# Flightless Fruit Flies....learning how to fly again?



## jkinsey (Oct 7, 2004)

I am having some severe issues with Flightless fruit flies becoming gifted with the ability of flight. I can't understand how in the world this would happen. The species of fly is Melongaster. When I get the cultures they are all flightless and doing great. Then all of the sudden I notice that when all of the newbie flies hatch out some have flying capability. I immediatly throw those away and hope that all of them are not like this. Now I have talked with my supplier and they guarantee that its not their stock. So how are they becoming fliers again? Too me it would make sense that it would be the stock but some have said that temperature can turn them into fliers again. I just want to get a genral consensus and see what everyone elses experience is. I know for a fact that they are not wild species because I live in CO and its a little too chilly for them right now. Also I keep them at a temperature range of 65-75 degrees. I also tried placing half of them into a dark area and others out in the open just to see if that would make a difference...but guess what? It hasn't. Any help on this would be very helpful. Thanks.


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## markpulawski (Nov 19, 2004)

*flying fruitfly's*

Any time 2 types of fly get together it has been my experience that they will fly. You may have a had a wild fly get into a culture or if you raise a different species of fruit fly and they accidently got into the culture they would produce flying insects.
Mark


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## jkinsey (Oct 7, 2004)

Well these cultures were brand new and never opened unitl I noticed there were enough flies in there to feed off. So the thing i can think is that maybe the supplier is crossing two different strains and that is how they are becoming fliers or there are wild FF getting in. At any rate it is annoying as hell to open a culture and have 10 flies buzzing at your head. But is that the only way they can become fliers is either by an introduced wild fly or mixing strains?


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## markpulawski (Nov 19, 2004)

*flying fruitfly's*

It has been my experience that the only way to produce flying fuitfly's is to mix 2 different types together. Yes they are incredibly annoying, to open a jar and have a squadren of bugs fly in your face is not what anyone expects. I mixed some a couple times and would throw out the production, all of the flyers seemed to collect in the bathroom, they must have been attracted to the moisture.
Mark


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

It's possible for wild flies to contaminate a culture by laying eggs on the top of the screen. However, I did have a problem with no contamination and fliers developed anyway.


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## jkinsey (Oct 7, 2004)

Yeah I haven't seen any wild flies buzzing around its just in the cultures. Any way I think I will order from a different supplier. I thought I would just see if anyone else had these types of issues.


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

Where do you get them from? Is it local?

The only way they are regaining their flight ability is just like everyone said, by mixing flies from two different cultures together. The gene that gives them the ability to fly is recessive, so if you put two recessives together, bingo, you have a flier.

It may be that your supplier isn't aware of this, you might want to inquire.


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## Will (Feb 15, 2004)

Mutations which affect flight are recessive, so if you mix in a dominant wild-type gene copy, the progeny will fly. If you mix vestigial with curly, each carries good copies of the others recessive mutation, which results in complementation and the return of flight. Mixing two different cultures of vestigial will create not complementation, thus no problems. 

If the culture you purchased is the curly winged, this phenotype has variability in the degree of curled wings. Usually, some curly can fly and most can glide. Raising curly flies in lower temps. (18C if possible) will result in wings with more curl and reduce the ability of flight.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

mindcrash said:


> Where do you get them from? Is it local?
> 
> The only way they are regaining their flight ability is just like everyone said, by mixing flies from two different cultures together. The gene that gives them the ability to fly is recessive, so if you put two recessives together, bingo, you have a flier.
> 
> It may be that your supplier isn't aware of this, you might want to inquire.


The flies I got that turned into fliers came from a well known frog breeder outside the area. Since the person rectified the situation, I won't say who it was.


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