12-23-2020, 02:52 PM
By Kimmich - Rarely I see an article so important that I copy it here. This is one.
There are a few different things people mean when they talk about the inevitability of insects and vivs:
1) Fruit flies will escape your cultures and viv. I don't mind seeing a lone wingless fruitfly crawling across the coffee table from time to time - but for some people that is an unacceptable infestation.
2) Moist vivariums will sustain fungus gnats. Depending on your ambient humidity outside the viv, however, you may never see escapees - or you may find them near your sink drains.
2) Fruit fly cultures will attract mites. These are usually harmless species and even commercially-produced cultures have them. Depending on the observer, a normal population of grain mites in a FF culture may be unnoticed or perceived as a chronic infestation. In both cases the FF cultures are actually fine and the mites are not a problem - but people tend to be bug-phobic especially in their homes.
3) Insect introductions and boom/bust population cycles will happen to all vivs. People tend to overreact to these when they occur even though, in most cases, an infestation will disappear on its own without any intervention.
4) A house without a viv will certainly have fewer insects than a house with a viv, all things being equal. For some people, one escaped fruitfly or isopod is too many - those people, or their housemates, are likely the ones posting about insects problems with having vivs.
5) There will be spiders. Anytime there are flies - there will be spiders.
There are a few different things people mean when they talk about the inevitability of insects and vivs:
1) Fruit flies will escape your cultures and viv. I don't mind seeing a lone wingless fruitfly crawling across the coffee table from time to time - but for some people that is an unacceptable infestation.
2) Moist vivariums will sustain fungus gnats. Depending on your ambient humidity outside the viv, however, you may never see escapees - or you may find them near your sink drains.
2) Fruit fly cultures will attract mites. These are usually harmless species and even commercially-produced cultures have them. Depending on the observer, a normal population of grain mites in a FF culture may be unnoticed or perceived as a chronic infestation. In both cases the FF cultures are actually fine and the mites are not a problem - but people tend to be bug-phobic especially in their homes.
3) Insect introductions and boom/bust population cycles will happen to all vivs. People tend to overreact to these when they occur even though, in most cases, an infestation will disappear on its own without any intervention.
4) A house without a viv will certainly have fewer insects than a house with a viv, all things being equal. For some people, one escaped fruitfly or isopod is too many - those people, or their housemates, are likely the ones posting about insects problems with having vivs.
5) There will be spiders. Anytime there are flies - there will be spiders.
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"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".
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"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana".