getting rid of flies?

[Saman <wmaster26 at yahoo_com>]

Hello fellow APDers,

I apologize in advance for the off topic email (its
not strictly about plants), so I'll get right to the
point:

I have a planted 30G out in the patio and since its
starting to get warm here in Los Angeles, I am started
to see many pesky little black flies that hover back
and forth.  I am no insect expert by any stretch of
the imagination, so I have no clue what type of flies
they are.  They seem to love to sit on the floating
leaves of the Hydrocotyle. (this is an open top tank
and so the plant growth isn't exactly spectacular, but
it grows.  I keep this tank because I enjoy the open
top look of the Hydrocotyle leaves and fish moving in
between them).  They are also around here in the
winter (it isn't exactly freezing in LA), but their
numbers are much lower during the winter (maybe 5-10
VS around 40-50 now and I fear it will get worse as it
gets warmer).  I've actually seen my angel (as well as
a couple of platies) suck them right up when they sit
on the surface of the water (yummy!), but obviously
they can't keep up.  I am a bit hesitant to use insect
sprays (like Raid) for obvious reasons (its
poisonous!).  Are there sprays that I can use? If so
how should I apply them? (I was thinking maybe
covering the tank and spraying Raid as a last resort?)
 what about those nifty little traps that people use
for bees? would they work for these flies? (they seem
to love hovering above the water, especially in the
afternoon sun so I don't know if they would go up high
enough to go inside the trap).  Any suggestions would
be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Saman

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