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I got my ackies a few months ago and have had some fruit flies in the tank pretty much since a few days after I set it up. I don't know if there were eggs in the soil, or if one just flew in and liked the conditions, but whatever the reason, they have stuck around. It seems like there are more than there used to be and they continue to escape the tank and fly around my house which is driving me nuts. Are fruit flies a common problem in tanks? I know it's unlikely, but is there any sort of fly strip or something that I can put in or around the tank that will not hurt my ackies? Or any other way that I can get rid of these annoying little bugs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You can use a "No Pest Strip" commonly found in most farm supply stores. They work on most insects, flies, knats, mites, etc.

You think fruit flies are bad wait until you have to upgrade your cage and buy a cow water trough and bring it into your house at like 3 in the morning so the neighbors won't see it. HAHAHA

Hello,
It sounds like you are using a dark potting soil with alot of plant material in it. Try swapping this out with a lighter, topsoil- more sand base with dirt. This will work if it is the little black gnat like flies that infest house plant soil. If they are the lighter brown "vinegar" flies that seem to scoot over surfaces and leave little oblong brown eggs, than you will have to increase the frequency of cleaning- remove all dead or decaying food items and the brown eggs on sight. I would try to avoid pesticide exposure to your lizards if possible. Even though the yellow No-Pest strips have been used for years to control mite problems in collections I still can't recommend them as "the way" with out trying a manual method first. Best to you- Mike S

I currently use top soil, sand and leaf litter. I have a horrible problems with fungus gnats(little black gnats that infest plants)

If I were to switch over to a sandy loam, or some other mulch from a rockery, would that help with the gnats?

Thanks, Khai

I keep a fine line between wet and dry, I only use dirt for my females egg boxes, the main part of the cage is cypress mulch, very thin scattered layer so crickets cannot hide in it and useing many hides with rock stacks and cork bark. Wet dirt causes bug infestations so we have not used it for years. Monitors do not need to dig and hide in tunnels of dirt [unless gravid], that can be accomidated by useing hides which is really what they want [security]. We also rain on the cage every other day and let it dry, this alone gives the monitors the water they need and eliminates any breeding ground for any bugs. We of course always keep a large water dish in every enclosure.
Bob

old bar trash can trick.may work for this!hang a ziplock baggy of plan water over the area and NO MORE!WORKS for trash cans in bars anyway.
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Makes sense I guess, I find many drowned in the water bowls. Will try.... Thanks!

If you take orange or citrus scented dish soap [joy or dawn]and put some in a small plastic container with a small hole in the lid it will draw the fruit flies into the soap and kill them with no toxins to worry about on your monitors.
Bob

Interesting idea Bob. I think I may try that out where I have my cricket and roach breeders setup, its really cricket, roach and fly breeding. Id like to eliminate the latter.

Cheers,
Mike.

A shotgun loaded with birdshot or rocksalt loads will also work well.

Leaves your house looking a mess though...
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Hello Robyn,
Works just as well as not eliminating the source of the problem! Those little flies are also hell on eggs... Best to All- Mike S

Hello Dracaena,
If you empty out everything, disinfect and replace with new substrate (kill all the flies around the house too)you will curb the problem for a couple of weeks to a month normally. This can be a massive undertaking with big lizards(I still have wheelbarrel lines in my yard from the week past). Thank goodness for Ackies... Best to you- Mike S