Fly invasion???! Do flies attack Ts?

[PidderPeets]

We’re or what type of screen mesh do you buy. ? Any pictures I probably need to cut enclosure lid so as to fit mesh . Or buy new containers ?

I may have been a bit unclear. The mesh is a full enclosure itself (like what they put butterflies in), and then you put the enclosure for the feeder colony inside the mesh enclosure. They make a range of sizes, so you would just buy one that's big enough for the feeder enclosure. Here's some examples of the enclosures I mean: This one is a smaller one available on Bugsincyberspace, but I know they aren't always the cheapest place. I like the Educational Science brand and buy them on Amazon, but you could also buy them on Ebay or directly from their website for probably cheaper. For $25 plus shipping, I went for the giant size in the second link since I raise Saturniid moths from time to time. You could reasonably fit a 50 gallon tank in there, so even a container/tank for a large feeder colony should be able to fit inside the enclosure.

For size reference, here's one of mine with both a 10 gallon tank and the smallest sized mesh enclosure inside it. It can be laid horizontally or vertically.


Brand and size is up to preference, but it's very important that it has the very fine mesh (the educational science website claims it has 60+ threads/inch and meets APHIS specs for a secure enclosure) to ensure that nothing can get in or out.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I've had fruit fly infestations before. I was able to get rid of them by
-changing the substrate
-keeping the substrate dry, maggots need moisture
- and the secret weapon - springtails will outcompete maggots. A good amount of spring tails in moist enclosures does the trick

I personally cannot stand any form of wiggle worm so .... I've always acted immediately upon seeing maggots. I do believe maggots took one of my M. balfouri slings when it was 1/4" and vulnerable, but I have no proof. The maggots could just be the effect and not the cause of the little guy's death.

What’s a cheap clean up crews to buy for my roach bins ? To kill off fly larvae . And keep them cleaned .

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Update my dubia colony was eradicated mostly by these flys .
so I had to restart my dubia colony.
now I got a fruit fly problem. Go figure !!!
I’m racing to find a way to eradicate these flys. Thankfully it’s not phorid flies!!
I didn’t bother making a new thread because I had this one.
No it looks nothing like my first post , I’ve not seen flies lay eggs anywere they just spontaneously appeared.

 

[sparticus]

Fruit flies can be easily trapped by a small open container with a little apple cider vinegar (or apple juice) to cover the bottom and a drop of dish soap. Adult flies are attracted to the vinegar and fall in and die. Replace every few days, should cut way down on the population pretty quickly.

 

[SpookySpooder]

How did flies kill off your dubia colony?

 

[sparticus]

How did flies kill off your dubia colony?

I am super confused by this also. Help, we need answers!

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

How did flies kill off your dubia colony?

I am super confused by this also. Help, we need answers!

Phorid flies literally laid so many eggs, if I had just bought a clean up crew it would have been avoided. They might had died from not adding new gene pools also. So maybe be the flies didn’t kill them off just aided in there demise. Lack of diversity and in breeding actually are what killed them off.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Didn't you just buy a colony that had 6 bloodlines? I doubt it was genetic inbreeding that crashed your colony.

How did you have flies? Phorid flies can't reproduce in dry environments and your dubia colony should have been dry enough to prevent an infestation

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Didn't you just buy a colony that had 6 bloodlines? I doubt it was genetic inbreeding that crashed your colony.

How did you have flies? Phorid flies can't reproduce in dry environments and your dubia colony should have been dry enough to prevent an infestation

No that was a different colony from 8+ years ago , my current one is fine.
Lack of a proper heatmat actually is what led to my old Colony’s demise. Once I turned the heat back on they had one batch of babies.
fruit flies are easier to get rid of then phorid. Flies didn’t kill them off oops but significantly weakened them.
Apple cider fly traps are working.

 

[SpookySpooder]

It had to be something else you're doing. These flies can't crash a colony.

Here is an older thread on dealing with it

Phorid in Dubia colony

I just got a new Dubia colony a week ago and now it seems like I have an issue with phorid flies. At first I thought they were fruit flies since I had put oranges in the enclosure but they run around more than fly. I have been loosing roaches every day since I got the colony and I thought it was...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

It had to be something else you're doing. These flies can't crash a colony.

Here is an older thread on dealing with it

Phorid in Dubia colony

I just got a new Dubia colony a week ago and now it seems like I have an issue with phorid flies. At first I thought they were fruit flies since I had put oranges in the enclosure but they run around more than fly. I have been loosing roaches every day since I got the colony and I thought it was...

arachnoboards.com

Thanks for reminding me about that thread
read this guy’s warning on phorid flies .

Watering DUbias??Roaches keep dying off

I keep my roaches in a Rubbermaid container, no substrate, and feed them leftover veggies from when I cook (they go crazy over tomatoes, squash, and zucchini) and also give crushed dog food and oatmeal (that's what I was told to do by the guy I got them from). They eat the oatmeal well, but...

arachnoboards.com

It had to be something else you're doing. These flies can't crash a colony.

Here is an older thread on dealing with it

Phorid in Dubia colony

I just got a new Dubia colony a week ago and now it seems like I have an issue with phorid flies. At first I thought they were fruit flies since I had put oranges in the enclosure but they run around more than fly. I have been loosing roaches every day since I got the colony and I thought it was...

arachnoboards.com

 

[The Snark]

How did flies kill off your dubia colony?

I am super confused by this also. Help, we need answers!

The ultimate 'can't see the forest for the trees' condition. Antliophora, unclassified super order which includes diptera is the cause of the vast majority of vector born diseases and deaths in the world. The end all be all vector. Can a housefly harm an animal, say a roach? No. But the payload the entire superorder can carry is an entirely different story. Bacteria, viruses and parasites... you name it, they can carry it.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

The ultimate 'can't see the forest for the trees' condition. Antliophora, unclassified super order which includes diptera is the cause of the vast majority of vector born diseases and deaths in the world. The end all be all vector. Can a housefly harm an animal, say a roach? No. But the payload the entire superorder can carry is an entirely different story. Bacteria, viruses and parasites... you name it, they can carry it.

The Dubias were infected by a roach species of parasitic phorid type scuttle fly.
By the time I killed off the flies my dubia never recovered. Hence me buying 4 new starter colony’s this year. So basically started from scratch.
@HooahArmy might know how to kill these flies, my mom removed all my sticky traps and now flies are back.

 

[The Snark]

might know how to kill these flies, my mom removed all my sticky traps and now flies are back.

Find their source. Roach feces probably so you're out of luck. What kills one kills the other. With drain flies it's easy. Pour a cup of bleach down the drain followed by a cup of ammonia then leaves the room immediately. Wait a few hours then ventilate the room. Flies and larvae gone.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Find their source. Roach feces probably so you're out of luck. What kills one kills the other. With drain flies it's easy. Pour a cup of bleach down the drain followed by a cup of ammonia then leaves the room immediately. Wait a few hours then ventilate the room. Flies and larvae gone.

I think they’re fungus Nats or fruit flies, I noticed them swarming a wetter t enclosure, so I put it in a dry tank that was far larger. Flies haven’t laid any eggs so that’s a plus.

It had to be something else you're doing. These flies can't crash a colony.

Here is an older thread on dealing with it

Phorid in Dubia colony

I just got a new Dubia colony a week ago and now it seems like I have an issue with phorid flies. At first I thought they were fruit flies since I had put oranges in the enclosure but they run around more than fly. I have been loosing roaches every day since I got the colony and I thought it was...

arachnoboards.com

I have a thread older then that deals with same topic but thanks I’ll read both and no these aren’t phorid flies. My colony died out because I kept it 10 years+ without adding new blood and during the pandemic I forgot them outside rain killed some of them. I had 60 of my original 1-2k strong colony left over before I recently bought more 3 starter colonies.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Find their source. Roach feces probably so you're out of luck. What kills one kills the other. With drain flies it's easy. Pour a cup of bleach down the drain followed by a cup of ammonia then leaves the room immediately. Wait a few hours then ventilate the room. Flies and larvae gone.

These nats are swarming wet substrate. I removed my dubia colony so the can’t lay eggs in the frass.

 

[gambite]

I use these fly strips

Faicuk 20-Pack Clear Window Fly Traps Sticky Fly Strip for Indoor Houseflies Nontoxic and Pesticide-Free https://a.co/d/5gp4LZH

They are especially effective when placed inside the Dubia enclosure. Put them high up the walls, far out of the reach of the roaches, you'll catch the majority of the flies.