Fruit Fly vs Wild Fruit Fly

[Dwaink]

Hi,

I just had several hunderd chinese mantis hatch, and turned them louse because i didn't have any fruit flys to feed them and is thinking about breeding wild fruit flys. I don't have any Mel or Hyd because i didn't seem to get them before they hatched, They hatched in somewhat cool weather wasen't ready for that. Now i am going to need flys before the next one hatches. Any sugestions. Or would it be better to breed wild flys.?

Regards

 

[Rick]

You can go to a local Petco and get a culture to start your cultures off. You can try wild flies but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[OGIGA]

Yes, you can get wingless flies from Petco or Petsmart. However, I'm trying to breed wild flies because I want flying ones. Yeah, you guys probably think I'm nuts but I think the flies will get to the mantises better if they can actually fly. I have my first culture being successful but I'm not feeding them off until I get myself a few established cultures.

 

[mrblue]

I'm trying to breed wild flies because I want flying ones. Yeah, you guys probably think I'm nuts but I think the flies will get to the mantises better if they can actually fly.

i know exactly what you mean. i agree flying ones can travel the whole container alot quicker i've found.

 

[collinchang635]

How do you feed your mantis with fruitflies? I got a whole lot of fruitflies in one container and if Iopen the container to take one out, all of them will fly out. So what do I do? Help.... :huh:

 

[MantidLord]

Put them in the freezer for a couple of min. They'll cool down, and slow down. Then hurry and dump them in the mantis container.

 

[OGIGA]

I breed my flies inside water bottles. It's very easy to control them. I'm not sure why others still haven't caught onto using these containers.

 

[collinchang635]

Thanks I'll try that.

 

[OGIGA]

Awesome

 

[woo boo hui wan]

the water bottle idea sounds good, because the thing i buy them in is a pain in the a$$ to get them into the enclosure.

 

[OGIGA]

Here's my latest invention.

On my water bottles, I can now attach a funnel! I basically took a bottle cap, cut a hole through the top, and hot-glued a "funnel" to it. The funnel is made from a waterbottle part taped together.

 

[darkspeed]

Dont fruit fly cultures require more ventilation than a water bottle can provide? Nevertheless, I am going to try it with my next batch.

 

[OGIGA]

Dont fruit fly cultures require more ventilation than a water bottle can provide? Nevertheless, I am going to try it with my next batch.

I really don't know how to answer that. The only thing I can say is that it's been working. B)

 

[hibiscusmile]

Poke some tiny holes in it with a needle!

 

[darkspeed]

At the moment wild fruit flies or gnats or whatever you want to call them are an epidemic here in southern Indiana. It even made the front page of the county paper today. I think I am going to try and take advantage of the situation and catch me a bunch. What is the best method of trapping the lil boogers?

 

[Gurd]

Wild cultures are easy to set up, just put a fresh culture in a quite part of your garden/yard near a compost bin if you have 1. Give it a few days/week and they just turn up lay eggs and free nyphs food in not time bargin!

I had a little spider get it 1 that I didn't notice untill later, the little bugger :angry:

It ate the flies for my nymphs so a nymph at the spider :lol:

Darkspeed a net and a pooter should get you loads

 

[OGIGA]

The slugs always eat the stuff I put outside.