# cultures having a very strong smell



## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

okay so my hydie culture smell is REALLY strong. I just moved in with my brother and him and his wife pretty much want me to get rid of my frogs now because of how strong the smell is. Before i had melanogaster cultures going with a different media and they pretty much didnt smell at all and i had 4 cultures going at one time and i even kept the cultures out in the open.
The media im using right now josh's fruit fly media. Do the hydei just have a stronger smell than the melanogaster or is it the new media im using? I was reading through some other post and found that honey can take some of the smell away maybe. I really need help ASAP on this as it is causing trouble in the house. I really really dont want to get rid of my frogs and am desperately trying to find a way to fix this. 

Oh and i also live in AZ and was trying to think of ways that i could possibly keep them in the garage some how without them getting to hot. that would be the ultimate solution really if there is a way.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

I would recommend sending Josh an email at [email protected], and he can give you some pointers. 
As far as reducing odors, I keep an ozone generator near my fruit fly cultures - it handles odors great!


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## yomamafat (Jun 16, 2010)

Put a HEPA filter with UV sterilizer in the offending location. BAM! Happy Frogging!


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I use cinnamon instead of vinegar. The cultures smell much better, IMO. Sometimes I use a little of both. Cinnamon is a fungus and mold inhibitor, like the vinegar. 

Make one with cinnamon instead and have your brother and his wife take a sniff. I liken it to ff cookies


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

yomamafat said:


> Put a HEPA filter with UV sterilizer in the offending location. BAM! Happy Frogging!


where can i find one of these??


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

zBrinks said:


> I would recommend sending Josh an email at [email protected], and he can give you some pointers.
> As far as reducing odors, I keep an ozone generator near my fruit fly cultures - it handles odors great!


could you possibly steer me in the right direction of what ozone generator would work best.. What i have been looking at, seems like some call theirs an ozone generator but it looks just like an air fresher.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

frogface said:


> I use cinnamon instead of vinegar. The cultures smell much better, IMO. Sometimes I use a little of both. Cinnamon is a fungus and mold inhibitor, like the vinegar.
> 
> Make one with cinnamon instead and have your brother and his wife take a sniff. I liken it to ff cookies


aahh!! I think cinnamon is what i had in my last media mix and those cultures didnt smell at all.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

myersboy6 said:


> aahh!! I think cinnamon is what i had in my last media mix and those cultures didnt smell at all.


Better use extra cinnamon for hydei. They are extra smelly flies, lol.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

frogface said:


> Better use extra cinnamon for hydei. They are extra smelly flies, lol.


haha are the hydei really a little or smelly?? I thought it just might be the media. haha


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## yomamafat (Jun 16, 2010)

I think I got mine from walmart or home depot. Cleared out the funk in my room. I think I'll have to add a second one when I expand. I've got like 10 cultured at anytime without any funk.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

do you remember how much it cost you (yomamafat)??


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

culture bean beetles instead of hydei. 

Ed


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## Arizona Tropicals (Feb 15, 2010)

Ed said:


> culture bean beetles instead of hydei.
> 
> Ed


I agree for larger feeders, also melanogaster have considerably less smell in my experience. Lastly add a little cinnamon to you cultures and get yourself a large tote you can put them in so the smell is concealed. Take it outside daily and open the tote to release and exchange the air.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

Arizona Tropicals said:


> I agree for larger feeders, also melanogaster have considerably less smell in my experience. Lastly add a little cinnamon to you cultures and get yourself a large tote you can put them in so the smell is concealed. Take it outside daily and open the tote to release and exchange the air.


cant the bean beetles escape really easy tho if you dont have it air tight. Well i guess the hydei probably can escape just as easy. The bean beetles are hard to feed out tho. i cant find an easy way to get them into a dusting container.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

myersboy6 said:


> cant the bean beetles escape really easy tho if you dont have it air tight. Well i guess the hydei probably can escape just as easy. The bean beetles are hard to feed out tho. i cant find an easy way to get them into a dusting container.


 
Hydei escape just as well as bean beetles. As for collection read here 
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/60638-bean-beetle-collection-2.html#post526406 

Ed


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## vjf000 (Jun 14, 2008)

save yourself a bundle of money, put a decent size aquarium pump in a large tote with the ff containers and vent the output of the air pump outside, works well, the larger the container the larger the pump


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## yomamafat (Jun 16, 2010)

The brand is therapure. I think I got it for less than $75 retail.


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## Arizona Tropicals (Feb 15, 2010)

myersboy6 said:


> cant the bean beetles escape really easy tho if you dont have it air tight. Well i guess the hydei probably can escape just as easy. The bean beetles are hard to feed out tho. i cant find an easy way to get them into a dusting container.


The cultures remain in their own culture cups with vented lids, you place those in a tote to contain the smell  check out Ed's link for feeding out the bean beetles I gave you.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

yomamafat said:


> The brand is therapure. I think I got it for less than $75 retail.


thanks yomamafat!

Ed- Thanks for the BB thread! that sounds easy enough. i just need to go buy a bigger funnel and some of that screen and get to work. then i would only have to make one FF culture and that will be more than enough to feed out.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Bean beetles are easy, once you get the hang of it. They are escape artists but I find they pretty much hang around on the tanks after they crawl out. I snatch them up and throw them back in.


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

Arizona Tropicals said:


> The cultures remain in their own culture cups with vented lids, you place those in a tote to contain the smell  check out Ed's link for feeding out the bean beetles I gave you.


those bean beetles you gave me by the way are still going and all i did was move them to a 32oz cup and thats it. they seriously take no effort it seems like. now i just need to get some more beans and make a couple more cultures to have enough to feed out.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

myersboy6 said:


> thanks yomamafat!
> 
> Ed- Thanks for the BB thread! that sounds easy enough. i just need to go buy a bigger funnel and some of that screen and get to work. then i would only have to make one FF culture and that will be more than enough to feed out.


Your welcome. Keep in mind that bean beetles take 30 days to start producing so you need plan ahead to make sure you have enough of a supply. 

I wouldn't cut back to one culture of flies a week since if that culture crashes you don't have any backup. 

Ed


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

Ed said:


> Your welcome. Keep in mind that bean beetles take 30 days to start producing so you need plan ahead to make sure you have enough of a supply.
> 
> I wouldn't cut back to one culture of flies a week since if that culture crashes you don't have any backup.
> 
> Ed


as far as culturing more bean beetles do you need new beans or can i do like a half and half with the beans i have now and get more production.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I get the best production by using just beetles to inoculate the new culture (of new beans) than if I do like some people and mix old and new beans. I get a huge emergence at about 30 days and a smaller emergence again at 60 days (this is in part due to the partial consumption of the beans in the last cycle). You can order black eyed peas in bulk from bulkfoods.com or get bags of them from the grocery store. They will only use three types of beans and the production is different for the three types. 

Ed


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## myersboy6 (Aug 23, 2010)

awesome thanks Ed!


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