[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Flightless Houseflies
Sharon, you asked about wingless fly medium growing mold on the last
live-foods digest.
I don't raise flies or worms but I do have a suggestion. I think you
might try sterilizing your medium (dog food) by cooking it. Probably the
best way to do that is to cook a batch of it in a pressure cooker and
then freeze it in small samples. I suspect when it comes right out of
the can, it might already be sterile so if you minimize exposure to air,
maybe the cooking step won't be necessary. Whatever you use as
containers, spoons etc should also be sterilized in a similar fashion.
Minimize exposure to the air after you cook it as there are plenty of
mold spores in your air; it's inevitable that small amount of these will
get into the medium but do the best you can.
Now the jar that you grow the flies in should also be sterilized. An
alternative to pressure cookers or boiling is to use bleach and then
rinse well. I always bleach or wash with hot soapy water my brine shrimp
hatching containers and equipment and this makes a big difference how
many days the mixture remains viable for hatching eggs. With your eggs,
you need to allow for air (oxygen) to enter but you don't want to punch
holes in your lid or the mold spores will infect your culture. I think a
fine cloth rubber banded over the mouth of the jar will let air pass but
catch the spores.
Just a suggestion; let's hear what the experienced fly growers
suggest...
Steve