How Can I Get Rid Of Flys ???

[lilmissvix]

i got small flies in my tank and they are driving me up the wall how can i get rid of them???

[Bumblebee]

I get small flies once in a while too, especially if I have given the snails fruit or berries.
What I have read and also tried is: Take a clean glassjar, and make sure it dosnt smell anything, place a peice of fruit in the jar. Take some plastic (i find wrapping foil working excellent), put the plastic over the jars opening and then make some holes using a pen and place the flytrap inside the tank and next day you should already see flies in it.

You should empty the flytrap after 3 days, cause else you might find baby flymaggots, and they know how to get out, unlike their stupid parents lol

Edit: make sure the plastic is sitting firmly on the jar, so the flies dont manage to escape

[lilmissvix]

i am going to try this because the flys annoy me so much cuz the tank is in my bed room aswell so not very nice.

thanks i hope this will work well for me :-)

[Bumblebee]

yeah i know the feeling i got the tank in my bedroom too xD And as long as the holes are big enough it should work, when i first did my flytrap i just used a toothpick to make the holes, but then realised that even tho the flies are small, the toothpick did TOO small holes, so tried a pen and it went much better then xD

[coyote]

Here's more info on how to trap flies, with many different methods:
www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Fruit-Flies

[muddydragon]

For outside the tank try getting some carniverous plants, I have a fair few different sorts and they just hoover up the flies (note venus fly traps aren't terribly effective especially against small flies) your best bets are pitcher plants or butterworts or maybe sundews.
(i think if these went inside the tank - although they may love the conditions they may get eaten by the snails or.... eat the snails! (if the snails are quite small or you get a particullary big plant!!)). But this would work well in your room and they look beautiful and are unusual!

[lilmissvix]

Great link bumblebee, i cant have plants in my room as my boyfriend has hayfever really bad, i got a jar, but some foil over it and but holes in it hope this works

[amme]

thanks for asking that question, i keep cleaning my tank out and still get fruit flies!!! they drive me insane. I have some bark on the tank so i may get rid of that incase they are laying eggs in there.

[lucyjames]

They are actually more likely to lay their eggs in the damp warm substrate, and on the snails food... Neither of which we can really do that much about.... if you change the food regularly you at least don't allow the eggs laid on the food to hatch.

[siobhanc54]

I've been getting a few little black flies also, I'm changing food daily, ect, and am going to try the fly trap but does anyone know if they cause any harm to the snails?

[lucyjames]

In actual fact, I have read that it is common to get them and that they can be a good addition to the snail habitat.

The grubs (they are tiny and clear with black heads) will eat snail poo and waste food, thus helping to keep the waste at bay...

I just don't like them, which is why I am always trying to get rid of them.

They don't (to my knowledge) cause the snails any harm - the maggots never bother the snails, my snails don't seem bothered by them in the slightest...

I just hate them as, like others, my snails are in my room, as are other animals, and I hate the little blighters flying around...!!!

[kanin]

One could also put smaller carnivorous plants on top of the tank or near any airholes. I havent tried putting these plants within the tank as I dont want them to iritate the snails but they are quite effective just outside the tank aswell.

[crossless]

I use homemade fly trap when theres too much flies around.. I make really warm and sweet sugar water or honey water add yeast in there and drop of dishwashing liquid.

Then mix it little so yeast starts to work yeasts smell interest flies alot so they go to direction of yeast smell and dishwashing liquid helps water to lose it tension so when fly is drinking liquid it drowns when water don't support it's weight. Muhah haa. And of course I put trap on top of snail tank outside so when you open terrarium flies rush to "tasty water" and die little later.

[coyote]

It's good you don't put that where they snails could come into contact with it, because of the dishwashing liquid in it.

[crossless]

Yep. I use it outside of terrarium on top of terrarium so snails can't get there and can't drown. On top and outside of terrarium is good so when you open doors flies go in that liquid when set free.

[johnmcc]

Firstly like to say I'm new to keeping snails and from what I've read flies are part and parcel to keeping snails. My question is can I put carnivorous plants in the tank ? What I'm thinking is a mesh frame around the plant so the snails can not get to it but the flies can. Anyone tried this and is there any pro's or con's (was only thinking of the sundew type)

[coyote]

That's an interesting idea. I don't recall anyone here ever trying it, though. Will a sundew do well in the conditions in your tank (humidity, substrate pH, etc)?

[crossless]

I think it's not wise.. Some fly trap plants die if they open too often their jaws example from touching etc plants use really much energy to just open their "jaws". I think I would be more wise place plant out side of terrarium. I don't know is there any fly traps that could survive from snails slime, climbing etc.

[coyote]

I'm not sure if snails naturally live in the bog-like habitats to which these kinds of plants are native. That might be an indication that they would not do well together. Don't those kinds of plants like an acid soil? That would not be good for snails, so one would thrive while the other did very poorly.

[johnmcc]

ok well thanks for the replies will just keep the plants on the outside for now and see if the flies reduce. Cheers John

[aerliss]

If you're keeping them behind a wire mesh, why not also keep them in a separate tub of soil?

[Paul]

I use a chiffon covering over a wooden frame lid. I've not had a problem with flies since and it's been probably 3 years! Also, I've noticed the better ventilation helps keep the tank fresher and healthier - it just needs spraying more - it dries out quicker but that fluctuation helps kill bacteria, fungi and mold.

www.petsnails.co.uk/problems/flies.html#start

I also keep woodlice and worms in the tank which help get rid of any unwanted food faster which would otherwise attract flies.

[gothicgurrrl]

omg i thought it was just me who had the fly problem?
do they harm your snails???
I have some little flies and little white maggot things.. I remove the veg straight away in the mornign if it's not been eaten and clean alot so i dont understand why they keep coming

[muddydragon]

Oct 8, 2011 13:16:44 GMT gothicgurrrl said:

I have some little flies and little white maggot things.. I remove the veg straight away in the mornign if it's not been eaten and clean alot so i dont understand why they keep coming

what sort of substrate are you using? you often get fly eggs in compost. if that's the case to get around this you would either have to either; switch to sterile coir, switch the compost, or microwave the compost before use (make sure it is wet and be very careful.. superheated compost is very dangerous) or add boiling water to the compost and make sure it's fully heated.

[tsrebel]

I've tried to put a Sarracenia (carnivorous plant) in with the snails. Some snails took a bite and didn't die, but they didn't eat much. The plant died. It probably should have had its own substrate.
In one of my snailariums I have a mourning gecko as well. It eats flies and probably mites, but lives mostly of a gecko diet (powder mixed with water) that my snails really love. I hope the gecko gets some of it, and that it reproduces (yes, they don't have to mate) so I can have a couple in all of my snailariums.