Tiny flies in woody colony

[Laghairt]

Hi all,

I've noticed there are a large number of tiny flies in my woody colony. It's sealed very well so they must have squeezed through the aluminum fly screen section of the lid. They are very small and seem to prefer to run (rather than fly) away when disturbed. Has anyone else noticed something similar in their colony? I'm hoping the flies aren't parasitic.

Cheers

a

 

[sandswimmer]

They would most likely be a species of drosophila or 'fruit fly'. They would be feeding on any decaying fruit or vegetables, completely harmless.

 

[Laghairt]

Excellent, thanks. I did think they looked a lot like fruit flies and I hope you're right.

 

[Wild~Touch]

They are annoying as they lay eggs which turn into maggott in with the woodies

 

[Jen]

vinegar or sewer flies? pics would help

 

[Laghairt]

Hmmm, unfortunately there's not much I can do about it right? If they can fit through the tiny gaps in the wire then there's no keeping them out.

They are seriously too small to photograph well enough for a positive id.

vinegar or sewer flies? pics would help

 

[Jen]

you could use a cheesecloth top, i don't think they can get through that as cheesecloth is what is recommended for keepers to keep them IN lol

 

[hornet]

I highly doubt they are fruit flies, unless you leave rotten fruit in there stewing in its own juices. Even without pics i can be pretty darn certain they are Phorid flies, also called vinegar or sewer flies. The only way to get rid of them really is to remove where they breed, thus breaking the life cycle. By the sounds of it its too wet, they need moisture to breed, the best way to kill of the larva is by dessication

 

[Webless]

they are phorrid flies, look them up

 

[Grogshla]

i had the exact same problem with my woodies this week. Tons of little flying bugs.

 

[Laghairt]

OK I looked it up Phorid flies it seems you're right, the document even comments on how they prefer ti run rather than fly when disturbed. Will they harm my woodies?

It's strange because the tub is extremely well ventilated so it shouldn't be too damp. I might have to move the tub to another location.

 

[hornet]

They can spread disease but if your woodies dont have any issues the flies will do them no harm

 

[Laghairt]

Thanks hornet,

I've actually noticed there are small cocoons in the tub so I guess they're breeding in there which is annoying. I've moved my colony from my basement garage up onto my balcony which should help to minimise any dampness in the tub etc. It won't hurt for the tub to get a small amount of (indirect) sunlight either as I imagine this will discourage the flies. It's a 75L tub with plenty of hiding spots so the sun shouldn't bother the woodies too much.

Hopefully the flies start dying off soon.

A

 

[Fireflyshuffle]

Hey, have you got any veg in there? I recommend a small food container, with a hole drilled through lid, put a wick through it and place in tub. This will give them all the water they need. With food, a dry insect diet will help. This should stop the problem your having.

 

[hugsta]

Do yourself a favour and clean out your woody tub, replace all the cardboard/egg cartons etc that you are using for them at them moment. I found squashed paper towel/toilet roll inners worked really well when squashed flat, just grab one out loaded with woodies into a chinese container and off to feed the lizards, really easy. Put in a plastic container filled with dried dog food or the like, I used to use the 'crumbs' from bags of rat food and throw in a carrot once a night or as necessary depending on the size of your colony. This will keep it dry, remove any possible eggs that have been laid and reduce the number of flies in the colony.

 

[Laghairt]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. At the moment I'm using water storage crystals in a small container lid as a water source. I plan on replacing all cardboard in the tub this weekend to get rid of any existing fly larvae. Fingers crossed.