poop board and fruit flies

[FinsUp]

It's that time of year again - the apples are rotting on the ground, weather getting colder ... We have a ton of fruit flies in the house (kitchen, and bathrooms) they are searching for any type of moisture. That must be why they are around the poo. Stall Dry will help with the moisture. Should be only a couple of weeks and then they will die. Till then, could it be grosser!!

 

[Maxie1101]

We've been having terrible fruit fly problems in the house for the past two weeks in Northern CA. My mom (also CA) says she is having trouble with them in her house as well, and hubby has them at his work. I think it's just a bad fruit fly time of the year.

 

[AllAlaskan]

I know this last july when I got my birds out into the coop for the first time there were flys every where by the second day.....by the 4th day they were all gone. I had watched the birds eat ALOT of them and assume they they ate most of them. But like I said by the 4th day they were gone and have not been back since.

 

[teach1rusl]

So were they back this morning?????

 

[Mattemma]

If I have fruit out I have the flies.I have them in the laundry too where I have red wiggler worms.For that area I use my vacuum hose and suck them up everytime I go in there.

 

[yomama]

Quote:
Yup! This morning, there were quite a few on the outside of the coop too!!! I'm so frusterated!! I went out and bought some Stall Dry and sprinkled a little on the poop board, and a little through out the shavings in the coop. If they are there tomorrow morning, I'm going to remove the poop board and see if that is even the problem. I'm wondering too, we have had alot of rain the past two days, could this have something to do with it? It's not like it hasn't been raining off and on this month though. Maybe it's the humidity? It's just there is nothing in there that I would think they could be attracted to. Another thing, it's not like they are on the poop, like regular flies would be. They are just hovering around the coop, or up in the window. There is absolutely no scraps or anything in there. Like I said, I clean the poo up every morning, then it takes them about 4 hours to leave. Maybe they are coming in for the night?

 

[teach1rusl]

Well now you may have an idea there... Don't know about your area, but the weather has cooled down significantly here, especially at night. So if it's the same in your area, maybe they ARE coming in to stay warm overnight and then leaving the coop after it warms back up during the day (which takes several hours)???? If they're not on the poop then it's definitely NOT a dropping board issue...

 

[dianaross77]

If you are cleaning the poop board with vinegar, that might be what is attracting the fruit flies. Vinegar has a smell similar to rotting fruit. Or it could in fact be something they ate that was making the poop smell appetizing. Yeasty bread smells also attract them. So you will find them inside the bread bag if it isn't closed up tight.

To get rid of fruit flies in your house, make a trap. Here is how: Get a small container (baby food jar, bottom of pop bottle, etc) pour in a small amount of apple cider vinegar and a tiny squirt of hand or dish soap. Cover the top with plastic wrap and rubber band it in place. Then, with a toothpick poke a few tiny holes in the plastic wrap. The smell of the vinegar attracts the flies (a piece of banana peel in a little soapy water works well too), they find their way through the tiny holes in the plastic wrap and can't get back out. The soap reduces the surface tension of the liquid and when they touch it they sink and drown. You'll be amazed at how many of the little buggers these traps get.

As for the poop board, (I don't know anything about it) you could try a different cleaner like simple green. It is non-toxic and biodegradable. They sell it in a gallon size at home depot. It can be diluted a lot.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[yomama]

Quote:
The flies were there before I cleaned the board with vinegar.My daughter let them out today, so I wasn't able to check to see if the bugs were there until about noon. No bugs then. . I haven't fed my flock any bread lately, or anything other than what they normally get. Again, the bugs weren't on the poop, just flying around the coop. I'm starting to think that it was weather related or something. It stopped raining, and warmed up last night and today. I will check yet again tomorrow morning and see what I find. Thanks again for all the advice so far everyone!