Fly-like creatures

[Yojimbo1717]

I have a colony of turkistan roaches (along with some pillbugs and meal worms). This morning I think the roaches may have had babies!

Question: Can these little guys fly and climb (which their parents can't seem to do)?

I noticed this morning that these little guys can do that and a few of them got out. I haven't seen the pillbugs in forever and I know that the meal worms become beetles (as one of them managed to do so - and managed to make my A. versi very happy and very full last night). So...what are these things? They're tiny, have little wings and climb all over the place, and fly.

 

[crpy]

they could be phorid flies or fungus flies post a pic.

Juvi roaches do not fly

 

[Yojimbo1717]

I will as soon as I get the chance. Fungus is a possibility since I checked their food bowl this morning and the cat food inside was moldy.

 

[crpy]

If they look like little black fairies then they are fungus flies

If they are yellowish little buggers darting all over they are Phorids attracted to dead stuff or rotting yucky stuff

They also call them coffin flies

 

[Yojimbo1717]

Thanks! Definitely helpful.

 

[Moltar]

As said, probably phorids. I hate 'em.

You really have to stay on top of mold/fungus in a lateralis colony. Something about their frass maybe but if that ammonia funk smell gets going it takes over fast. I just rehoused my whole colony because the humidity got too high from putting too much veg in there for too long. The cardboard got wet and all the oothecae stuck to them started molding. Ugh, awful smell... I try to keep mine as absolutely dry as possible. They still reproduce that way, just a bit slower. The normal reproduction rate for these guys is so fast though that it doesn't worry me a bit.

 

[reverendsterlin]

I'm glad the worst I get with my dubias is fruit flies, that can even helpful sometimes. The big plus is they are a lot easier to get rid of then phorids though in areas with fire ants you can watch them attack the ant nest.
Rev

 

[crpy]

I'm glad the worst I get with my dubias is fruit flies, that can even helpful sometimes. The big plus is they are a lot easier to get rid of then phorids though in areas with fire ants you can watch them attack the ant nest.
Rev

Say what:? phorids attack fire ants:?

 

[reverendsterlin]

Phorid flies in the genus Pseudacteon are parasitoids of ants. Several ant genera serve as hosts, including Crematogaster, Lasius, Linepithema, and Solenopsis. Pseudacteon species from South America that parasitize S. saevissima complex ants (only S. invicta and S. richteri are present in the U.S.) and ignore native fire ants in the S. geminata complex represent host-specific potential biocontrol agents for imported fire ants in the United States. Pseudacteon species native to North and Central America that parasitize S. geminata complex ants represent potential biocontrol agents for regions of the world where S. geminata is introduced and has become a pest (i.e., India, Africa and Pacific islands).

This if from Lloyd Morrison at Southwest Missouri State

so in a nutshell, yeppers they do.
Rev

 

[crpy]

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