Gnats in sulcata eggs

[Fruitguy]

I tried to hatch some sulcata eggs in an incubator. A couple of the eggs were cracked and gnats arrived in large numbers. They laid eggs and bunches of tiny maggots resulted. The maggots got all over the newly hatched babies and some died. How do I prevent the gnats next time? Would it work to place the eggs in a clear tub and seal them with Saran Wrap so the gnats can't get in? Or would that smother the eggs due to lack of air? Or what would work to get rid of the gnats?

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

@Tom

 

[Tom]

I tried to hatch some sulcata eggs in an incubator. A couple of the eggs were cracked and gnats arrived in large numbers. They laid eggs and bunches of tiny maggots resulted. The maggots got all over the newly hatched babies and some died. How do I prevent the gnats next time? Would it work to place the eggs in a clear tub and seal them with Saran Wrap so the gnats can't get in? Or would that smother the eggs due to lack of air? Or what would work to get rid of the gnats?

Remove cracked and rotten eggs and the phorred flies won't show up or lay their eggs there. You can also use sticky fly traps around the incubator to control them. Or move the incubator to a different area. Its easy to remove the shoe box cover and shoo the adults away too, should any show up.

 

[Yvonne G]

As soon as you see cracked or moldy eggs, remove them and toss them. If you wait long enough to see the maggots, clean that all out and toss it. If the maggots have already pupated, be sure to clean up all those and toss them.

Will posted a thread back in 2015 about a product called Mosquito Bits that kills the gnats and I've recently posted a question to him asking if he thinks it would be ok to mix Mosquito Bits into the hatching medium, as I too have a huge gnat maggot problem with Manouria eggs. He hasn't responded yet.

soil or fungus nats in the substrate, solution to problem

I had my attention re-directed to 'mosquito bits' in another thread and re-read the information on the company website. Apparently the use if mosquito bits will also suppress or eliminate soil/fungus nats as well. "The Mosquito Bits® are now labeled to control Fungus Gnats in plant beds or...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Fruitguy]

As soon as you see cracked or moldy eggs, remove them and toss them. If you wait long enough to see the maggots, clean that all out and toss it. If the maggots have already pupated, be sure to clean up all those and toss them.

Will posted a thread back in 2015 about a product called Mosquito Bits that kills the gnats and I've recently posted a question to him asking if he thinks it would be ok to mix Mosquito Bits into the hatching medium, as I too have a huge gnat maggot problem with Manouria eggs. He hasn't responded yet.

soil or fungus nats in the substrate, solution to problem

I had my attention re-directed to 'mosquito bits' in another thread and re-read the information on the company website. Apparently the use if mosquito bits will also suppress or eliminate soil/fungus nats as well. "The Mosquito Bits® are now labeled to control Fungus Gnats in plant beds or...

tortoiseforum.org

VERY GOOD INFO! I hadn't thought of using BT, even though I use it on grape leaf skeletonizer caterpillers and in standing water for mosquitos thanks, I'll try it

 

[Fruitguy]

Is there anything special I should use to clean the eggs with before incubating? I just rinsed with water

 

[Fruitguy]

Would it be ok to put the eggs in a small container and seal them with saran wrap? Or would that smother the eggs due to lack of oxygen?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yeah, you don't want it to be air tight.

I've always heard you don't want to wash off the protective mucous coating put on by the mother . I just knock off the dirt with a paper towell.

 

[Tom]

Is there anything special I should use to clean the eggs with before incubating? I just rinsed with water

I don't clean them at all. I pull them out of the ground and put them into the vermiculite in the prepared shoe box. I would not rinse them.