ollygatorsnapper
New Member
what is the average life span of a fruit fly? im asking this because i just so happen to have 4 cultures i acquired after feeling bad that i didnt have anyfood for them right away. i think i wasted some money
fruit flies
- Thread starter ollygatorsnapper
- Start date
xanthoman
Avid Member
without getting all technical, there are a number of factors that control the lifespan of both melongaster and hydei. the easiest of which for the casual culturer to control is temperature. at 80* assuming the culture is mite free and otherwise healthy, the life span is approx 25 days. once they have begun to hatch. its unlikely your culture will remain healthy for that amount of time. life span can be increased by lowering temps, but the best way to continue to have ffs is by culturing them, relatively cheap and with a little practice and experimentation, relatively easy, although it may not seem that way on your first few attempts. jmo
ollygatorsnapper
New Member
any suggestions on fruit fly starter kits?
xanthoman
Avid Member
fruit fly suggestions
i never raise melongaster cause they are just to puny, even the smallest of neonates is capable of eating hydei. the biggest cost of growing ffs is shipping, so it doesnt pay to buy single cultures online. i have tried most online sources of ffs and supplies. mites love ffs, a large percentage of online ff sellers have mites in their cultures, mites are everywhere and it is hard to keep them out of your cultures. once established it is almost impossible to get rid of them from existing cultures. a good place to get mite free cultures and starter materials is http://cgi.ebay.com/Fruit-Flies-Cul...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2304ab7a6d another good place for SUPPLIES (including tegosept) is joshs frogs http://www.joshsfrogs.com/category/21/fruit-flies-culturing-supplies , once you get started you probably wont need flies again (unless you get mites in your cultures, which you will if you are not careful) if you want goldens you can get them here http://cgi.ebay.com/FRUIT-FLIES-Gol...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e5aab849c remember when it comes to supplies, the more you order the cheaper they get. if you are strapped for cash , you can make your own media and ff containers (out of plastic pb or mayo jars)and cover with nylons, paper towels or fine window screen, use a 2" hole saw for the lid. you can make your own media for cheap but it is best to make in large qty and store dry and frozen(to prevent mites)until ready for use. i would post a media recipe but there are media recipes all over the web,(some are way better than others). part of any learning proccess is experimentation and failure. if you are still having a problem after some research and a serious try. give me a pm and i will try to get you on the right track.
i never raise melongaster cause they are just to puny, even the smallest of neonates is capable of eating hydei. the biggest cost of growing ffs is shipping, so it doesnt pay to buy single cultures online. i have tried most online sources of ffs and supplies. mites love ffs, a large percentage of online ff sellers have mites in their cultures, mites are everywhere and it is hard to keep them out of your cultures. once established it is almost impossible to get rid of them from existing cultures. a good place to get mite free cultures and starter materials is http://cgi.ebay.com/Fruit-Flies-Cul...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2304ab7a6d another good place for SUPPLIES (including tegosept) is joshs frogs http://www.joshsfrogs.com/category/21/fruit-flies-culturing-supplies , once you get started you probably wont need flies again (unless you get mites in your cultures, which you will if you are not careful) if you want goldens you can get them here http://cgi.ebay.com/FRUIT-FLIES-Gol...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e5aab849c remember when it comes to supplies, the more you order the cheaper they get. if you are strapped for cash , you can make your own media and ff containers (out of plastic pb or mayo jars)and cover with nylons, paper towels or fine window screen, use a 2" hole saw for the lid. you can make your own media for cheap but it is best to make in large qty and store dry and frozen(to prevent mites)until ready for use. i would post a media recipe but there are media recipes all over the web,(some are way better than others). part of any learning proccess is experimentation and failure. if you are still having a problem after some research and a serious try. give me a pm and i will try to get you on the right track.
ollygatorsnapper
New Member
cool thanx!
