Lacewing in an apartment - the most effective ways to combat insects

For a summer cottage, the lacewing is not a pest. On the contrary, it provides a significant benefit to the gardener in the fight for the harvest, eating the main garden pest, aphids. Lacewing in an apartment is an unpleasant phenomenon that causes great discomfort to its residents.

Peculiarities

The lacewing is a tiny arthropod insect from the order Netoptera. There are more than two thousand species of midges, differing only in color and size. The green bug has the largest size - 1.5 centimeters; the brown one is only a few millimeters long.

The habitat is a park, gardens, forests and vegetable gardens. That is, the apartment is not a usual place of life for the lacewing, but a random location.

The lacewing got its name because of its compound eyes, which are golden or transparent in color.

Bugs prefer a nocturnal lifestyle, so they fly into the room attracted by the bright light of lamps. For daytime activities, they choose darkened places: closets, cracks and any other spaces inaccessible to sunlight.

The transparent midge moves very quickly in the air, but does this only when searching for food, attracted by bright light or if someone frightens it. Depending on the species, the taste preferences of boogers differ. Some feed only on sap and pollen, others on small insects - aphids and mites. When food is scarce, rare cases of cannibalism occur among lacewings.

The midge is very voracious; it can eat more than a hundred plant pests in a day. Therefore, many summer residents specifically introduce lacewings on their plots in order to avoid treating plants with harmful chemical compounds.

Life cycle and reproduction of insects

It is believed that the lacewing is the most harmless insect. The life cycle of a female is about 60 days. During this time, she manages to lay a field of one and a half thousand eggs. She does this every day.

The arthropod attaches eggs on special silk legs to the surface of the plant. The rate of hatching of larvae depends on the ambient temperature. In hot summer, the process takes no more than three days. Egg laying occurs close to the food source. After “birth,” the larva must immediately begin to eat; in the absence of food, they begin to eat each other.

During a season, depending on climatic conditions, a bug can produce from two to five generations. The individual cannot tolerate sudden drops or increases in air temperature. As soon as daylight hours noticeably decrease or the temperature drops to 10 degrees, the lacewing enters diapause.

Adults and larvae are capable of overwintering. Some species cope with cold weather using cocoons.

Reasons for the appearance of lacewings in an apartment

For the lacewing, human housing is not a natural habitat. Here it is very difficult for her to find food. There are several main reasons for the appearance of insects in a house or apartment:

1. Decrease in air temperature. The bug normally exists if the air temperature is not lower than 10 degrees.When it decreases, it begins to look for a warmer shelter;
2. The appearance of aphids and other pests on home ornamental plants. A midge predator moves everywhere in search of food and can fly into a house, attracted by a large accumulation of aphids on the flowers of a loggia or windowsill;
3. Accidental hit. It can be brought in from the street on clothes, flowers, fruit or any other objects.

These insects will not cause any particular harm in the house, especially if only a few individuals have flown into it. A large concentration of insects brings severe discomfort. Some people simply cannot stand the presence of midges in their apartment.

The booger spends the whole day in complete peace. Towards evening, the midge flies out and prefers to settle on the ceiling, curtains, or sits on a person, which is very unpleasant.

How to get rid of green midges

The bug is not harmful, so first you should use humane methods to combat it. It is advisable to take advantage of the natural behavior of the lacewing.

She prefers a nocturnal way of existence, which means we try to “kick her out” of the house at night or in the evening. To do this, turn off the lights in the house and illuminate the street. It is advisable to open all windows wide open. A window won't be enough. The midge's eyes will not see the window glass, and it will beat against it to no avail, never leaving the room.

If the humane method does not work, you have to use more radical methods:

1. We turn on the vacuum cleaner and use it to “clean up” insects;
2. Chemical sprayers. They usually only affect adults, who die immediately. The room is treated with the windows tightly closed.Then it needs to be well ventilated, so harmful fumes can harm not only bugs, but also people. Ordinary Dichlorvos is suitable for processing;
3. Fumigators. This modern means of getting rid of mosquitoes and other harmful insects affects the lacewing. Especially if an ultrasonic device is used. Having caught the vibration, the midge freezes and falls to the floor. This natural feature helps the lacewing to survive in wildlife, escaping from its main enemies - bats.

All these methods do not work on insect larvae and eggs. Consequently, after some time the appearance of offspring is possible. In apartment conditions, this happens extremely rarely, since it is difficult for the lacewing to find a source of food for future larvae.

You should inspect the room; eggs may be located on house plants. They are very small, oval-shaped and light green in color. The leaf with larvae or eggs is torn off and destroyed.

Mosquitoes can fly into the house, attracted by indoor plants. To prevent this from happening, you need to spray your home flowers with the following solution: one pack of vanilla sugar is diluted in one liter of water. In summer, when the lacewing is especially active, such spraying should be done at least once a week.

Not very aesthetically pleasing, but sticky traps work effectively. They are placed near windows and indoor plants. The insect sticks to the sticky surface and dies almost immediately. The device is replaced with a new one as insects accumulate.

If there are a lot of green midges in a wooden house, this may serve as a signal for the appearance of wood-boring beetle larvae. This insect causes great harm, gradually destroying wooden floors. After destroying the beetle larvae, the lacewing can “voluntarily” leave the house through the windows or ventilation system.

There are several more radical ways to get rid of insects:

• Pesticide. The leaves of domestic plants are treated with insecticidal agents. Under its influence, larvae and adults die;
• Increase in room temperature. Close windows and doors and turn on all heating devices in the house. The bug cannot tolerate high temperatures and dies very quickly.

Before using harsh methods of insect control, you should use alternative ones. The insect does more good than harm. In many countries, there are specialized farms for breeding lacewings, which are then used as a unique means of controlling crop pests. A house or apartment is not a natural home for this cute insect, just help it move.