# what is the brown worms in fruit fly cup? can ffs' baby fly?



## Lalapink (Nov 2, 2019)

few days ago, I found the fruit fly cup has some white little worm. I know that's the baby. I am happy about it. then I saw some brown worm stuck in the middle of the cup. what are they? I have more and more of them. are those dead babies? also, once a while I found some tiny ff fly out of the cup. So, does the seller gave me some flying flies or the flightless ff's babies are not flightless? I got a bit confuse.


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## The Mantis Menagerie (Nov 2, 2019)

Lalapink said:


> few days ago, I found the fruit fly cup has some white little worm. I know that's the baby. I am happy about it. then I saw some brown worm stuck in the middle of the cup. what are they? I have more and more of them. are those dead babies? also, once a while I found some tiny ff fly out of the cup. So, does the seller gave me some flying flies or the flightless ff's babies are not flightless? I got a bit confuse.
> 
> View attachment 12702


All flies have four life stages, same as butterflies, beetles, and some other insects. The eggs of fruit flies are tiny. The white things are the larvae, and the brown things are the next stage: pupae. The fourth stage emerges from the pupa as the adult. 

Some of your flies could be flying due to the culture having been contaminated at one point by the breeder allowing wild-type flies to infiltrate and breed with the normal flies. Also, if these are _Drosophila hydei_, then the flightless form can start flying if the culture is kept around 80-degrees Fahrenheit.


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## Lalapink (Nov 2, 2019)

The Mantis Menagerie said:


> All flies have four life stages, same as butterflies, beetles, and some other insects. The eggs of fruit flies are tiny. The white things are the larvae, and the brown things are the next stage: pupae. The fourth stage emerges from the pupa as the adult.
> 
> Some of your flies could be flying due to the culture having been contaminated at one point by the breeder allowing wild-type flies to infiltrate and breed with the normal flies. Also, if these are _Drosophila hydei_, then the flightless form can start flying if the culture is kept around 80-degrees Fahrenheit.


Thank you for the explain. Is there a way to avoid flying flies ?


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## The Mantis Menagerie (Nov 2, 2019)

Lalapink said:


> Thank you for the explain. Is there a way to avoid flying flies ?


If it is a genetic issue, then no. All you could do is start a new culture that has no flying individuals. If it is temperature-caused, then find somewhere cooler to keep it.


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## Lalapink (Nov 2, 2019)

The Mantis Menagerie said:


> If it is a genetic issue, then no. All you could do is start a new culture that has no flying individuals. If it is temperature-caused, then find somewhere cooler to keep it.


 I am not sure what cause it. Maybe try to buy from another seller.


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## hibiscusmile (Nov 3, 2019)

Thats all it is, another fly got in during making the culture or was already in with the flies being used.


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## Budwing (Nov 8, 2019)

Wild flies can either breed through the mesh or drop their eggs through. They dont fit through themselves but their ovipositors can fit through. I had the same problem with a couple of my cultures last week. I took the lid off two of my cultures and a big cloud of fruit flies came out of them.


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