Substrate and Fruit Flies

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

I mostly use this in the cricket and roach bins, and I use the detail extension that is really narrow like the straw. Never put the vac end near the spider!

 

[eldondominicano]

Good luck on a quick annihilation of those gnats Eldon![/QUOTE]

Thank you! Got rid of the Avic source, going home soon to figure out my H Mac today.. Didn't see an infestation like yesterday morning

---------- Post added 01-09-2015 at 11:57 AM ----------

Strangest suggestion ever if you're going to use a vacuum... Take a straw and a roll of tape and make the straw into an extension of the hose on the vacuum. I usually use electric or duct tape. I actually use this trick on strange spots on a car engine while doing a rebuild. In this case though, the straw is slightly flexible and small to get to odd spots, with the added benefit of extra length to keep your hands farther away from a T that is likely to be a little upset about the noisy invasion.

Great idea!

---------- Post added 01-09-2015 at 11:58 AM ----------

Good luck on a quick annihilation of those gnats Eldon!

Thank you! Got rid of the Avic source, going home soon to figure out my H Mac today.. Didn't see an infestation like yesterday morning

---------- Post added 01-09-2015 at 11:57 AM ----------



Great idea![/QUOTE]

Thank you all for the advice and recommendations! I shall use these methods.. Odd thing is that for my Stirmi, whose enclosure consists of the same substrate, I have had no issues, and it is more humid than any of my other enclosures!!

 

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

Good deal!

 

[eldondominicano]

Good deal!

I have rehoused my H. Mac with no trouble. Seems that there was a heavy infestation in there. There are still some flies hanging around here and there but no heavy populations. I'm allowing some of my enclosures to dry out as well so that should help i hope.. But as far as I can see, it seems i have brought down the reich!!!

---------- Post added 01-09-2015 at 04:46 PM ----------

here and there as in my room

 

[Le Wasp]

They are attracted to any decaying organic matter that has a good moisture content. They LOVE dead crickets and are sometimes transmitted in with your crickets. They look similar to fruit flies as they have a stocky appearance while flying. A big difference is that they are also called "scuttle" flies due to their fondness for running and darting along substrate rather than flying. This behavior is readily apparent and that's one way you can tell the two apart, aside from the fruit flies having red eyes.

If you have phorids the best thing to do is find the source and clean and dry up the area of infection. The maggots are very sensitive to moisture and will dry out and die if the moisture is removed. Everybody gets them from time to time,as they are an introduced species from South America. They were brought here to parasitize and control fire ants in the southern states, and they are naturalizing in most areas. They will come into your house in the summer through holes in your screens etc.

Another unfortunate effect of phorids is they are targeting honeybees as well and have been implicated in CCD, colony collapse disorder. They parasitize the bees and control the bees actions, thus affecting the overall production of the hive.

Yet another example of an introduced species that does it's initial intended job {fire ant control} reasonably well, but disrupts life elsewhere.

It seems that bio control is getting a bad reputation lately, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The only good cases against bio control are incredibly old (mongoose, cane toads, etc.) and obviously aren't being carried out anymore. The phorid flies that are parasitizing honeybees are actually a different species from the ones imported to control fire ants. In fact, they're a native species that typically parasitizes bumble bees. My guess is that they're going through a host shift and may possibly speciate, but it's too early to tell in the research ( http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0029639 ) Also, they play a very minor role in honeybee deaths and are highly unlikely to be a root cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. It's more likely that the bees are being weakened by something else (virus, mites, pesticides, etc.) and then are falling victim to the flies.

Also, the phorid flies found around people's collection are also a different species from the introduced African variety, since that species has very specific diet requirements (i.e. tissue of fire ants' heads). Thus, these introduced species are very much specialists and won't be wreaking havoc out in nature.

I'd like to second Smokehound's advice about phorid flies in collections: They're most often harmless (yet annoying) scavengers. If anyone has these, you probably have some dead crickets or roaches that they're feeding on. Remove their food source (keep your colonies clean) and they should go away. (cider vinegar is also great)

 

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

I'm not against bio control at all. In fact I was going to recommend another form of bio control if the fungus gnats got out of hand. I have had good luck with predatory mites Stratiolaelaps scimitus {formerly Hypoaspis miles}. These are great at keeping fungus gnats, pest mites, and parasitic mites under control or even eradicated from collections.

I will have to find the article I read about the honeybees and phorid flies. The author clearly implicated them as a potential catalyst in CCD. I have no doubt that they are not the only reason for the decline in honeybees. As you mentioned varroa mites, pesticides, and viral infections all probably play a role.

I disagree with the phorids only being a nuisance in collections. Like I stated before I have witnessed first hand what they are capable of doing to healthy tarantulas. I'm sure that some of the species are just pests in the cages and are after rotting cricket and the like. My friend never had the specific species of fly identified.

I believe some one else here has posted recently about phorids attacking their collection. =)

 

[skippydude]

Hypoaspis miles will eradicate your fungus gnats

 

[eldondominicano]

Hypoaspis miles will eradicate your fungus gnats

Do explain plz

 

[catfishrod69]

No matter if they are fungus gnats or phorid flies, the maggots will kill your tarantulas. Ive had many slings, and some juvies and adults sucked right out of their skin by these demons. They just leave a shell that looks like a molt.

 

[skippydude]

Hypoaspis miles are predatory mites. They eat fungus gnat eggs and larvae and a few other soil born pests. Once the gnats are gone the H. miles die off. If you use them be sure to add some to any house plants you have as well.

Be prepared to retreat occasionally because these pests don't come in the soil they just move there. Fungus gnats get really bad in the fall when fruit drops from trees and doesn't get picked up.

 

[eldondominicano]

Hypoaspis miles are predatory mites. They eat fungus gnat eggs and larvae and a few other soil born pests. Once the gnats are gone the H. miles die off. If you use them be sure to add some to any house plants you have as well.

Be prepared to retreat occasionally because these pests don't come in the soil they just move there. Fungus gnats get really bad in the fall when fruit drops from trees and doesn't get picked up.

Thanks for the help!

 

[IHeartTs]

No problem. I hate phorids, they can wreak havoc in a collection.

Just found these stupid things in crickets I bought today. I'm glad I noticed before I fed them :/

 

[catfishrod69]

Dont worry the eggs they laid will find a way .

Just found these stupid things in crickets I bought today. I'm glad I noticed before I fed them :/

 

[IHeartTs]

Dont worry the eggs they laid will find a way .

Oh I tossed them before they got in the house. Never left the bag. Ain't nobody got time fo dat.

 

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

Just found these stupid things in crickets I bought today. I'm glad I noticed before I fed them :/

Good job with the quick thinking, saved yourself from the always fun eradication process! =)

---------- Post added 01-11-2015 at 03:52 AM ----------

No matter if they are fungus gnats or phorid flies, the maggots will kill your tarantulas. Ive had many slings, and some juvies and adults sucked right out of their skin by these demons. They just leave a shell that looks like a molt.

This is what I have witnessed also. I would always view flies in a cage as a potential problem.

 

[Sana]

Point of clarification for someone new to using a biological cleanup crew, Hypoaspis mites won't cause the T any problems? They only eat the soil born pests?

 

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

Point of clarification for someone new to using a biological cleanup crew, Hypoaspis mites won't cause the T any problems? They only eat the soil born pests?

Correct....I've used them a few times with no ill effects on my t's, scorps, and pedes. They eat all of the target species in the soil and when they have exhausted all of the food source they die off. I put them in my plants, roach bins, and mealworm colonies as well. They can keep propagating as long as they have a food source.

I order them here: http://www.evergreengrowers.com/stratiolaelaps-scimitus-womersley-hypoaspis.html

 

[Sana]

Thank you for the information. Is there a type of biological cleanup that would be a little more generalized in it's target without harming Ts?

 

[-=}GA']['OR{=-]

Thank you for the information. Is there a type of biological cleanup that would be a little more generalized in it's target without harming Ts?

No problem, I am pretty sure that Hypoaspis are your best bet as a generalist pest predator. I would give Evergreen a call and see if they would have more insight. They may have different suggestions that would suit you better.

 

[Sana]

I imagine that this knowledge will be very handy some day down the road.