Fly Eaters?

[aracnophiliac]

Would these bugs eat the little bugs in my substrate wihtout harming my T.?

http://www.edupic.net/Images/Science/isopods_wood_lice_pill_bugs01.JPG

 

[jeepinwu2]

Those are isopods, I don't believe they will eat other "bugs" in your substrate but they will be competition for food the other "bugs" eat. Isopods don't seem to bother the T's I have them with.
What other bugs do you have in your substrate?

 

[KenTheBugGuy]

h mile

if you are looking to get rid of other mites and small dirt gnats the H Miles preditory mite works great for that. The isopods clean your cages making them not as acceptable to the other bugs. Also some people use millipedes in thier cages but I don't know how good that is really. I would be afraid my tarantula would want to eat it or it might decide to take a little nibble on the tarantula.

 

[KenTheBugGuy]

like

like gnats or fruit flies that dart around?

If they are the phorid flies that means something in there is not clean and they are producing. Most likely off a dead cricket somewhere. If they are little black gnat looking things then the H miles will take care of those.

 

[aracnophiliac]

I just changes the substrate and cleaned her tank and i havent feed her scince i have done this. they seem to be coing out of the soil

 

[KenTheBugGuy]

substrate

what kind of substrate are you useing?
where are you storing it?

 

[aracnophiliac]

Storing Dirt in Dry cuboard and I use Just gardening dirt with no chemicals or additives,or Fertilizer ,mixed with peat

 

[KenTheBugGuy]

dirt

well if its dry in storage it should not have much in it. THis is one problem I have with potting soil though as I never trust what is in it really. They come from nurseries and such that leave it outside for all kinds of bugs to get into. It is possible the gnats are in some kind of suspended animation and the watering is makeing them hatch...that is just speculation cause I don't know if that is possible. If they are indeed gnats like I said the H miles mites you can buy on the interenet will take care of those well. I got those once and used the H Miles and never had them again after that.

 

[the nature boy]

Cook the dirt. It's cool to listen for the little voices of all the critters screaming as you do it.

 

[KenTheBugGuy]

Lol

Cook the dirt. It's cool to listen for the little voices of all the critters screaming as you do it.

Too funny. Should get a tiny microphone and amp it up.

 

[aracnophiliac]

Someone told me that I should be able to use a Worm snake?And just rotate from tank to tank...but wouldnt my T. eat it?

 

[MadCat2k3]

Cook the dirt. It's cool to listen for the little voices of all the critters screaming as you do it.

This is good advice. One thing from all my years of gardening is, if you are not sure what's in the soil, cook it. 140 degrees C for 50 minutes. It kills off pretty much anything. Problem though with that is it kills off beneficial things as well. Though, if using as a substrate, this is good. A completely sterile soil is a good substrate. Whenever it gets dirty, just clean out all the dirty bigs with a scoop (you know, leftover food if it managed to get under the soil) and bake it again.

One last thing, you can grow stuff in there. I mean, really, indoor growing in general is bug free if you keep a lid on it. There are simple plants that are easy to grow and good for T's and their enviroment. They also increase humidity naturally. Guess I have said too much but cooking soil is a good start.

 

[aracnophiliac]

well...Thanks ...For real info

 

[Mister Internet]

Stop. This is not a request. It is incredibly aggravating to have to clean this crap out of an on-topic forum thread. They invented a tool for flirting online, it's called "IM", look into it and allow the rest of us to keep our lunches down. thanks.

-MrI