Fruit Flies

[Lee Jenks]

This may seem like a dumb topic, but i need some advice.

I've been trying to vary the diet of my spiderlings and i'd read in a few places that fruit flies were acceptable. So i ordered some via the internet. The package that arrived was a tub, with a round tub filled with a creamy goop inside and what appears to be some packing material.

The question is, what do i do with this stuff? do i just wait for the flies to appear or do i have to do something specific?

Also is water gel (solid water) suitable for use with slings?

Thanks all

[conway]

i loved using fruit flys, but because they have dampish conditions, within a week all the flys were dead and it was overrun with mites anyway, flys are good, if you dont get mites i went back to micro crickets, although these are too small for a few of my slings so ill have to b ordering 2nd instars next.
you shouldnt use watergel its germ attractant, i used to use tissue but mold recently started growing, so i just put in some new peat(which in the process, mashed up one of my G. roseas great tunneling lol) and now i just spray the lid of the tank a little, i dont like spraying the peat as mites are attracted to that too b***ards get everywhere lol

[Ian Metcalfe]

Lee
I use fruit flys for little slings if you put your pot of goo somewhere warm in a couple of days it will be swarming with flys . The fun bit is getting them into the pots with your slings .They cant fly but they can run . I found if you tap the pot they are in they fall to the bottom then its off with the lid pour some into a film pot and get the lids back on asap. You can then tap the film pot and pour them individually into the sling pots .

[Lee Jenks]

Thanks for the advice. I used the method you reccomended and had some success, i also had flies allover my coffee table

I might try the method i use for micro crickets next time, to see if it works. What i do is get a large plastic tub with steep sides and pour a number of crickets into it. Then i place a long wooden skewer in the tub and wait for the crickets to begin to climb the skewer, when they do i place the skewer into the spiderlings tub and flick the skewer. This normally works very well. If all else fails i could just use a pooter.

Thanks again for the advice

[Improver]

hi, I´m new here, so this is my first posting on this board I use to feed my Spiderlings with fruit flies. I ordered 2 of those breedingpots once. now I make em on my own. I use old brown bananas and some vinegar to mix a juicy cream of those components After that I fill it in one of those glasses (about 1 l ). My Granny used those old glasses to make gelee *g* Then I give about 50 Flies into that Glass screw the lid on it and wait about 2 weeks. after that time there sould be enough flies to feed for the first time. Feeding your Spiders with fruit flies isn´t that difficult you might think. All u need is a minute time and a refrigerator just put the flies in the fridge for a few minutes. They will cool down until they´re nearly motionless. then you can feed your spiderlings without flies on your table ) I like those flies more than micros, cause they don´t frett my spiders.
pls excuse my bad english, for there passed some year since I learned it at school

[Tom Forman]

well I know this thread is 4 years old but I stumbled across it and thought I would bump it.

Some great advice on how to catch fruit flies and micro crickets.

I thought I would add how I catch adult crickets and roaches too.

Just get an egg crate they are hiding under and shake it over an empty bucket so a few fall in the bucket. Next get one of those sauce trays they sell at any kebab shop (or spiderling pot, whatever) and scoop up one of the crickets. Then dump the rest of the ones in the bucket back again.

This method is alot quicker and easier than trying to go "fishing" with some tweezers. In fact I have not yet been able to catch a cricket with tweezers yet.

[James Box]

cheers, Tom...that's very helpful.
i've gotten fairly adept at cricket snatching by tweezer, the only problem is they tend to drop whatever you're grabbing them by and run off! lol
i do chill them in the fridge for a bit, however, to make it easier.

[mary walters]

I always chase crix and roaches with tweezers, and tip crix into boxes like I an does, but for tinies in film pots I find squat maggots best..

[Andrew Ferguson]

I have some tweezers that you squeeze to open, rather than close.

What I tend to do is sneak the tweezers up behind the cricket, close to one of its hind legs and release the tweezers. As it snaps shut the cricket is caught and its its container it goes. Sometimes the cricket looses a leg, and some times it becomes lame. It may sound cruel, but it helps catch the blighters should it get free.

[Richard Shah]

I have some tweezers that you squeeze to open, rather than close.

What I tend to do is sneak the tweezers up behind the cricket, close to one of its hind legs and release the tweezers. As it snaps shut the cricket is caught and its its container it goes. Sometimes the cricket looses a leg, and some times it becomes lame. It may sound cruel, but it helps catch the blighters should it get free.

What is wrong with using your fingers??? It is sooo easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I can't wait 'till tomoz though, I'm getting Ice Cube!!!!!!!!!

[Tom Forman]

Nice 1 Rich.

[Andrew Ferguson]

What is wrong with using your fingers??? It is sooo easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I can't wait 'till tomoz though, I'm getting Ice Cube!!!!!!!!!

I'm a manual worker, and although my hands maybe small, they certainly aren't delicate!!

[Richard Shah]

Nice 1 Rich.

Cheers. Pics tomoz!

I'm a manual worker, and although my hands maybe small, they certainly aren't delicate!!

My hands are big and certainly ain't delicate and will get those lil fools on death row!

[jan soetaert]

fruit flies

hi,

we normally use CO2 to anestesise the flies but 15 minutes in the fridge should do. If you want I could send you also the recipe used in labs to culture the flies on. it consists basically of corn starch, melasses, fruit juices and agar. but you could try all sorts of mixtures of fruit and starch sources. just check the net. if you want flies that cannot fly away there are plenty of mutants around with curly wings that only crawl a bit. if you are in the uk I could even send you a starter culture of these.
I used drosophila for some of my slings and found that the arboreals love the flies and brachypelma likes the larvae better.

cheers

jan