 tsp in 1 liter of water. apple cider vinegar or table vinegar. Use the resulting solution for spraying and wiping the leaves. Such treatment will destroy pests, prevent their appearance, and also make the flowers bright and shiny.

A solution of apple cider vinegar effectively removes insects, makes indoor flowers more lively, fresh and shiny

Other home methods for dealing with midges

Simpler actions will also help to get rid of the bugs:

• stick a few pieces of orange peel into the ground (you can use fresh or dried);
• Pour chopped wood ash into the pot. Such a remedy is not only effective in the fight against midges, but also serves as a fertilizer for flowers;
• stick a few matches with the head down into the ground, and then water the soil. Check the matches regularly and if there is no sulfur, replace them with new ones. The duration of such processing is 5-10 days;
• put sprigs of mint or shredded dried tobacco in a flowerpot;
• periodically water the plants with a solution of cinnamon;
• for spraying the leaves, use an infusion of celandine (100 g of raw materials per 1 liter of boiling water).

To remove midges and get rid of the larvae, transplant the flower into new, high-quality soil. At the same time, rinse and disinfect the plant roots, soil and flowerpot well, and put the old soil in a tight bag and throw it away.

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4 Apr 2019

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How to get rid of midges in flowers: 5 important steps

So, you have noticed the houses of small gnats flying around houseplants. What's next? Here are five easy steps to get rid of midges in flower pots.

Step 1: Find and eliminate the source of excess moisture!

As we said above, these are usually plants growing in over-poured soil - in pots, a flower bed or a greenhouse. But midges can also live in overly mulched soil, which retains moisture for a long time after rain. They are not very active pilots, so they usually live near water. Found the source? If it is rotting organic waste, dispose of it, in the case of soil - shake it up - you should come across white maggots.

Step 2: Don't water the soil!

You can simply leave the infected pot without watering for a while - in dry soil, the eggs of midges will not be able to turn into larvae, the existing larvae will die, and they will no longer be able to reproduce ... But this is a very expensive price: in case of serious infection, the parasites can finally finish off poor flower. And if the whole area is flooded, it will take even more time to wait! In such cases, do not hesitate - use Bti (see next paragraph).

Step 3: Till the soil - get rid of midge larvae with B.t.i

Larvae are much more dangerous than adult midges - therefore, the main step is to get rid of the larvae, and not from adults.

It is not necessary to look for special insecticides to cultivate the soil or other moist breeding environment; you can do with already proven organic mosquito control agents. Entomologists advise using B.t.i. to eliminate larvae. - special live bacteria that kill insect larvae before they have time to become adults.

Summit 20-Pack Mosquito Dunk

This affordable (~ $ 20) and safe product has successfully proven itself as a product for killing mosquito larvae, and judging by the satisfied reviews, it also effectively deals with midges and mushroom mosquitoes. To cultivate the soil in a pot, first dip the "donut" into the watering can so that the product dissolves in the water, and then spill the soil with the resulting solution. If infestation occurs on an outdoor area, break it into pieces and sprinkle on waterlogged soil, or also dissolve in water and spill.Following the instructions, repeat the procedure as needed (until new larvae stop appearing) - usually the problem is solved within 2-3 weeks.

Step 4: kill midges in flower pots with sticky traps

Simultaneously with the elimination of moisture and the fight against larvae, we kill adult females so that they do not lay new eggs. Sticky traps are great for this and can be left in the ground for constant monitoring. They differ little from each other: glue base, bright yellow color and the same principle: midges stick and die, bypassing the stage of laying eggs. You can use the following products (or similar):

For small infestations: Safer Brand 5025 Houseplant Sticky Stakes Insect Trap (7 traps) (~ $ 6)

For large infestations: Hafer 30-Pack (15ea.5 ″ * 3 ″ yellow Dual sticky trap and 15pcs wire tie) set (~ $ 7)

Step 5: Schedule Watering Your Plants

When you finally got rid of mushroom gnats, the most important thing is to draw conclusions from the situation and prevent its reappearance, i.e. do not overfill the soil! Make a watering schedule and take into account important nuances:

• different plants require different watering frequency and light level;
• choose the right pots for indoor plants - the choice largely depends on the type of root system;
• in winter, all plants consume less moisture, so make watering more moderate (it's not for nothing that these insects are called winter gnats!);
• carry out preventive examinations of your pot and outdoor plants for vermin.

So, to summarize, how to get rid of midges in flower pots:

Midges and mushroom gnats are a time bomb, they can do a lot of damage to your indoor flowers. The main tactic in dealing with them is not to overflow the plants! It is in your hands to prevent the formation of overfilled areas and mold and promptly remove organic debris to avoid rotting. In a word, now you know what to do to prevent the appearance of these pests. Water your flowers without fanaticism, friends!

And don't forget about greenhouses, midges can cause irreparable damage to your future harvest, especially young seedlings.

What are the midges?

In order to choose the right agent for the destruction of a harmful insect, you need to be able to correctly identify its variety. There are 3 types of midges:

1. White.
2. Black.
3. Earthlings.

Insect infestation usually occurs in winter or autumn. At this time, the plant consumes less liquid, and moisture stagnates in the soil, creating comfortable conditions for the pest to breed.

White midges (whitefly)

It's pretty easy to spot them. Outwardly, they resemble moths, only in a reduced size. White midges lay their eggs on the leaves of the plant. The hatched larvae feed on the cell sap. Therefore, in infected plants, faded spots form on the leaves, and the leaves themselves dry out and fall off over time.

The insect spreads very quickly, affecting and destroying all nearby indoor flowers.

Black (sciarids)

These midges are dark in color and live on the leaves of the plant. The main discomfort for flower growers from their appearance is that they quickly spread outside the pot, flying throughout the apartment. For flowers, they are more dangerous than other varieties of the pest. They can destroy the plant in no time.

The main signs of plant damage by black midges:

• the presence of small insects up to 0.5 mm on the surface of the soil;
• detection in the soil of worms (up to 5 mm) with a translucent body and a dark head.

A common reason for the appearance of black midges is the use of folk remedies for feeding plants (watering with tea leaves, a solution of banana peel, etc.). Often, insect larvae get to a plant with a poor-quality substrate.

As a result of their vital activity, the roots of the plant suffer, and the quality of the soil deteriorates. They prefer indoor flowers with dense leaves (violets, ficus, azalea, etc.).

Earthen (podura, springtails)

Potted midges in indoor flowers are much more common than other varieties. They appear as a result of excessive watering. Such pests live on the surface of the soil or at the base of the pot, populating the substrate with their larvae. Their maximum length is 1 mm. The insect can be either white or yellowish-brown in color.

A favorable environment for their reproduction is the liquid in the pan of the pot and waterlogged soil.

The midges themselves do not harm the plant; their larvae, feeding on the roots and spreading fungal diseases, are dangerous. They can be very detrimental to young shoots. But for adult plants, they even benefit, participating in the process of decomposition of organic matter and saturating the substrate with oxygen.

The midges that appear should be destroyed, preventing them from breeding.