ff culture...MOLD?!

[Lan]

i was inspecting my fruit fly culture because they're swarming inside and discovered some white stuff on the straw/hay or whatever's in there. is it possible for it to get moldy?! and if so would it be okay to feed them to my mantids still? i'm not sure what the medium is made of.

 

[infinity]

i see several options... mould, eggs or just a natural colour change of the mixture...

Either way, I doubt it would harm a mantis - you might consider changing the mixture or starting a new colony from some of the flies in there and in 10 days you'll have adult flies but still keep the old mixture... If it kills the flies, then you might worry but in my opinion, they should be safe

 

[Lan]

here's a picture of it.



ugh... i think it's mold. well if it won't hurt my mantids then i guess it's okay. now i just hope i don't get sick since it's in my room. :lol:

 

[Rick]

straw or hay? What kind of culture do you have? :?

 

[Lan]

geckospot culture? haha

 

[Johnald Chaffinch]

yeh i have mine in my room, have to remove it before girlfriend comes over, stinks to high heaven

 

[Jwonni]

i dont know what it is but i suppose straw or hay looks wise is right but i thought it might have been strips of paper?

 

[Rick]

Very strange. You don't need that hay. Use commercially made media with a pinch of yeast. That doesn't mold. Common sense should tell you that hay or straw will mold. If you bought it that way then buy elsewhere IMO.

 

[infinity]

that looks strange... I'm sure most people will agree that moulds tend to look furry and kinda like a dense webbing... that looks *spotted*. Shame it's not black because then it could be Claviceps purpurea - as it's extremely toxic and is known to give hallucinations *ergot*

But yeah, I agree with the others... might be easier to use the simple potato/ yeast styles... easier to make and control

 

[Jwonni]

mine came from livefoodsdirect and looks clean no mould or anything and does not smell but does have strands/strips of something in the little round container in the middle of the box

 

[lullaby10]

I got a caresheet with my fruit fry culture and it say that if mold starts to grow, sprinkle some orange juice in the food medium and mold. The temperature you have them in may be too high as well.