Re: Fruit flies as food/nuisance

["Matti Pulkkinen" <matti_pulkkinen at kolumbus.fi>]

Hi Lee,

Thanks for your message. I grow microworms in closed containers. I use only
oat meal porridge, no yeast,  in a small Tupperware style container and keep
the lid, without any holes, tightly closed. The the short term productivity
is not very good, but with this method the cultures keep alive up to 6
months. The advantage is clear in my case. The smell of the culture medium
doesn't spread around and the ladies of my household don't get angry. In
your case this would keep the flies out (or in, if you prefer).

I stirr 1 cup of oat meal with 1 1/2 cup of cold water in a mixer and put it
in a small container. I heat it in a microwawe owen 2 minutes in full steam
and let the stuff cool. Then I set a pinch of old microworm culture to the
new one and keep it in a dark place.

I don't encourage anyone to put yeast in a closed container, because the CO2
production will blow the lid of and let you with a nasty mess.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <LeeH920226 at aol_com>
To: <killietalk at aka_org>
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2003 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: Fruit flies as food/nuisance


> I have an infestation of WINGED fruit flies that flourish in my microworm
> cultures. They are able to get in and out through pin point size holes and
less
> than visible gaps in shoe box lids even though I made them tighter with an
> extra poly film. Now if I could only get them to fly in to the space above
the
> water surface to get them within target range of the top dwelling killies.
I have
> fed the larvae of the fruit flies to fish who devour them ravenously. I do
> object to them flying around the fish room and my wife has been very
tolerant,
> but she also does not appreciate them. Is there an opportunity for those
with
> the wingless variety to combine microworm and fruit fly cultures?
>
> Lee Harper
> Media, PA
> USA
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