How intrusive, unpleasant, and downright annoying house flies can be, I think there is no need to remind or explain to anyone. In addition to moral discomfort, these buzzing insects are also carriers of various pathogenic bacteria and infections, which can be very dangerous, since closer to autumn they become especially aggressive and biting. Chasing them with a fly swatter is a thankless task and not particularly effective; the place of those killed is quickly taken by new arrivals, and so on ad infinitum. House ants occupy a special place in the caste of parasites. These comrades are even more dangerous than flies, since they LITERALLY dismantle your home if it is made of wood. In the article below, I want to give some advice and ideas on how to complicate the sabotage activities of all this parasitic fraternity.
Method 1. “Fly repeller”
This method is as simple as an angle, but very effective. At least there were noticeably fewer flies after using it.You can't find anything easier - you just need a plastic bag, a handful of shiny coins, 20 cm of strong thread, and 150 ml of ordinary clean water.
You need to place a few coins in a bag, pour water into it and seal it tightly.
Hang at the entrance or window.
It seems incredible, but it works! The whole point is that the fly sees the world differently from the way we humans are used to seeing it. A fly does not have a single retina. Each of her compound eyes consists of 4 thousand individual cells called facets. Each facet has its own lens, which perceives only a small area of reflected light. However, all the cells in both eyes of the insect, working together, allow the fly to see the mosaic image in almost 360 degrees. But any light source hitting her eyes at right angles makes her extremely vulnerable to the slightest change in brightness. It is this weakness that plays the main role in the reception with the package; the refracted light is reflected from the coins in the water, constantly confusing the insect and forcing it to avoid the source of irritation.
Method 2. “Adhesive tape”
Adhesive tape, a fly trap, is sold in any hardware department of any store. It's inexpensive and works well. But you can do it yourself, and it’s even more effective in catching nimble parasites. You will need construction adhesive tape, rodent glue, honey, and a mixing stick.
So, unwind 20-25 cm of tape, and apply a thin layer of rodent glue to the sticky side.
This is a special glue - it does not dry out in the air and remains sticky for a very long time until it becomes covered with dust. Honey should be spread over this glue. Just a little, half a teaspoon is enough. For the smell. This will be bait.
Well, now just hang this trap in the place where flies most like to fly - in the kitchen, or near the toilet.
Before I had time to move away from the trap glued to the chandelier, the first client immediately fell into it!
The trap works well!
Now let's talk about ants. There are several types of house ants: red turf ants, yellow thief ants, black carpenter ants, red pharaoh ants, etc. You can’t list them all! But for everyone you can find a solution.
How to get rid of ants in the house
Whatever the type of ants that have chosen your home, there is one way to inflict serious damage on them, which will stop their destructive activity for a long time (for a season for sure!). Or maybe forever. Depends on the survivability of the species. You will need an egg yolk, a teaspoon of boric acid, a teaspoon of sugar, and a mixing stick.
There is nothing complicated here either; Mix all ingredients thoroughly and form small lumps.
It is better, of course, to do this with gloves, which I myself conveniently forgot about. Next, we lay out the treat on a saucer or board, and place it in the place where clusters of these insects are most often observed.
Working ants, as a rule, no matter what species they belong to, do not eat the obtained delicacy immediately, on the spot. They carry the food they find to the colony, to the queen ant and other “elite” of the ant colony. They eat themselves last. Thus, thanks to the strict discipline and hierarchy of the ant system, we can neutralize (or completely destroy) the entire colony for a long time.An important point - CAREFULLY ensure that your pets or small children do not get a poisoned treat! Such small doses, of course, will not lead to the death of an animal or a person, but they will definitely cause discomfort in the stomach for several days!
How to get rid of ants in a greenhouse
Greenhouse ants, in fact, are not very different from house ants. Only instead of the floor and crossbars, they spoil the roots of your plants, which leads to crop loss. Here, of course, one could deal with them as with domestic ants, but in the greenhouse, in addition to these parasites, there may also be beneficial insects. For example, bees and bumblebees that pollinate the future harvest. Bees, wasps, bumblebees, as unsurpassed connoisseurs of various sweets, will also not mind treating themselves to this dubious delicacy, so here we will strike precisely, only at the enemy! You will need half a liter of boiling water, ground black pepper, tobacco dust, vinegar, and a large syringe.
Add half a teaspoon of pepper and a teaspoon of tobacco dust to boiling water.
Stir thoroughly. Next, add 10 teaspoons of 9% vinegar to this mixture.
Let it sit until it cools down. We take the resulting mixture into a syringe and pour it into the entrances and exits of the underground dwelling of these little parasites.
This hellish mixture, of course, will not kill them, but it will definitely force them to leave the unpleasant place until the next season. And chemicals that will lead to complete destruction of ants cannot be used in a greenhouse under any circumstances; let's poison vegetable crops. By the way, with the same mixture, if you pass it through a cotton filter and pour it into a spray bottle, you can also fight aphids. In these simple ways we can make life easier for ourselves and complicate it for our little enemies.Of course, besides flies and ants, there are other unpleasant neighbors. For example, mosquitoes. But the simplest and cheapest fumigator can easily cope with them. True, I have small but pleasant advice on this matter; Instead of a standard fumigator plate, place a piece of incense on the heating element of the device.
The effect will be the same as from the plate - mosquitoes cannot stand any pungent odor, but for us, it will be much more pleasant to breathe with aromatic resin than with chemical poison.
