1. 2
Next
SINGLE PAGE
To the researchers who use them, they are tiny bits of fluttering gold in spite of their abundance and small cost. Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the Fruit Fly, has been used for over a century in biological and genetic research and is an invaluable tool of the trade. Behind those beady red eyes is an already-deciphered genome and countless answered questions resulting from their study. Because of their prodigious breeding and short life span, many cycles of life can be studied in a short time. If you’re looking to win the next science fair and don’t have time to catch a batch off the fruit bowl, consider ordering cultures and growing your own fruit flies.
Instructions
1. Order fruit fly cultures by the vial. Each vial promises to produce hundreds of fruit flies.
2. Choose amount of vials you wish to purchase and order online.
3. Punch holes in the lid of a glass container.
4. Sterilize the container by boiling it in water.
5. Mix 1 cup of mashed potatoes, 1 tbsp. of sugar, ¼ cup of water and a pinch of yeast. Place the mixture in the container. Other recipes are available at the website below.
6. Add purchased fly culture when it arrives. You will begin to see tiny maggots after a few days, beginning the cycle of life.
7. Maintain the mix at room temperature (around 70 degrees F) to assure continual breeding. Raising the temperature, and the bacteria count, will speed reproduction but also the life cycle. Conversely, lowering the temperature will slow reproduction.
Tags: fruit flies