Bugs in my enclosure...

[Autiwara]

There’s been an accumulation of insects in my RF’s enclosure lately, not sure what they are but some people tell me to keep them because they’re beneficial... Is this true?
(I had some videos of them but the files are too big, ugh)

 

[dashthetortoise]

this could be helpful!

 

[wellington]

They are normal. They are a nuisance to us but not them.
I usually bake my substrate at 200-250 for about 3 hours before using it. The baking helps keep the bugs away much long.

 

[ZenHerper]

this could be helpful!

Fruit flies from feeder bug farms often have grain mite infestations on their bodies...those two critters are completely different from springtails that ride into habitats on coco coir and bark chips. Springtails will NOT take over your entire house because they need the damp substrate to live in (unless you live in a house where the floor stays very wet all the time).

People who keep frogs and other wee beasts that eat flightless fruit flies may have problems with grain mites spreading all over the place. Tortoise and turtle keepers do not as a rule buy fruit flies, so the chance that this is what is being found in Cheloniariums is remote.