[beeswaxx]

I looked through the forum and could not find an answer to these questions:
How do you start a FF culture. I know about the medium and I have read that for making new ones, you take flies from the existing culture, but where do you get the first ones from, and how are they "wingless"? I have seen a little kit thing at Petsmart, just add water or something, and you get wingless fruitflies.
Second, are escaping fruitflies a big problem, or if you have the right container is it not a problem? What do you put your cultures in?
Sorry if these questions have been answered before.
Thanks!
-Beeswaxx

 

[geckguy]

They are wingless due to a genetic mutation, if you look through Carolina Biologicals catalog you can see there are lots of mutations. I recommend getting your flies from Flyculture.com, as I have had nothing but good experiences. I don't have a large problem with escaping flies, it really depends on your tank lids, I have solid lids so they can't escape.

 

[elmoisfive]

There are a number of places that are listed in the links section above that can supply you with the starter culture of FFs. You've already been given one good source of flies. I've used EdsFlyMeat as a source as well.

http://www.edsflymeatinc.com/

Growing FFs for your PDFs is pretty straightforward. I use disposable cups and drilled, screened lids (see http://www.reptilepackaging.com/ for examples). I make up new cultures every week, using the latest heavily producing cultures to seed my new cultures. You have to watch for mold problems in your cultures and trash the ones that are molding and if you get flying FFs in your cultures, you'll soon find that you have lots of flying FFs. Dump any cultures that produce flyers as well. I would not recommend the FFs from Pet Smart...I once bought some to see how they would do and was rewarded with a large amount of flying flies.... :lol: Perhaps my experience was atypical but you can do a lot better.

Escaping flies should be at a minimum though my experience is that if you have enough flies and enough frog enclosures, a few flies make their way around your house. Not really an issue though unless someone in your family is bug phobic.

Depending on the number of cultures, you may notice a bit of a "tangy" fermentation smell from them. I have about 25 cultures going now and use a dash of honey to sweeten the culture substrate and reduce the smell. Once again not a big deal.

Good luck getting set up and shoot me a PM if you have further questions. I was a newbie at FFs about 6 months ago but got up and running pretty quickly (only one FF drought crisis :roll: ). Now I tend to have too many flies but I prefer that to the alternative.

Elmo

 

[Michelle]

Since you are in Canada you can’t order from places in the US for live flies (or I should say most wont ship them; not sure if they can or not), well I think Ed’s fly meat will send you one kind (the smaller ones), but here is a Canadian supplier http://www.canadianfeeders.com/index.shtml , I haven’t tried them so I don’t know if they are any good.... We got our flies from the guy we got our frogs from here in town.... I have ordered media and some other stuff from Ed's though and am just waiting for it to come (cant wait its like Christmas all over again LOL)
Hope that helps.....
Michelle

Oh ya we just use 1L mason jars for our flies and wash them out, and some papertowel screwed on with the lid....