[uponajar]

i got tired of buying the fruit flies cause they're pretty expensive and what not so ive been trying to cultivate my own, my first couple attempts havent been going so great so i was hoping you guys could give me advice on what to do to successfully give fruit flies

i do this in one container so nothing big
my media right now is something like this
8 parts potato flakes
1 part sugar
1 part brewers yeast
add warm water till the media becomes pretty thick

anything more i can add to help my media?
also the lids i use have a mesh cover over them but i also but paper towels to keep any mites from entering but when i look inside i can see some, any advice for that? im still new on making fruit flies so i need help

 

[WeeNe858]

Tons of threads on FF culturing. Try the search function...

 

[SnakePaparazzi]

8 parts potato flakes
1 part sugar
1 part brewers yeast
add warm water till the media becomes pretty thick

I use the same mix and have great results... I sprinkle 15-30 grains of Brewer's yeast on top of the media once it has set for a minute... Also, I make sure the media is room temperature before adding flies... High temperatures can sterilize them (read that in a ff culturing thread a few months back).

also the lids i use have a mesh cover over them but i also but paper towels to keep any mites from entering but when i look inside i can see some, any advice for that?

Mites are pretty much unavoidable... Are you seeing them when you are making the cultures or a few weeks later? When I make cultures, i use cultures that are just at 21 days old... This is because mite eggs take approximately 30 days to hatch (please correct me if i am wrong) and fruit flies take around 15 days to sexually mature (i really hope i am remembering my ff 101 facts)...Are the paper towels treated with mite spray? Are you putting the cultures on the paper towel or the paper towel on the lid of the culture? If you are covering the culture with a paper towel that is or isn't treated with mite spray, you might be somewhat smothering the cultures... I would recommend buying mite paper or making it and placing it on the surface where you are storing your fruit fly cultures and supplies.

Again, mites are pretty much a part of life when it comes to fruit flies... You can keep your stuff as mite free as possible and they can be carried in and contaminate your stuff on a slight breeze... They are after all, very tiny!

I don't think "use the search feature" applies to this situation, as the OP has decent knowledge of culturing and was merely asking for a little help.

-Christian

 

[BrianWI]

I've seen stuff that supposedly kills mite in cultures without affecting fruit flies at all. Anyone ever try it and have results to share?

 

[asid61]

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What is this product?

 

[uponajar]

thanks christian thats good advice, and i just put a paper towel over the lid. i actually made one culture about 2 weeks ago and its looking really good, but im keeping it away from where ive had the other cultures, i store them in a plastic drawer and i keep the temperature around 70. but im not using it right now cause im sure its crawling with mites.. could i use mite spray just to spray inside the drawers? ive heard about the spray what kills mites but not the flies but dont remember the name either.

what kind of spray do you use on the paper towels? i'll try it and spray inside the drawers too so hopefully that calms down the mites.

 

[whitethumb]

i personally never use hot water. i use cold water right out of the tap. works every time and i dont have to wait til it cools off... just throw some excelsior and flies and dont forget the lid .... i've thought about using my own media but i wonder whats the smell like on the recipe listed above?

 

[ConFuCiuZ]

You can also buy Repashy Superfly. Stuff is amazing.