Cultures not producing at all

[Ed]

Originally Posted by dubvstudent

My apartment stays around 63. I typically keep cultures in closet I have that is probably a bit cooler than that. I know them temp is not ideal, but jacking up my heat any more gets real pricey.

The temperature is the problem.... 63 F and the cultures really shut down, colder than that even by a few degrees really will kill cultures... that is going to slow down production of virtually all feeder insects or shut them down for those from tropical regions.
Have you considered modifying a cupboard or other container to hold teh cultures and heat that instead?
If you go that route I strongly suggest using something more effective than sprayed papertowels (like mite paper... it is amazingly cheap)..


Ed

[NickJR]

agreed Ed before i got heater my temps where 60-70 and my flys produced slow with heater im 73 constant and they produce really fast and double to tripplw the amount as before

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[NickJR]

forgot to ad just get a 30-40$ space heater thats what i did. i electric bill hasent even been affected and mine runs all day all night it turns on and off. it has its own thermostat

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[dubvstudent]

Originally Posted by Ed

The temperature is the problem.... 63 F and the cultures really shut down, colder than that even by a few degrees really will kill cultures... that is going to slow down production of virtually all feeder insects or shut them down for those from tropical regions.
Have you considered modifying a cupboard or other container to hold teh cultures and heat that instead?
If you go that route I strongly suggest using something more effective than sprayed papertowels (like mite paper... it is amazingly cheap)..


Ed

How would you heat a cupboard? How about a rubbermade container? Do you think a rubbermade sitting on something like this would work?

Amazon.com: Indus-Tool FWXXX Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad: Home & Kitchen

Amazon.com: Indus-Tool FWXXX Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad: Home & Kitchen

I have thought about trying this before but I feel it would be hard to regulate the heat. I mean, I imagine that fruitflies have limits beyond which it is just too hot for them. Or will the cultures just be faster and shorter lived?

[Shinosuke]

I keep my house on the cool side and keep my bugs in a closet as well. I have a cheap little space heater (something akin to

this

this

) set on 70 or 75 in the closet and keep the door closed. I also keep a towel under the door since I have wood floors to keep the heat in. Works like a champ and with the towel under the door the heater barely ever comes on.

[frogmanroth]

Originally Posted by dubvstudent

According to a petco employee all they have is "small crickets" which at around 3/4" are probably too large for my frogs at this point anyway. I left work too late to drive up tonight anyway.

Its been 3 days straight now with nothing but some springtails added and whatever else was in the vivarium. It looks like at this point I'm going to have to pay out the yang for new cultures sent ASAP. Sucks that there are no other froggers to my knowledge in the immediate area.

Where are you located? Have you put a wanted ad out for flies? Try a different vendor maybe closer to you that might help with shipping cost. Order Turkish gliders or melo's they produce fast.

[Ed]

Originally Posted by dubvstudent

How would you heat a cupboard? How about a rubbermade container? Do you think a rubbermade sitting on something like this would work? Amazon.com: Indus-Tool FWXXX Cozy Electric Foot Warming Pad: Home & Kitchen

I have thought about trying this before but I feel it would be hard to regulate the heat. I mean, I imagine that fruitflies have limits beyond which it is just too hot for them. Or will the cultures just be faster and shorter lived?

I have concerns about the risk of using heating things for things they weren't designed to do as that can cause a fire risk. If you are going to go that route then use an under the tank heater for reptiles. You can even invest in a controller with a probe to exactly control the temperatures.

Some of the issues with putting them into a rubbermaid or other container is that you end up either stacking cultures or having them touching, that is a route to increase mite numbers since they can migrate from culture to culture.

As for whether the cultures will be short lived or not, you should not be keeping cultures more than 30 days unless you can keep them far from the newer cultures and are using mite paper. Keeping them more than 30 days is a good recipe for a mite explosion.

Ed

[dubvstudent]

Noticed some larva today in the culture that is atop my florescent fixture. It isn't the most aesthetic place to grow out flies but if it keeps them alive and producing during the winter, than it will have to do.

I will just have to be more careful in the future I guess. Usually I throw out cultures after 4-5 weeks. I guess I was tempted to hold on to some due to the low production/immediate need. Must have kept them around to long, leading to the mite-scapades.

[dtown]

What about spring tail culture temps? I have my culture sitting around 70* Should I raise the temps? Just for measure, I have had a spring tail culture going for a week or so and haven't seen much in the way of reproduction... Is this because of the low temps possibly? I have done all the necassary steps to provide the springs with a great platform to jump off of!

[Ed]

Originally Posted by dtown

What about spring tail culture temps? I have my culture sitting around 70* Should I raise the temps? Just for measure, I have had a spring tail culture going for a week or so and haven't seen much in the way of reproduction... Is this because of the low temps possibly? I have done all the necassary steps to provide the springs with a great platform to jump off of!

What kind of springtails do you have? If you have the white Folsomia, they show good production all the way down into the 50s F. I would not suggest putting any of the springtails ontop of the lights since the cultures are fairly well sealed, it would probably cook them.

Ed