Flies in crickets??

[matcha]

Just bought crickets yesterday, and today they have little flies that almost look like fruit flies.. hopping around in the cricket keeper? What is this, and should i trash the crickets and get new ones?

 

[kinyonga]

Do they run around in a sort of jerky movement?

 

[matcha]

Do they run around in a sort of jerky movement?

they were literally flying out, kind of jumping around

 

[kinyonga]

Do they look like this?
https://www.sciencesource.com/1254847-phorid-fly-stock-image-rights-managed.html

 

[matcha]

Do they look like this?
https://www.sciencesource.com/1254847-phorid-fly-stock-image-rights-managed.html

yes i believe that’s them

 

[kinyonga]

They are awful to get rid of. They can squeeze into sealed containers in some cases and even get past the gasket on your fridge door.

 

[matcha]

They are awful to get rid of. They can squeeze into sealed containers in some cases and even get past the gasket on your fridge door.

i put the container outside and trashed the crickets, but think i may be moving over to roaches instead

 

[kinyonga]

They can invade the roach habitat too…if there are any loose in your house, they will find the container you keep the roaches in and even your chameleon cages. I hope this doesn’t turn out to be the case.

 

[MissSkittles]

I have the dreaded gnats in my cricket and roach bins, but they aren’t the phorid flies…just soil gnats or fruit flies. To make life easier for my pet sitter when I went away, I set up my crickets bioactively (the roaches were already bioactive). Well, I guess the sitter put out too much food for them and the gnats/flies came. It’s mainly the cricket bin, and I can’t do much about it as it’s now got a bunch of baby crickets hatching in it. Just being careful not to overfeed and letting it all dry out.

 

[insectovore]

In pet stores, I have seen actual fruit flies in with crickets. Fruit flies will go away soon. However, phriod flies are also common with reptiles and feeders and they will not simply go away. If there any where with moist soil or feces they will proliferiate. Hanging fly strips around the room and using zevo fly traps (using light) will help but spot cleaning and preventing moist areas (to the extent you can, for example some species wont shed properly without a moist hide but you may have to change the material out much more often).