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1 Pack Kit - Culturing Instructions

Pour (1 packet) Fruit Fly Media mix into bowl (Stir well) -- (1 packet per  32 oz. cup)

BOIL 2 cup of waters (not hot from the tap but boiling)

Add boiling water slowly to your mix and stir.  Only add enough water until mixture is like soft butter.  It may or may not need the full 2 cups.  Add slowly.

LET COOL (make sure mixture has cooled completely)

Does your mix still seem firm like butter or is it runny? If runny, then add sparingly something like potatoes flakes, rice flour, oat bran, flour up to ½ tsp

Now add just a pinch of baker’s yeast.  A pinch means taking two fingers and grab a pinch out of the small bag marked baker’s yeast.  Add this to your mix and mix in.  Put this mixture in the bottom of your 32-oz. container.

Take excelsior and fluff and then add it to your cup filling the rest of the space with your excelsior.

Tap your flies into your container covering with a vented lid. 

Your fruit fly culture will now begin the process of cultivating new flies. 

 

On Melanogaster Flies – the culture process takes 10 to 12 days.

On Hydei Flies – the culture process takes 20 to 23 days.

 

  • Your culture will go through various stages of the culture process which takes several days. Within 3/5 days after your culture has reached the producing stage, it will hatch out new flies.
  • The fruit flies lay eggs. The larvae will migrate upward on the inside of the cup (looks like tiny white worms).  The larvae will pupate which means it darkens as the new fly develops and forms a cocoon.  Your culture will be dark in color, you will see cocoons along the inside of the cup and very few if any fruit flies will still be living as they will have already done their job and they will die before the new ones hatch out.  At this stage, it is considered a producing culture.  Check it daily for the hatching of the new flies.  
  • Each culture is made with OUR PROVEN HIGH YIELD FRUIT FLY MEDIA containing all the vitamins, minerals, and color enhancers that your pets need to thrive. For optimal production Fruit Fly Cultures, should be kept around 70-76 F.
  • Most cultures will have 2-3 booms, with 5-7 days between each one. Once your culture has produced flies, remove those new flies and re-culture them.  Then let your culture sit and it may continue to produce more flies.  That's what we call the 2nd and 3rd bloom.
  • Once your culture has hatched out new flies, it is time to re-culture those flies asap to prevent any gas build up in the cup that can kill the newly hatched out flies. Remove all new flies allowing your culture to sit for about another 5-7 days or so checking each day for any additional new flies that may hatch out.  Once your culture has stop producing, you can clean out your cup using some soap and bleach making this cup reusable.