Safe way to rid flies?

tyguy35

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2011
Messages
1,072
Location (City and/or State)
ontario
Hey, I am having a bit of trouble with very small flies tey aren't fruit flies but maybe gnats they are quickly multiplying even when there is no food in the tank. I was wondering a safe way to catch them?

Are fly strips safe?
 

Saleama

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Messages
1,501
Location (City and/or State)
Irving Texas
RE: Safeway to rid flies?

The best way I have found is to coat your entire enclosure with food grade diamataceous earth (DE). It takes a few weeks to fully work due to new flys hatching, but it is 100% effective. Buy food grade DE at plant nursuries or feed stores (farm supply). I take my torts out of their enclosure and just sprinkle and blow the stuff to coat everything in there. Do not mix it into the substrate, leave it to coat. The bugs will crawl over it and get it on them. The DE makes microscopic cuts in their exoskeletons and keeps them from retaining water. They dehydrate and die. The eggs will hatch and the babie bugs will meet the same fate. This will not harm your torts, plants or worms, but it will kill small flys and ants and if you have them in there, doodlebugs. So you might want to get all your doodle bugs out first as well. After sprinkling the stuff I usually wait a few minutes for it to all get out of the air before returning my torts to the enclosure. You can even place this stuff on their food and it will help with worms if they have any.
 

tortadise

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
9,560
Location (City and/or State)
Tropical South Texas
RE: Safeway to rid flies?

Sounds like a substrate change out. With the warmer weather coming and going its allowing larvea to hatch. A jar of vinegar works well. So does the fly strip. They work well. Also you can invest in some picture plants. They do well too.
 

littleginsu

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
770
Location (City and/or State)
Sierra Vista, AZ
RE: Safeway to rid flies?

can you have the pitcher plant in the enclosure with the tortoise?

I am really interested in DE and may give that a try!
 

Saleama

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Messages
1,501
Location (City and/or State)
Irving Texas
Kelly, my guys destroyed the plants I put in with them. They didn't eat them, they bull dozed them and when I tried to block them off, they decided to accept the challange like Barney Stinson. It was all out war. I lost. I tried vinegar traps and got hundreds but I had thousands! All over the house. They were everywhere. DE got every last one within two weeks. I had three in the house this weekend and I got them with my iced tea, lol.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Sticky strips placed out of reach of the tortoises should help, but changing the substrate frequently will remove them. Some people pull their substate out once a week or two and bake or boil it. This seems to help too.

Personally, I don't do anything. They don't hurt anything and its just a part of having damp substrate around.
 

New Posts

Top