# Flying flies!



## cryptokat (Mar 9, 2008)

Some fruit flies have started appearing around my house the past few days and I'm thinking my cultures may have developed a mutation. I haven't really noticed any flying out of the cultures though. I told my roommates they couldn't possibly be from me because mine are genetically engineered to be flightless! Am I right in telling them this, or is it more likely that I need to toss the current cultures and get new ones? And in the meantime- any suggestions for getting rid of the ones flying all over the house? Thanks!!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

I've had a few fliers recently. I don't think you could miss them. They practically fly right into your face when you open the container. We use containers of juice, vinegar, wine or whatever we have on hand. Just put them out and add a couple of drops of dishsoap in each container. They'll crawl in and drown. You're cultures will attract FF's just like a rotten bannana will. This could be the source as well.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

If you haven't seen any flying flies when you open your cultures (and a culture hasn't reverted on you) then its probably wild flies coming in from outside. 

Ed


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## hpglow (Jun 8, 2009)

I got a bunch of FFs in my house one time because there was a rotton onion infested with them under my sink. Most likely there is a bad veggie or fruit in your home.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Be sure and wash the stems of your bananas off when you take them home from the store. This should help (assuming you do buy them, that is.)


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

haha yep i had a little boom of wild type here, and left a culture (without any flies) out without the lid and when i came home and picked it up some flew out, i knew that was the end of that culture (for me, i dont do fliers) but i put the filter back on top and H0T [email protected] that culture is booming more than mine EVER have, they are tuff little guys and they are constantly trying to find things they can use to reproduce in, LIKE THE SPONGE IN MY KITCHEN. no BS it was crawling with larvae when i got home from a week vacation.

i think im gonna try lots of fly paper to get rid of the last of them.

james


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

james67 said:


> haha yep i had a little boom of wild type here, and left a culture (without any flies) out without the lid and when i came home and picked it up some flew out, i knew that was the end of that culture (for me, i dont do fliers) but i put the filter back on top and H0T [email protected] that culture is booming more than mine EVER have, they are tuff little guys and they are constantly trying to find things they can use to reproduce in, LIKE THE SPONGE IN MY KITCHEN. no BS it was crawling with larvae when i got home from a week vacation.
> 
> i think im gonna try lots of fly paper to get rid of the last of them.
> 
> james


Are you sure they are fruit flies and not phorid flies? I have a hard time thinking that fruit flies would breed in a sponge while phorid flies will. 

Ed


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

james67 said:


> i think im gonna try lots of fly paper to get rid of the last of them.
> 
> james


How about a carnivorous plant instead? Try petflytrap.com Home Page.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

yes they are melos. they are all over. and have used anything they can to reproduce. its getting a little much for my taste. i cannot be 100% that they were indeed melos, but... they are the only fly that has been apparent in the house, and the adults were swarming around the sink / sponge area. also the larvae were the size shape and color of the wild melos that have now bred in a culture for me. i never saw pupal cases as i threw the sponge out immediately, however, the fact that it was not the normal sponge material (more like the magic eraser wrapped in plastic scrubby stuff), and that it had been sitting in some foul water, and the fact that adult melos were all over it leads me to believe that they were melos.

james


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

james67 said:


> yes they are melos. they are all over. and have used anything they can to reproduce. its getting a little much for my taste. i cannot be 100% that they were indeed melos, but... they are the only fly that has been apparent in the house, and the adults were swarming around the sink / sponge area. also the larvae were the size shape and color of the wild melos that have now bred in a culture for me. i never saw pupal cases as i threw the sponge out immediately, however, the fact that it was not the normal sponge material (more like the magic eraser wrapped in plastic scrubby stuff), and that it had been sitting in some foul water, and the fact that adult melos were all over it leads me to believe that they were melos.
> 
> james


Ahh the old looks like a duck.. must be a duck..argument 
Phorid flies (and thier maggots) are the same basic size and color as wild type melanogasters and unlike fruit flies can reproduce in anything that contains decomposing organics. They are a not rare contaminent in fruit fly cultures that don't have good lids and will outcompete the culture. 
They are attracted to come into the house by the cultures as well as any source of decomposing materials. 

For it to be melanogaster as you aver, there would have to have been a active source of yeast growing in the sponge as melanogaster do not deposit eggs without the trigger of yeast..... so you have active yeast cultures growing in and on everything??? 

Ed


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

let me start by saying i am not intending to hijack this thread...
while they may indeed be what you say (Phorid flies) and i am not saying that they aren't, i am simply saying that with the wild melos around i made the assumption that they were melos.

and the sponge certainly could have had yeast growing in it as there were discarded beer bottles (with beer in them) and the drain was clogged with old food and the sponge was sitting directly above the drain. the sponge also has come into contact with lots of active dry yeast because i use the sponge to wipe up after i make cultures. (in the kitchen)

james


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## kristy55303 (Apr 27, 2008)

I had a HUGE outbreak of what Ed is describing, the phorids....they started breeding in an unused toilet....ewwwwww....the made their way to where my puppies were....OCD kicking in at that point and I knew what they were eating. So here is what I did and I got rid of them within a couple days.....
1. I put wine out in a cup
2. vinegar and a drop of dish soap in a bowl
3. smirnoff( alcoholic beverage) with just a little in it tipped works great, they smell the fruity smell and drown
4. bowl with nectarines in it. cover it with seran wrap and punch holes in it with a fork. make sure seran wrap is tightly closed. the flies get in but not out. and they bred like mad in it, because It was crawling with disgusting larvae
5. I opened a window and threw the fan on in the area they were inhabiting and they got sucked outside, 
6. I used three rolls of non-toxic fly papert next to my traps

I know i went way overboard, but it was wayyyy worth it. I am fly-free! I had thousands and also want to point out i made sure I had no sponges, wet rags out, and poured bleach down the drains once a day where they could breed. Bananas were temporarily refrigerated. 

I have never had a fly outbreak like this. we have a very clean house. But it can happen and it did. I did a lot of research to rid them. I was at a breaking point and almost resorted to calling some bug-be-gone company before I realized I could rid them without toxins by myself. 

One would think these flies would have made it down to my frog room or my sugar glider room since the sugar glidersd are fed a diet of HPW( which contains a lot of honey) and fresh fruits and veggies and not removed till the following morning each day, but I was so relieved none made it downstairs, as I knew these flies could be disease carriers. I would have had a lot of gliders to bring to the vet for fecals if that were the case.


Hope this helps. LOL
Kristy


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Phorid flies are horrible.

The last time I was over at Bill and Kathy Love's house, they had a big problem with them getting into the corn snake eggs and piping snakes. The feed exclusively on decomposing flesh, so I really doubt they could be in a FFculture but I guess an amount of dead flies_ could_ attract them.

You will instantly be able to tell them apart from Melanos.

They are roughly the same size but they are FAST. You will actually see them "run" along flat surfaces. I think they are much more fecund than any FF as well.

Kathy uses a blue colored crystal mix added to water in a jar lid to attract and kill them.

BIG problem for reptile breeders and collections.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

earthfrog said:


> How about a carnivorous plant instead? Try petflytrap.com Home Page.


Good suggestion there Susan!
I used to keep Butterwort`s next to my viv`s for those escapees.

John


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Philsuma said:


> Phorid flies are horrible.
> 
> The last time I was over at Bill and Kathy Love's house, they had a big problem with them getting into the corn snake eggs and piping snakes. The feed exclusively on decomposing flesh, so I really doubt they could be in a FFculture but I guess an amount of dead flies_ could_ attract them.
> .


Hi Phil,

They don't feed exclusively on decaying flesh they feed on a wide variety of decaying organics and the conditions described in the above sink are perfect for them. Check out Phorid Fly Elimination, Phorid flies, Hump Back Fly Control 

They will attack ff cultures (I have had cultures shipped to me at work with the phorids in it already (and note that they can have a 14 day life cycle under ideal conditions..) and can come inside to try and get into the cultures. 
They will also attack dendrobatid eggs. 

Ed


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Ed said:


> Hi Phil,
> 
> They don't feed exclusively on decaying flesh they feed on a wide variety of decaying organics and the conditions described in the above sink are perfect for them. Check out Phorid Fly Elimination, Phorid flies, Hump Back Fly Control
> 
> ...


Not to jack the thread really, but won't grindle (sp?) worms attack the eggs sometimes? I think they are not beyond worming their way inside...

Also, I agree with you. Fruit flies breed in fruit, but other flies breed in other things.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Currently the hobby has been referring to any small soil dwelling worm as a "grindal worm" without confirming that they are indeed Enchytraeus buchholzi. 
There have also been a number of anecdotal reports of eggs being attacked by a soil dwelling worm of some kind but as to whether or not they were actually grindal worms is unknown. 

Ed


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Ed,

That is scary stuff about phorids......I had no idea as to there ability to effect our hobby.

FF cultures and frog eggs?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Yes they are nasty little beasts.. 

The other small fly I have seen attack eggs are the larva of moth flies or sewer flies (drain flies, moth flies drain fly control treatment). The larva of these are a black worm like maggot. 

Ed


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## EricDoan (Jul 6, 2009)

The flies that are flying around could be gnats.


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Ed said:


> Currently the hobby has been referring to any small soil dwelling worm as a "grindal worm" without confirming that they are indeed Enchytraeus buchholzi.
> There have also been a number of anecdotal reports of eggs being attacked by a soil dwelling worm of some kind but as to whether or not they were actually grindal worms is unknown.
> 
> Ed


I ask b/c today I did have some clear, fertile, normal looking eggs, and later that day noticed an opaqueness to one of them...upon closer inspection, the tiny white worm had eaten its way to the yolk. Whether the fungus or the worm struck first, I may never know.
They don't do too well in standing water, so I moved the remaining egg to the center of the dish. 
Good luck, little buggers...
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread...


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