Flies in moss

[jamie674]

We have a leopard gecko and have been getting little fruit flies in his moist box that is filled with moss. I have changed the moss twice now and they keep coming back! Does anyone have a solution to this?

 

[Leopard leopard]

You could replace the moss with a wet paper towel. All my leopard geckos use that and have perfect sheds.

 

[jamie674]

I am going to give that a try! Thank you.

 

[Cloppy]

Where are you getting the moss from? It might have fly eggs or tiny maggots in the moss or dirt.

 

[jamie674]

Where are you getting the moss from? It might have fly eggs or tiny maggots in the moss or dirt.

It was from the pet store. I had used the first half of the box before and had no issues. I had it stored in a ziploc bag so I don't think anything got in to it before hand.
The paper towel is working so far.

 

[LittleLeo123]

I know that some soil based substrates come with eggs inside them, but I’ve never heard of eggs in moss. What substrate are you using?

 

[jamie674]

I know that some soil based substrates come with eggs inside them, but I’ve never heard of eggs in moss. What substrate are you using?

I switched to paper towels and am having better luck with that.

 

[LittleLeo123]

Oh, I didn’t realize you already switched all your substrate to paper towels.

 

[jamie674]

Oh no worries.
We always get drain flies in the summer time and evidently they had found the moss and multiplied in it lol. I had no clue how to get rid of them! Well, the paper towels did the trick. Thanks for taking the time to reply

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Sounds like "fungal gnats" to me. Do you have house plants? These pesky gnats tend to thrive in moist soil. I'm having an issue with them in my house plants right now. They will fly around fruit too if it's on your kitchen counter. You can get rid of them by setting out gnat traps in small dishes. Just mix up 2 pints of water, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and a couple drops of dish soap...stir it up and put it out in some little bowls (pudding dishes work great) around your house. The gnats will be drawn to it and drown. Works really well.

 

[jamie674]

Oh that could be what we have or had. I will try the traps and see if that helps when I see them again.
Thank you!!