# Why aren't my fruit fly cultures working?



## Truffs (Dec 31, 2017)

I've tried several times now to culture fruit flies using my own mix. I've tried a bunch of recipes using powdered sugar, instant mash, yeast ect (the usual stuff) but after a week still nothing and I've been told I should see maggots within a few days. Is there anything that can stop their breeding? I keep having to buy new cultures but I just want to breed my own.

Also I was thinking of using banana if my current culture fails too. Would vinegar/cinnamon prevent it from molding?


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## SirGunther (Jun 4, 2014)

Easier to just go with a premade mix, imo. I personally am a fan of the NEHERP mix, because it doesn't require any stirring, so it's a five minute process to make a new batch. I've never had any problems keeping cultures alive or not breeding using pre-made mixes.


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## serial hobbiest (Mar 5, 2017)

Fruit flies feed primarily on yeast, not fruit- keep that in mind. You should be using a couple tablespoons or so of nutritional yeast (which is just dead brewers yeast) per culture. Some opt to inoculate their cultures with active bakers yeast as well, but this really not necessary, and it's not as nutritious as brewers yeast anyhow.

Yes, vinegar & cinnamon help control mold. So does methyl paraben.

So you've had no success at all? I don't what your problem can be honestly without knowing how you're handling things. So here's a list of potential problems:

1. Inadequate ventilation- flies need to breathe.
2. Cultures are too hot or too cold. Room temperature is fine, but ~80F (27 C) will produce flies more rapidly. Much warmer than that, and reproduction starts declining again.
3. Your newly bought fly cultures might be seed flies harvested from the first emergence of the previous culture. That is, you might be starting with 30 female flies, and only 1 male, as the first flies to emerge from a new culture are heavily skewed toward females. This is important to keep in mind when producing your own cultures. Always feed off (or cull) as many first emergers as you can, and collect seed flies from older cultures. When seeding new cultures, I use a few from my most recent booming culture, plus flies from the previous two weeks. 
4. Conversely, your seed flies might be too old. If your culture is well ventilated, and your seed flies all die off within a week, then this is your problem.

On a side note...
I started out culturing flies using home made media as well, and thanks to the experts' advice on this board, I switched to Repashy Superfly instead. Yes, it's more expensive, but *it covers all the carotenoids* you need to pack into your flies for the health of your frogs. To do this with home made media, you'll need to find sources of those carotenoids. The problem with carotenoids, is they breakdown in the presence of oxygen, so you'll end up throwing out most of your spirulina, kelp, powdered plankton, krill, beetroot powder, etc, whenever it expires. In the long term, Repashy will save you the money, and the grief.
Furthermore, my maggots were liquefying my home made media, which was very problematic when it came to tapping flies out of the container. I don't have this issue with Repashy, and my fly cultures run like clockwork.

To save money, I buy the big 6.6 lb tub, and divide it into 7 *oxygen barrier* Foodsaver vacuum bags, throw in a couple oxygen absorbers and vacuum seal them. Store in the fridge, not freezer! When my little 1 lb jar runs empty, I just refill it from one of the vacuum bags. Considering that's about a year's supply, the price isn't all that bad.


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

Culturing fruit flies for dart frogs – oneillscrossing.com

This link may help. 

It depends on several things. If you keep them in low temps it will take forever. If they're hydei it takes longer.

Can you give more detail? Type of fly, temps, how the food is made, etc etc

Unless you have a bunch of frogs its more cost effective to just buy ready made. Repashy superfly is cheap through fostersmith. I've been using a batch of neherp that's working like a champ to.


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## Cameron33 (Jan 13, 2018)

I would use the Repashy mix...cheaper online....and super easy to do. 

When I first started mine were slow also...I think it was the temperature. Then I was creating too much...and finally found the right timing. I bought a few culture from the store and re-used their containers (for over a year now). 

Warmer temps will activate cultures faster.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

serial hobbiest said:


> Yes, vinegar & cinnamon help control mold. So does methyl paraben.
> .


The amount of cinnamon required to control molds is in the range that it would kill the flies.... as for the vinegar, the most common molds in the cultures, Aspergillus ssp and Penicillium ssps grown just fine at the pHs achieved in the cultures through adding vinegar. You'd have to drop the pH below the threshold for the flies to survive before you significantly impacted the ability of those molds to grow in the media. 

some comments 

Ed


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## Truffs (Dec 31, 2017)

I appreciate all the replies everyone and will take the advice on board in future but I've just noticed tiny, tiny maggots in a culture. I'm keeping the cultures in my living room which is between 20-25 degrees so no idea why it's taken this long. 

I am planning on following this recipe for one culture next so hopefully it will produce a better yield.

125g Potato Flakes
20g Sugar
1/2 Banana
Sprinkle Active Yeast
Water

Blend the dry stuff in a bullet then mush in the banana/liquids. Apparently it works well..... at least I hope.


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## Truffs (Dec 31, 2017)

serial hobbiest said:


> I switched to Repashy Superfly instead. Yes, it's more expensive, but *it covers all the carotenoids* you need to pack into your flies for the health of your frogs. To do this with home made media, you'll need to find sources of those carotenoids.


Thank you for the detailed answer. Does the Repashy calcium plus not have these carotenoids the frogs need?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Truffs said:


> Thank you for the detailed answer. Does the Repashy calcium plus not have these carotenoids the frogs need?


Yes it has the carotenoids added to the media but it may not supply enough carotenoids based on how people tend to keep their frogs (breeding conditions 24/7/365) so you want to also consider making sure they are part of the dusting regimen. 

some comments 

Ed


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## Rich (Feb 8, 2018)

Truffs said:


> I appreciate all the replies everyone and will take the advice on board in future but I've just noticed tiny, tiny maggots in a culture. I'm keeping the cultures in my living room which is between 20-25 degrees so no idea why it's taken this long.
> 
> I am planning on following this recipe for one culture next so hopefully it will produce a better yield.
> 
> ...


I use roughly this mixture with a little cinnamon and cider vinegar. Mine are booming and no mold.
Found a little trick that works for me..
Instead of Excelsior I used some plastic Raffia from the craft store and they seemed to do better.
I think the Excelsior may wick more moisture.


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## Rich (Feb 8, 2018)

I forgot to add that I also add a little paprika.


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