Easy Squeeze Flightless Fruit Fly Bottle Cultures

 

Enhance your pet's diet with Drosophila hydei or Drosophila melanogaster flightless fruit fly cultures which are an excellent live food source for slings, small mantises, chameleons, frogs, geckos, and other insectivores.

Drosophila hydei (also known simply as hydei) are another commonly encountered fruit fly in the hobby. Hydei measure about 1/8 of an inch, and are quite a bit larger and ‘meatier’ than D. melanogaster – perfectly suited for the same types of animals, but that prefer slightly larger prey items. A ‘flightless’ form of hydei is most commonly available – this strain will not revert back to fliers at a higher temperature. They are known for their larger size, slow movement, and unique flightless trait.

Drosophila melanogaster (also known as melanogaster, melanos, or mels) are likely the most commonly cultured fruit fly and measure about 1/16 of an inch. These are the ideal staple food for poison dart frogs, fish, young praying mantis nymphs, juvenile frogs and toads, freshly hatched slings, and other reptiles, amphibians, or captive animals that require very tiny foods. These flies lack wings, and are therefore unable to fly.

 

For optimal production, fruit fly cultures should be kept at 75-78°F and 60-80% humidity.

Cultures should be kept between 70°F - 80°F. Under 70°F cultures will start to slow down and not reproduce. Above 80°F cultures could redevelop the ability to fly. 

(Feeding out flies from fresh cultures will greatly affect the production and lifespan of the culture, since you're feeding out flies that would have laid eggs and continued to repopulate.)