The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is a tiny, inexpensive insect that requires little space and only a couple of minutes each week to feed. Fruit flies can be used as a food source for almost all Dart frog species kept in captivity. Although fruit flies are easily cultured, there are several pitfalls that you need to avoid when cultivating fruit flies.

Essential Cultivation Tips

Fruit fly cultures are susceptible because they cannot regulate their body temperatures, so fruit fly cultures should be carefully monitored for fruit fly mortality. Fruit flies need the temperature of their environment to be between 75-84 degrees Fahrenheit. If the area you are cultivating your fruit flies goes below this temperature range, they won’t live more than a few days, and if the fruit fly culture is above this temperature range, they will die from heat exhaustion. To maintain the proper temperature inside the fruit fly culture, place the culture in a 10-gallon fish tank. The temperature inside the 10-gallon fish tank can be easily regulated when an external fan is placed at the top of the tank’s lid for ventilation. The ability to dissipate excess heat in the area you are cultivating fruit flies is especially critical in the summer months if air conditioning is not being used.

Pro Tips for Maximum Fruit Fly Pupation

For fruit flies to grow appropriately, a nutritious food source is fruit fly media which is essential for the fruit fly larvae to grow and mature into adult flies. Fruit fly food sources are simple: you need to buy fruit that is going bad from your grocery store or farmer’s market and then put it into your fruit fly culture. After the fruit has been added, fruit fly cultures should be covered with either cheesecloth or a paper towel for fruit flies actually to populate the fruit fly culture but still allow airflow so newly born fruit flies can escape. By picking fruit that is about to be thrown out, you are cutting down on food waste, and fruit flies love an easy meal.

Pro Tip: Fruit fly cultures should be kept in the dark for fruit fly pupation so that fruit flies can pupate undisturbed and mature into adult flies.

Best Fruit Fly Cultivation Containers

Now that fruit fly care is out of the way, fruit flies can be cultured in various types of containers. Fruit fly culture jars are a popular choice because they provide fruit flies with a moist environment, and fruit flies have easy access to fruit fly media to feed on the top or bottom of a fruit fly culture jar. Fruit fly culture jars also allow fruit flies an escape from fruit flies that might be overcrowding fruit fly cultures. If fruit fly culture jars are used, they should be sealed with either a paper towel or cheesecloth and rubber-banded at the top of the fruit fly jar to provide fruit flies with airflow but still maintain a dark environment for pupation.

Take the Guess Work Out of Fruit Fly cultivation with our Culture Kit

Do you want an easy and affordable solution to fruit fly cultivation? Then why not purchase the Drosophilia melanogaster culture kit. The fruit fly kit includes six culture jars, which allow fruit flies to be cultivated at the bottom of each fruit jar, fruit fly media, and adult fruit flies that can lay eggs for your dart frog to consume. Your Dart frogs will thank you for the steady stream of hundreds of yummy fruit flies! Click this link to make your purchase today.

The information contained within this website is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional veterinary/scientific advice. This blog post is meant as a guideline only.