Flies in cricket container! Toss?

Zaire

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I purchased one of those carry out cricket containers. When I took the cardboard off to open it, I noticed little flies in there. Based on previous posts, I know these are probably fungus gnats or phorid flies. I have read that phorid flies can carry nematodes so I have NOT opened the plastic lid to put the crickets in my cricket keeper. Should I freeze the container and throw them out or am I being paranoid?
 
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WildSpider

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I purchased one of those carry out cricket containers. When I took the cardboard off to open it, I noticed little flies in there. Based on previous posts, I know these are probably fungus gnats or phorid flies. I have read that phorid flies can carry nematode so I have NOT opened the plastic lid to put the crickets in my cricket keeper. Should I freeze the container and throw them out or am I being paranoid?
If it came with gnats or flies, I wonder if you could return them. Bringing those guys into your house can be a pain too. Fungus gnats have been a problem in our house for a couple of years now and during the right time of year they can be everywhere.

Sometimes it's good to be a little paranoid. Since those guys can be pests for people too, I would say if they can't be returned, getting rid of them might not be a bad idea.
 
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Ultum4Spiderz

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If it came with gnats or flies, I wonder if you could return them. Bringing those guys into your house can be a pain too. Fungus gnats have been a problem in our house for a couple of years now and during the right time of year they can be everywhere.

Sometimes it's good to be a little paranoid. Since those guys can be pests for people too, I would say if they can't be returned, getting rid of them might not be bad.
Phorid flies are impossible to get rid of saw. 100s of em floating around in my basement by dubia.
 

boina

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I purchased one of those carry out cricket containers. When I took the cardboard off to open it, I noticed little flies in there. Based on previous posts, I know these are probably fungus gnats or phorid flies. I have read that phorid flies can carry nematode so I have NOT opened the plastic lid to put the crickets in my cricket keeper. Should I freeze the container and throw them out or am I being paranoid?
Yes, there's a possibility that phorid flies may be able to carry over nematodes from one tarantula to the other. BUT: first of all, there need to be nematodes there. They don't just appear out of thin air, they need to come from a wild caught tarantula. There are 100.000s of species of nematodes and only very few parasitze on tarantulas - parasites are specific. So, how big is the chance that those crickets/flies have ever met a WC tarantula in their lives? They are definitely a vector of all kinds of diseases, though, but as with any vector one animal must carry that disease first. Do you have any sick tarantulas?

Most commonly phorid flies are detrivores, but they can also live on body fluids of living insects. There have been anecdotes that they may be a threat to living tarantulas but I kind of doubt it - I've never seen a report of them actively harming tarantulas with no other explanation possible or even more likely.

I still think I'd toss the crickets. Those are neither expensive nor hard to come by and those flies are a pain in the neck, even if their potential to harm anything is not clear to me.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Ib
The only purpose I've found for the fungus gnats is food for WC true spider slings. Just the perfect size, lol.
I tried to bring in a adult orb weaver and the big monster house cenetepedss got him I think. So many pedes since fly epidemic showed up.
 

Zaire

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No, I don't have any sick tarantulas, but I think I am still going to just freeze the container and toss it anyway. Crickets are cheap and there is no point in taking chances.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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How big are the centipedes there?
3-4” house centipedes that’s big for this species. The ones from Mediterranean that are everywhere in USA . Tiny vs giant pedes tho and fragile, I killed one trying to catch it outside.oops
Max size they get is maybe 4-5” but super lightweight.
 

Evan P

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I purchased one of those carry out cricket containers. When I took the cardboard off to open it, I noticed little flies in there. Based on previous posts, I know these are probably fungus gnats or phorid flies. I have read that phorid flies can carry nematodes so I have NOT opened the plastic lid to put the crickets in my cricket keeper. Should I freeze the container and throw them out or am I being paranoid?
Me personally I would take them back or throw them out
 

WildSpider

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3-4” house centipedes that’s big for this species. The ones from Mediterranean that are everywhere in USA . Tiny vs giant pedes tho and fragile, I killed one trying to catch it outside.oops
Max size they get is maybe 4-5” but super lightweight.
Wow, kinda scary. Didn't really know we had these in the USA.
 
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