timing of ff cultures

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wyethia

wyethia

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I've read through the information on here about fruit fly cultures, but I'm trying to figure out if I need to be starting new ff cultures or mine I have are fine. I have a large amount of L2 chinese and assorted other species (L1 to L3-but only about 14 mantids.

I had ordered 3 cultures (flightless hydei) and starter ff which came with a lot more flies than were needed to start the cultures. I've been feeding those out to the chinese mantids. My cultures have just hit the stage where they are producing pupae. So...I am confused about how many ff will hatch and how long they will last. At some point, it sounds like I need to save some adults and start new cultures, but when?

my other species are creos (L2), lineolas (L3), ghosts (L2), budwings (L2)...I assume that they will convert to house flies at some point and I won't need ff unless I order new nymphs.

It doesn't look like the chinese will go after house flies at L2...but surely they will at L3? they are huge already :)

Any assistance appreciated.

Wyethia

 
It is really something you will have to figure out on your own. Are these culture vials or large 32 oz cultures? The large ones will last quite a while. What I do is monitor the state of the medium. HOw long a culture lasts depends a lot on your conditions. The key is to start a new culture while the old one still has enough time to keep producing while you wait for the new one to start producing flies. I would suggest starting a new one here real soon and just waiting to see how long the originals last and how long it takes the new one to start producing flies. Only then can you truly know how long both take. Once you know that you can better time it. It is just something you will figure out over time and once you do you will reliably know when to start new cultures to avoid ever running out of flies.

 
I could not help you here, I have to make cultures twice a week, and I don't like it :angry: . Every bloom of hatchings comes for some reason twice a week and if not making new cultures, they die from lack of food. I try not to put so many flies in the culture, but 25 cultures at a time is all I can handle, takes all my strength to stir the cultures and prepare it in cups, I am too old for this job! No really, I think to many flies in the culture is my problem and when they hatch, there is not enought culture left to feed them, hey, I don't know why I am telling you all this, but I was thinking about it last night when I made cultures, and just had to get it off my chest! :p

 
I feel yr pain, Rebecca! What I do now is dump about six cups of mix into a stand mixer bowl, add an equal amount of water and let it swirl around, adding any extra water that may be needed. How much mixture do you put into each pot? About a cupful? I just ladle mine, wet, into the pot and if the flies complain about the way the pot looks, I feed them off, first.

I bought 100 pots and lids from you recently. It really is a luxury, when you get new ones, to finally toss those grungy old ones out instead of having to wash them!

 
It's always better to have too many fruit flies than not enough. I'd say make at least one culture of each species of fruit fly right now.

 
Deby said:
It's always better to have too many fruit flies than not enough. I'd say make at least one culture of each species of fruit fly right now.
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Thank you all for your replies, I'll go ahead and get some more going. Also, in answer to Rick's question...I have all 32 oz cultures--they seem a lot more stable than those silly little Petco ones.

Theresa

 
PhilinYuma said:
I feel yr pain, Rebecca! What I do now is dump about six cups of mix into a stand mixer bowl, add an equal amount of water and let it swirl around, adding any extra water that may be needed. How much mixture do you put into each pot? About a cupful? I just ladle mine, wet, into the pot and if the flies complain about the way the pot looks, I feed them off, first.

I bought 100 pots and lids from you recently. It really is a luxury, when you get new ones, to finally toss those grungy old ones out instead of having to wash them!
Click to expand...
I have a hand mixer, to deep for the stand, thinking about goin to the welding shop and having him make the whirly things longer! I put a 13 oz box of taters in, about 1 1/2 cups of brewers yeast, 2 tbs of calcium pro. and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and about 6 cups oats and some fruit juice and vinegar and couple spoons of sugar in with the baking yeast and about 2 qts water, and it does take a bit of strength to mix it, my big son one day said to me, Ma, why don't u make smaller batches? Wanted to pop him for that one! :eek:

I put in about 3/4 of a cup I think, I have one big ice cream or tater scoop I use, and I also feed off the complainers,..... hummm I do seem to be missing me son! :tt2: Oh yea, thats right, he got married!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
hibiscusmile said:
I have a hand mixer, to deep for the stand, thinking about goin to the welding shop and having him make the whirly things longer! I put a 13 oz box of taters in, about 1 1/2 cups of brewers yeast, 2 tbs of calcium pro. and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and about 6 cups oats and some fruit juice and vinegar and couple spoons of sugar in with the baking yeast and about 2 qts water, and it does take a bit of strength to mix it, my big son one day said to me, Ma, why don't u make smaller batches? Wanted to pop him for that one! :eek:

I put in about 3/4 of a cup I think, I have one big ice cream or tater scoop I use, and I also feed off the complainers,..... hummm I do seem to be missing me son! :tt2: Oh yea, thats right, he got married!
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I think my timing on asking this was good as my existign cultures are running out of food fast...i made up some extra food adn I was wondering if you can supplement what is in the old cultures? I know that wouldn't be ideal, but even if those adults are gone there are tons of larvae and pupa in there that are going to fun out of food.

Wyethia

 
Wyethia said:
I think my timing on asking this was good as my existign cultures are running out of food fast...i made up some extra food adn I was wondering if you can supplement what is in the old cultures? I know that wouldn't be ideal, but even if those adults are gone there are tons of larvae and pupa in there that are going to fun out of food.

Wyethia
Click to expand...
Sure you can, but be sure to pull out the excelsior (or whatever you use as "perches") and make sure that you shake out all the FFs first (if the are not flightless, you'll have to chill them first). Just plonk in the new mix and put everything back. After that, though, it would probably be a good idea to set up a new pot or two.

Often, folks will start a culture with maybe 25 FFs, that will produce hundreds of new flies. Those will breed in the same mix and the food is eaten in no time.

It is a good idea to make up some fresh pots once a week (unless you are Rebecca, who is also the only person I know who cooks raw potatoes instead of using flakes) and shake flies in from the old pot. Once you have a new generation in the second batch of pots, use the old ones just to feed your mantids and let the new generation be breeders until the next batch is due.

 
sometimes I put in a piece of apple or a grape, just to hold me off one more day, I had another bloom this morning, and I gotta tell u, if they don't last till tomorrow, well so be it! Hibiscyeis to tired. :eek:

 
I have been using by mistake vinegar watered down to 5% acidity and it seems like forever for them to bloom ,when in the past,my cultures always bloomed quickly.Might be a stupid question ,but does acidity play a big part in ffs cultures

 
OMG, I'm so irritated! LOL. I started a new culture per the original message on this thread...it was all going along swimmingly, little maggots grubbing around at the bottom...then they made pupae and I thought, "my, those look really small for hydei". This morning they all hatched into...drumroll, flying melanogasters..!

It's like some form of magic intended to make me crazy!!

And, refridgeration or not, those guys are impossible to work with.

The really annoying thing is...the original cultures are limping along. My two cultures I ordered got overheated and died. I tried going to Reptile Specialists and their cultures were all dying. At least I have some houseflies coming on Tuesday. I'm hoping I get better at the timing of feeders soon :)

Wyethia

 

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