Homemade Fruit Fly Culture

[insert name here]

What would work in place of the aspen fiber for an increase in surface area? I was thinking paper towels. Also, any reccommended homemade recipes? There are tons of them only but I was curious if there was one recipe that works best.



(I meant to put this under Chameleon Food)

 

[chamelisa]

What would work in place of the aspen fiber for an increase in surface area? I was thinking paper towels. Also, any reccommended homemade recipes? There are tons of them only but I was curious if there was one recipe that works best.
(I meant to put this under Chameleon Food)

Coffee filters.

 

[nick barta]

Use 4 coffe filters, poke the center in the food, and spread them out like an opening flower. Perfect.
Most food recipies can be found online, can't remember the one I once used, sorry!

Nick

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy,

Here's one that I used. I didn't mind a making one that seemed overly complex :

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Makes 6ea. 6oz Cups
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1½ cup.............Bottled Water
1½ cup.............Apple Sauce
½ teaspoon.......Methyl Paraben
¼ cup...............Honey
3/16 cup............Vinegar
¼ cup...............Brewer’s Yeast
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Combine over very low heat
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1½ cup.............Oatmeal
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Cook Briefly
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½ cup...............Flax Seed Meal (Stir-in)
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Remove from heat
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¼ cup...............Cornmeal (Stir-in)
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[sandrachameleon]

Onion bag, dish scrubbies, coffee filters, toilet paper rolls, leftover bits of screen mesh - most anything can be used in place of the excels/aspen.

I use option 2 below a lot, without the methyl pararben (vinegar inhibits mold too). I do NOT worry about being exact. I use what I have on hand. so long as you make a starchy paste, it should work.

Option 1
8 bananas
1/4 cup sugar
1-3 cups rolled oats /quick oats
1 packet bakers yeast
optional -1 teaspoon Methyl Paraben (inhibits mold, but also reduces production)
optional - 5 tablespoons of cinnamon to make it smell less like rotting fruit
optional - pinch of vitamin and/or calcium powder

Mix everything except the yeast. If you have time and a blender, use it. Otherwise a fork or spoon is good enough. Make a paste. Add water or more oats as needed. Cant be wet or the flies drown. Cant be dry or no maggots. Aim for toothpaste consistency. Microwave to kill off any wild fly eggs on banana. Cool. add yeast. spoon into containers, one or two inches deep. add flies, cover.

Option 2
1 cup dehydrated potatoe flakes
1/2 cup bran
1/2 quick oates
1/4 cup fine ground cornmeal/cornflour
1/4 to 1/2 of a peeled banana
approx ~1/4 cup apple juice or applesauce puree
approx ~1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
teaspoon of beer
teaspoon sugar
optional -1/4 teaspoon Methyl Paraben (inhibits mold, but also reduces production)
optional - pinch of bee pollen
optional - pinch of vitamin powder
optional - pinch of calcium powder
optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to make it smell less like rotting fruit

Blend together, Add hot water as needed to make a paste. Cool. add flies.

Option 3
1 cup water
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon powdered agar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 package bakers yeast
optional - 1/8 teaspoon calcium proprionate (a mold inhibitor) or 1/4 teaspoon Methyl Paraben (inhibits mold, but also reduces production)
optional - pinch of bee pollen
optional - pinch of vitamin powder
optional - pinch of calcium powder
optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to make it smell less like rotting fruit

Mix all ingredients except yeast, then heat until boiling. Quickly pour mixture into clean culture jars. Cap and let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle a couple granules of baker's yeast on the surface and add fruit flys.

Option 4
3 oz jar of fruit baby food puree
2-3 oz of apple cider vinegar
1.5-2 cups of banana and oats cereal meant for babies
tiny sprinkle of activated bakers yeast
optional -0.5 teaspoon Methyl Paraben (inhibits mold, but also reduces production)
optional - teaspoon of skim milk powder (adds protien)
optional - pinch of bee pollen
optional - pinch of vitamin powder
optional - pinch of calcium powder
optional - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to make it smell less like rotting fruit

Mix the baby food and apple cider vinegar in a bowl then add 1.5 cups of cereal. Mix thouroughly. Keep adding cereal until the mix is somewhere between a paste and a thin dough.

 

[ncosper]

Been using this one for years for a dendrobates group, its makes a TON of flys, I have had maybe two cultures mold, they still produced a lot of flies. I also live in AZ which I'm sure helps keep these dryer than just about anywhere else. Another thing I now do is either double or triple this recipe when I make media. I add the media to the cups and freeze all but 1 or two. This way I can just thaw the cups as I need them instead of making a mess of the kitchen every few weeks.

In a pot bring the following to a boil.
2 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1/8th cup Dark molasses
1/2 can of grape juice concentrate
2-3 overripe mushed up bananas
After bringing this mixture to a boil, add the dry material
1/2 cup malt of meal
2/3 cup potato flakes
1/3 cup Brewers Yeast (the key ingredient)
Place about 2 inches of medium in each qt size jar, and sprinkle maybe an 1/8th teaspoon of activated yeast on the top. A day later, 20-30 flies are added. I have tried this medium with my hydei and melanogaster and I can't believe how many larvae are swarming the sided of the jar, I literally can't see through the glass jar, they cover every square inch of glass. For the first 10 days, I keep the cultures in cardboard boxes which are kept closed, after that, I keep them on a large shelf to help the larvae dry out.

 

[insert name here]

Been using this one for years for a dendrobates group, its makes a TON of flys, I have had maybe two cultures mold, they still produced a lot of flies. I also live in AZ which I'm sure helps keep these dryer than just about anywhere else. Another thing I now do is either double or triple this recipe when I make media. I add the media to the cups and freeze all but 1 or two. This way I can just thaw the cups as I need them instead of making a mess of the kitchen every few weeks.

In a pot bring the following to a boil.
2 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1/8th cup Dark molasses
1/2 can of grape juice concentrate
2-3 overripe mushed up bananas
After bringing this mixture to a boil, add the dry material
1/2 cup malt of meal
2/3 cup potato flakes
1/3 cup Brewers Yeast (the key ingredient)
Place about 2 inches of medium in each qt size jar, and sprinkle maybe an 1/8th teaspoon of activated yeast on the top. A day later, 20-30 flies are added. I have tried this medium with my hydei and melanogaster and I can't believe how many larvae are swarming the sided of the jar, I literally can't see through the glass jar, they cover every square inch of glass. For the first 10 days, I keep the cultures in cardboard boxes which are kept closed, after that, I keep them on a large shelf to help the larvae dry out.

How many deli cups can you fill with this?

 

[ncosper]

I fill 4 with about 1.5 to 2" worth of media from the recipe as it reads. Multiply it out and you will end up with plenty of media for a long time.
Its a very easy recipe and it produces like crazy! BTW I don't do the care in the last paragraph about moving it into different environments. They stay in a closet all the time for me and I get more than enough from them that way.

 

[blackbetty]

Just wanted to bump this as I think its a great recipe. Gonna try out the baby food one myself.