Phorid Flies?

Tamara

Arachnosquire
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May 20, 2003
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Uh-oh. I've had a few little flies in my genic's terrarium and I thought nothing of it until I searched the boards for what these flies might be. They are smaller than a fruit fly, have wings slightly longer than their abdomen and they tend to run a lot. However, they don't seem to have the "hunchback" appearance that is supposed to be characteristic of phorids. Maybe it's just a different species of phorid. So I'm wondering how bad these guys are. I squish them when I see them, and there's only 3 or 4 around at any one time. Is this going to get worse, and is my genic in danger?
Change substrate? What to do, what to do!?
 

pelo

Arachnoangel
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Apr 16, 2003
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Is your substrate wet/moist?Most pests can't thrive with dry conditions.You may want to let your substrate/enclosure go bone dry(cease misting also) and if that doesn't help then consider changing the substrate.Your spiders will be fine with a bone dry substrate as long as a water dish is provided.Phorid flies are not a threat to your spiders..a big nuisance is all they are....peace..
 

Tamara

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May 20, 2003
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No, the substrate is not wet. I mist only once in a while and I keep a damp cloth on half of the screen lid. I'll stop misting completely. I thought I read somewhere that the phorid larva can parasitize a T?:(
 

Kali

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Apr 23, 2003
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i get the darn blowflies all the time in fl. i agree with pelo, even my aboreal slings are moved to a waterdish and dry substrate as soon as possible. it's just that time of the year.

Kristin
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
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Dec 29, 2002
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Are your flies dark grey or black? If so, what you may have might just be fungus gnats, which are harmless to T's, but annoying to us, in large numbers.
 

Tamara

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May 20, 2003
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Ya, I thought about fungus gnats too. I think the ones in the tank are black. I found pictures of both on the internet, but when they are that small it's so hard to tell. The thing that makes me think they are phorids is that they run more often than fly - which is supposedly characteristic of phorids. But from what everyone is saying, they're harmless to the T no matter which one they are?
 

wsimms

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Originally posted by Tamara
No, the substrate is not wet. I mist only once in a while and I keep a damp cloth on half of the screen lid. I'll stop misting completely. I thought I read somewhere that the phorid larva can parasitize a T?:(
THEY CAN! They don't always, however. It's one of those situations depending on the number of flies, the health of the T, etc. In other words, fatal myiasis is a rare disease of multifactorial etiology. However, one of those factors is the number of phorid flies, and that can be minimized. Let the tank dry out completely, keep it meticulously clean, and keep the waterbowl full.
 

wsimms

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Originally posted by Tamara
Ya, I thought about fungus gnats too. I think the ones in the tank are black. I found pictures of both on the internet, but when they are that small it's so hard to tell. The thing that makes me think they are phorids is that they run more often than fly - which is supposedly characteristic of phorids. But from what everyone is saying, they're harmless to the T no matter which one they are?
Immature phorids don't have the hump...they look like fruitflies or gnats. Fungus gnats have somewhat feathery looking wings and don't scuttle.

W
 

Tamara

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Thanks W
I'll keep everything really dry for a good stint. Their numbers seem to be pretty low (just a couple here and there), so probably things will be back to normal soon, I hope. Otherwise, the genic is young (not quite 3") and seemingly pretty healthy. I was preparing for changing the whole substrate, but for the amount of stress it would cause (for the T and me!) I'm glad I can hold off.
Tamara
 

wsimms

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So far I've not had any problems with mortality, but I had a house full of these at one time...I think they came in with some cricket food I had, because I cultured some by wetting the food and keeping it in a nearly-airtight container and VOILA!--maggots and scuttle flies galore. I changed cricket food and dropped humidities, and now I'm down to 2 or 3 flies every few days.


W
 

Buspirone

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Mar 10, 2003
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I just had an outbreak of what I think are phorids but could be fungus gnats. I can't tell for sure. They were infesting my usumbara enclosure(a large pickle jar). The usumbara was leaving left overs in its burrow/tube web and I couldn't clean it out. I cleared the flies out and put a papertowel over the opening before screwing the lid back on...a few more days the enclosure was swarming with them. I tossed the whole enclosure and set up a pet pal for the usumbara...so far so good. I plan on getting a Gold Stick Trap which uses pheromones and is supposed to attract and trap filth flies including phorids. Anybody have any experience with Gold Stick traps?? I like hear any opinions.
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by wsimms
Immature phorids don't have the hump...they look like fruitflies or gnats.
Wrong, immature phorids look like a maggot - they are a dipteran after all. They do not undergo any changes after they eclose from the pupal case.

As for the rest of the advice, keeping things dry and such, spot on.
 

MizM

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I've got two or three in EVERY enclosure and am in the process of drying out. I think it's just that time of year!:(
 
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