Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a couple of cultures last week...melanogaster, and immediately set up new ones. I already have mold in them(the ones I set up) and it has only been a week. Don't even have any larvae yet. So I made some more cultures and added more vinegar....also have some methylparaben on the way. Well now, I have mites in the first two cultures I ordered. What do I do? If I trash the original cultures, i wont have any flies for two weeks. I have my new cultures in a pan with water so hopefully they won't spread. What to do?

Also, how long after setting up a culture unitl I should see larvae?

Thanks,
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Matt

Go ahead and feed from the mite cultures. The frogs don't mind if the flies have mites or not. Generally cultures mold if they dry out too much before the larvae start to mature. I used to spray cultures when they appeared to be drying out on top. Just a couple of squirts from a misting bottle is enough. This will keep the mold at bay long enough for the larvae to mature and start to moisten the media with digestive enzymes. Adding a little vinegar to the water you mist the culture with can help sometimes too. Culturing fruit flies is an art that it will take you some time to master, be patient and realize that you may have to get some pinhead crickets or some other food source if you are having problems with the flies right off the bat.

What kind of media are you using? I have a couple good recipes that I have been using for a couple of years now if you are interested. Also, you should probably start culturing flour beetles, springtales, or crickets as an alternate food source. This will help you get through the tough times and will give your frogs some welcomed variety in their diet.
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1.1.3 D. azureus
0.0.8 P. bicolor
0.0.7 D. auratus (polka-dot)
0.0.3 D. auratus (blue)
0.0.3 D. auratus (kahlua and cream)

Shannon

this is the recipe:

1 cup of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons Methyl paraben
8 cups potato flakes
1/2 - 1 cup of brewers yeast.

I think that I should have made thiose first to cultures wetter. That is probably the cause of the mold. Thanks for the help
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Matt

I use a similar recipe without the methyl paraben. I do use distilled vinegar in a 1:1 ratio with boiling water.

I use 1/3 cup of the media to 2/3-3/4 cup hot water/vinegar mix. I have never had mold problems with this mix, but I have had mold with another recipe.

Otherwise, it sounds like you are doing the right thing to prevent the spread of mites. Sorry about your bad luck.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

Where did you get your cultures from? I have found the mesh tops from eds allow mites thre, I think the best tops are made of coffe filters, because they dont let wild flies breed through the screen or let mites in. If you have mites already, there hard to get rid of, I moved my cultures to a different room, and when all the mites were gone I put them back I havent had any for a year. Or you could just kill the mites with mite powder and start all over. Try to get some alternative food sources in case of food shortages like springtails, flour beetle larvae, termites, pinhead crickets, or aphids.
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1.2 Leucomelas
1.1.6 Green and Bronze Auratus
0.0.2 Imitators
0.0.1 Vents (more soon)
0.0.4 Nicaraguan Green and Black Auratus
0.0.2 Citronella Tincs
0.0.2 Powder Blue Tincs

The bought cultures came from fruitflies.net. The tops were the ones with precut holes and filter paper glued down. Insect tops I guess
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Matt

np
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Matt

For melanogaster, expect to see larvae in 3-5 days and new flies in 7-10. You'll find that the vestigial winged produce better than the wingless, and the dumpy winged ("flightless" flies produce better than the vestigials.

I also have to agree that culturing flour beetle larvae and springtails for supplemental and emergency use is a good idea.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I just ordered flour beetles, springtails, respective media, and more flies from Ed...90 bucks on bugs and food....damn. Anyway, thanks for the help folks. Now, I just hope the cold doesn't kill them on the trip down.
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Matt

Whoa . . . $90? Man, I should be in the bug business. Oh well, I hear ED's is a good place to do business with. However, you can certainly make effective media for much less.
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Homer W. Faucett III, esq.
Purveyor of Trivialities and Fine Nonsense

I used Ed's for quite some time. I really liked the ease of just putting the dry mix in the cups and adding water. But it began getting quite expensive as my collection grew. I now use a homemade media and would never go back. I actually get more production from the homemade media than I did Ed's. The preparation of the homemade media is a little more time consuming, though, but not enough of a bother to warrant the need for the added expense of store-bought media.
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Randy