How to Choose a Culturing Media for Raising Fruit Flies

If you own a pet reptile or amphibian, you may feed your scaly friend insects for dinner. Instead of purchasing or catching insects for your pet's meal, try growing and culturing your own fruit flies. A large part of creating a successful batch of homegrown fruit flies is selecting the proper medium in which to culture them.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Obtain a container to hold your fruit flies. These containers must keep the fruit flies in (so they don't swarm your house) but also allow the flies to breathe. Pet supply stores and online retailers sell special fruit fly culturing containers, but you can make your own using plastic, glass bottles or deli containers. Poke holes in the top of the container and cover the holes with something breathable, such as a tightly secured paper towel.

2. Select a culturing medium to feed your flies. The medium sits on the bottom of the container and provides food for both baby (larvae) and adult fruit flies. You can make your own medium or purchase professional medium from a specialty pet store. Some experts insist that purchasing medium is a more sound investment because it is pretreated to resist mold, mildew and rot. You can successfully make your own medium, however, with a bit of trial and error.

3. Make your medium. Some recipes call for ingredients such as water, sugar, yeast, milk, vinegar, bananas and instant mashed potatoes. Consult an expert who works at your local terrarium supply store or search the Internet to find the perfect medium recipe.

4. Grow your fruit flies. Here are a few tips. Depending on the species of fruit fly you cultivate, it may take 2 weeks to 1 month for your flies to reach adulthood. Keep your container with the medium and flies between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Throw away any cultures that appear moldy.