Control of flies and small fruit flies, insects in general

[arielscongo]

So, I change the paper in the tray of my two parrot cages everyday sometimes every other day, the floor gets vacuumed every day, I change the water once every day, sometimes twice a day pellets are in the cage all day, and whatever fresh home food I give, by the evening it’s out of the cage, any advice on controlling flies and small fruit flies any bird safe insect repellent

 

[SailBoat]

Commonly, the Bird cage and its food is not the the primary source of the problem you are defining. Fruit Flies are a general pain and can be a tough problem to solve since they have a very short life span. There are any number of traps available and DIY traps that you can make to trap and kill them.

Flies on the other hand are only a problem if they have easy access to your home! Find where they are getting in and block it. From there, the life span of the flies inside is a few days and then they are gone!

 

[Katu]

We get fruit flies every year. You can try traps with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap at the bottom of a tall (wine?) bottle. But what really helps the most is pouring plain boiling water down each sink drain in the house, including bathrooms. That gets rid of breeding grounds. Do this once or twice a day everyday as soon as you see any fruit flies. Repeat as necessary. I feel that both these methods are bird safe too.

 

[SilverSage]

This is a controversial method because oils are HOTLY DEBATED so you need to do your own research.

I mix a few drops of pure peppermint oil (NOT SPEARMINT!) into a spray bottle of water and spray the cage papers lightly. Works miracles. But again, oils are debated and there is no real consensus on them. I use them according to the most reliable info I can find but you have to be very careful what sources you listen to, use your best judgement, etc.


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[arielscongo]

thanks for the help

 

[arielscongo]

This is a controversial method because oils are HOTLY DEBATED so you need to do your own research.

I mix a few drops of pure peppermint oil (NOT SPEARMINT!) into a spray bottle of water and spray the cage papers lightly. Works miracles. But again, oils are debated and there is no real consensus on them. I use them according to the most reliable info I can find but you have to be very careful what sources you listen to, use your best judgement, etc.


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whats the problem with oils?

 

[SilverSage]

There are not extensive studies done on them even for humans much less birds, and birds have an incredibly sensitive respiratory system.


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[Kiwibird]

I've found vinegar traps and fly tape to be very effective against fruit flies (if you have flighted birds, fly tape would likely be a bad choice). But at the end of the day, as annoying as they may be, they are pretty harmless. I wouldn't worry about them too much. The poisons to really kill them off are more harmful and dangerous than the flies are to your bird and your family.

 

[greytness]

I have had greater success swapping out the apple cider vinegar for either balsamic vinegar or wine.

 

[SassiBird]

We get fruit flies every year. You can try traps with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap at the bottom of a tall (wine?) bottle. But what really helps the most is pouring plain boiling water down each sink drain in the house, including bathrooms. That gets rid of breeding grounds. Do this once or twice a day everyday as soon as you see any fruit flies. Repeat as necessary. I feel that both these methods are bird safe too.

I have used the vinegar/dish soap option to control fruit flies in the kitchen with great success. Plain white vinegar works fine. A small bowl works fine too.

 

[GumChum]

I agree with the linked thread that suggests vinegar/soap mixture. When I've tried it, I put apple cider vinegar in a small glass with a few drops of dish soap. The vinegar attracts them (sweet smell) and the soap makes it so the flies get caught on the surface of the water.

You can also cover the glass with plastic wrap and poke tiny holes in it with a toothpick. The flies can get in but often can't figure out how to get out.

This resource here has some more tips to fight fly problem: https://www.getridoffliesguide.com/get-rid-of-fruit-flies/

 

[Jayyj]

When I see a few of them around the food bowls the hoover comes out... they're easy enough to suck up with a hose attachment and they'll die off inside the bag quickly enough.