Is there an effective way to keep maggots out of the cricket

[PoezDad]

I feed my bearded dragon crickets 60% of the time. I sweep up the dead ones, I keep the dishes clean but no matter what I seem to get maggots/gnats all the time.

Is there a way to avoid this?
It's pretty gross and I don't like it but I have read that they are safe and I shouldn't worry if my dragon eats them.

Any help you could I would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CooperDragon]

Where are you getting your crickets from? I've had issues with grain mites before but not maggots. I used wood chips for bedding so it was easy to clean and relatively dry. I used water crystals instead of standing water or a sponge with water which also helped keep the tank relatively dry which may have helped prevent problems with maggots. It may also be a difference in the source of the crickets if they're coming in with them.

 

[Rawrr]

Id love to know more about this as well. I bought crickets yesterday, we always put them in a clean cricket keeper.. but when I put some in her tank this morning, I noticed one came out of the tube dead and looked like alien. when I pulled it out, it was maggots. I have to say I was pretty upset.. wasn't sure if it was safe for her or not.. I dumped more out of another tube and again one came out dead full of maggots... what gives.. I hate crickets as it is but my dubia colony isn't quite where it needs to be yet..

do I have to worry about her eating maggots like this? and how do you keep from getting them..
the crickets came from a local shop..

 

[Magicmed]

Sadly any time you have moist soil it's like a flashing red light for knats. The plants I grow always have tiny swarms of knats trying to set up a home, especially on my pothos. They tell us in gardening to lightly spray the plants with soapy water, but I wouldn't recommend that anywhere near your beardies food source. As far as the maggots go, I think they could be coming in internally with the crickets, I fight the little kNats evert year with my outdoor plants and still to this day have NEVER found a single maggot. So I don't know if they breed quickly or effectively enough to cause what you're seeing. Unless the tank just stays super dirty. Flies love laying eggs in poop.

 

[Rawrr]

I don't personally keep crickets.. I buy enough to feed them off and be done.. I do have a small colony of Dubia that we had a fruit fly issue with... but we keep everything clean (Im ocd) and I changed a few things, so the fruit flies died down a bit.... the crickets I don't think were here long enough.. like I said, I JUST bought them and we clean the daylights out of the tubes etc. I really dislike the cricket keeper with the dark tubes.. you cant see whats in there.. Maybe its just time to start loading up on dubia each month..

 

[Magicmed]

If the flies near your dubia colony are bugging you try setting up a 2 liter flytrap. Just cup the top off a 2 liter bottle, invert it and tape it back on, then pour a tiny bit of soda in there and let it sit. Flies get in and can't get out. I know it sounds so stupid, but in my experience it works better than the fly ribbons.
Good luck!