Pest Control The Talk of Town As Rodent Pressures Rise Amid Health Crisis
05/04/2020
Hopefully, we all know at least a little bit about how the lack of pest control can contribute to the spread of disease. Probably the most famous e...
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They're both tiny. They both fly around your house. And, they both have a chance of being accidentally sucked into your windpipe. But, besides sharing these irritating similarities, these two household pests are actually quite different.
Fungus Gnats
Do you love plants and flowers? If you do, these pests will love you for it. Fungus gnats are most often brought into a home as eggs inside plant soil. These eggs give birth to larvae and begin to eat, grow and eventually develop into a pupa and hatch to become the tiny black flies that drive us crazy. The more plants you have in your home, the more fungus gnats you'll have crawling on your bathroom mirror, television set, and face. Your fungus gnat population is also directly connected to moisture. The wetter your soil, the more flies you'll produce.
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An ounce of prevention: There are a ton of suggestions out there for fungus gnat control, and most of them don't work. Some of them are even dangerous. Fungus gnats need wet soil. If you're having an issue, allow soil to dry between waterings, and use a vacuum to suck up winged gnats.
Fruit Flies
Do you eat fruit? If you do, these pests will love you for it. Fruit flies usually lay their eggs on fruit before those items get into your home. When your fruit ripens, the eggs give birth to tiny larvae and develop into a pupa, and then hatch into those little orangish flies that swarm your face. If you enjoy beverages with sugar in them, you'll give those fruit flies even more reason to get all up in your grill.
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An ounce of prevention: To keep fruit flies from being produced in the first place, make sure you put fruit items in the fridge instead of on the counter. If you have a swarm of fruit flies that have already taken root in your home, find the rotting, sugary items they are breeding in and remove them. Then, fill a bowl with 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 drops liquid dish soap, and cover it with cling wrap. Make sure it is nice and tight, and poke a dozen holes in it with a toothpick. Place two or three of these around your home and you'll get that infestation under control.
If you continue to have trouble with either of these pests, contact American Pest for effective fly control in Germantown, Bethesda and all of Montgomery County and Maryland, NOVA and Washington D.C. A professional technician can locate and eliminate the breeding sites that are allowing these pests to flourish. They can also educate you on how to reduce these and other pests in your home with natural, modern pest management methods.
