Okay, UGH FRUIT FLIES!

[ZARI]

Well, WHAT do I do about the fruit flies that love my poor ekkies food dish. We change the dishes regularly but we now have a boon of them. Probably came in on some banana . . .

I hate the little rotters and have tried squirting them. fly tape and etc. my ekkie loves her fruit, but likes to munch it during the day.(not all at once.) What do I do to get rid of their pesky little selves?

It's also a problem because she likes her pineapple peel at the bottom pf the cage where she (and the flies) like to munch on it periodically and get a taste of juice. '

[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.

[Joel]

So what does that do? Get them drunk or do they drown and if the latter, then you ought to be ashamed of yourself for cruelty to little buggies.....

[schavon2]

does the red wine repel the fruit flies? how close to the cage does it need to be? if it works, it sounds like a good solution to me, so long as the birds can't get at it or in it.
here my biggest problem is ants...and basil keeps them away...i just put a little pile of crushed up basil leaves areound the legs of the cage and the ants don't cross it. still get the occassional fruit flies though...just have to keep the food dishes fresh.

[The Outlaw]

No. It attracts them. They go down the funnel and drink the wine. Then they can't get back out.

I would, however, not let your ekkie have access to fresh fruits and veggies for longer than 45 minutes anyway. Its hot and foods get full of bacteria very quickly.

As for ants, I suggest that you sprinkle Sevin powder all along the edges of your room creating a barrier that the ants can't cross.

Managing birds and keeping them safe can be quite complicated in the hot months. Another thing you can do is sprinkle boric acid powder around the room. Make sure that your birds don't have floor access, however.

THE OUTLAW

[TheLoneTiel]

Originally Posted by Joel

So what does that do? Get them drunk or do they drown and if the latter, then you ought to be ashamed of yourself for cruelty to little buggies.....

Hey, they die happy. What more do they want? :)

Yup, the wine attracts them and they fly down the funnel. They cant get out most of the time as they fly up the edges of the bottle and the opening is in the middle where they dont fly. So they fly down and drink and drink and drink. They usually perfer it to fruit, but if they dont, place a piece of fruit in the bottle along with the wine. They like sangrea too. :P Just rinse and refill every couple of days until you've got most of them.

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww35eii.htm - Safe pest control and cleaning techniques.