Small-Scale Housefly Production???

[GreenOasis]

Okay, I can't keep ordering fly pupae every week, but yet, I do still need quite a few flies on a regular basis. Does anyone breed flies on a small scale & could possibly share tips? Would it be possible to say, get several dozen pupae in a week from just an 80 deli container or something? (Possibly rotate between a few containers.) I don't want flies all over my house, but I don't want to order a bunch of mesh enclosures for them, etc. I'm trying to do things as cheaply as possible, what with the holidays fast approaching and all!

Also, how long SHOULD fly pupae last if kept in the fridge drawer? Seems like I can't get any more to eclose after about a week in the fridge!

Thanks!

-Carey Kurtz-

 

[LauraMG]

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2734&st=0&p=14382&hl=+housefly%20+culture&fromsearch=1entry14382

There's some good info in this thread. The search feature can become your BFF. They've really improved it.

 

[Colorcham427]

Phil's house fly media recipe is the best!!! Props to my man Phil lol...

However, I add one extra ingredient...

I take around 100-200 DEAD house flies or blue bottle flies and put them in a cup, and mist them 20-30 times while stirring the nasty mix.

This little black nastiness gets the flies attention even faster from my observation, yet the smell isn't so good lol.. Luckily, I only put a very small amount on top of the media..

I like putting 4 or 5 (8 ounce cups) open with about an inch of the media in it.

I put the cups in a large screen cage with the 10,000 or so house flies.

Every 4 days replace new cups. You will loose flies when opening the cage door but whatever! lol

Unless could somebody tell me if I could put the entire screen cage into my fridge, make all the flies get sleepy and then take out the cups? Would the maggots or fly eggs die from being in the fridge for 30 minutes????

Anyways, each cup that I take out, I put a cloth vented lid on it. In just 4-5 days you will see a few hundred tiny maggots.

I put more food in the cup if I want them to get bigger, OR, I starve them so they pupate into smaller house flies!!! I love smaller house flies when the fruit flies are getting low!!!

If you just want a couple dozen maggots, all you have to do is take the lid off and flick the maggots into the net cage, or put a piece of paper towel in the cup and some maggots will quickly climb on it. Tossing in the piece of paper in the net cage is easier.

 

[sporeworld]

I wanted to comment in the thread you linked, but maybe this is better?

Anyway, in the thread, they were looking for a way to get flightless flies, and from my (minimal) observations, the wrinkled winged flies I get are usually ones that couldn't find room to dry their wings, or ones that I kept too cold and lethargic. So I wonder if...

(a) intentionally overcrowding the pupa with substrate that they can easily move through, but not get a good clearing might work. A few times by flies have been stuck in the mail over the weekend and the ones that didn't die outright we mangled and couldn't fly.

or

( B) you could set up a variable temp eclosing environment. I'm thinking a deli cup with a large screened area on the bottom, perched on a very tall vase, or big garbage can. Flies eclose, crawl around, and fall into the deeper container. Either that container is cooler (in ice? A/C vent right on it?), or is filled with somthing that will stick to them and misform the wings (Yen's mix, or flour, or shallow water...? Not something that they'll soffocate in, or would be harmful to the mantids). Maybe double sided tape that will hold them in place until you give it a good smack...?

I think Chrisp is a vet. Would his approach be a gause with ether?

I've got a little "Drop Pod" system in place now. When I get the whole PhotoBucket thing figured out, I'll post some pics. I have more problems from leaks in my cages than from distribution...

 

[PeterF]

My early experiences with phil' dog food thing seem positive.

You could probably find a way to use a larger container (2 liter bottle, gallon jug) to get around the net cage (or really, to serve both as the cage and the magot medium).

But I think it would be easier to replicate the net cage with a tub or cardboard box cut with holes and given screen. If a roll of screen is out of the current budget (and it is worth considering, I keep finding new arthropod keeping reasons to have the roll around) try asking your local freecycle or craig's list for free old window screens. Many people have these in their attic though they no longer have the windows they went to. You can wash them and then cut them just like new screen. Heck, someone might even have a partial roll of screen for free.

In DIY, freecycle is your friend. I got a 95 gallon tank off it for example.

FYI, I don't remember if Phil described his net cage. But the professional one I hijacked from my Prof has one wall of cloth that tapers out sock like. You tie this off to keep the bugs in, and untie it to stick your arm in and work in the cage w/ out losing bugs. I think I read something about a similar thing made with an old sweat shirt sleeve. Easy peasy. Keep in mind socks/tights are (at least in my opinion) too narrow to do the job easily. I picked up some $5 pajamas bottoms for this same idea.

 

[GreenOasis]

My early experiences with phil' dog food thing seem positive.

You could probably find a way to use a larger container (2 liter bottle, gallon jug) to get around the net cage (or really, to serve both as the cage and the magot medium).

But I think it would be easier to replicate the net cage with a tub or cardboard box cut with holes and given screen. If a roll of screen is out of the current budget (and it is worth considering, I keep finding new arthropod keeping reasons to have the roll around) try asking your local freecycle or craig's list for free old window screens. Many people have these in their attic though they no longer have the windows they went to. You can wash them and then cut them just like new screen. Heck, someone might even have a partial roll of screen for free.

In DIY, freecycle is your friend. I got a 95 gallon tank off it for example.

FYI, I don't remember if Phil described his net cage. But the professional one I hijacked from my Prof has one wall of cloth that tapers out sock like. You tie this off to keep the bugs in, and untie it to stick your arm in and work in the cage w/ out losing bugs. I think I read something about a similar thing made with an old sweat shirt sleeve. Easy peasy. Keep in mind socks/tights are (at least in my opinion) too narrow to do the job easily. I picked up some $5 pajamas bottoms for this same idea.

GOOD IDEA! I actually have a roll of screen that was used to repair one window in the house (but I still have plenty left.) I'm not a whiz at carpentry (hubby usually builds stuff), but I'm sure I could knock something together real quick.

So...I have also wondered what Brian mentions here...if I raised flies in say, 80 oz deli cups, could I throw the whole thing in the freezer for a couple of minutes to knock out the flies & take out the maggot cup...or would the maggots die too quickly in the freezer? (OR what about the fridge?) The only other option would be to take it outside to work & then lose all the adult flies while changing out cups. A few lost flies here & there is no biggie...unless the neighbors complain about the sudden fly population explosion ...I'm just wondering if the whole idea would work. (Has anyone seen the "fly nurseries" that Rebecca sells? That's what I'm thinking of using, only to breed them!)

I do like that screen cage idea, though...but I think that would have to wait until I actually have a need for thousands of flies at a time!

Thanks!

-Carey Kurtz-