Last weekend I got my first batch of fruit flies. I've cultured them before but it's been years. I am in the midst of trying to figure out what media I want to use. Do it yourself or premade. I have ordered methyl paraben so that I can make it myself and not deal with vinegar. I also have the containers but the media, I'm still up in the air about.
Do you use premade? If so which one?
Do you make it yourself and what recipe do you find the easiest for you?

This has been one secretive part of our hobby for all of time. You wil never know what some of the media dealers use but if you choose to make it I woud price it first as the medias are not tat far off from what you can make pricewise. I have messed around but nothing has worked on the way better end than anything else.

Michael

Here's a bunch....most of which I have used over the years. Most are good......most work very well.

A LOT of it depends on where you live, your house temps, humidity, season stuff...altitude (think baking bread in New Mexico for example).

TONS of factors.........have fun being the "Mad Scientist"



Prices for bulk foods

Vinegar $2.56 / gallon
Potato Buds $1.50 / pound RATIO of 6:1 for Buds to Sugar!!!
Brewer’s Yeast $1.50 / pound (100%dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast)

Confection Sugar $.70 / pound



8 cups potato flakes
1 cup Icing sugar/powdered sugar
1 cup Brewer’s yeast.
3 teaspoons of methylparaben
1 teaspoon of spirulina
1/4 cup baby dry cereal (banana and or blueberry) Blueberries have a natural mold inhibitor. This is also available at dollar stores.

Mix equal amounts of media with hot water (NO VINEGAR)

I also add some (not packed full) excelsior the next day and then add my flies.

I am getting 25-30 cultures from this with great results.


2 cups potato buds
2 cups instant Oats
1 cup confection sugar
1 cup Brewer’s yeast.

Water: vinegar 80:20%

I found spirulina / naturose / paprika/ vitamins all lowered production.




• White Vinegar - The cheapest you can find. No need for Heinz here. Bottom shelf, no name.
• Hot tap Water
• White Sugar
• Brewer’s yeast - other types of yeast just don't cut it. Be sure to use brewers! (check your local bulk foods store)
• Instant mashed potato flakes (also bulk foods).
• Fleischman's instant yeast

6 cups potato flakes
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brewer’s yeast.
Mix 1/2 cup of dry mixture and add 2/3 cup of 50/50 vinegar/water. The vinegar is used to inhibit mold and since I was only testing for fruit fly production I stuck with a recipe I know works to produce flies and inhibit mold.

If the media appears to be too dry, I put the Hydei cultures in steralite drawers, which keeps them from drying out.
3 cups of powdered sugar
6 quarts cups potato flakes
3 cups of brewer’s yeast (increase this for Hydei say maybe 1/4 to 1/3)
(optional--1/2 cup spirulina algae to gut-load flies)
1/4 cup Methylparaben
use distilled, hot-almost to boiling point water, when mixing cultures and add 1 part vinegar to four or five parts water

for Melanogaster, I add pinch of baker’s yeast. I make the same amount of cultures as you do. i get some that crash from being so overloaded. i have had days where I can pull out 1/2 cup of just flies even though i fed out day before. I only feed every other day now though.

All cultures are kept at room temp - about 70-72 degrees, in ambient room photoperiod.


My basic mix is a modification from the Home made "Carolina Mix" here:

1 cup of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons Methylparaben
8 cups potato flakes
1/2 - 1 cup of brewer’s yeast.

My version:
8 cups of potato flakes
1 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons Methylparaben
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1/2 cup Soy Isolate 90%



3 parts water
3 parts vinegar
3 parts apple sauce
4 parts oats (ground)
1 part flax seed (ground)
1 part nutritional yeast
1 part red lentils (ground)
1 part honey


My Melanogaster mix is 50/50 vinegar/water. Hydei mix is 25/75 vinegar/water.


If your cultures smell bad, then after you add water to your media, add a tsp or so of honey. Then add the baker's yeast & finally add flies. I think you will be surprised by the lack of odor.


Normal Amount:
1 cup of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons Methylparaben
8 cups potato flakes
1/2 - 1 cup of brewer’s yeast.

I then use 1/3 cup medium, and 1/3-1/2 cup 1:1 water:vinegar.



1 1/3 cup potato Flakes
2/3 cup Oat bran
1/3-1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
Couple Tablespoons of Brewer’s Yeast
Add some calcium powder
1:1 Water Vinegar




Number One

Add to a 24oz. or 32oz. container:

1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons powdered milk
4-6 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes
sprinkle a little baker’s yeast on top

It smells awful after the first few weeks but the mass amount of flies are worth the nasal discomfort.


Number Two

Boil:
1 mashed banana (heat kills any hitchhiking eggs or larvae)
1/2 container of grape juice concentrate
14 oz. applesauce
1/8 cup molasses

Mix:
1 cup instant mashed potatoes
1/2 cup brewer’s yeast

Combine:
1 part water
1 part vinegar

Add 6 tablespoons of the boiled mix, 6 tablespoons of the dry mix and 2-4 tablespoons of the water/vinegar. The cultures don't smell great, but not terrible either. This medium produces the most flies of any homemade or commercial medium that I've used but it takes a little work to make.

I make my own and it's super cheap. I'll post up the recipe later tonight.

noooooottt annnnnnyy moooorrrreeeee....

Seriously....there are enough recipes and tweaks like all the one's I listed for everyone to have success.

Bottom line....make your own....it's so much cheaper and it's only a grocery store away.

My FAV grocery store name of all time....get ready for it Mike.

The "Piggly Wiggly"

The piggly wiggly died out here a while back. I have used a few of your recipes. Have you tried it with kefir milk? It is very benificial. I know many of the media mixes are out and about but I assure you if you ask Josh or Michael at Flynet your not going to get an answer on the best formula mix and instructions on how to make it. .

Michael

oh...beer is another good ingrediant that I happen to "approve" of highly.

btw....those are about 8 slightly different recipes....I tried to seperate most of them by using Italics ect.....hope you can differentiate them....

Its abit jumbled but yes you can.
I tend to not waste beer on my ff cultures. I open up a nice German to put in the cultures one time and it just did not happen. I think my wife has tried it but I will never know. Its Forbidden!

Michael

I have used Joshs frogs in the past and it works good. Actually smells nice (for a while at least). After that I was getting it a lot cheaper from frogs n things. Keith is local so I would just stop over at his house if I needed some.

Thanks for all the info! I have a pound of pre made coming from the place I ordered excelsior from (Flygrowers) just in case I am feeble making it myself. I have not discounted making my own though and I have all kinds of different ingredients so I can see what works best for me. I am going to try the most basic recipe first (one on the UE website with apple sauce) then work my way up from there. I have both active and nutritional yeast because I don't like the smell of brewers yeast. Has anyone noticed a difference when changing yeast types?