If you are fed up with midges, it’s time to become more offensive and to get rid of them definitively. Some of these tips will prevent them from reappearing. Another one is all about setting up a trap for these despicable bugs.
1) On your plants
If midges seem to be make your plants their home, it’s probably because they only lay eggs on damp soils. If you stop watering them until you get a dry soil, then midges and larvae will die. When they all seem to be dead, you can start watering your plants again. When adult midges seem to be flying around the plant, you can also spray on your plants some water mixed with a bit of lemon juice and a few tablespoons of liquid soap.
If you don’t notice any improvement, you can still repot the plant.
2) Set up a trap
If midges are particularly numerous in one room, you could try to set up a trap in order to get rid of them.
What you’ll need :
- A jar or an old can
- A lid with little holes in it (you can use a piece of cardboard if you want)
- Cider vinegar (or white vinegar with a few drops of lemon)
Step by step :
1) Fill in the jar with a little bit of vinegar.
2) Put the lid over the jar. The holes should be big enough for the midges to be able to come in but not too big because we want them to stay inside the jar.
3) Place the jar in the infected area. The midges will be attracted by the vinegar.
4) Once the jar is full, you can throw it away.
3) In the pipes
If the midges come from your sink you can get rid of it by simply pour olive oil in the pipe. The midges will be attracted by the smell but they will be stuck to the oil. You can repeat several time for a better effectiveness.
4) Get rid of any possible source of food
If you want them to disappear and never come you have to be careful, you shouldn’t let any food within easy reach. Indeed, they love food scraps more than anything else so put these scraps in your fridge or in a closed bin (a lid is absolutely essential).