Moosashi
Well-known member
so, that's an easy way to start a wild flying fruit fly culture, to leave a juice bottle outside with a small hole in it? Could be useful if anyone's fruit fly cultures begin to run low.
How I make fruit fly medium!
- Thread starter MikhailsDinos
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Gruby626
Well-known member
So can you add flour instead of masa? - I can't buy it here :/
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
When I was away, I realized that wild fruit flies are in some place and aren't in others. All my fruits can get rotten here and I still have no FFs. But in other regions of this world, when fruits are going bad, FFs are all over it!
macro junkie
Dead Leaf Mantis
mr. mantis
Member
I know this post goes back a ways, but it still answers questions. It's been 6 days and still no Hydei maggots.
Waiting impatiently.
After three complete failures with the masa mix I decided to try some instant mashed potato cultures. Ive had one complete failure with that, while all the rest have done wonderfully. Apparently there are unseen factors that cause their failure, but I am not sure what, as I always follow the recipes to the letter each and every time.
Due to their slow reproduction, the trick with hydeis is to keep as many cultures as possible going all the time. It is much better to have a surplus of flies than to run out, because if you are depending on just one or two cultures, and one fails you can easily end up with starving mantises. In fact, having a surplus just means you have extras to use to create new cultures with. Once created, its not like a new culture needs alot of attention. They just sit there and mature while you feed out of your cultures that are in production. Then by the time your older cultures are exhausted you have fresh new producers to feed from, and a surplus from them to replace your old cultures with.
Due to their slow reproduction, the trick with hydeis is to keep as many cultures as possible going all the time. It is much better to have a surplus of flies than to run out, because if you are depending on just one or two cultures, and one fails you can easily end up with starving mantises. In fact, having a surplus just means you have extras to use to create new cultures with. Once created, its not like a new culture needs alot of attention. They just sit there and mature while you feed out of your cultures that are in production. Then by the time your older cultures are exhausted you have fresh new producers to feed from, and a surplus from them to replace your old cultures with.
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Mantida
Well-known member
Moosashi
Well-known member
I found the maseca masa at the local Super Walmart, but it seems not all Walmarts carry it? I found it on the baking supplies aisle I think and it wasn't right next to flour or anything, it was kind of between some products that were totally different.
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
I found mine next to the Mexican food stuff.
macro junkie
Dead Leaf Mantis
i found mine in canada,. :lol: having it shipped by the master him self MikhailsDinos
macro junkie
Dead Leaf Mantis
i made my 1st ever cultures last week..i made 2..potato flakes and water and pinch of yeast...i put about 50 flys in each deli cup.i now have loads of maggots..i wont be buying cultures again.
oh 1 thing..i was reading about wingless or flightless being able to fly after u used them for such a long time..how long until;l this will happen to me?
oh 1 thing..i was reading about wingless or flightless being able to fly after u used them for such a long time..how long until;l this will happen to me?
I said I would report back on my masa, vinegar, applesauce, and yeast culture. I made it on the 17th and first saw larvae yesterday. Looking good, and smelling fine.
Looking good, and smelling fine.If this is true, how do places that sell wingless fly culture keep them wingless? Only breed the wingless/flightless ones?
Mantida
Well-known member
Yeah, eventually (we're talking after many generations), they'll regain their ability to fly.
Moosashi
Well-known member
I think they (industrial producers) keep their flies from flying/developing wings by irradiating them in some way, but I'm not sure. Somehow they are interrupting the protein sequences that code for development of wings in melanogaster and the development of the neural connections to the wing control muscles in hydei. Guess they do something similar to houseflies to produce the curly wing variant? Some mutation that alters the wing tip shape.
Mantida
Well-known member
I read somewhere they paralyze the wing muscles, and I guess they slowly regain functioning muscles over time.
OGIGA
Dead Leaf Mantis
Oh... I didn't know that if you mix them two kinds, you'd get a kind that flies. I've been wondering where to get the flying kind because they'd be easier for the mantises to get.
macro junkie
Dead Leaf Mantis
makes me laugh..thats its inposiball to order flying frute flys in the uk,lol..is that silly or what..i guess theres no market for it..but i want them so bad..i would like to use them on my net cages when i house nymphs in there.like yen pointed out before the wingless and flightless group up in the corners,,it annoys me and my mantids.
Mantida
Well-known member
Yeah, they'd be nice to use as food, but the only thing is that I'm having trouble with containing/escaping houseflies - I can't imagine how it'd be like if I accidently released an entire culture of FLYING ff's... :blink: :wacko:
macro junkie
Dead Leaf Mantis
yer there a pain..what i do sometimes is have small hole in side and take them out with long tweezers.
