# My fruit flies have all but died out!



## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

What gives? I started some cultures a couple months back from some initial stock i ordered from a vendor. Those cultures worked real good. I had some premade mix and i also made my own and both worked great. My stuff was simple potato flakes, vinegar and yeast.

I then tried to make another round of cultures from them. And they sucked! I had to call and order a couple more started cultures because I was pretty much out of flies.

I keep them in the heater room of our house because it stays the warmest at like 78. The only thing I can think of is that we fixed a leak in there so now its dryer and the flies don't like that?

My flightless populations are pretty much gone. I got the last like 20 from a culture that didnt ever make much more than that, and am hoping to get a flightless population going again from them.

After about a week my latest cultures are just sitting there. The flies all seem to sit around where I dropped the yeast in, until i move the container then they fly around a bit. But I don't see any larva or anything. The flies just sit around and play poker all day or something!


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## PoohMac (Aug 22, 2006)

I think it your media. I would change it. Also do you use coffee filters or that floss(looks like strains of hay dont know the name sorry)? thats what I use .I get it from craft stores(hobby Lobby).
At that temp your keeping them at they sould be breeding like crazy. In about 10 day I have larve everywhere. I keep mine in my landery room and my dryer is always running. I would get some media from joshsfrogs.com.


Also check and make sure they are not infested with mites.


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

PoohMac said:


> that floss(looks like strains of hay dont know the name sorry)? thats what I use .I get it from craft stores(hobby Lobby).
> .


 excelcior


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## PoohMac (Aug 22, 2006)

joeyo90 said:


> PoohMac said:
> 
> 
> > that floss(looks like strains of hay dont know the name sorry)? thats what I use .I get it from craft stores(hobby Lobby).
> ...


Thanks...I'll write it down this time.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Are you making cultures from the older flies? Ive been told to make new cultures from the first adults to hatch out of the previous round of cultures, and its worked for me!


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

How wet is your media?

Give us the actual amounts (and types of yeast) in your recipe.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

There are a lot of things you could amend it with. Try adding a little corn meal or something similar, that's easy and doesn't tend to mold if you keep the consistancy right.


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## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

I was using 8 parts potato flakes, 1 part powdered sugar.

I would then add 1/2 cup hot water and about 1/4 cup vinegar. Then add a pinch of bakers yeast. Let sit, add coffee filters, about 6 of them. Then add fruit flies, from a culture that just started producing well.

First time I did it, 10 days later, tons of larva. 2nd round, a month latter and the strongest it produced was maybe 20 flies at a time.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Feeding the adults out too early?


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## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

in the second round of flies i never fed any of them out really. There were never enough to feed a tank of frogs really. Its like I put it about 30 flies, and i had about 30 flies for a month they never produced fast enough to get more than that. And I can see some dead ones on the bottom of the container now.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Hmmm... I'm thinking it's the media, maybe the flakes were old. I don't know.

What are you using for lids?


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## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

I believe i have found the problem... a few hundred of them it would seem.

I was looking at the old culture, and noticed a bunch of white dots... upon closer examination, i found that the white dots were moving... this would indicate mites right?

Anything that can be done to get rid of them? If the last two cultures of flightless flies are mite infested, should I just throw them out and order some more flightless?

Thanks
Justin


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

Those are mites, and they're not good, but I don't think they're the reason your cultures got wiped out. I support the thought that your media is the primary issue.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

In the few years I've dealt w/ FFs I've never incountered a problem w/ mites, so I can't give a good remedy for them.
The media I use (would be my guess) is why this so.
Something I can tell you is if you use flaked/powdered/exposed/polverized media your chance for having mites increases tremendously. If it happens to be old/out dated then they've already established a strong enough pop. Change your media before getting new flies or you'll just end up going through the motions over again.

I still would like to know what lids you use.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

What temps are they kept at? I had some cultures I kept on a bookshelf that was against an exterior wall, and got down to about 60 one night - the flies didnt die, but didnt reproduce either. Luckily, I had 4 other cultures in the room I keep my beardies in (78 at night, 85 day), and those cultures reproduce like crazy. I keep all my cultures in there now.


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## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

I use the lids from eds fly meat. They have the hole drilled in em, and a foam thinger stuck in there to keep the flies from getting out.


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## Resilient (May 21, 2006)

stchupa said:


> In the few years I've dealt w/ FFs I've never incountered a problem w/ mites, so I can't give a good remedy for them.
> The media I use (would be my guess) is why this so.
> Something I can tell you is if you use flaked/powdered/exposed/polverized media your chance for having mites increases tremendously. If it happens to be old/out dated then they've already established a strong enough pop. Change your media before getting new flies or you'll just end up going through the motions over again.
> 
> I still would like to know what lids you use.


What media do you use that isnt flaked/powdered?


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## devin mac (Oct 4, 2004)

hmm, try increasing the amount of non-potato ingredients. the media i've had the most luck with has been with curly winged flies, and i use about 4 parts potato flakes (potato buds, to be specific), 3/4 part to 1 part powdered sugar, and 3/4 or 1 part brewers yeast. when i mix a new batch, i give it a splash of vinegar (ESSENTIAL unless you love mold) and then warm water until i get the right consistency. it ends up being about half vinegar and half water, i think, but i've noticed that mroe or less vinegar doesn't seem to affect production, so really you just need to make sure you have it (again, unless you like mold... ;-) )

to be honest, it's the brewers yeast that really makes the media. you should be able to get it from GNC in a pretty big tub for a reasonable price. i've definately found when i don't mix this in the dry mixture, the flies don't like me. maybe it's worth trying?

hope that helps a bit.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Scratch media that I doubt you would be willing to prepare. It can be a real pain to make (especially the first time around) and is a lot more time consuming thank a dump and water media. But I use it because it's well worth it if ones willing to go to the trouble. If you think your interested, you can let me know (you might get lucky). I just didn't want to waste my time posting it if it wasn't wanted/needed.


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## zBrinks (Jul 16, 2006)

Im interested! Post it!


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

YES SIR! So demanding are you.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

It should be a sticky because I've never bothered to write down a list, even for myself, which would help me remember. So we'll see how I do at going off the top of my head, not to mention being exhausted from not sleeping for a week. Someone is supposed to be here w/in the next hour so I'll give the ingredients first in case I have to rush off. If I don't get it all down tonight, I'll try tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have to edit it over. Couldn't have picked a better time.

But here you go:
Ingredient list:
Dry mix:
Oat
Groats 
Canola
Granola
Wheat
White rice
Soy bean
Golden Flax
Barley
Millet
Triticale
White corn
Peanut
Almond
Pumpkin seed
Sunflower/Safflower
Pollen (bee)
Honey
Algae (chorella/spirulina/dulse)

Fruit Mix:
Just about any fruit can be added
Some common workable ideas/common sense to a fruit fly/additions:
Grapes: great addition
Berries of all kinds: Cran, straw, blue, black, rasp, ground cherry, goose, wonder tomato etc.
Melon: Water, Honey, cantaloupe, cucumber, zucchini, squash, pumpkin etc.
Kiwi
Mango
Pomegranate: I wouldn't suggest using the first time around (until your layering technique is down pat) as it can spur mold
Carrot
Potato: yellow, white, sweet, yam
I could on adding for hours but you get the idea.

What I always make sure to add/A/ The must:
Orange/Grapefruit/Lemon/Lime: essential for a non-moldy culture
Apple
Banana



Other/Alternatives:
Yeast: In most cases I don't find it useful in this mix and don't use it
Various herbs: If I grow I might use it, isn't needed
Thistle: Good addition, illegal to obtain in some cases, is why listed as alternative
Hemp seed: Can difficult to obtain, but is commonly used in livestock/insect feed.
Beans/lintels/peas
There are a few grains I add regularly (if not always) that don't cross my mind at the moment, but will edit later.

If I'm able to think tonight I might remember what I forgot. I'll give directions if needed later. Everything (Dry ingredients) is more or less in proportionate amounts. No meals can be used in this recipe, only ground whole grains/seed. No additional liquid (i.e. water vinegar) required. Either a juicer/processor/ or blender will be needed for the fruit/vegetable mix, juicer will work best. Grinder/mortar/pestle for the grain/seed. And a good 1/2- an hour to wash and whip it up (once you get the hang of it).


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

wow! thats a big list thanks for sharing it with us i may have to try it in the furture i have never tried my hand at homemade stuff yet so i may have to try out a more simple culture first but those cultures must explode from all the fies after a couple weeks :lol:


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