# what makes the vendors fruit fly containers so special?



## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

i notice lots of places that sell fruit flies also sell empty 32oz containors to use in making your own cultures. i also notice that the prices of these are typically range from just under $0.50 per to just under $1.00 per depending on how many your getting at once.

but, its possible to goto an online store (like http://www.restockit.com) and order a whole case of 500 32 oz Containers and a case of 500 lids for (including shipping) about $100.

500 containers @ $100 = $0.20 per container/lid and enough containers to last a long time. costs half as much as the ones you get from any of the people selling fruit flies. sure they don't have holes or anything, but foam can be gotten pretty cheap as well. its just a matter of cutting holes and plugging them.

so, what makes the ones that vendors are selling so special?


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## topherlove (Jul 14, 2006)

i think it's mostly convience, and i get mine for .30 cents a container which isn't as good as .20 cents a container but it comes close and i support a sponsor.


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## MattySF (May 25, 2005)

.20 cents sounds good but, how much will you invest per container on modification?


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## bsharrah (Jan 15, 2008)

What you are suggesting is just buying in bulk to save money over time. No different than buying toilet paper in bulk at Sam's Club. The product is the same. It's just a matter of choice. I would prefer to spend .30 per cup w/ vented lid in smaller numbers than 500 at once even if it costs me an additional .10 per cup down the road. The costs are much less, up front, and I do not have to find a place to store the excess.

Bart


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## joshsfrogs (May 6, 2004)

> prices of these are typically range from just under $0.50 per to just under $1.00 per


One board sponsor sells them for $.30 each.

Those lids won't work with fruit fly cultures as they won't allow any ventilation. You would need to modify them somehow and you'd be hard pressed to do it for less than $.10


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

i would rather not buy a truckload of containers and they dont self destruct after i use them once so its mostly convenience


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

can cut 3/4" square holes in the lid and then it would just depend on how much you could find a roll of foam for. wouldn't need more then 500 square inches of it. a 2ft x 2ft piece of foam could be cut into more then 500 1" cubes to use to plug the holes.

when it comes down to it...how exactly much would a 2ft x 2ft piece of 1" thick foam cost?


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## Dangerously (Dec 19, 2007)

if you just want cheap bulk ff cups:
http://superiorenterprise.com/index.php?cPath=21_34

I think you'll find that some vendors have them just as cheap, though. Some vendors have a more durable cup that can be washed & re-used, too (the thicker plastic increases the cost I think). The vendors need to make a little extra to stay in business and all the ones I've dealt with are definitely worth the price difference. If we don't support them they close, and we have fewer places to buy things for our hobby. Again.. I can't stress how outstanding some of our vendors here are.


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

500 cups is an awful lot for some of us. That would supply me for almost 10 years. Plus I like having them ready to go, not having to spend a day prepping all of those cups. 

I guess if you make 20 cultures a week then 500 is not that much quantity, but there are not many people that make that many cultures per week.

Zarabo,

You only have a few frogs, so surely you do not need that kind of quantity. Also, you might want to change your sig to Leucs, not Laucs.


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## AlexF (Sep 26, 2007)

I started making my cultures in plastic containers with a screw cap (similar to the containers where you get the nuts from Sams). I got these from a local plastic manufaturer. After a couple of years I decided I was going to go the deli cup way. The first containers requiered too much medium and getting the flies out was more difficult because the containers hava a little shoulder where the flies get stuck when you pour them out.

About a month ago I went to a local plastic distributor and found the deli cups with lids for $0.14 each and you can buy as little as 20. The funny thing is that these are made in the US and I tried shopping there and couldn't find them anywhere as cheap as I got them here in Mexico.

I cut a circle on the lids with a drill press and a circular cutter and install a foam plug. It takes me about 20 seconds per lid, but then, I like doing everything myself.

I would say that even if you do 20 cultures per week, 500 cups is way too many. If you can gather a whole bunch of people to divide the order then you got little better deal, if not, you will save on the pennies and loose on the dollars. 

Even if you get several people, once you add the shipping to send the cups to them, the cost will go much higher. Buying 500 cups you are starting with $0.20 per cup, and you still have to pay shipping of large boxes and then to the other people for very marginal savings.


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

true. it probably isn't worth it in the long run with all the work, especially with that bulk order site and the one selling for 0.30 per.

anyway, just got a 10 culture kit from blackjungle, it should last a while.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

You can use mason jars with a couple of coffee filters and a rubber band for a lid. It goes back to the whole, do what works best for you. We use the ones we do, because they have given us the best results after 11 years of monkeying with fruit flies. I also like the fact that ours are reuseable. But as someone mentioned before, it's a convieniance thing.


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

technically speaking, aren't all of them reusable?
not that hard to wash them with mild soapy water.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

> technically speaking, aren't all of them reusable?
> not that hard to wash them with mild soapy water.


Yup, I reuse the 'disposable' ones all the time. The vented polyfiber lids can be bleached with a weak solution too.


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## Smogre (Aug 11, 2006)

I'm always excited to hear about a way to save some money on something.

At the same time, let's not forget that these companies making a 10 cent profit on cups, sponsor this website and answer your questions all day long. For free.

Last time I went to one spot to learn something, I paid $60k.


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