800-878-2110
800-878-2110
July 21, 2010 - Ted Snyder
Are you struggling with fruit flies in your home or business, but you’ve found the advice I gave in a previous entry just doesn’t seem to help? If so, there’s a good chance you may be dealing with a fruit fly imposter. Let’s take a look at each of these fakes.
Fruit Fly Imposter #1: The Fungus Gnat
Our first imposter, the fungus gnat, is primarily found indoors, favoring rooms with potted plants. To test to see if you have fungus gnats, tap your fingers against each of the plants in the area. If you see flies coming out of the plant, then you know that you have fungus gnats. They normally show up when soil in pots is overwatered, so the best form of control is to reduce the amount of water used in the plant. Chemical treatments into the soil can also help.
Fruit Fly Imposter #2: The Lake Fly or Midge
Our second imposter, the lake fly or midge, is primarily found outdoors, but can make its way inside. Oftentimes these look like miniature mosquitoes and they tend to be found by light sources, such as windows, glass doors, lights, etc. Sealing up cracks and crevices on the structure and using shades to reduce the amount of light visible outside at night will help to control these. Chemical treatments along areas where they land can help, too.
Fruit Fly Imposter #3: The Moth Fly
Our third imposter, the moth fly, is primarily found in basements. This fly looks to be a hybrid between moth and fly, a small fly with moth-like wings. They are most common around the floor drain in the basement, sometimes around sump pumps and other water sources. Inspect these areas with a flashlight. If you find a drain with a large number of them inside of it, chances are that’s where they are breeding. The best solution is to clean the drain, either with a drain cleaning product or to have a pest management professional apply a bioremediation product in the drain.
That’s it for our fruit fly imposters. May they never deceive you again.
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