A plague of BLACK FLIES during a pendemic!

ZEROPILOT

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A few weeks ago, I ordered a bunch of feeder insects from Josh's Frogs.
I figured that mail order just made more sense
What I ordered was a "Chameleon mix". An assortment of worms and larvae. Several, I'd never seen or used before. Like the Black Fly larvae and egg cases.
My Veiled chameleons wanted nothing to do with the tiny, wriggling things, so on a tip from another forum, I dumped the small, shotglass sized cup of them into the potted plants of all 3 enclosures equally.
That way...As was the theory....they would hatch at different rates and supply edible flies to the chams.
Well, hatch they did. Three or four one day. Several hundred more over the next 24 hours.
So many flies in fact that my Chameleons were scrambling around trying to avoid them. There were so many that they sounded like an electric fan buzzing. A black floating mass of flies.
I put up fly traps of different designs. Whatever I found at Home Depot, closed off the room and grabbed the potted plants. Then the chams. And bought them all outside.
I noticed that the now hundreds of flies mostly stayed in the cages under the heat lamps and uvb lights.
The Chameleons were now in their outdoors enclosures and any future fly hatchlings would hatch out of the plants and fly away.....The flies were almost all still in the cages.
My plan was to spray the flies with a spray bottle filled with my now very precious isopropyl alcohol. I was thinking that I'd kill them. Vacuum them up and being alcohol, it would evaporate and not leave any harmful residue for the lizards.
So I turned off the uvb lights, opened up the cages and started spraying.
They dropped like.....FLIES.
All 3 cages, same results. Great.
But then at almost the same moment, they sprang back "to life" and shot out of the cages. Now attracted to the light in the ceiling of the room and the windows!
There are now a horror movie amount of flies in this room. I turned off the room light and all of the flies went primarily to one window. One with the blinds open.
In desperation, I pulled off the screen to that window and opened it.
The exodus was immediate. I could feel the wind from the wings as they sailed past my head.
I then wired the cage doors open. Opened both windows and placed a towel underneath the door and left the room. Several fly traps still hanging.
That was over six hours ago and it looks like I won the battle.( I've only seen two flies in the house and I quickly squashed them.)
So, what's the point of my story?
It's that if you order BLACK FLY PUPAE from Josh's Frogs, you sure get your money's worth!
 
Last edited:

Maro2Bear

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Location (City and/or State)
Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA
A few weeks ago, I ordered a bunch of feeder insects from Josh's Frogs.
I figured that mail order just made more sense
What I ordered was a "Chameleon mix". An assortment of worms and larvae. Several, I'd never seen or used before. Like the Black Fly larvae and egg cases.
My Veiled chameleons wanted nothing to do with the tiny, wriggling things, so on a tip from another forum, I dumped the small, shotglass sized cup of them into the potted plants of all 3 enclosures equally.
That way...As was the theory....they would hatch at different rates and supply edible flies to the chams.
Well, hatch they did. Three or four one day. Several hundred more over the next 24 hours.
So many flies in fact that my Chameleons were scrambling around trying to avoid them. There were so many that they sounded like an electric fan buzzing. A black floating mass of flies.
I put up fly traps of different designs. Whatever I found at Home Depot, closed off the room and grabbed the potted plants. Then the chams. And bought them all outside.
I noticed that the now hundreds of flies mostly stayed in the cages under the heat lamps and uvb lights.
The Chameleons were now in their outdoors enclosures and any future fly hatchlings would hatch out of the plants and fly away.....The flies were almost all still in the cages.
My plan was to spray the flies with a spray bottle filled with my now very precious isopropyl alcohol. I was thinking that I'd kill them. Vacuum them up and being alcohol, it would evaporate and not leave any harmful residue for the lizards.
So I turned off the uvb lights, opened up the cages and started spraying.
They dropped like.....FLIES.
All 3 cages, same results. Great.
But then at almost the same moment, they sprang back "to life" and shot out of the cages. Now attracted to the light in the ceiling of the room and the windows!
There are now a horror movie amount of flies in this room. I turned off the room light and all of the flies went primarily to one window. One with the blinds open.
In desperation, I pulled off the screen to that window and opened it.
The exodus was immediate. I could feel the wind from the wings as they sailed past my head.
I then wired the cage doors open. Opened both windows and placed a towel underneath the door and left the room. Several fly traps still hanging.
That was over six hours ago and it looks like a won the battle.
What's the point of my story?
It's that if you order BLACK FLY PUPAE from Josh's Frogs, you sure get your money's worth!

Quite the pandemic story - Lord of the Flies..
 

Yvonne G

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I was smarter than you, I ordered the black soldier fly larvae. which I kept in the tub they came in. And I fed a select amount to each of the box turtle enclosures. My trouble was the turtles didn't eat them fast enough and the escapees morphed into wasp-like flying creatures. Bt my enclosures are all enclosed, and none of the flies got into the house. Now I buy wax worms, and they can't move so fast as to get away from the box turtles.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I was smarter than you, I ordered the black soldier fly larvae. which I kept in the tub they came in. And I fed a select amount to each of the box turtle enclosures. My trouble was the turtles didn't eat them fast enough and the escapees morphed into wasp-like flying creatures. Bt my enclosures are all enclosed, and none of the flies got into the house. Now I buy wax worms, and they can't move so fast as to get away from the box turtles.
Crap.
I also received soldier fly larvae.
And Phoenix worms.
 

Maggie3fan

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Jun 30, 2018
Messages
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PacificNorthWest
A few weeks ago, I ordered a bunch of feeder insects from Josh's Frogs.
I figured that mail order just made more sense
What I ordered was a "Chameleon mix". An assortment of worms and larvae. Several, I'd never seen or used before. Like the Black Fly larvae and egg cases.
My Veiled chameleons wanted nothing to do with the tiny, wriggling things, so on a tip from another forum, I dumped the small, shotglass sized cup of them into the potted plants of all 3 enclosures equally.
That way...As was the theory....they would hatch at different rates and supply edible flies to the chams.
Well, hatch they did. Three or four one day. Several hundred more over the next 24 hours.
So many flies in fact that my Chameleons were scrambling around trying to avoid them. There were so many that they sounded like an electric fan buzzing. A black floating mass of flies.
I put up fly traps of different designs. Whatever I found at Home Depot, closed off the room and grabbed the potted plants. Then the chams. And bought them all outside.
I noticed that the now hundreds of flies mostly stayed in the cages under the heat lamps and uvb lights.
The Chameleons were now in their outdoors enclosures and any future fly hatchlings would hatch out of the plants and fly away.....The flies were almost all still in the cages.
My plan was to spray the flies with a spray bottle filled with my now very precious isopropyl alcohol. I was thinking that I'd kill them. Vacuum them up and being alcohol, it would evaporate and not leave any harmful residue for the lizards.
So I turned off the uvb lights, opened up the cages and started spraying.
They dropped like.....FLIES.
All 3 cages, same results. Great.
But then at almost the same moment, they sprang back "to life" and shot out of the cages. Now attracted to the light in the ceiling of the room and the windows!
There are now a horror movie amount of flies in this room. I turned off the room light and all of the flies went primarily to one window. One with the blinds open.
In desperation, I pulled off the screen to that window and opened it.
The exodus was immediate. I could feel the wind from the wings as they sailed past my head.
I then wired the cage doors open. Opened both windows and placed a towel underneath the door and left the room. Several fly traps still hanging.
That was over six hours ago and it looks like I won the battle.( I've only seen two flies in the house and I quickly squashed them.)
So, what's the point of my story?
It's that if you order BLACK FLY PUPAE from Josh's Frogs, you sure get your money's worth!

I am so sorry this is happening to you....however...it is funny as sh**...and I can't stop laughing.....
 

Maggie3fan

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Hilarious! Everything fun happens in FL. I think I have to move there...
You'd hate it @Tom...seriously...it's full of dirt...bugs...drivers you can't believe...mostly rude people...too many people...and other reasons I shouldn't put here...in a family forum...
Sorry Ed...I really don't mean any disrespect...my personal experience with the state of Florida was bad...too many times...so I finally refused to go there...I think I won't mention Fla again...after all...I do live in the Subaru capitol of the world...full of Birkenstock wearin tree huggers...a homeless population who live in expensive tents...wear designer clothes...smoke Camels...and have/wave signs asking for money while talking on a Smart fone...(I still use a 20 yr old flip phone)...when they are thru begging for the day...the couple who always hit up this old lady in farm clothes driving a 30 year old car for money...like I LOOK like I have money??? Anyway...when done for the day...this couple get in a newer Honda Accord and leave...
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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You'd hate it @Tom...seriously...it's full of dirt...bugs...drivers you can't believe...mostly rude people...too many people...and other reasons I shouldn't put here...in a family forum...
Sorry Ed...I really don't mean any disrespect...my personal experience with the state of Florida was bad...too many times...so I finally refused to go there...I think I won't mention Fla again...after all...I do live in the Subaru capitol of the world...full of Birkenstock wearin tree huggers...a homeless population who live in expensive tents...wear designer clothes...smoke Camels...and have/wave signs asking for money while talking on a Smart fone...(I still use a 20 yr old flip phone)...when they are thru begging for the day...the couple who always hit up this old lady in farm clothes driving a 30 year old car for money...like I LOOK like I have money??? Anyway...when done for the day...this couple get in a newer Honda Accord and leave...
No offense at all. I'm liking Florida less and less myself.
I posted this story for comic relief.
Its especially funny because it really happened.
 

Maggie3fan

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No offense at all. I'm liking Florida less and less myself.
I posted this story for comic relief.
Its especially funny because it really happened.
Do some research on Corvallis Oregon...it's going to be abt 85 today with 20% humidity...the state is green...and the green is legal. Now...it IS gonna shower tonight and be 65 tomorrow...I really like Oregon...I know you wouldn't want to leave your Mom...but...maybe for the future? The best thing...Oregon can't afford State Troopers to roam the hiways at night...need I say more LOL?
 

Yvonne G

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You'd hate it @Tom...seriously...it's full of dirt...bugs...drivers you can't believe...mostly rude people...too many people...and other reasons I shouldn't put here...in a family forum...
Sorry Ed...I really don't mean any disrespect...my personal experience with the state of Florida was bad...too many times...so I finally refused to go there...I think I won't mention Fla again...after all...I do live in the Subaru capitol of the world...full of Birkenstock wearin tree huggers...a homeless population who live in expensive tents...wear designer clothes...smoke Camels...and have/wave signs asking for money while talking on a Smart fone...(I still use a 20 yr old flip phone)...when they are thru begging for the day...the couple who always hit up this old lady in farm clothes driving a 30 year old car for money...like I LOOK like I have money??? Anyway...when done for the day...this couple get in a newer Honda Accord and leave...
What??? I guess they left their Subaru back at the mansion?
 

Cathie G

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No offense at all. I'm liking Florida less and less myself.
I posted this story for comic relief.
Its especially funny because it really happened.
You aught to see me if even one fly gets in. If they won't go to the screen door and let me help them fly out I give them an alcohol bath. Or I trap them in the screen and watch the sun fry them. I've also been known to let a spider live in my screen so it could be my fly catcher. And why in the world would you buy flies with fly season coming? Sorry jus sayin...
 
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