Ultimate Fruit-Fly Medium (NO, really... seriously)

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Sad, I wanna see Lectric's posts.

Anyway, I think the idea is fine. I think Lectric should do an experiment, scientific style, and show us the results.

 
OGIGA said:
Sad, I wanna see Lectric's posts.Anyway, I think the idea is fine. I think Lectric should do an experiment, scientific style, and show us the results.
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The problem is, on what would you base your judgment? Longer life, greater fecundity, more joie de vivre?

What would be a good test population, a hunded fed with supplemented ffs and a hundred without? But since this is only likely to affect them through their first couple of instars, should we look at molt times and weight of the nymphs at the end of the second instar and, if there is a difference, see if that difference is lost after becoming adult?

Or, how about sitting down with some beer and a few dozen sliders? :D God, Dave, I wish you hadn't mentioned them!!

 
PhilinYuma said:
The problem is, on what would you base your judgment? Longer life, greater fecundity, more joie de vivre? What would be a good test population, a hundred fed with supplemented ffs and a hundred without? But since this is only likely to affect them through their first couple of instars, should we look at molt times and weight of the nymphs at the end of the second instar and, if there is a difference, see if that difference is lost after becoming adult?

Or, how about sitting down with some beer and a few dozen sliders? :D God, Dave, I wish you hadn't mentioned them!!
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Essentially, nobody here can truly prove most of what they say unless put under TRUE scientific scrutiny in a laboratory unless the results are OVER-overwhelmingly obvious.

Many of us have things that work. The old saying goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

If we were to all truly follow that saying we would all be driving Model-T's and watching our wood-finished black & white TV cabinet/councils. heck, maybe we'd all be sitting around the ole-family radio. But, Rick would be happy!

I like to think outside of the box. To challenge the same-ole ideas in hopes for progression through new or better methods. But, as another saying goes.... the path to success is paved in failure.

That's why I bring these ideas here. To listen to those who know far more than I do. As long as it's done in a respectful way, I'd like to hear that advice/criticism and I am grateful for your time.

My methods will not always be the most inexpensive. Heck, I remember a month or so ago I was amazed at my $30 bookshelf from Walmart until I saw all of you good folks showing me your shelves from other stores which were even better.

Anyway, the point is... let the show go on.. and most important.. have fun.

 
bumber you erased all your comments, i wanted to replecate your incubation chamber lol. let me know if you can send me at least the pic through email ^_^

 
d17oug18 said:
bumber you erased all your comments, i wanted to replecate your incubation chamber lol. let me know if you can send me at least the pic through email ^_^
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I'll put it back up :p I got pissed and acted like a baby. Sometimes it's better to let the train go by. lol

Yours Truly,

DramaMantis

 
PhilinYuma said:
The problem is, on what would you base your judgment? Longer life, greater fecundity, more joie de vivre? What would be a good test population, a hunded fed with supplemented ffs and a hundred without? But since this is only likely to affect them through their first couple of instars, should we look at molt times and weight of the nymphs at the end of the second instar and, if there is a difference, see if that difference is lost after becoming adult?

Or, how about sitting down with some beer and a few dozen sliders? :D God, Dave, I wish you hadn't mentioned them!!
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I hope you're not trying to be pessimistic. I wouldn't remotely call those "problems". They are questions that we want answers to and it's not impossible to find. On just the fruit flies, you can see which culture lasts longer. With mantises, separate the two groups with one being control and the other being "drugged".

The problem is, you usually kill the test subjects in the end, including the control. That's lab for you!

 
OGIGA said:
I hope you're not trying to be pessimistic. I wouldn't remotely call those "problems". They are questions that we want answers to and it's not impossible to find. On just the fruit flies, you can see which culture lasts longer. With mantises, separate the two groups with one being control and the other being "drugged".The problem is, you usually kill the test subjects in the end, including the control. That's lab for you!
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Who, me? Pessimistic? Never! But it is much easier to talk about scientific experimentation than to perform it accurately.

Let me give you an example. Wild fruit flies are always welcome in my kitchen and I sometimes catch them to make new cultures. Three days ago I made six identical cultures, using 1:1 potato flakes and water, some brown sugar and cider vinegar, mixed together and placed in six 32oz pots. Next I chopped up a seriously black banana into six pieces, lightly mashed each piece and put it in a pot. Then I added six thin half slices of apple and put them on top of the culture and added a few grains of yeast and some excelsior and left the pots open for the night (with lights on) so that the ffs would be attracted to the pots. I added a few drops of vinegar to all six pots to act as an added attractant. Next day, I put the lids on and had 25 - 50 ffs in each pot.

Three days later, all six pots have maggots, but four of the pots have newly hatched flies, several hundred in each pot.

How could this be? How could the ffs have eclosed after only three days, and why has this not occured in two of the pots?

If you know the answer to this question from experience, please don't answer yet. If you have a good theory as to why this happened, let's hear it!

 
PhilinYuma said:
Who, me? Pessimistic? Never! But it is much easier to talk about scientific experimentation than to perform it accurately.Let me give you an example. Wild fruit flies are always welcome in my kitchen and I sometimes catch them to make new cultures. Three days ago I made six identical cultures, using 1:1 potato flakes and water, some brown sugar and cider vinegar, mixed together and placed in six 32oz pots. Next I chopped up a seriously black banana into six pieces, lightly mashed each piece and put it in a pot. Then I added six thin half slices of apple and put them on top of the culture and added a few grains of yeast and some excelsior and left the pots open for the night (with lights on) so that the ffs would be attracted to the pots. I added a few drops of vinegar to all six pots to act as an added attractant. Next day, I put the lids on and had 25 - 50 ffs in each pot.

Three days later, all six pots have maggots, but four of the pots have newly hatched flies, several hundred in each pot.

How could this be? How could the ffs have eclosed after only three days, and why has this not occured in two of the pots?

If you know the answer to this question from experience, please don't answer yet. If you have a good theory as to why this happened, let's hear it!
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Fruit flies had already assaulted your banannas and laid eggs in them before you added them to the cultures?

 
PhilinYuma said:
Who, me? Pessimistic? Never! But it is much easier to talk about scientific experimentation than to perform it accurately.Let me give you an example. Wild fruit flies are always welcome in my kitchen and I sometimes catch them to make new cultures. Three days ago I made six identical cultures, using 1:1 potato flakes and water, some brown sugar and cider vinegar, mixed together and placed in six 32oz pots. Next I chopped up a seriously black banana into six pieces, lightly mashed each piece and put it in a pot. Then I added six thin half slices of apple and put them on top of the culture and added a few grains of yeast and some excelsior and left the pots open for the night (with lights on) so that the ffs would be attracted to the pots. I added a few drops of vinegar to all six pots to act as an added attractant. Next day, I put the lids on and had 25 - 50 ffs in each pot.

Three days later, all six pots have maggots, but four of the pots have newly hatched flies, several hundred in each pot.

How could this be? How could the ffs have eclosed after only three days, and why has this not occured in two of the pots?

If you know the answer to this question from experience, please don't answer yet. If you have a good theory as to why this happened, let's hear it!
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Isn't that what you get in real labs too?

 
Katnapper said:
Fruit flies had already assaulted your banannas and laid eggs in them before you added them to the cultures?
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Haha! What a great way to ruin the suspense! Yeah, I reckon that that's what happened. They hadn't gotten all the way down to the end of the banana, and that's why the last two pots were normal. On the one hand, it's a great way to ruin the hydei culture that you just spent money on, on the other hand it's a great way to "preculture" your mels!

Next time, I'm gonna say, "Anyone can answer except Katt." :D :p

You're right, Ogiga; that's why people spend a lot of time "reduplicating" each others work. Remember the planaria that "inherited" the memories of planaria that had been fed to them? :lol:

 
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