Man, I missed Fruit Flies

[sporeworld]

This is not worthy of a thread, but man, did I miss using Fruit Flies as feeders. Jeepers, they are butt-easy! I confess I'm still too lazy to breed them, but dang! Tap-tap into a funnel and done! My creos could certainly take a House Fly at this point, but they are chowing down on Hydei and are pleasantly plump.

Not sure how the rest of you do it, but I cut (then plug with a foam stopper) the top of my deli cup, and just tap them into the funnel - straight into a similar plug/hole in my enclosures. Every now and then I move the enclosure around to get the FF's crawling back towards the top, but that's it.

I look back to about 3 years ago when I was using pinhead and slightly larger crickets instead. Ah, so naive...

 

[hibiscusmile]

That's where the saying came in "live and learn"

 

[patrickfraser]

I love them fruit flies. One good culture and your good indef. That's what I've learned. Even if not needed as a feeder, you should keep a culture going. I's simple, cheap, and saves you a lot of time and money that shipping takes up. I just wish I could raise houseflies, GB, and BB, as simply. I guess I'll just grab my trusty butterfly net and wreak havoc in the town of poo poo land.

 

[Colorcham427]

I love them too! lol... although my josh's frogs last shipment came in infested with these larger looking mites!!!

I wish the hydei produced like d mel though! i use d mel as long as i can before the mantids can no longer catch them. then i move to blue bottles if possible, if not, house flies! i stopped using hydei and just sell them now.

 

[dgerndt]

I was never able to make hydei cultures. I tried at least three times before the original culture died. They all got super moldy before they were able to start producing. <_< But I've only bought one melanogaster culture, ever. They're so easy to make and they produce SO MANY.

 

[patrickfraser]

I do my hydei and mel cultures the exact way and they produce great. hydei do take longer, though. Mites? Of course, but starting new cultures all the time keeps them minimal.

The recipe I use

 

[GreenOasis]

I was never able to make hydei cultures. I tried at least three times before the original culture died. They all got super moldy before they were able to start producing. <_< But I've only bought one melanogaster culture, ever. They're so easy to make and they produce SO MANY.

Gosh, I hope that wasn't any of mine! I had that problem with my last batch of cultures. I apparently used the media before adding methylparaben to it (I was waiting on the Methyl to come in when I made it) and I guess the mold just got the better of the Hydei. (The melanogasters produce fast enough to keep the mold at bay, but because the Hydei take longer, mold has an annoying chance to gain control.)

But, bummed as I was...I kept the molded cultures just a little longer and they FINALLY started producing Hydei! It took about two weeks, but they finally boomed for me and are going strong now!

Anywho...if you got that bad media from me...PLEASE PM ME! I'm very sorry. It definitley won't happen again! (I bought A LOT of Methylparaben this time!)

 

[GreenOasis]

I love them too! lol... although my josh's frogs last shipment came in infested with these larger looking mites!!!

OH, MAN! Don't say that, Brian! I just ordered 4 cultures from him the other day because I didn't think I would get enough Hydei out of these old ones! (but I did have plenty)

I wonder if it would be too late to cancel the order??? I guess if not, I'll just send a complaint & see if they'll either send new ones or refund my money! :blink:

 

[dgerndt]

It's okay, Carey! I got the culture from Fly Cafe, and I made my own medium. It was the same medium I use for my melanogasters, but it just couldn't keep the mold away. I kept each culture attempt for weeks, the last one I kept for a good three weeks or so. They never produced. <_< I currently don't even have hydeis, and I don't plan on getting more for a long time. I have an L3 Gambian that is doing just fine on melanogasters and soon I can just catch food that is a little bigger.