Author of the article
Daria Vorontsova
Reading time: 29 minutes
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The appearance of flying insects in an apartment is always a reason for thunderous applause. How to safely and effectively get rid of midges from flowers and greenery growing on your windowsill?
Many housewives are engaged in landscaping their home with the help of their favorite flowering plants. But it’s not enough to just buy or plant a flower. It requires proper care, otherwise midges will appear and cause the death of the plant. And if they have already appeared, action should be taken quickly.
What kind of midges live in indoor flowers?
Various insects can live in pots with plants. If you understand what pest you are facing, the fight will be more effective.
Black midges
These are sciarids, which are also called fungus gnats. They are very small in size, literally a few millimeters. The body is elongated, gray-black, the wings are transparent.
Adult insects are not at all dangerous. Plants are threatened by eggs that sciarids lay in moist soil.
The hatched larvae are approximately 3–5 mm long. They have a black head and a white body. They feed on organic matter rotting in the ground, but can also gnaw thin young roots of plants.
White midges
They are also called whiteflies or aleurods. Adults are approximately 2–3 mm long. Outwardly, they resemble a moth. They have two pairs of milky white wings covered with a flour-like coating.
Gary Chang
Insects lay light-colored and clearly visible eggs on the underside of leaves. With special pleasure - on the juicy ones. These are found, for example, in fuchsias, primroses, pelargoniums, poinsettias, hibiscus, and abutilons.
Hatched larvae, like adult whiteflies, suck juices from stems and leaves. Damaged areas are deformed, curled, and sticky dew appears on them. If measures are not taken, the plant will die.
Drosophila
These are fruit flies 2–3 mm long. Outwardly, they resemble ordinary flies, only very miniature.
Katja Schulz
Drosophila are not dangerous to the plant. They are more likely to annoy people, as they quickly multiply and scatter around the apartment.
Water correctly