# Flightless Fruit Flies Flying!!! Help!



## Cmishka

I'm culturing flightless fruit flies and after 7 or 8 generations flies started flying. I'm 100% sure that I didn't mix these cultures with any other cultures, so is it normal? What can I do to prevent it? Thank you, guys.


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## Dancing frogs

You probably got a wild fly in the culture.
To prevent, only open the cultures long enough to start the cultures, or to feed from them.
When I make new cultures, I put the media in the cups, put the lid on then I microwave them (to kill any stray fly eggs) then let them cool, then start the cultures.
Also, sometimes a gap in the lid liner can let a wild one or two in...game over!
Had that happen a couple times...


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## titan501x

so, did u open the container up and fruit flies were everywhere or what. i'm picturing it in my mind and it seems kinda funny(no offense).


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## spydrmn12285

I would trash that culture and get a new one. Next time, take apple cider and mix with dish washer soap. That'll get rid of any rogue flies you may have.


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## ccc

Brian,

Do you microwave the media before you add the water or liquid? 

Chris


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## zBrinks

FFs can mate through coffee filters - I used to ue glass mason jars with a coffeefilter top, and occasionally Id have a whole culture start producing flying flies.


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## defaced

If you cross two flightless strains the offspring will fly.


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## KeroKero

Defaced, sounds like that's not the issue here as the cultures were not mixed...

Considering the area you are from, mixing with wild flies is extremely likely. What fruit fly containers are you using? The cheap toss away FF cups with the thin paper filter, or cultures with thin screening have the problem of wild flies mating thru the material with females in the culture. If you have this in multiple cultures, this is likely what occurred... mating thru the material produces more fliers in more cultures than a rogue wild fly making it into a culture... likely wild flies were attracted to the cultures, and a male or a few got it on with some females. 

Change your culture container to something else where the ventilation is thick foam plugs. This can be the Ed's Fly Meat containers like I use, modified mason jars that use plugs instead of screening, and/or vials that have foam plugs.


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## defaced

...looks like I missed that part of the original post. Whoops. 

Corey, humor me please, my name appends every post I make for a reason.


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## KeroKero

I know  Sorry Mike, I pressed "respond" before I looked at your sig, and I couldn't remember for the life of me your first name :shock: Wasn't feeling well, on meds, made me goofy (of course I just could have pressed the "back" button, taken a quick peek, then gone back to respond, but could I think of this? nooooooooooo). I swear that's the reason....

But on the plus side, no school today! Wait... I already graduated. DAMMIT.


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## ccc

Is this a problem (mixing with wild flies) that happens to Drosophila hydei also?

ccc


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## KeroKero

Actually, not that I've heard of. It seems to happen most (or possibly only) with melanogaster due to the distribution of melanogaster (or a species that could hybridize) across the world, seems like they occur much across the human distribution if its warm enough, and their distribution easily could have spread along with humans...


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## Catfur

I have had D. hydei revert or hybridize back to flying. In one case, I knew it was a reversion and not a hybridization, because I had flying, golden hydei. I have also had it happen with black ones, and seen large black ffs of roughly the same size as hydei flitting around my house long after I stopped keeping black hydei.


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## defaced

It's cool Corey, I know all about how meds can be. Speaking of which, I need to make a Dr. appt.


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## Steve

Getin back to the thread.. the first fruit fly culture i bought from a pet store said flightless melogaster.. (bearing in mind i was a complete newbie to this whole frog thing)...

I opened the lid and the flies flew out everywhere.. :shock: even in my engineering capacity, i couldn't work out how the hell i was going to feed the frogs.. plus some landed on my face, in my ears.. not a happy newbie frogger.. :evil: i imagined spending hours pulling the wings off hundreds of flies daily :roll: and had the utmost respect for you guys.. :lol: 

Then i realised!!!!!!! (i still have the utmost respect for you guys though... 8) )

regards

Steve


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## stchupa

I'm not sure why people always think that flies are/can breed/ing through the vented lids.

All it takes is one already gravid female flier to jab it's ovipositor through a small flaw/hole to make a breech. vwala. Flies can't mate facing each other.

I've also had hydei revert (somehow). When they did and those that got loose acted very differently from the "domesticated" form as they always stayed/hid near the floor, and were a bit larger. The only glimpses I got from the loose ones was sporadic because a soon as they see you they go running under the gaps in the floor board.

I did try to culture these (as someone else had an interest and wanted me to ship some so they could experience this "strangness"), but it was nearly impoossible (impossible for me, no tolerance for fruit flies) as they flew very well. Much quicker/sharper than the melano fliers. No way to knock them down and keep them down.

It's been a couple years, haven't ever seen them before or since. I would like to know HOW, as I think some(many)thing(s) in GM may be far over looked.


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## EDs Fly Meat

Curly, glider, shortwing and no wing flies are mutated with x-rays. It is possible for them to revert back to their wild type (AKA normal). It is well documented, and it should be noted that these mutations are recessive. So should you get some genetic reversion you will end up with some flyers. This is a rare but very real possibility, and one that no one can prevent.


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