Killifish

Typical Drosophila vials
Typical Drosophila vials

Housing

Flies are typically kept in plastic or glass containers. I strongly recommend polypropylene plastic vials. Glass containers seem to suffer from condensation to a much greater extent. This can prevent the media from adhering to the vial (allowing it to slip when the vial is inverted), and prevent flies from climbing up the side of the vial.

Re-useability is something that we should all aim for, however fruit fly vials get SO 'glued-on' that it is often very messy and time consuming to clean them effectively, and fly keepers often use disposable cups. However, polypropylene plastic vials with straight sides really are the best choice. The media stays in place better, and if soaked and washed with a bottle brush, can be cleaned and reused easily. Conical flasks are just that bit harder to clean. Such containers are somewhat hard to source, but are available from scientific suppliers online.

Vials can be sealed with sponge (you can make your own - though they are somewhat difficult to cut perfectly; but again available online from scientific suppliers), these are good at keeping out mites, and very convenient. Less good options include: cotton wool (cheap, easy, but only good for vials with small openings. Not reuseable.), filter paper (can be damaged when wet) or netting (cheap, reuseable, can allow mites and interbreeding with wild flies). If you use netting, it is best to keep the flies in a cabinet to keep out other flies.

A funnel is critical when transferring flies
A funnel is critical when transferring flies

Handling fruit flies?

Under laboratory conditions flies need to be moved from container to container without any escape. This is performed by anaesthetising the flies with CO2 or ether. This renders them unconscious for a minute or two without damage. Even fully flighted flies can be easily managed in this way. If you have a cylinder of CO2 handy, perhaps for a planted aquarium, try inverting the vial, and introducing a gentle flow of CO2 by inserting a fine tube past the sponge topper. After just a few seconds the flies will fall unconscious. This is where the consistency of the media is essential. If your flies are kept over sloppy media, when it is inverted, media will slide down the side of the container, sticking to flies and potentially falling out. If you use the Sussex miedia (see fruit fly food recipes) it will stay exactly where it should! Tap the container a couple times, and all the sleeping flies will all fall out. No mess, just flies.

Luckily flightless flies are relatively easy to manipulate without CO2, as long as you work quickly. If you have difficulties, 5-8 minutes in a freezer greatly reduces their mobility. But work quickly, because they will wake up soon!

Always use funnels when moving flies from one vial to another. This will largely prevent escape, and allows a vial to be left 'unlidded' with flies still in it. If any do start to walk back up, a gentle tap soon sends them back to their food!



Fruit fly cultures for sale

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Fruit Fly Culture LARGE

Lexington, Kentucky, 405**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$11

Got a bunch of little critters you're feeding? We're now offering our handy flip-top fly cultures in jumbo size! When it's feeding time, simply chill in the fridge a few minutes before popping the top! The lid makes it easy to open and close the fly container with only one hand! Cultures last up to 6 weeks*


Please note the larger cultures do not mean they last longer, only that they produce more. Want to order feeders less often? Add an "empty" culture to your order and you can ... more

Flightless Fruit Flies (newly started 24oz Drosophila hydei culture)

New York, 100**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$18

This listing is for one 24oz container of flightless fruit flies (Drosophila hydei) complete with media and flies!
Just like wingless D. melanogaster, flightless D. hydei fruit flies are ideal feeder insects for small or young animals. They are about twice as large as D. melanogaster. Unlike crickets or other typical feeder insects, fruit flies cannot bite or harm your pet. They are easy to maintain and reproduce quickly (D. hydei reproduce slower than D. melanogaster). The life cycle of D. ... more

"Turkish Glider" Melanogaster (Fruit Fly Culture) - LIVE FEEDER INSECT DART FROG

Cleveland, Georgia, 305**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$30

??PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING??
- IN EXTREME TEMPS LIVE ARRIVAL GUARANTEE
WILL ONLY BE IN EFFECT WHEN UPGRADED TO
PRIORITY MAIL OR IN TEMPS BETWEEN 0 - 85F
- COOL PACKS WILL BE ADDED IF NEEDED
(I CHECK TEMPS BEFORE SHIPMENT)
- UPGRADED PRIORITY SHIPPING IS RECOMMENDED
FOR THE SAFEST ARRIVAL
(WHAT YOU RECEIVE)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Name: "Turkish Glider" Melanogaster Fruit Fly
Size: 1 / ... more

Fruit Fly Culture Golden Hydei Melongaster 6 Pack Reptile & Dart Frog Food LIVE

Dover, Pennsylvania, 173**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$57


6 pack Melongaster Wingless Fruit Flies
Live fruit flies are a great option for feeding small lizards and many species of frogs, especially because of their reproduction cycle. Each culture of flightless fruit flies has a lifespan of about one month, and even after they die, they will continually pupate from eggs laid by the adults in the culture! This will allow you to keep fruit flies for a while, as long as they are taken care of accurately
Regular fruit flies should be ... more

Flightless fruit fly culture. (2 FOR $25)!!!!#FREE SHIPPING!!!!

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 180**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

$25

Flightless fruit fly culture is offered at a special deal of 2 for $25 with free shipping included. This product is designed for reptile owners looking to provide their pets with a nutritious food source. The flightless nature of the fruit flies ensures they remain contained and easily accessible for feeding reptiles
... more