Fruit Flies

http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200308/msg00421.html

I have bred them in small jars that olives come in that have a narrow
mouth and metal lid. Poke 3 or 4 holes in the lid and stuff them with 
filter floss.

Add potato buds, any brand will do, to the jar to a depth of an inch
or so and add a pinch of dried yeast shaking it up to distribute the
yeast. - - - 
In another container I add a few drops of acriflavine to water and add
this to the medium with a baster to the point of getting the medium
damp throughout but not so wet that the flies would drown.
 
You need to put something in the jar to allow them to stay out of the 
medium, I simply use 3 or 4 popsicle sticks, but anything that they can
walk on and stay dry will do.
 
The smaller melanogaster (sp) will hatch in about 2 weeks,
 
After patting the jar to get them off the cap, simply shake a few in each tank as needed, using a few of them to start a new population.
 
I have kept a setup like this long enough to get two generations of flies before the medium becomes spoiled
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200105/msg00552.html
 
To make a dirt cheap media take instant mashed potatoes add a drop or two of acriflavine and add  enough water to moisten the mix. - Done deal.
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200304/msg00593.html
 
My favorite medium is apple sauce mixed in with Quaker
instant oats plus Fleishman's dry yeast as a mold inhibitor
 
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200304/msg00587.html
 
I have used Instant Potato Buds, any brand, for several years with
good results. Add a pinch of yeast, wet with water mixed with a couple of drops of acriflavine to prevent fungus. Make sure the medium is wet
throughout without becoming mushy, or the flies will drown. Add something to the jar to allow them a dry area to walk, I stick 3 popsicle sticks in the medium.
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200107/msg00923.html
 
You can make your own from bannanas etc but I've never done that.  It's much simpler to purchase the dried media and just add water.
 
As soon as you have enough flies in the culture the first thing you should do is start one or two more cultures to ensure a future supply.
 
using empty plastic soda bottles.  Just put a little filter floss in the neck of the bottle
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200107/msg00916.html
 
The *S. hydei* has a gestation of about a month, the *D. melanogaster* has a gestation of about 2 weeks. The former is generally referred to as "flightless" the later, "wingless."
 
 
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200206/msg00315.html
 
Scheel was the first to really push fruit flies for Aphyosemions. I think the little flies are the easiest food to culture and offer the most bang for the buck
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200206/msg00289.html
 
I prefer the melanogaster as they are smaller and much quicker to reproduce
 
http://www.thebdg.org/library/feeding/general.htm
 
Some people place paper towelling into the medium in order to absorb excess moisture and/or to form pupation sites, but I find that after a little practice this is not generally necessary. Indeed, the paper can be the source of mould being introduced into the cultures.
 
Each culture will produce two or three generations, but you will notice that the flies produced from each successive generation will get smaller and smaller as the culture medium becomes exhausted.
 
http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/month.200304/msg00601.html
 
I used the bottles used to market fruit drinks, like Snapple. The sponge stoppers sold by Carolina Biological fit these well. The size allows for a decent crop of flies and I found the medium stuck in the bottom of the bottle without problems
 
http://fins.actwin.com/live-foods/month.9708/msg00032.html
 
I've been making my own, and have problems with mold contamination that gets into the bottles when I add the flies
 
I prevent mold formation by using Drostab, sold by Daleco, 1-800-987-1120.
I have never had mold when I use it.  I use a pinch of Drostab per 8 oz of culture medium.  Daleco charged about $23 for 60gm.  They also sell form 2d AGAR at 80gm for $20.  I use canning jars, with the open lid. The jar lids screw over a napkin allowing air into the jar - and I have never had unwanted visitors get inside the jars with this arrangement.
 
http://www.aquamaniacs.net/fruitflycultures.html
 
Bettas, killifish, rasboras, most barbs, tetras & many cichlids will all devour fruit flies with reckless abandon.
 
After three molts (called instars), the larvae pupate and hatch into an adult fly that is fertile within a day
 
Empty plastic spring water bottle (approximately a pint). The idea is to use something fairly sterile and disposable. Retain the bottle cap! When the culture goes bad, it may go really bad, so you will need to seal it tightly and throw it out with the household garbage. Most cultures tend to just slow down production and then ultimately stop.
 
Juice from a fresh orange works really well at retarding molds that can crash your culture
 
Note that the medium will feed the larvae and the yeast will feed the flies.
 
Fruit flies tend to do better with material to climb around on
 
Cotton ball. You need to plug the bottle to keep the fruit flies from swarming the fish room. At the same time you need to allow airflow into and out of the bottle. A cotton ball or piece of sponge will work well enough as a stopper.
 
Once your new culture has been started, write the date on the outside of the bottle with a felt tip pen so that you can tell how long the culture has been active.
 
A culture that is well over a month old could be destined to crash. Take a sniff at the top of the plugged culture bottle; you should catch a yeasty scent, not an offensive odor