Fruit Fly culture & food coloring

[dlemmings]

So i have been maintaining fruit fly cultures using Repashy's fruitfly media.

it is not colored but works wonderfully. I have seen cultures with green or pink coloring so the last few cultures I have made i have added green just because it looks cool.

I noticed that once the green is gone from the media it is about dead anyway so it helps as an indicator but so does the reduced size of the fruit flys when the culture is about "Done"

The question is what are the reasons or benifits of adding food coloring?

 

[dlemmings]

that sounds like a "NO"

☺

 

[hibiscusmile]

some people say u can see the maggots better with it. I can see em with one eye!

 

[dlemmings]

I want something that will make the fruit flies cause my mantids to glow in the dark or turn vivid violet or something fun like that

 

[gripen]

I want something that will make the fruit flies cause my mantids to glow in the dark or turn vivid violet or something fun like that

I used to heed my majusculas colored water and there whole thorax would turn that color. There reaction was priceless lol.

 

[hibiscusmile]

bad boy! :hammer:

 

[Bug Trader]

I see no benefit to adding a color agent to the media, there is no nutritional gain which is all I really look at.

Michael

 

[frogparty]

Repashy superfluous is the best media on the market. Plenty of natural color enhancers in it. No need for food coloring

 

[dlemmings]

Repashy superfluous is the best media on the market. Plenty of natural color enhancers in it. No need for food coloring

Repashey is what I use...but mine is "Superfly" not superfluous ☺

so maybe mine has no coloring ☻

as long as my wife has food color around I will add a few drops just for the color....

 

[frogparty]

Damn you autocorrect!!!! Super fly is the product

 

[Rick]

It is added so the maggots can be seen easier. That is all. The stuff I use does not have it.

 

[frogparty]

Super fly contains xanthins specifically to promote enhanced natural color

 

[dlemmings]

Damn you autocorrect!!!! Super fly is the product

I knew what u meant...lol

I came accross some "hot-pink" or neon pink food coloring...I may have to try.

I just saw that my older culture has lost the last bit of green and sure enough the flys are smaller now...and just in time the next culture is ready.

of course now I only have about 15 nymphs and they are just about the right size to try feeding houseflys...a couple are brave enough to take a Blue Bottle i am sure of it.