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Fruit flies?

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  • 07-02-2012, 12:19 AM
    macho9714
    Fruit flies?
    I have just noticed over the last few days in my BP's tank what look like fruit flies dead in his water dish. I change his water every day. What can I do to keep them out?
  • 07-02-2012, 01:02 AM
    1nstinct
    Are you sure they are fruit flies? They could be mites. Are they on the bottom of the bowl? Looks like someone put pepper in the water dish.
    Tom
  • 07-02-2012, 01:04 AM
    mues155
    I would vote they are mites as well. Fruit flies wouldn't have any source of food in a bp cage so I wouldn't think they would be in there.
    Hope it's not though, mites are a pain.

    Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
  • 07-02-2012, 02:59 AM
    KMG
    I bet you use a mulch substrate. I have the same problem when I put fresh layers down.I think they must hatch under the tank conditions cause I have them only in the tanks, the screen traps them in.

    I use forest floor in my BP and rept-bark in my GTP and both will get little flies when its fresh. The eco-earth i use with my hog has never produced flies.

    I thought about putting a carnivorous plant near the water but doing research about them I found they are pretty delicate as far as soil and temps. I have settled for changing the water.
  • 07-02-2012, 04:42 AM
    OhhWatALoser
    It's pretty easy to tell the difference between fruit flies and mites, if your sure they are fruit flies, there nothing to worry about and is quite common. I have sticky fly traps hanging in every room of my house, between the rodents downstairs and the snakes upstairs, flies can get pretty bad without having traps up.
  • 07-02-2012, 07:19 AM
    macho9714
    Re: Fruit flies?
    I am pretty sure they are fruit flies I can see the wings and they float on top of the water, I also see a couple flying around the tank. KMG I don't have mulch substrate but i do have a container of moss I keep wet to keep the humidity up.
  • 07-02-2012, 07:25 AM
    Punkymom
    Get some apple cider vinegar from the store (the good stuff that's unfiltered if you can because I'm not sure if the filtered works), put some in a bowl with a little squirt of dish soap. Gently mix it up and set it wherever you notice the fruit flies. They'll be attracted to the apple cider vinegar, land to take a drink, and drown because the soap breaks the tension on the surface of the vinegar. This is what I do every year and it works great. I have had a few fruit flies get in my snake rack, also, because I keep it in my bedroom and fruit flies like bathrooms for some reason.
  • 07-02-2012, 07:45 AM
    DooLittle
    The cider and soap in a bowl works. We found that out last year when I had a rogue piece of fruit that had fallen behind the toaster oven. I couldn't figure out where the flies were coming from. Hubby googled some ways to get rid of them, and thay came up. Just make sure you don't put the bowl in your snakes tank, just near it.

    Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2
  • 07-02-2012, 01:50 PM
    Lazarus1437
    It's probably that moss you said that you keep wet for the humidity. I had a tank and used eco-earth and never saw any type of "fruit flies" until I started using the moss for my humidity as well.
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