# Small black flies



## kjphoto04 (Mar 30, 2009)

I just noticed a few little black flies in Petunia's cage. Why?
I change her cypress once a month.


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## dragonqueen4 (Mar 30, 2009)

do you feed her crickets?
the only time i have had little flies, they came from the crickets


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## crimsonrazac (Mar 30, 2009)

Arggg, I started getting those flys about two weeks ago. I think they are gnats? I solved the problem when I baked the substrate and cleaned the cage. Hope they don't come back.


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## DaveDragon (Mar 31, 2009)

They could be fruit flies. Put a small plate or bowl of apple cider vinegar, with a couple of drops of dish washing soap in it, near the enclosure. They'll be drawn to the sweet smell and get stuck in the surface tension the soap creates.


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## kjphoto04 (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks Dave I will try that.


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## crimsonrazac (Mar 31, 2009)

Thanks for the Idea dave :-D If I get those again I'll check if they are fruit flies.


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## Realitynh (Dec 23, 2011)

Now I have the flies! I tried the vinegar last night & not a single one was in the bowl this morning! I'm almost 100% sure that they're fruit flies. I had 10 large crickets in his cage about a month & a half ago (when we first got him). He didn't seem too interested in them so they did stay in his cage for a while. I'm wondering if they're fruit flies or gnats or WHAT!? And how to get rid of them!


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## jondancer (Dec 23, 2011)

They multiply fast, I found if I let the substrate dry out they go away. While the substrate isn't moist I soak my tegu everyday . Good luck


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## Johnnydr (Dec 23, 2011)

I had an outbreak of them a month or so ago. I hung some fly tape around the cage to help a little, and also changed all substrates on my herps and kept them dry for a week. Also, they feed on just about everything your tegu does, so making sure every tiny piece of food is out of there right after feeding is necessary. They are a big pain. In the end I got rid of them fully but letting my house get cold for a couple days.


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## laurarfl (Dec 23, 2011)

I have them this time of year, too. The weather is nice so I open my house. They like it warm and moist. The ones I have aren't fruit flies, but are all black, slow, and triangle shaped. They are just annoying.


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## Realitynh (Dec 23, 2011)

No doubt, well the gu's been asleep for weeks under the couch, so I suppose I could trash the cypress I got in there now & get some fresh stuff...


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## Maro1 (Dec 23, 2011)

definatley annoying! I get them this time of the year especially when you heat the whole room


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## got10 (Dec 23, 2011)

laurarfl said:


> I have them this time of year, too. The weather is nice so I open my house. They like it warm and moist. The ones I have aren't fruit flies, but are all black, slow, and triangle shaped. They are just annoying.



Those flys will breed in standing water and open sewage lines . Check out around your house for open drains . Those are called "Sh*t flies" because they are often found near stinky water and sewage drains.
A drop of dawn dishsoap in the water will drown them. good luck


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## Johnnydr (Dec 23, 2011)

I've always called them "carrion gnats".


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## james.w (Dec 23, 2011)

I had them in my monitors cages, I think they came in with the dirt. I used a small condiment cup with a 1" square of a No-Pest Strip inside. Poke a few holes in the cup and hang it out of the lizards reach from the top of the cage. It got rid of them in a few weeks. 

Off-topic but kjphoto04, do you mind posting some pics of your Sphynx?


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## Kebechet (Dec 24, 2011)

Sound like fungus flies, also known as peat flies to me. I have them right now too. They're annoying little bastards, but harmless. I think they came in my block of peat moss. They breed in moist areas, fly very erratically compared to normal fruit flies, and are smaller than a lot of fruit flies I've seen.


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