Phorid feeders?

[Scolopendra]

i just had a thought, i guess everyone who has dealt with phorid/scuttle flies knows how rapidly they propagate, has anyone ever considered using them as feeders for small inverts like assassin bugs, mantids, and small spiders? i thought it might be a useful idea for anyone who cant ever get their hands on vestigial winged fruit flies (me). if the enclosure for the predator sp. was kept in decent order and only a few flies were introduced at a time i cant really forsee any problems. anyone see potential downsides? i would definitely not recommend this for T's, scorps or centis. well maybe smaller scorps.

 

[recluse]

I have not thought of them as feeders because I would not intentionally introduce them into my invert room they manage that on their own. But I have thought of using mantid nymphs to control them in my roach colonies. If I introduced a brood of M. religiosa (around 300-350 nymphs) which are common here, I think the nymphs would take care of the flies and then eat each other. They may eat some small roach nymphs in the process but that's just colateral damage.

 

[cacoseraph]

i just had a thought, i guess everyone who has dealt with phorid/scuttle flies knows how rapidly they propagate, has anyone ever considered using them as feeders for small inverts like assassin bugs, mantids, and small spiders? i thought it might be a useful idea for anyone who cant ever get their hands on vestigial winged fruit flies (me). if the enclosure for the predator sp. was kept in decent order and only a few flies were introduced at a time i cant really forsee any problems. anyone see potential downsides? i would definitely not recommend this for T's, scorps or centis. well maybe smaller scorps.

ha

don't

it sucks

you will just end up with scuttles EVERYWHERE

this is the voice of experience... it SUCKS!!!!

get flour worms if you want tiny live feeders... those things are rediculously easy to breed
or get one of the tiny nymph roach species

the scuttles are way too hard to manage... i never once saw ANYTHING eat them... *shudder*

i bought a Pterinochilus species in its cage specifically to do what you are asking about... one of the few things in my life i actually regret

 

[Scolopendra]

okey doke, just curious what everyone thought

 

[NiGHTS]

I would have to agree completely with Cacoseraph....it's not a good idea. These guys will breed like crazy, infest any other invert cages that you have in the house, and become a pain in the butt to get rid of. I had some of these pests in a millipede tank on one side of the house, and seen them popping up in other cages I have on the other side of the house, behind closed doors. Really the only way I've found to get rid of them is to do a complete substrate change, quaranteen the tanks, and hope that none of the flies loose in the house decide to return.

 

[Ecilious]

I have this exact problem at the moment and it's amazing just how annoying a few tiny flies can be. I've covered all the openings and air holes in my cages with ultra fine (>1mm2) net-curtain. Just to stop them moving about I have a resident spider in my room that is slowly eating her way through the past escapees still in the house. Cleaning out the substrate in my problem tank is the only answer. Oddly enough (actually not oddly at all) the one major problem tank is the one without any woodlice in. Gods bless those little miracle workers.