Fruit Flies

[BeatriceC]

I live in SoCal, where the temps are soaring, and our home, like many, many homes in the area, doesn't have air conditioning. We have a routine for keeping the house cool, but with the addition of Charlotte, our new special needs macaw, we're encountering a problem we've never really had before, and that is fruit flies.

Our other birds gobble up fresh fruits and veggies as soon as they're given to them. Charlotte has come to us with a not-great diet and is a picky eater. I offer her fruits and they just sit there until she might take a nibble here and there hours later. I've started offering her some dried fruits even though I know they're not as good, for both the fruit fly issue, plus to offer her more variety in hopes she'll figure out that some of it is tasty. But back to the issue in this thread. She's also not eating enough of her chop. I'm giving her about four tablespoons worth for breakfast and she eats maybe 1.5 tablespoons worth, and then leaves it to graze on later. Because she's having some issues eating enough good stuff, I hesitate to take it out of her cage/off her play perch, but it's attracting the darned fruit flies. They mob her food the second I put it out. I go through the house with a "white glove" looking for food bits and put my food trash in a plastic bag in the fridge until it's time to go out on trash day, and do everything I can to make sure there's no other source of food for them, but I just can't get them under control. Outside of just living with them until the weather cools down, is there anything else I can do to get rid of them? I obviously don't want to use any sort of bug spray, as I have four birds.

 

[cnyguy]

You might try drawing them away from Charlotte's cage by deliberately putting a small piece of apple or banana on a table or counter somewhere away from the cage-- but not too far away. Next to that, put out a shot glass with some fruit juice in it. The fruit flies will be drawn first to the fruit then to the juice, and will drop into the glass of juice and drown. It worked for me when I had an invasion of fruitflies in the kitchen, but I've never had a problem with them around cages.

 

[Just-Passn-Thru]

This work great...
Terro Fruit Fly Trap-2500 - The Home Depot

 

[BeatriceC]

I think I see a trip to Home Depot in my near future...

 

[Just-Passn-Thru]

I think I see a trip to Home Depot in my near future...

It works great, It looks like a little apple, you can set next to
the cage

 

[BillieD]

I live in SoCal, where the temps are soaring, and our home, like many, many homes in the area, doesn't have air conditioning. We have a routine for keeping the house cool, but with the addition of Charlotte, our new special needs macaw, we're encountering a problem we've never really had before, and that is fruit flies.

Our other birds gobble up fresh fruits and veggies as soon as they're given to them. Charlotte has come to us with a not-great diet and is a picky eater. I offer her fruits and they just sit there until she might take a nibble here and there hours later. I've started offering her some dried fruits even though I know they're not as good, for both the fruit fly issue, plus to offer her more variety in hopes she'll figure out that some of it is tasty. But back to the issue in this thread. She's also not eating enough of her chop. I'm giving her about four tablespoons worth for breakfast and she eats maybe 1.5 tablespoons worth, and then leaves it to graze on later. Because she's having some issues eating enough good stuff, I hesitate to take it out of her cage/off her play perch, but it's attracting the darned fruit flies. They mob her food the second I put it out. I go through the house with a "white glove" looking for food bits and put my food trash in a plastic bag in the fridge until it's time to go out on trash day, and do everything I can to make sure there's no other source of food for them, but I just can't get them under control. Outside of just living with them until the weather cools down, is there anything else I can do to get rid of them? I obviously don't want to use any sort of bug spray, as I have four birds.

I also live with fruit flies and there is nothing pleasant about them, I would suggest some apple cider vinager and a few drops of dish soap added has always worked for us. fill a few juice glasses half ful and set them out in different places in your home or where the infestation is. It has always worked for us and good luck

 

[plumsmum2005]

I live in SoCal, where the temps are soaring, and our home, like many, many homes in the area, doesn't have air conditioning. We have a routine for keeping the house cool, but with the addition of Charlotte, our new special needs macaw, we're encountering a problem we've never really had before, and that is fruit flies.

Our other birds gobble up fresh fruits and veggies as soon as they're given to them. Charlotte has come to us with a not-great diet and is a picky eater. I offer her fruits and they just sit there until she might take a nibble here and there hours later. I've started offering her some dried fruits even though I know they're not as good, for both the fruit fly issue, plus to offer her more variety in hopes she'll figure out that some of it is tasty. But back to the issue in this thread. She's also not eating enough of her chop. I'm giving her about four tablespoons worth for breakfast and she eats maybe 1.5 tablespoons worth, and then leaves it to graze on later. Because she's having some issues eating enough good stuff, I hesitate to take it out of her cage/off her play perch, but it's attracting the darned fruit flies. They mob her food the second I put it out. I go through the house with a "white glove" looking for food bits and put my food trash in a plastic bag in the fridge until it's time to go out on trash day, and do everything I can to make sure there's no other source of food for them, but I just can't get them under control. Outside of just living with them until the weather cools down, is there anything else I can do to get rid of them? I obviously don't want to use any sort of bug spray, as I have four birds.

Hi, just a suggestion re above if she only eats 1.5 tblsps then only give her this much to start and then some while later give another amount. It might peak her interest in that she thinks it is all new and go look/seem more interested. Perhaps also the fact that food in not always available might change her attitude to it? Obviously this depends on someone being available to do this? Do you know how she was fed previously as an insight into this?

 

[Kiwibird]

We get them here too. They are harmless to birds, but still irritating.

Put a bowl of apple cider vinegar mixed with a couple drops of dish soap nearby (but out of reach of the birds). The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, but the surface tension will be affected by the soap, causing them to sink when they land. It's a cheap and easy trap.

 

[Scott]

It has been terribly hot in SoCal, but thus far haven't been treated to the Fruit Fly scourge! Hope some of the ideas for managing them will help, and I will take note for the future!!

High temps mean the chop can't be left out as long as in the winter, and I tell the flock to eat before the bowls are removed. Problem is most a portion immediately, and return just before dark to top off their crops!

 

[BeatriceC]

I'm going to do the apple cider vinegar thing today and see how that works out. There's a shelf close enough to her cage that will work for something liquid like that.

Also, to be clear, I'm not leaving her food out for hours. After the first day or two when I noticed she wasn't eating as much as she should, but I wanted to keep offering it, I've been splitting her portion and offering half in the morning and half later in the day. Veggies are okay to be left out, so that's what staying out hours on end, but she's having none of that. I can sometimes get her to eat fruits, but not always. It's a frustrating position to be in wanting to make sure she eats enough but also keep pests at bay and keep her food safe.