fruit fly inserts

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hibiscusmile said:
Usually to dry makes it fall out Kat! I make about a hundred a week and still do not have a wonderful system for it, I get plenty of maggots and flies, its just each culture is different, I use a great big bowl and fruit I cooked off from the fruit trees last summer and I still have some frozen so each batch gets the frozen fruit. The coffee filters work ok if u use enought of them, but I was still haveing to much mositure inthem, is why I went with the cardboard, it soaks it up to within an half inch of the top of the cardboard and from there on it is good, I do not like excelsior in my cultures but find it necessary to ship with. I have tried the cardboard to hold it down, but got no feedback so am using the excelsior again when shipping, other wise it does not go in my cultures, only right before packing.
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Thanks for the insight on them being too dry, Rebecca... I appreciate it! ;) It's like you say... each culture ends up being just a little bit different for one reason or another. I just couldn't figure out why a couple of them were suddenly going all floppy on me!

Has anyone tried the plastic screening (like used for needlework projects)? I'm debating trying it along with some coffee filters in my next batch. Experimenting, experimenting! I made up a batch last night with coffee filters, just 2 popsicle sticks (instead of the 5 for each culture that I had been trying), and a very sparse and loose wad of excelsior, lol. I really don't like the excelsior either, and am looking for cheaper alternatives that I like better. Maybe some day one of us will find the perfect system... :rolleyes: :lol:

 
I've been considering grid types of plastic too, but I keep thinking that anything plastic would need to be anchored or mechanically wedged or it would almost definitely fall out.

I am also trying to ditch excelsior in general, but I don't have the need to ship my cultures...

 
I remember trying aluminum screening and fiber glass screening and For some reason neither really worked out to great.

 
no, the plastic works a bit, some people use the plastic I have on the site, I never cared for it, but some people do, I have 5 diff sizes of the plastic and the plastic is nice, but so far nothing I have found works like the cardboard, it shreads when the flies work thru it and it makes its own little shredded paper which they seem to love, don't know why, I did ask, but they ignored me :lol: , go figure, I do all the work and they ignore me. Hah! But really, anyone wanting to try it, on your next order, ask me to include some of the corrulated cardboard and I will, all u do it take about 12 inches of it and roll it up and keep about 1/4 inches between each layer and set it down in there, the flies love it to run around on and it does not fall down like the coffee filters and gives more room then the plastic for the maggots to crawl on and does not mold like the excelsior does! Really!

 
I tried using the plastic grid from craft stores a couple of years ago. While it did work, I didn't have the same success I do with a material that absorbs moisture. I also had this great plan of reusing the plastic but it just gets too nasty and is a pain to clean for me.

 
hibiscusmile said:
no, the plastic works a bit, some people use the plastic I have on the site, I never cared for it, but some people do, I have 5 diff sizes of the plastic and the plastic is nice, but so far nothing I have found works like the cardboard, it shreads when the flies work thru it and it makes its own little shredded paper which they seem to love, don't know why, I did ask, but they ignored me :lol: , go figure, I do all the work and they ignore me. Hah! But really, anyone wanting to try it, on your next order, ask me to include some of the corrulated cardboard and I will, all u do it take about 12 inches of it and roll it up and keep about 1/4 inches between each layer and set it down in there, the flies love it to run around on and it does not fall down like the coffee filters and gives more room then the plastic for the maggots to crawl on and does not mold like the excelsior does! Really!
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Rebecca, besides my own thoughts that the corregated cardboard inserts sound like a really good material to use in the cultures, I trust your judgment and recommendations so much I just ordered 2 rolls of it, hehe. I'm obviously planning on liking it! ;) Thank you for sharing the idea... I appreciate it. :)

damizz said:
I tried using the plastic grid from craft stores a couple of years ago. While it did work, I didn't have the same success I do with a material that absorbs moisture. I also had this great plan of reusing the plastic but it just gets too nasty and is a pain to clean for me.
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Damizz, I had the same thoughts. Sounded like it would work pretty good for stability and lots of space for flies to hang out... but wouldn't absorb or help regulate moisture at all. I also had the exact same idea about re-using it, but wondered if I'd really want to scrape and wash each of the inserts too (in addition to cleaning and re-using the cups and lids... which isn't too bad, works great, and saves loads of money!). Your thoughts confirmed my thoughts, lol. :lol:

 
Rebecca,

I can't fint the link to your inserts. I see a 'Fruit Fly Paper' listing, but does not appear to be linked. Lemme know!

 
I am so slow at putting on the old site, just email me and I will send it for anyone to try for the priority fly shipping price of 6.50! Do be careful when ordering on the web, some of it is dirty due to the manufacturing process.

 
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great ideas here!!! i am going to start a new culture tomorrow, will probably go with the coffee filters! now if my dang flies would keep from reverting back to having wings... only one so far tho! scary! i thought i would have a mass escape... that would be the end of my hobby if my fiance found out... :rolleyes:

 
2 weeks ha ha ha ha, cant help it, remember the movie with Tom Hanks, Money pit? and the construction co said it would be finished in two weeks? hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :angry: :( :blink: :unsure:

if I had some help it would be done, but as it is, I only get a few minutes here and there to work on it....

U would think with all those feet the mantis have I could get one of them to take dictation!

 

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