I have talked to many other herpers who have the same problem as me (other than spending more money herps than wives). Often we get these little black flies. They look similar to a fruit fly. Carrion Flies perhaps? Anyway, i fought them for years. I think they drink permethrine! But I finally found a solution. Carnivorous plants! Pitcher Plants and Sundews in particular (the flies are too small for Venus Fly Traps). Here is my solution.
Now they are still in their pots. Just in Peat and Sand with a solid bottom long planter. They all need LOTS of water and LOTS of light. So I mounted a grow light with reflectors 16" above the plants and i am able to adjust it as the plants grow. I have 3 types of carnivorous plants (all native to GA).
This is the Red Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra), I think
. This one actually grows fairly big.
Here you can see 2 of the flies going for them after they were there about 10 minutes. As i was setting them up, I was swarmed by the little buggers.
I love these. Purple Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea). These were all I had last year and they worked great. The only problem is that these have a long dormency during the winter and I forgot to water the empy pot.
So to remedy this problem, I added these.
This is a Sundew (Drosera filiformis). This thing is cool. Basically a glue trap for insects.
Here you can see the flies stuck to it. The one in the middle was still kicking when i took the picture.
For those with carrion (shed) fly problems, this is a very ecologically sound alternative. Plus they are fun to grow. Just be sure to research care. Little things like Tap water and potting soil kill them
Stephanie
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