Fruit Flies

[monrose]

Hi, Ive had my tiel a month now and ever since we have had fruit flies, could this be related if so what canI do to get rid of them and keep them gone.

[Monica]

What do you feed your cockatiel? Where do the fruit flies hang out most often?

[monrose]

I have been feeding Casper , Dr.Foster and Smith cockatiel seed blend and Kaytee tropical fruit . The fruit flies are all over the house, most of them are in the kitchen, I dont have any fresh fruit out , I never had them until I got my tiel.
Monica

[birdlady49]

Don't blame your 'tiel for your fruit fly infestation. I think you'd have them anyway. I have them all over the house now. I think it's just their season. I'd rather have them than houseflies!

[Monica]

Personally, I don't care much for Kaytee products... and looking at the Dr F&S food blend, I doubt I'd care for that either (I'm against feeding dyes to parrots in the form of food).

If you can pinpoint where the fruit flies are this would greatly help.. such as a cupboard or otherwise.... generally speaking (if you are sure these are fruit flies), the best way to get rid of them is to leave left over fruits in a bag overnight on the counter, and in the morning, ziplock it close and toss out... repeat as needed (I've heard it takes about 2 weeks). If you have any fruits out, it'd be best to store them in something, and any cut up fruit, don't leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Or you could get some wine and put it in the bottom of a jar (or otherwise) and allow the fruitflies to drown themselves.... here's some other tips that have been suggested in the past!

Originally Posted by stepht25

Wash all fruits and veggies as soon as you bring them home. I don't know how long you're leaving the fresh foods out for - but maybe shorten the time a bit? If the flies are really bad - instead of throwing the fresh food out at the end of the day- put in a zip lock bag and place where in an area the flies seem to the worst. Leave it over night and in the morning - zip the bag closed as quickly as possible. You'll be able to trap quite a few this way. When throwing out fresh foods - put them down the garbage disposal - or if you don't have one - seal the food in a bag before tossing in the garbage. They actually make fruit fly traps you can buy Pest & Insect Control

Originally Posted by jriley

I had the same issue a few months ago and my pest control company told me that a lot of times what we think are fruit flies are actually a type of fly that breeds and lives in plumbing (yuck!). He said that they are attracted to fruit and rotting food but aren't true fruit flies. He suggested pouring baking soda and vinegar down every drain in the house and then running hot water. I did it and also instituted daily paper changes (back then I was lazy and only did it every two or three days) and they were gone within a week.

I tried the traps, but my flies ignored them. It drove me nuts: I'd be having a glass of wine and the darn things would swarm me, but if I used some of the wine in a trap they'd ignore it! Guess they only like to drink in company :)

Julie

Originally Posted by CALVINS MOM

Take a wine goblet and fill it about 1/3 full with either wine or grape juice. Leave it out for a day or so in the vicinity of the highest concentration. They are attracted to the liquid and end up drowning. It really works.

I like Steph's idea, too!

Originally Posted by The Outlaw

First of all, you cannot have any fruits or veggie sitting out. You must put them in ther frig.

Now, you have a number of options:

1. Take an ordinary zip lock bag and place a ripe cut banana inside. When the bag. Leave it open and trap them inside. You can simply close the bag and toss them in the trash.

2. My favorite. Leave about one inch of wine in the bottom of the wine bottle uncorked. The flies go in, drink the wine, get drunk and ultimately drown. Also, being tipsy helps you enjoy the show.

3. There are commercial lure traps sold in many hardware and feed stores.

Originally Posted by kikibird

For a natural fly killer and repellant use eucalyptus oil. you can mix about 3 cap fulls with water in a spray bottle and use that to spray flies and bench surfaces etc. also using cotton balls or tissues, soak them in a bit of straight eucalyptus oil and place them around the house out of reach of children and little beaks. Place some also at places like windows and doors and also place 1 or 2 in an area of the cage that the bird can not get, like under neath poop and seed tray.

Basicly the eucalyptus oil works in the same way that a citronella candle works, the smell detracts the flies and the smell also overpowers the smell of any fruits or seeds.

Also the eucalyptus oil is a great germ and bacteria killer and it is great for colds as well.

You can pick it up at probably a cheap shope near you or a chemist in the oil section or also at say a psychic type shop where they sell incense and oil etc.

It does work really well and keeps cages smelling nice and fresh also, the oil or smell of it is not harful to the birds either just be sure to keep it away from them just in case they do ingest it or something and something does go wrong, you never know.


Alternatively you can also pick up at cheap stores packs of fly traps that are not harmfull to birds, they are basicly just paper stands that have a fly attractant pasted on them and when they fly lands they stick to it. When the flies are all gone chuck the trap out and place another one in its place for a while.

Hope these help a little.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by TheLoneTiel

Take a plastic soda bottle, cut off the top about an inch or two down, invert to creat a funnel in the bottle. Put an inch of red wine in the bottom. Set out of beak range. Ta da.

[monrose]

I just want to say thanks for all the good advise, and I am sorry that Birdlady thought that I was blaming my bird when that is not what I was doing at all, I was saying that I never had them before Casper. Anyway thanks again, I enjoy hearing from you all.
Monica(monrose)

[swanwillow]

I have fruitflies infest my house occasionally. usually means that either
A) the garbage needs taking out
B) My lorikeet has gone one day too long without a paper change. (I usually change daily, but sometimes I forget)
C) the sink needs to be bleached out.

its usually A and C combined. Sticky paper traps and bleach help me every time, as they are in my kitchen, not so much around the birds.

[birdlady49]

Originally Posted by monrose

I just want to say thanks for all the good advise, and I am sorry that Birdlady thought that I was blaming my bird when that is not what I was doing at all, I was saying that I never had them before Casper.

Monica, I know you weren't blaming the bird but I wanted you to know the bird wasn't the reason for the flies, just in case.

Right now I am infestated with them (I call them gnats rather than fruit flies) and will have to buy some of those sticky papers to hang up in my flights area. They're nontoxic; you just have to keep the birds away from them. I once heard a horror story where a budgie flew into one of those sticky papers and it totally wrapped around him. I'm not sure they were able to save him.

Where I am placing them, birds do not go.

[monrose]

Thanks to the good advise, I tried the wine in the glass and that seemed to have worked I have only seen one since.
Monica