Fruit Fly Pupae

Fruit Flies

Drosophila melanogaster

Family Drosophilidae, Diptera
 

Products

Fruit Fly Pupae

Fruit Fly Breeding Kit

Frozen and freeze-dried maggots, pupae and adult are available on request. Please inquire.
 

Manual

An draft of our new instructions for raising fruit flies is available: fruitflyculturetechniques.pdf
 

Description

These are a normal or wild type variety with fully developed wings. They can fly.

The pupae are shipped on flour, in a cloth bag wrapped in absorbent paper toweling. This packaging is designed to absorb moisture excreted by the pupae, so the the pupae should be dry and nearly odorless.

Use

As a general rule, foraging animals prefer maggots or pupae, while ambush predators and web weavers tend to prefer adult flies, though there are exceptions. For instance, cobweb weavers may prefer crawling maggots.

The pupae may simply be allowed to eclose (hatch) in the cage with your animals or the adult flies may be fed and allowed to fatten up a bit first before they are used. Of course, you can also use the pupae to start your own culture of flies and have a ready source of fresh maggots, pupae and adults as needed.
 

Feeding

In nature, fruit fly larvae and adult feed on fermenting or rotting fruit and other plant materials. Bananas, sprinkled or mashed with with yeast, are commonly used, in addition to many other types of media.

You can use commercially available fruit fly diets or standard formulae. However, we tend to get better results by feeding them with a more nutritious diet composed of dog food, sugar and active yeast. Numerous formulae are available online or take a look at our  instructions.
  

Nutrition

The diet of the flies can have a significant effect on the development and health of the animals that using the flies to feed. We do not recommend the use of conventional media for raising feeder insects. Animals raised on conventional media may have slow growth, higher mortality and more cannibalism. Our base formula, which includes sugar, dog food and yeast, tends to result in better development and vitality and may be supplemented with additional nutrients as necessary.
 

Life History

Fruit flies undergo complete metamorphosis, which means that the juvenile very different than the adult.

The flies lay eggs, which will hatch as a very, almost microscopically small, worm-like maggot within 24 hours when warm. The hatchlings are called the 1st instars and the maggots will molt, shedding skins twice as they grow and go through 2nd and 3rd instars before pupation.

The cuticle (skin) of fully grown maggots will harden and become a stiff case or puparium about 4 days after hatch.
 

Options

Many users prefer to use vestigial-winged, flightless fruit flies since these can be easier to handle, are less annoying if they get loose and some animals
 

Links

Sources of special strains and species for research

• Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center at Indiana University

• Tucson Drosophila Stock Center