56 replies to this topic

[Crystals]

Flightless or wingless fruit flies are often cultured for small animals like frogs, newts, and ants.

 

There are dozens of ways to raise fruit flies, this is just one way.

 

Medium:

½ cup Potato flakes

1 TBSP white vinegar (this will help control the smell of the culture as it ages).

1 TBSP honey

A pinch of yeast

 

Mini paper plates (desert plates)

 

You can use disposable cups, or washable jars/containers.  I prefer canning jars that narrow at the top as the flies have a harder time walking upside down.  I also like that you can wash canning jars in the dishwasher.

 

Add holes to the container lid and stuff them with cotton to prevent escapees.

Add about 1” of medium to your container.  Mix the medium together and add as much water is needed to make it slightly sloppy.  Microwave for at least 20-40 seconds to kill some of the microbes, this will also thicken the potatoes until they don't run.

 

Tear two paper plates up into quarters and fifths, poke them into the medium and arrange them like a tee-pee. 

 

Add 40-60 flies.  Start a new culture every week.

 

An easy way to collect the flies is to dangle a pipe cleaner onto the paper plates and the flies will climb up.  Shake them off into a bag or container.

Edited by Crystals, September 25 2013 - 1:26 PM.

[dspdrew]

I think I'm gonna have to try this.

[Crystals]

They are my favorite feeder.

I often shake live flies into the outworlds and watch the ants hunt down their food.  The first time I did this to my Camponotus, the lone worker summoned almost every worker in the formicarium to come and catch fruit flies.

 

Fruti flies are one of the few foods I can get my Lasius to accept at any time.

[Crystals]

Keep in mind that there are different sizes and species of fruit flies.

 

Drosophila melanogaster are very small and breed very quickly.  Accepted by every ant I have found.

 

Drosophila hydei are one of the largest fruit flies you can get.  Also one of the slowest growing. Accepted by the more aggressive ants, but the more easy going ants like Lasius consider them too large.  However every ant I have tried will eat the maggots of this fly.

[Myrmicinae]

Nice!  Drosophila can be interesting to watch in their own right as well.  Their courtship rituals are fascinating.  I would suggest sterilizing the jar before putting the baker's yeast in (rather than after) to improve production, since the larvae require live yeast for survival.

Edited by Myrmicinae, September 25 2013 - 4:00 PM.

[Reacker]

If anyone here decides to do this, I strongly recommend finding an online supplier that will sell you D. melanogaster,a wingless mutants variety. They're a bit smaller than D. hydea, but they make up for it by being a lot easier to handle and they also develop a bit faster as well. Much easier for the ants to hunt down too!

[napaeozapus]

I used to use plastic canvas (available at craft stores) instead of the paper plates when I was actively raising fruit flies. It's the stuff your granny used to make tissue box covers from or Christmas ornaments, that kind of thing, with a grid of holes to needlepoint yarn through. It can be washed along with the jars or thrown away if it gets really nasty. You can also use plugs of foam rubber in place of cotton to seal them.

[Mercutia]

In my house we use a jar with sweet food inside (like rotting apple skins) and cover the top with plastic wrap and poke small holes in it. We catch a lot, how safe would it be for me to use these if I toss them in the freezer?

[Myrmicinae]

In my house we use a jar with sweet food inside (like rotting apple skins) and cover the top with plastic wrap and poke small holes in it. We catch a lot, how safe would it be for me to use these if I toss them in the freezer?

It should be fine. However, just as an extra precaution, I would make sure that the fruit you use is organic.

Edited by Myrmicinae, September 28 2013 - 9:42 AM.

[Crystals]

Here is a video that shows an easy way to prevent tons of escapees.  Flies can't climb when there is calcium dust on their feet.

 

I just tried it and it worked exceptionally well.

My flies don't pour like that as my medium gets too runny, so I powdered a 5 gallon rubbermaid container, put an established fruit fly culture in the tub and removed the lid.  I waited until enough flies climbed out of the culture cup and replaced the lid.  I then shook the jumpers in some powder (they really can't climb once powdered) and dumped them into a new culture.  Not one escapee, despite my cat helping me.

[Myrmecologeek]

Has anyone tried producing flightless fruitflies from ones that can fly? I have been trying to do so for 3 months but the closest I got was wingless ones that occasionally develop wings during their latter phase of life. Unfortunately, flightless fruitlflies are unavailable in my country.

[dspdrew]

Has anyone tried producing flightless fruitflies from ones that can fly? I have been trying to do so for 3 months but the closest I got was wingless ones that occasionally develop wings during their latter phase of life. Unfortunately, flightless fruitlflies are unavailable in my country.

How in the world do you do that?

[Crystals]

Has anyone tried producing flightless fruitflies from ones that can fly? I have been trying to do so for 3 months but the closest I got was wingless ones that occasionally develop wings during their latter phase of life. Unfortunately, flightless fruitlflies are unavailable in my country.

I never tried.  It can take hundreds of generations to find and isolate the gene.

 

Try looking for a frog or reptile group - they always have flightless fruit flies.  There are a few locations that will ship internationally, but it can be a it pricier.

[bbulkows]

I bought a culture from a local pet store and now the smell is almost too much to bear.

I have to keep them isolated. After this one runs its course I am gonna go with Josh's Frogs.

Apparently his mix doesn't produce any foul 'yeasty' odors. 

http://goo.gl/2THDW8

[Crystals]

I used instant mashed potatoes, and use some vinegar with the water as it mostly prevents any foul odours.  The vinegar does make a difference.

With as many cultures I tend to have on the go at once, it would be terribly expensive for me to buy and ship special mediums.  I do hear good things about Josh's mix though.

[LAnt]

How do you keep the flies from flying away in the outworld?

[Crystals]

These are flightless fruit flies.  They can't fly as their wing muscles are deformed - a special cultured variety.

They climb very well, so ensure you have a good lid or escape prevention in place.

 

My ants love to chase them around.

[AntsAreUs]

Could I use oats instead of potato chips?

[Gregory2455]

It depends. I think the point is for it to be pudding-like so that the maggots can live in it, and move around with ease.

[AntsAreUs]

It depends. I think the point is for it to be pudding-like so that the maggots can live in it, and move around with ease.

I could blend the oats first. I am going to do it anyway.