Excelsior substitue?
- Thread starter JTHMfreak
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Mvalenz
Well-known member
I use coffee filters. I have used thinly shredded tamale corn husks before. They work well for ff cultures. Not so much for nymph enclosures though. They seem to mold from the daily misting of nymphs.
nursejohio
Member
I've just started culturing my own ffs, and was oddly grossed out by the coffee filters after a few days. I bought a package of plastic canvas mesh (the stuff my grandma made tissue box covers with, lol) and cut pieces to fit inside my deli containers. I hot glued them together to form a larvae jungle gym, and just started a third generation culture from the adults. Seems to be working well, and doesn't make me squirm when I look at them. :shifty:
I've been using Spanish moss myself in new cultures, and the fly cultures have been doing fine (recently gotten eggs, larva, and now more adults in them).
I just buy it in craft/hobby section of the dollar stores in bags for $1. Mine are free of and scents/fragrance and such, just dried moss. The bags are big enough to do about 12 new cultures. Only problem I have with it, is when I tear it to size many small pieces will crumble off. So I simply tear them over the trash can and shake my bundle to ensure it is lose piece free.
I just buy it in craft/hobby section of the dollar stores in bags for $1. Mine are free of and scents/fragrance and such, just dried moss. The bags are big enough to do about 12 new cultures. Only problem I have with it, is when I tear it to size many small pieces will crumble off. So I simply tear them over the trash can and shake my bundle to ensure it is lose piece free.
Thought I'd better show mine as well before someone asked for a photo. The photo was taken shortly after starting the culture so it isn't brimming with flies like they are now. 
I buy my 32 ounce deli cups from Dollar Tree (they sell them 3 for $1). I cut a round hole out of the lid and hot glue a coffee filter on the lid. I then mix-up some of my own custom fruit fly food recipe and put into the cup. I tear off a handful of dried Spanish moss and put in the cup, along with about 50 of whatever species of fruit fly I am making a culture for. Wait about 2 weeks and they are ready to use as feeders.
I buy my 32 ounce deli cups from Dollar Tree (they sell them 3 for $1). I cut a round hole out of the lid and hot glue a coffee filter on the lid. I then mix-up some of my own custom fruit fly food recipe and put into the cup. I tear off a handful of dried Spanish moss and put in the cup, along with about 50 of whatever species of fruit fly I am making a culture for. Wait about 2 weeks and they are ready to use as feeders.
nursejohio
Member
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n175/phriedom/Our%20pack/E6791E7C-A26B-405C-8DCE-F2FC67BBACE1_zpsizljejkj.jpg http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n175/phriedom/Our%20pack/4664126B-E418-4E2D-8C15-AD6A87FBB5FE_zpsvnok8mja.jpg
Well, those were supposed to be the actual pictures. I'm obviously not as computer literate as I thought :-/
Well, those were supposed to be the actual pictures. I'm obviously not as computer literate as I thought :-/
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Very nice idea with the plastic canvas mesh - no mess and don't have to buy more when restarting the cup.
Here I wrote this up for you, and took some screenshots too, to explain how to add a photo to your message post.
- To post a image copy the Direct photo link from your Photobucket image.
- Click the photo icon in the forum reply below the red A and Smiley icons (hover over to verify description).
- Then paste your image link in the pop-up URL and click the OK.
- Your finished!
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Darkrai283
Well-known member
I use cotton balls. Hella cheap and easy to find in most supermarkets.
It works well as you can see in a video of one of my cultures which I started with 25-30 flies...
It works well as you can see in a video of one of my cultures which I started with 25-30 flies...
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That is an insane amount of flies! What are you using for food?!
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Wow... You are good! and fast! What is your Fruit fly culture mixture? if you do not mind me asking...
Darkrai283
Well-known member
That is an insane amount of flies! What are you using for food?!Would love for my cultures to look like that, would only have to have a couple on hand then. Also no worries of a crash with that many.
Cheap instant mashed potato flakes, caster/brown sugar and white sugar in the ratio of 4:1:1.
After the mixture cools, I also sprinkle a bit of active yeast and the yeast inhibits the growth of nasty bacteria and fungi until the larvae hatch.
I'm re-using containers which I get my mantids and other inverts in and that container in the video is what I got some mantids in from a French guy... so I'm guessing that the containers are from a French catering company. The one in the video has lasted a good 5 or 6 generations of Drosophila hydei.
Many thanks for sharing your recipe, I appreciate it.
I just mixed-up a batch yesterday using yet another recipe, as my original batch of fly cultures died off (out of food). I keep two generations going of all my species - a group just started and another about 3 weeks along. I'll be sure to give yours a try next round. I did however try out cotton balls in couple though yesterday. to compare the two
As mentioned I used cotton balls in three of my fruit fly cups, and my standard Spanish moss in the other three awhile back - one of each type and species. I kept everything else the same - the amount of food mix, same food used, amount of flies to start the culture, kept at the same location side-by-side, etc.
Well there was a definite result to be seen now 18 days later, just a few days beyond the typical recommended 2 week culture start-up period.
The cultures with the cotton balls, in all three species (Melanogaster, Turkish Glider, and Hydei), has five times more flies than the others with the Spanish moss, if not more. The pictures don't do it justice but there is a major difference, the flies just won't hold still for the photos.
If I didn't have mantis nymphs that will soon be fed from the cultures I would freeze the flies and weigh them for definite results - perhaps in the future I will do that for solid results.
So many thanks to Darkrai283 for the idea of the cotton balls as the flies do better with them (and yes the cultures have more flies than my original excelsior wood cultures too).
Here are a few photos of the results. The Spanish moss culture is on the left, and cotton balls on the right of the photos. I shook all the flies in both to the lids for comparison.
At least try it for yourself as you should have the same results. I remembered this thread and took the photos as I was making another batch of cultures today, and all 9 of my new cultures are using cotton balls.
I've been hunting for tips on cultures, I struggle to keep Hydeis in high numbers. No idea why I didnt start here...shame on me for wasting my own time. Thanks everyone for the info. Any advice thou on mites? I've lost way to many cultures to them, i use that insect paper, but it seems to be not as effective as it used to be. Maybe just buy more and start fresh???
Any advice thou on mites? I've lost way to many cultures to them, i use that insect paper, but it seems to be not as effective as it used to be. Maybe just buy more and start fresh???
