Trapping wild fruit flies?

**Suda Nim** · 03-22-2012, 08:50 PM

I have a betta, and am thinking of how to get fruit flies. The tank is at work, and my wife isn't big on biological experiments at home, so I don't really have a place to do prolonged cultures. Also, with a single fish, I can't imagine he'd eat as much as a culture would produce.

I've made a fruit fly trap when we've had infestations at home, so I know how to catch them. (Soda bottle with a banana peel at the bottom and a paper funnel taped to the top. Flies enter through the funnel but can't find the exit.)

I'm thinking to set up a trap outside, then when I've caught a few flies, put the trap in the freezer to kill the flies, and feed them to the fish.

Thoughts?

**Aeonflame** · 03-22-2012, 09:01 PM

I dont see it being a problem except a small risk of getting flies contaminated with pesticides etc

**Suda Nim** · 03-22-2012, 09:08 PM

I work at a university where a lot of researchers use fruit flies. I might also check with some of my faculty buddies to see if they have any to spare.

**dbosman** · 03-22-2012, 09:31 PM

Most fruit has fruit fly eggs on it at the grocery store.
Drop a banana peel in a bottle and cover but don't seal the top. The eggs will hatch quickly enough. Rinse and repeat as needed.

**Codemonkey** · 03-22-2012, 10:06 PM

Sounds like it would work to me. Provided you allow the flies to thaw before adding them.

**Suda Nim** · 04-04-2012, 05:28 PM

It worked great! I used an apple core in a rinsed-out soda bottle, taped on a paper funnel and set it on the porch. Within two days I had a few dozen flies.

I closed the bottle and set it on its side in the freezer (so the flies wouldn't stick to the apple). Next day, tapped the flies out onto a piece of paper, then quickly put them in a plastic container and put back in the freezer.

Fish went bonkers over them - they're so light that they swirl around in the surface current, so he had to hunt them down. Even dead, they were entertaining.

**Joonkun** · 04-04-2012, 06:33 PM

i would love to do something like this, but the next town over is mostly farm land, and there for im always worried about pesticides =/

**Suda Nim** · 04-05-2012, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Joonkun

i would love to do something like this, but the next town over is mostly farm land, and there for im always worried about pesticides =/

But if the flies were exposed to pesticides, they'd be dead, right?

I'd worry about the FRUIT having pesticide residue, but not necessarily the flies. Your own comfort level may vary.