Tiny flies... phorid flies?

[MIReptilian]

I have a huge phorid fly issue and am trying to combat without success. Actuall . I'm not 100% sure they are phorid flies. They're tiny like a fruit fly, but only fly a few inches over the substrate and land again. Less than 1/16th of an inch in size.

I have a very large tortoise table inside a greenhouse in my basement for my 3 Hermanns hatchlings. It's 9 foot long x 4 foot wide and L-shaped. Long story short, I started with a mix of coconut coir and topsoil (5 inches deep) topped with a 2 inch layer of cypress mulch. I keep the substrate damp with daily misting and about once every too weeks I use a watering can to "water" the substrate down. The tortoises seem to be thriving, but the phorid fly population is growing by the hundreds. I know the flies are harmless, but they are super annoying. Am I watering too much? Not sure... I know folks have suggested baking or freezing the substrate but given the size of my table, that would be a HUGE undertaking. i'm willing to try anything at this point short of removing all the substrate and starting over.

I have introduced about 10 isopods to to table but they don't seems to be helping.

I need some suggestions. Should I try and make a full blown bio active substrate with spring tails, earthworms and more isopods? The wife and kids won't even go into the greenhouse because there are so many flies.

Suggestions to help with this problem?

Thanks
Jeff

 

[MIReptilian]

Nothing?

 

[Yvonne G]

I have sewer flies in my closed enclosures. I changed out the whole darned thing and the very next day, there they were again. I have a canister type vacuum and when the flies have all settles on the walls, I slowly sneak open the door and vacuum them all up. It doesn't get them all, but it does cut down on the population a bit. Any kind of little gnat like that finds suitable conditions inside a closed chamber for breeding and reproducing. It helps if you keep old food picked up at the end of the day, spot clean any poop you see, and keep the water clean daily.