flies?

[metallica fish]

found a few little black flies flying round my snakes tank(since i changed the substrate). anyone know what they are/do? and what i should do?

managed to squash a few.

liam

 

[cornsnakes101]

Well from what you are describing I would say they are just simple fruit flies, they wouldn't cause any potential threat to your snake but just wondering what kind of substrate do you use now? But I wouldn't be really concerned, you could also try calling up your vet or local pet store(wouldn't recommend large chain stores like PetCo and Petsmart, try something simple like a mom and pop shop, they seem to have more hands on experience)
Chao!

 

[bitsy]

Those things drive me absolutely nuts. They come in on my substrate (bark chips) as eggs and hatch as soon as they start to warm up.

I have to bake the bark chips before I use them, to kill them off. If I miss any, they seem to leave the viv as soon as they can and hover about two inches from my nose while I'm trying to watch TV. They don't bother the snakes at all, but they bother the merry heck out of me!

 

[katieam]

i wonder if thats why we have so many fruit flies...ive noticed an increase since i got my snake. could they come in on aspen?

sorry for the hijack

 

[Marekeeman]

I have had the same problem recently, as soon as the warm temps came in BOOM! One thing that I use is this double sided translucent sticky tape with a sweet smelling odor to it made by RAID. It's about 8" x 4", the back side has a small adhesive strip that is easy to remove. I placed these on the outside of a couple of my tanks and they seem to have helped quite a bit. You can purchase them at Walmart or Target in 4 packs for about $3.00.

 

[dave partington]

I see you mention these flies are black, which makes me wonder if they are Fungus Gnats. Fungus Gnats are a fairly common flying insect, particuliarly in Florida and other areas which do not experience hard freezing temperatures. Typically, their larvae feed upon fungus which grows on or in soil which never dries out, and pose no risk to plant health. However, they are also known to come from another source: Sewer lines. Within most plumbing circumstances, there is an S shaped trap which holds some water in the drain line from a shower, sink, or other water "feature" within one's home. However, if this feature does not have water running through it for some time (such as a guestroom bathroom), then the water can evaporate, leaving a direct air passage to the room from the sewer lines. Often, these gnats make their way into homes through this avenue. They are then attracted to whatever source has the scent most like their original habitat, so as a pet owner, I'm sure you can imagine the rest. Hence, they appear in the reptile room. Simply running water through the drainage hole will close off the passage. Doing so regularly is adviseable.

To further expand upon this, and having worked in the professional nursery trade for over two decades, I have learned that many flying predatory species of flies adore the color yellow. Bright yellow. Typically, any plant under stress (with weakened 'immune system') will have yellow foliage (with, of course, the obvious exceptions of yellow/lutea variegates and cultivars which wholly express the lutea trait). So yellow = easy meal. Some of the organic nurseries which are certified have developed non-toxic (pesticide free) means of combatting potentially damaging insects through applying a sticky coating comprising of a mixture of glue and honey to yellow cardboard, construction paper, etc- the color yellow is the attractant. Old fashioned fly-paper was yellow for a reason. Regrettably, I cannot remember specifically which slow-to-non-drying glue or adhesive was employed for this method. If I have the chance, I will inquire a bit further.

Hope this helps.
-dave

 

[bitsy]

Fungus Gnats are a fairly common flying insect, particuliarly in Florida and other areas which do not experience hard freezing temperatures

Sadly not a problem here in the UK for Liam (O/P) and myself - worst luck! There are plenty of sub-zero temperatures round these parts in winter.

Interesting thought about fly paper though. It's difficult to know what to do when you can't use insecticides in the room. Thanks for the tip - further info would be much appreciated.

 

[dave partington]

Hay Bitsy-
I found info on the google, "How to make fly paper" With everybody's favorite: Golden Soirup
;D

 

[bitsy]

Excellent! Thanks for that.

 

[fernando]

Hi guys I'm a newby, but have been having this tiny black fly problem and it only started since buying the bark substrate,It's now under my bushes in the garden, I'm now back to newspaper.

It was doing my head in until I came on the forum,great forum and some really helpful guys,thankyou still we live and learn, wish i had known earlier would have saved £20 lol