First Case of Gnats

[Daniel J. R.]

It hasn't even been a week since I got my Tityus larvae and order of substrate and I just got a very small wave of these things. XD;

It was kind of my fault really, because they weren't in there this morning. I had recently put a couple dog food pellets into the substrate but at some point and failed to notice that one of the larvae had pushed a couple of them up to the surface. I had cracked my room window today because it was really nice outside, so most likely that's where they came in from. Not to mention I have a tropical bird (whom I've had almost my whole life) who's droppings tend to attract bugs.

When I got back home some hours later I noticed that the couple of pellets at the top were covered in white hairs, so I immediately removed them and took off any parts of the top layer of substrate that showed any signs of mold. Unfortunately, as I was doing so I saw a couple of really tiny things flying out of the cage. I mean they were TINY, and I knew right away what they were based on all the stories I've heard of them. There were only a couple that I saw even during the cleaning process.

During that time I decided to toss out all the suspicious substrate (which wasn't much thankfully), took out the larvae, and sifted through the substrate to see if there was anything else I should have removed. Other than the little bit at the top, all seemed ok and the larvae dove in as quickly as they could after a rude awakening. I'm going to keep my eyes on these guys quite carefully to make sure none of this reoccurs, but this is my first time rearing these creatures so I suppose this is a learning experience I have to take.

 

[Hisserdude]

Well you were bound to get them eventually, you really can't stop.them, seeing as the whole substrate serves as their food source. They can't harm your larva, the only bad thing about them is their fondness for getting stuck up your nose...

 

[Daniel J. R.]

Well you were bound to get them eventually, you really can't stop.them, seeing as the whole substrate serves as their food source. They can't harm your larva, the only bad thing about them is their fondness for getting stuck up your nose...

So they're more annoying than dangerous? I guess mites would be the thing I need to watch out for most.

 

[Hisserdude]

So they're more annoying than dangerous? I guess mites would be the thing I need to watch out for most.

Yeah, they really don't pose a threat to your beetles, but they will eat the substrate, so they can speed up the time needed in between substrate changes.

Mites are the ones you gotta look out for, they will stress out your larva.

 

[Daniel J. R.]

Yeah, they really don't pose a threat to your beetles, but they will eat the substrate, so they can speed up the time needed in between substrate changes.

Mites are the ones you gotta look out for, they will stress out your larva.

And what about that mold? It looked like tiny strands of white fur that would clump up the substrate into small chunks. I found a little more today despite taking out the top layer.

 

[Hisserdude]

And what about that mold? It looked like tiny strands of white fur that would clump up the substrate into small chunks. I found a little more today despite taking out the top layer.

As long as you remove it it shouldn't be a problem, and even with removing it I believe they will actually eat it on occasion, though you should still remove it when you see it. If I encounter a big clump of substrate I crumble it up until I get to the center, which usually has a old piece of dog food, and throw away that bit of it, so as to not waste substrate.

 

[Daniel J. R.]

Issue fixed! I took out the remaining dog pellets and let the top layer air out for a couple hours yesterday, so far I haven't seen any signs of gnats or mold. C: