# Fruit Fly Eggs



## steelyphil (May 8, 2010)

My newest culture decided to lay eggs all the way up the wall and then under the lid and over the seem of the lid and container.










Did I put in too much media? How do I stop this from happening again? Can I scrape off the eggs on the lid for further feedings?


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

Holey Moley!!! It doesn't look like too much media to me...what in the world are you feeding them???? Wow!

You could probably put a new lid on the culture and place the one covered with flies into the viv so that they could eat the larvae as it hatches.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

those aren't eggs.... 

those are larvae and pupae.... (unless your fruit flies are the size of hummingbirds.. (if that is the case, then you have some mighty big dart frogs...)). 

It could be a response to excess moisture or CO2 levels. 


Ed


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

That used to happen to me when I kept my cultures in plastic storage containers... the excess humidity makes the larvae do that. What do you keep your cultures in? Once I put them in the open mine went back to normal.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

lemme guess.....you had another culture or something placed on top of that one?

Larvae will climb the sides like that to either try to get out of too much liquid or when the oxygen supply is hampered.


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## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

Yeah that used to happen to me when I stacked my fruit fly cultures. Once I stopped stacking them, it stopped.


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## steelyphil (May 8, 2010)

Mitch said:


> That used to happen to me when I kept my cultures in plastic storage containers... the excess humidity makes the larvae do that. What do you keep your cultures in? Once I put them in the open mine went back to normal.


Yea, thats exactly what I did. Its in a rubber maid type container. If I keep the lid off or to the side will that help?

Yea, I meant larvae... disregard the eggs.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

steelyphil said:


> Yea, thats exactly what I did. Its in a rubber maid type container. If I keep the lid off or to the side will that help?


Yes...keeping the rubber maid lid off or adujsting it so that the FF cultures get more air, will correct the larvae crawling and pupating near the lid.


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## steelyphil (May 8, 2010)

k, sounds good.


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## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

I noticed this same thing recently, it might have to do with them moving twords the light, I have always stored mine in rubbermaid type bins, they were previously clear and didnt have this issue. I recently went to a all black one and started to notice this issue. Also i notice that when i take the culture out the flies will swarm the top when placed on my work bench with the over head light on.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

bsr8129 said:


> I noticed this same thing recently, it might have to do with them moving twords the light, I have always stored mine in rubbermaid type bins, they were previously clear and didnt have this issue. I recently went to a all black one and started to notice this issue. Also i notice that when i take the culture out the flies will swarm the top when placed on my work bench with the over head light on.


No...I'm pretty sure it hs nothing to do with light - or lack of.

It's a lack of airflow / oxygen issue.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> No...I'm pretty sure it hs nothing to do with light - or lack of.
> 
> It's a lack of airflow / oxygen issue.


Yes, lack of airflow/build up of humidity seems to be the problem here.

To the OP, when I took the lid of the container this still happened to a lesser extent, but keeping them in no container at all did the trick. That;s just my experience and that may not happen for you though.


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## drroboky (Feb 8, 2011)

hi ...

i just wanna ask, in indonesia i can't find any flightless fruit fly.. is it ok if i use regular fruit fly? can the dart frog catch the fruit fly? thx


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## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

drroboky said:


> hi ...
> 
> i just wanna ask, in indonesia i can't find any flightless fruit fly.. is it ok if i use regular fruit fly? can the dart frog catch the fruit fly? thx


I've never done it, but sure they can. They would have died off years and years ago if they couldn't...


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## drroboky (Feb 8, 2011)

thanks Peanut.. i'll try to culture it before i get my first dart frog..


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

drroboky said:


> hi ...
> 
> i just wanna ask, in indonesia i can't find any flightless fruit fly.. is it ok if i use regular fruit fly? can the dart frog catch the fruit fly? thx


Try to contact biology staff faculty at a large nearby university. They usually culture flightless fruit flies for study and may be able to help you obtain some.


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## drroboky (Feb 8, 2011)

Philsuma said:


> Try to contact biology staff faculty at a large nearby university. They usually culture flightless fruit flies for study and may be able to help you obtain some.


ow.. thanks philsuma..i never thought i could contact the faculty.. i'll try it.. thx to this forum it's very helpful


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## Marconis (Jul 11, 2010)

Philsuma said:


> Try to contact biology staff faculty at a large nearby university. They usually culture flightless fruit flies for study and may be able to help you obtain some.


Yeah, at my university alone there are probably about 4 professors currently doing research using Drosophila. They are common in research, so give it a go.


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