Can you "store" fruit fly cultures?

[drotski]

I was wondering, and unable to find any info on this...is there a way to store a fruit fly culture when you know you won't need them for a while? Can you put them in the refrigerator or freezer for several months, then reactivate them? I would want to keep cultures going when they will be wasted, and would rather not order a new culture every time I am expecting to need them. Thanks.

 

[PlayingMantis]

I don't think you can put fruit fly cultures in the fridge/freezer. The cold temperatures will kill them. You can place the cultures in slightly colder locations to slow them down. For example, a culture kept at 65F will produce slowly compared to a culture kept at 85F. But if you too far in either extreme, the culture may crash or stop producing properly.

You don't have to order a new culture every time. You can either buy premade fly culture mixes, which averages out to around $1 a culture, or even make your own cultures from fruits, potato flakes, etc. There are many different recipes online.

 

[drotski]

I know I don't need to buy a new culture each time I need one, but I don't want to have to prepare them for 6-9 months when I don't need them. Wild fruit flies seem to overwinter fine, so I wasn't sure if you could freeze a culture and the eggs alone would survive. Thanks for the response.

 

[CosbyArt]

Sorry but it won't work. There are two limited options - that may somewhat, collect the pupae and put them in the fridge around 55 degrees and they would keep for a few weeks at most before all the pupae were dead, like bb pupae. Some members have luck cooling cultures in a fridge of about 55 degrees again, but removing the culture every few days to warm them up to room temperature before putting them back in the fridge.

Either option will still kill many of the ff's in the best conditions, and will likely crash the culture(s) in the end killing them all.

The best option is to build cultures in smaller containers with plenty of food at room temperature (I make my own food with no issues also called medium, I couldn't find any threads but I have collected many various recipes if interested), they will keep themselves for about 1 1/2 to 2 months depending on the amount of food.

The true carefree option is to simply pickup more ff's at a pet store when you need them.

 

[drotski]

Well, I was hoping. So would I be better off with a taller, skinnier container? Maybe a SmartWater bottle (with a DIY lid)? I would love to see the DIY medium recipes as well.

I mostly want to preserve cultures because I have 3 different types right now, hydei, melanogaster, and wingless melanogaster...my use for them is soon coming to an end, but I want to keep them for future use.

 

[dmina]

Well I have some babies to sell... if you want to use them up... LOL.. Just kidding... I could not help myself...

 

[drotski]

dmina, that is always a possibility! Keeping the fly cultures can help promote impulse buys! I really, really want a bunch of ghosts. Trying to wait.

 

[CosbyArt]

Well, I was hoping. So would I be better off with a taller, skinnier container? Maybe a SmartWater bottle (with a DIY lid)? I would love to see the DIY medium recipes as well.

I mostly want to preserve cultures because I have 3 different types right now, hydei, melanogaster, and wingless melanogaster...my use for them is soon coming to an end, but I want to keep them for future use.

Exactly, a taller container will give them more food and because it is skinner they can only eat the smaller quantity at a time until they eat further down (preventing a large population boom).

I myself had Melanogaster, Turkish gliders, and Hydei at one point. In the shuffle I got down to just Hydei, and added wild Melanogasters lately. It does get old keeping colonies when you have no use for them.

I made a new topic to post all the recipes I have collected (you will see why), there are plenty to try and I haven't found a bad one yet. Although I would recommend you avoid using just mashed potatoes, or mixed with light oats or yeast - as that mix has the worst smell of any I have tried.

 

[dmina]

I use a pre-made potato recipe.. and I get no smell.. I made a homemade recipe that really stunk... I had to put it in a spare room until I could make new cultures.

 

[CosbyArt]

I use a pre-made potato recipe.. and I get no smell.. I made a homemade recipe that really stunk... I had to put it in a spare room until I could make new cultures.

I think it depends on ratios and what is all included in the medium. Usually instant potato flakes are a big ingredient to any I've tried, including my variation.

The one I am referring to is about 90% potato flakes, with a small bit of whole oats thrown in, and a sprinkle of yeast on top. It currently sits on my mantid shelf and I hate to use it lol. Thankfully it is nearly empty - I used the recipe as I didn't have much supplies at the time.

I've tried some others that had a sweet odor, with most having a slightly unpleasant smell (with most not noticeable unless my face is over the culture), but that one smells when I open the lid, and smells worse than my fly traps on a hot day full of old meat.