# How to reduce smell of Fruit Fly cultures?



## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

I was wondering if anybody knew of any tricks to reduce the smell of Fruit Fly cultures, or at least cover them up. I had no choice but to move my cultures into my bedroom, and I can't exactly say I enjoy it. I usually have 5 or 6 cultures going at a time to feed my 3 Leucs (it's amazing how much these guys eat!).

So, any suggestions?

My Mom opened a small box of Baking Soda and placed it next to the cultures. I don't know exactly what she was expecting but it didn't do anything lol. You basically only smell them when you walk right by them, but they're kind of isolated so you're not really near them and it's not horrible or anything.

By the way, does adding some sort of additional surface for crawling/hatching on increase the production? I don't know what I'd use for sure, but I was thinking of sticking a piece of carboard (about as big as fits) in the container right in the middle. Would that do anything?

Thanks


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

Add coffee filters (folded into pie-shaped cones) to the container to add surface area. This will increase production.


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## mack (May 17, 2005)

hey check out the last recipe in this post...the one with grape juice concentrate. i don't like to cook, even for myself, so i use the instant from ED's, and don't think it stinks too bad, just yeasty. but the grape juice version is the least stinky i've ever seen. i now always use 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar for the liquid portion, and used less yeast than called for in this recipe...i just sprinkle some extra yeast on top of the culture.


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## Laxman (Aug 26, 2005)

is a culture of ffs actually needed or can you just go to the pet store and buy some ffs or crickets every couple days?????trying to get my mom to allow me to get the frogs but I dont think she know that I need to basically breed flies/maggots. I think that it might be a turn off for my mom just hoping for another solution though I think I already know the answer...


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

Add a small amount of honey to your FF mix before you add water or water/vinegar. You will find that it really cuts the smell.

To your question about buying FFs from the petstore - that is really too expensive and unreliable of an option long term. Most petstore crickets are too large for your frogs.

Bill


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2005)

By small amount of honey. How much do you mean? Ive never heard that one but Id like to give that a shot.


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## nyfrogs (May 1, 2005)

i use media from pastorjosh and even after a month it does not smell


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

I use honey too... about 5 drops. Not very much.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2005)

cool. I'll give it a try. 
It's not like they smell that bad, but when I open up my cabinet where they are stored sometimes the odor is quite nasty. 
Thanks.
E


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

fishinmagician said:


> cool. I'll give it a try.
> It's not like they smell that bad, but when I open up my cabinet where they are stored sometimes the odor is quite nasty.
> Thanks.
> E


interesting. are they kept in a solid cabinet with no light? or do you have some sorta light in there? i was just thinking about placing mine in a cabinet/drawer or something when i re-read this thread, i must have missed this last post.

does the cabinet have anything else in there? the only place i have open is a dresser drawer. i assume the smell could get through the cracks in the drawer and stink up my clothes, and i wouldn't want that of course.


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## ekrnvf (Mar 3, 2014)

I have grown fruit fly cultures in a cabinet before with no light and they grew just fine. I now have been growing them in a self made incubator which requires constant light and they still are growing just fine. 

I don't know how to remove the smell but I too will try the honey option.


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## yerbamate (Nov 3, 2013)

When I went from excelsior to coffee filters, I noticed a morked decline in smell. ALso, the oldest culture (presumably the smelliest) we place in our plant grow out tank with a lid on it. It seems to help "absorb" a lot of the smell. I'm gonna try that honey idea, too. Thanks!


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## rizacks (Jan 16, 2014)

I use ONA liquid, hydrated on those expandable polymer balls. In a cup next to the cultures

Its a morgue grade de-odorizer used by pot growers, smells great and a 20 dollar bottle lasts well over a year.


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## ryno71 (Mar 25, 2011)

I also suggest adding honey. Not only is it a good carb source for the larvae, but it has antimicrobial properties as well, which will help limit the smell given off by bacteria metabolizing the sugars.


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## ngeno626 (Nov 14, 2013)

im going to give the ONA a try 
ill let you guys know


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Never had any problems with my old recipe: mashed potatoes, yeast, peach juice, a tablespoon of honey, RO water and a pinch of cinnamon. Now I use a simplest recipe: mashed potatoes, yeast, RO water, Nipagin (methylparaben). No smell.


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## ngeno626 (Nov 14, 2013)

rigel10 said:


> Never had any problems with my old recipe: mashed potatoes, yeast, peach juice, a tablespoon of honey, RO water and a pinch of cinnamon. Now I use a simplest recipe: mashed potatoes, yeast, RO water, Nipagin (methylparaben). No smell.


I use just about the same recipe but I add powdered sugar and no peach juice. 
how many cultures do you have at any given time?
does the peach juice help with smell as well?


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## ssdart (Jun 4, 2011)

One thing that cut back the smell of cultures is keeping them in rubbermaid drawer containers. And add some cinnamon to your media it'll cut back some of the smell.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk


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## p51mustang23 (Mar 18, 2014)

A air filter will scrub the smell of a cigarette being smoked indoors within 2-3 minutes, leaving the house smelling better than the neighbors place. Something that powerful can be had for ~130$ on Amazon. 

Something much smaller should be able to handle culture smell. 

BTW, someone please tell me these don't smell as bad as keeping crickets? I used to have some reeeeally stinky cricket cages once upon a time. Granted I didn't really clean them often...


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## Dlanigan (Nov 13, 2013)

No, nothing like crickets! I know what you're saying and cleaning the cricket bin was never any fun. 

FF cultures are just stinky towards the end of their media life it seems, at which point you just either toss it or move it. I toss mine when they start to stink, usually ~30 day. It's easier than a lot of other feeders I've dealt with. 

Don't forget to make back up cultures, though!

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