# transferring fly insanity



## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

So I made my first ever melanogaster culture 20 minutes ago... That sure was an experience! I tapped the older culture to get all the flies down so that I could open the lid, but by the time I got it open they were all right back at the top, and it was like the floodgates opened. They are gliders, so they started gliding in every direction, mostly avoiding the new culture cup all together. Within seconds I had flies hopping all over my bed! It was mildly hilarious, I must admit.
How does everyone else transfer flies, without them ending up all over the place? I dont mind a few escapees, but what just happened was crazy. Its a good thing I dont mind bugs, and am keeping everything in the basement...


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## cheezus_2007 (Aug 20, 2009)

lol i do it over the sink  then just wash the escapees' down... theres prob. better ways to do it like a funnel maybe ?


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

Heh yea, funnel.


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## Jadenkisses (Jun 9, 2010)

I've found this method works best for me, but you do have to have another person to help you:
I get the new culture ready, my fiancé opens up the old culture, turns it sideways and taps them into the new culture, while I tap on the new culture to keep them from crawling out. It works well, I hardly lose any flies.


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## Freeradical53 (Jan 25, 2008)

Mine don't glide, but they sure can run fast. Sink sounds like a good idea.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Ill have to get me a funnel! Thanks guys, you've all been alot of help


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

I do it all the time with no escapees! Tap them down good and hard. Pull the lid and tip container into NOT the new culture, but instead, a small container with Fruitfly dust in it. This keeps them from escaping while you deal with the old culture. I like to tap my old culture, while slowly rotating it, to get the flies out. Then you tap it or sort of whack it down onto the table to knock the rest down while you cap it. You have all the time in the world to deal with your old culture because the new ones are in Calcium or Vitamin dust and cannot crawl up and out. When you are ready, dump the dusted flies, extra dust and all, into your new culture and put the lid on. You should have put the yeast in already as part of making the media.

Don't worry, after making a few, you'll get it down pat.
Doug


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Thanks. Im sure the media already has yeast in it. I bought it from Ron at alphaprobreeders.com so all I had to do was add hot water and mix it. It looks to be mostly potato flakes, and smells like cinnamon. Very pleasant to mix up because of the smell, im pretty use the cinnamon is added as a mold inhibitor. I like your idea, ill have to try dusting them next week when I set up my second culture.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Keep taping....tap a LOT.....don't be afraid to tap harder...and often.

With practice....you will be able to tap and feed out FLIERS !!!!











young Grasshopper.


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## davecalk (Dec 17, 2008)

Rather than buying a funnel, you can make the best funnel ever from a milk jug.

Milk Jug funnel

It is wide, tall, and it is free. It will eliminate almost all escapees.


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Especially with gliders, put them in the refrigerator first for like ten minutes - turns them into zombies and they won't be flying anywhere till they warm up again.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

I've got the turkish gliders from APB too. I've had a few escapees here and there, but have never seen them glide... but they sure can jump! And you're right... the media really smells good!


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## DougP (Feb 9, 2010)

davecalk said:


> Rather than buying a funnel, you can make the best funnel ever from a milk jug.
> 
> Milk Jug funnel
> 
> It is wide, tall, and it is free. It will eliminate almost all escapees.


The milk jug funnel has to be my best friend when it comes to dealing with flies. Works like a charm and the price is right.

Doug


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## Arizona Tropicals (Feb 15, 2010)

We use a small "advent" baby bottle (Nice big bottom and sloped sides to keep the FF from climbing and they are nice and short so they're very stable). Place a funnel over the opening and tap the flies from the FF culture in to the funnel. Every so often you have to "bang" the funnel on the baby bottle to get them all to fall through and into the bottle. So to start you bang the FF culture on a flat surface to get them down from the lid, pop the top, then with your left hand hold the funnel while your right hand holds the culture and tip it over the funnel and tap with your pointer finger. As the flies fall in to the funnel, bang the funnel to get them all in to the bottle. When you have enough, quickly tap the FF culture against your flat surface again, release the funnel, grab the lid and put it back on your culture. Remove funnel from bottle, add your suplement of choice, swirl and dump in to your frog tank.


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> Keep taping....tap a LOT.....don't be afraid to tap harder...and often.
> 
> With practice....you will be able to tap and feed out FLIERS !!!!
> 
> ...


Exactly what Phil said ... its something ull get the hang of eventually. Its just like changing baby diapers for the 1st time ... those with kids know exactly what I'm talking about! Lol


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## davidadelp (Sep 29, 2010)

Okapi said:


> So I made my first ever melanogaster culture 20 minutes ago... That sure was an experience! I tapped the older culture to get all the flies down so that I could open the lid, but by the time I got it open they were all right back at the top, and it was like the floodgates opened. They are gliders, so they started gliding in every direction, mostly avoiding the new culture cup all together. Within seconds I had flies hopping all over my bed! It was mildly hilarious, I must admit.
> How does everyone else transfer flies, without them ending up all over the place? I dont mind a few escapees, but what just happened was crazy. Its a good thing I dont mind bugs, and am keeping everything in the basement...




that same exact thing happened to me on my first culture i wasnt very pleased because I had well over 100 get out and they was everywhere!!! It brought the true meaning to EPIC FAIL!!!!
Luckily I had a vacum handy lol


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## PumilioTurkey (Feb 25, 2010)

ChrisK said:


> Especially with gliders, put them in the refrigerator first for like ten minutes - turns them into zombies and they won't be flying anywhere till they warm up again.




this! I always put them in there for 10 minutes.

I hate turkish gliders - they are always too fast and jumpy and my froglets soon loose interest in them cuz they never get them.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Thank you all for your replies 
Ill start my next culture on saturday and try out the tips you've all given me

If I expand my collection (FIRST FROGS TOMORROW!!!) in the future I will look into flightless and start producing those as well. Not to mix with the gliders, that would produce fliers het for both the gliding and the wingless defects.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

PumilioTurkey said:


> I hate turkish gliders - they are always too fast and jumpy and my froglets soon loose interest in them cuz they never get them.


A great feeder for adults though. Makes them hunt for their food, not just pull up to a buffet.


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## crzsnwbdr (Sep 23, 2010)

I used to tap them out over my dad's aquariums -- any of the excess would be nutritious food for the fish.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Good idea!


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

PumilioTurkey said:


> this! I always put them in there for 10 minutes.
> 
> I hate turkish gliders - they are always too fast and jumpy and my froglets soon loose interest in them cuz they never get them.


Yeah and they escape from the tanks too much. I like them though because they produce about 2x what wingless do, and the adults get triggered by them more since they move around more - so I culture the gliders, and wingless for the froglets/smaller frogs


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## salix (Mar 28, 2008)

Okapi said:


> How does everyone else transfer flies, without them ending up all over the place?


It's just a matter of experience. After you've made a few thousand cultures, it's second nature and you won't even think about it. You could do it in your sleep with few escapees.

Of course, there have been the times I've dropped a full cup of dusted flies when I'm feeding! Now THAT is a mess! But the mess bothers me less than the waste of flies.

At least the flies in your bed don't live long 

Deb


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## pl259 (Feb 27, 2006)

Big dusted funnel, with the end cut off. I do a lot of gliders and it works fine.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

This is going to be hard to 'picture' in words but....

I take the newly made cx's and set them in an open table, assembly line style. Lids right next to them in a pile. 

I take the 'mother' culture, tilt it upside down at a 45 degree angle and lift the 'corner' of the lid [sort of pull it open with my L hand] while I have the cx right over the new cx cup [In fact kinda inside the opening]. 

Tap, fast. The flys fall in, then the most important next step....., *tap the new cx a few times*. Tilt the mother cx upright while still tapping, and the remaining FF's fall back in, and you can close the lid. Set it aside.

Tap the new cx _again_, and _everytime_ the FF seem to be reaching the top. U can do this indefinitely once U get the hang of it. Reach for the new lid, and cover.

When you make 50-60 cx/week you get fast, and very few if any escape. Just keep everything moving, everything tapping.

Dont open the mother cx lid any more then needed, say 25% of a 'corner'.

Picture it??
Hope it helps. Starting out in a sink is great advice. I dont do the refrig thing but that will help too. U dont need a funnel once you get the hang of it.

Have fun! Gliders rule!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

When making new cultures, I saved a number of the culture tubes you see at places like Pet Co. I place the tube inside of a fruit fly culture cup and then place a large funnel that fits tightly into the end of the tube. Add some dust to make the funnel slippery and set the whole thing into the sink. I then choose my mother cultures (I always use at least two different cultures to help reduce genetic effects on production) and then tap the flies into the collection tube. When I have the flies collected, tap the tube and funnel down on the counter to knock the flies back to the bottom and remove the funnel. Once the funnel is removed replace foam plug and tap the flies into the new cultures. Any extras can be fed out to the frogs. Doing it this way I can keep all cultures closed up as much as possible to prevent wild flies from getting into the cultures. 

Placing the tube and funnel inside the culture cup keeps the tube and funnel from becoming overbalanced and falling over.


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