Phorid flies

[Pmurinushmacla]

I've realized I have phorid flies in my T enclosures, specifically my new p. Regalis 3.5 inches, and my p. Met at 4.5 inches. I've seen people say they can get larvae in their mouth parts and kill the T, while others say theyre a pretty much harmless nuisance. What's the general consensus these days?

Also, would it be alright for me to simply dry out the enclosures at this size? I know pokies are supposed to have slightly moist sub, but the flies seem to thrive only in my moist enclosures, so I'd like to deter them from reproducing. I've already ordered some fly tape to hopefully cut down on their numbers.

Another thing, I was planning on making a Viv later in the year. How would I go about keeping phorid flies out of it/to a very small number? Thinking it will be a challenge due to the moisture requirements and all.

First ants in literally completely dry enclosures, now this. God I hate Florida.

Edit: Not 100% they're all phorid flies. Some are for sure, but some fly around way more than phorids. Are any other small fly species dangerous to ts? Sorry i wont really be able to get a pic, they move way too much and my camera is piss poor.

 

[birdonfire]

Typical enclosure gnats and flies are not dangerous to a healthy t.

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

Typical enclosure gnats and flies are not dangerous to a healthy t.

Alright thank you. Ive seen no larvae on the mouthparts anyway.

Managed to catch one flying in my room, this is the second type. Just usual gnats? Silver bodied.

 

[viper69]

IF Phorid- get rid of them

 

[l4nsky]

I keep a lot of moisture dependent species and hence, a lot of moist substrate. When my collection was smaller, I would make homemade traps using apple cider vinegar and dish soap. Nowadays, I use a UV light trap to keep the populations in check. They're quite effective without the vinegar odor.

 

[Steve123]

The pic doesn't look like a Phorid, the only species of which you'll see over and again is Megaselia scalaris. It's cosmopolitan. Tarantula keepers find their eggs and larvae in dead crickets and roaches. Also we find them on dead and sometimes living, but ill, tarantulas. The low res pic to me looks like a fungus gnat. With a hand lens look for the Y-shaped vein in the wing. They're houseplant pests but harmless to tarantulas. They lay eggs in substrate, the more decay the more attractive to the gnat. Lots of way to keep them under control. You can look it up.

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

The pic doesn't look like a Phorid, the only species of which you'll see over and again is Megaselia scalaris. It's cosmopolitan. Tarantula keepers find their eggs and larvae in dead crickets and roaches. Also we find them on dead and sometimes living, but ill, tarantulas. The low res pic to me looks like a fungus gnat. With a hand lens look for the Y-shaped vein in the wing. They're houseplant pests but harmless to tarantulas. They lay eggs in substrate, the more decay the more attractive to the gnat. Lots of way to keep them under control. You can look it up.

There are 2 types ive found. Those are the second that i catch flying around. There are a second, slightly bigger type, which run around long before they fly, I'm 90% sure are phorids. Thank you for the gnat identification tho. I cant get a better pic then that, android quality and all

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

IF Phorid- get rid of them

Any idea about drying out pokie enclosures?

 

[viper69]

Any idea about drying out pokie enclosures?

Let it dry out

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

I keep a lot of moisture dependent species and hence, a lot of moist substrate. When my collection was smaller, I would make homemade traps using apple cider vinegar and dish soap. Nowadays, I use a UV light trap to keep the populations in check. They're quite effective without the vinegar odor.

U have a link to that trap? Might be worth it, I plan on setting up bioactives for my adult pokies, and you cant exactly dry them out. The tape has caught 15 or so, but its just a mess and doesnt hold shapes well, so its just sitting ontop of enclosures all curled lol

 

[l4nsky]

U have a link to that trap? Might be worth it, I plan on setting up bioactives for my adult pokies, and you cant exactly dry them out. The tape has caught 15 or so, but its just a mess and doesnt hold shapes well, so its just sitting ontop of enclosures all curled lol

DM sent.

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

The pic doesn't look like a Phorid, the only species of which you'll see over and again is Megaselia scalaris. It's cosmopolitan. Tarantula keepers find their eggs and larvae in dead crickets and roaches. Also we find them on dead and sometimes living, but ill, tarantulas. The low res pic to me looks like a fungus gnat. With a hand lens look for the Y-shaped vein in the wing. They're houseplant pests but harmless to tarantulas. They lay eggs in substrate, the more decay the more attractive to the gnat. Lots of way to keep them under control. You can look it up.

So switching to roaches wouldnt help? Just opened my cricket container and what do you know, 2 crickets died and phorids are in there. Container wasn't even by tarantulas, so the crickets were contaminated

 

[Liquifin]

DM sent.

Hit me up a PM of that UV Light Trap thing as well. I'm curious, as with a collection a large as mines, something like that could prove useful in future use.

 

[Arachnid Addicted]

What's the general consensus these days?

Ime, I've been having lots of Phorid flies in the enclosures, I've never had any kind of problem with them being there.

That said, I was worried about when they appeared, until I read this thread which @boina made a few observations on them, I had a few doubts too that she answered both on the threas (if I remember correctly) and by dm.

After that, I chilled and they are there until this day, lol.

I also suggest that you look for Phorid flies and her name in here, you'll find other topics too.

Anyways, hope it could be helpful.

Phorid flies & possible nematodes - help me develop a protocol?

1. Phorid flies can annoy spiders but the cannot harm them. It 's completely impossible. The larvae develope in the earth and not anywhere on/in a spider. Then why do people experience deaths when these flies infest? @KezyGLA (I think) had an infestation and deaths.

arachnoboards.com

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

Ime, I've been having lots of Phorid flies in the enclosures, I've never had any kind of problem with them being there.

That said, I was worried about when they appeared, until I read this thread which @boina made a few observations on them, I had a few doubts too that she answered both on the threas (if I remember correctly) and by dm.

After that, I chilled and they are there until this day, lol.

I also suggest that you look for Phorid flies and her name in here, you'll find other topics too.

Anyways, hope it could be helpful.

Phorid flies & possible nematodes - help me develop a protocol?

1. Phorid flies can annoy spiders but the cannot harm them. It 's completely impossible. The larvae develope in the earth and not anywhere on/in a spider. Then why do people experience deaths when these flies infest? @KezyGLA (I think) had an infestation and deaths.

arachnoboards.com

Thanks for the info. The phorids are in relatively small numbers compared to the gnats. They all come from outside right? I left my crickets in my garage overnight and found phorids in there. Also how dense would you say your population is in a pokie enclosure at random?