[Nhcoll-l] Phorids in dermestid colony

[Thomas Labedz]

I've occasional had these fly problems too. They prefer damp to very damp conditions. I'd recommend pulling the carcasses being cleaned from the dermestid colony and freezing them to kill fly larva. Once frozen for a few weeks remove the carcass from the freezer, let thaw, and let dry before resubmitting it to the dermestid colony. In the meantime keep your dermestid colony dry. Do not add water or carcasses that are not totally dry to the colony. I will sometimes use very dry, jerky-like strips of excess meat trimmed from larger carcasses and dried. In time the flies will find the colony uninhabitable and die out. If the colony substrate is damp it might be a good idea to restart the colony with drier conditions to prevent mold or fungal growth.
Good luck!
Thomas Labedz

Thomas E. Labedz, Collections Manager
Division of Zoology and Division of Botany
University of Nebraska State Museum
Morrill Hall
645 North 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68588-0338

-----Original Message-----
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Susan Gallagher
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2020 11:38 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Phorids in dermestid colony

Non-NU Email

Hello List,

Longtime lurker here, with a phorid fly infestation in one of my dermestid beetle colonies. I thought I'd gotten them all out when I removed some specimens that weren't quite as dry as normal. Those specimens had adult flies and larvae. I moved everything to a new tank and don't see any more larvae, but some adults are still in there scuttling around.

Is there a chance the colony is salvageable, or should I just get rid of it?

Thanks.

Sue
--
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Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
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