Gold-eyed: pest or protector?

The gilded eye is a green midge with transparent wings, which is a relatively small predatory insect.

It can bring tangible benefits to agriculture, since its larvae are able to devour pests. Some gardeners specially lodge these green insects on the site.

Gold-eyed and its species

Answering the question of who such a gold-eyed is, it is worth noting that it belongs to the order of the retina. There are more than 2 thousand species of such fragile black flies. The most common are: gold-eyed ordinary, golden-eyed beautiful, seven-point fleurs, Chinese fleurs, green and brown gold eyes. The latter, for example, differ only in color and size. Green in length can grow up to 15 mm, brown - significantly less. They inhabit mostly Europe. They love to live in forests, meadows, parks, gardens and gardens.

At rest, the wings of the insect are folded "house". A feature of this midge, due to which it received the name, are round protruding eyes of golden hue with bright brilliance. They are located on the sides, the structure - faceted. The wingspan of the gilding can reach 3-4 cm. There are 1 pair of antennae and 2 pairs of legs.

Features of the life cycle

If the average daily temperature is 26 ° C, the life cycle of the insect lasts 25-30 days. The female can lay 100-900 eggs on the leaves of plants - usually this happens precisely in the foci of pests. The larva goes through three stages of development in 2-3 weeks and turns into pupae. The ratio of females and males in the population is approximately 1: 1. Adult insects usually feed on honey dew or nectar. The larvae also feed on aphids, which are usually parasitic. Insects appear in the spring, when the air temperature reaches about 10 ° C. At this time, they get out of the winter shelters - cracks, cracks, rooms, crawl out from under the bark and other quiet secluded places.

The most active in the evening, when the twilight comes.They are attracted to the electric light, so they can fly into the house or other lighted rooms. They fly not high, despite the presence of 2 pairs of wings. In the daytime, gold-eyed eyes are usually hidden under the leaves, grass, and in other pritenennyh places. Move only if disturbed.

Good or bad?

Reflecting on whether the golden eye is a pest or protector, gardeners are more inclined to the first option. They are good defenders of the garden plot - the midges are able to maintain an ecological balance in gardens and greenhouses, and therefore they are even specially housed and bred. Adults, as well as their larvae, feed on aphids, eggs and other pests, consuming them in large quantities.

The gilded eye in advance takes care of the nutrition of its offspring, choosing a place to lay eggs on a plot with a dense accumulation of aphids.A few days later, brown and reddish larvae up to 7 mm in length appear from the eggs, which immediately after birth begin to hunt.

Since birth, the larvae are very voracious. Thanks to the sharp jaws, they easily grab the victim, then inject their poison into it, which instantly causes paralysis. The larvae phase in the furnits takes about 14 days. During this period, one individual is able to kill about 400 aphids.

How to get rid of gold eyes in the house

Despite its useful qualities, the gold-eyed eye belongs to those insects that can appear in the house, which brings discomfort to the owners and makes them look for a solution on how to get rid of it.

This can happen for a number of reasons. For example, the coat of fur can live in a room for the period of winter cold. It also happens when pests are infested on indoor plants, and, accordingly, the golden-eyed bird will be engaged in their destruction. And another common option is repair work,as a result, construction materials were brought into the country house, and this midge moved with them.

The main methods of fighting insects in the house:

1. The easiest way is to open the window in the evening. First of all, you need to open windows or doors, turn off the lights in the house, and turn them on outside. Fleurica will fly to the electric light, thereby freeing the owners of the country house from their presence.
2. Mene humane way - a vacuum cleaner. This method should be used when the result is needed immediately.
3. On sale there are also special sprays from flying insects. Aerosol can be etched to the fleece. Suitable, for example, "Dichlorvos".
4. If the insect has appeared on a house plant, it can be treated with a solution consisting of 50 g of vanillin and 1 liter of water. Gilded eye does not harm indoor plants, but can spread throughout the house.
5. Fleurica does not tolerate heat. If you create hot conditions in the house, all insects will die.This can be done with a fireplace, convector and other things.

Before applying the cardinal methods that destroy the gold-eyed eye, one should nevertheless recall all the useful features that it possesses, and, if possible, choose a more humane method.