Fruit fly wrangling tips?

Case

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
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Sep 13, 2002
Messages
54
Has anyone used flightless fruit flies much as sling feeders? If so, did you have good luck with them and are they good?
I could really use a tip or trick for wrangling these little buggers. They're so tiny I can't really grab 'em without squashing them, and as soon as I open the lid, the little suckers go everywhere. It's like that scene in Raising Arizona when Nicholas Cage was trying to keep up with all of the babies.

Thanks!
Case
 

jwb121377

Arachnoangel
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Aug 20, 2002
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905
I stopped using them when a small plague of them broke out in my cricket enclosure. Truthfully I can't think of anything that was bigger pain in the butt then wrangling "flightless"(huh) :rolleyes: fruit flies. I now use mostly mealworms and find it to be a million times better.
 
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Case

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
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Sep 13, 2002
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54
Woops

Sorry folks, I just found Skadiwolf's nearly identical question. I should have searched before posting. I humbly apologize.

Nevertheless, thanks for the info JWB!

Case
 

skadiwolf

Arachnolord
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May 6, 2003
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don't feel badly, i do it all the time. :)

sometimes in my paranoia of panic i just don't think about searching. i suppose it is a practice i should remedy, but i haven't had any complaints thusfar.

people here are great and amazingly helpful and friendly.
 

Buspirone

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Mar 10, 2003
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Everyone asks repeat questions. As new people join the board that are new to the hobby those questions will get repeated again and again. I've done it, you've done it and so will someone else. No need to feel guilty. Down the road just answer someone else's newbie question when it comes up and you are more knowledgable. Everybody here is learning no matter what experience level they are at. :D
 

Jeff_C

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Apr 10, 2003
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449
I guess the consensus is that flightless (but boy can they jump) fruit flies are less nourishing than pinhead crix but IMHO they are generally easier to keep (one container last a month).

I just use the smack, tap and squish method when working with them: first I smack the container down on the table top, then I remove the lid and tap out a dozen or so into the s'ling enclosure, and then I squish any escapees :)

If your s'ling enclosure is really small then just add a step where you tap them into a wde mouth cup and then pour the cup into the enclosure using a piece of cardboard (with a small whole) as a screen.


hope this helps.

Jeff
 

PrincessToad

Arachnosquire
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Apr 16, 2003
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142
Originally posted by jcohen9999

I just use the smack, tap and squish method when working with them: first I smack the container down on the table top, then I remove the lid and tap out a dozen or so into the s'ling enclosure, and then I squish any escapees :)

I used this same method and it seems to work really well. But I found that my slings prefer pinhead crickets. I would always have left over fruit flies, but never pinhead crickets. Plus I always knew exactly what my pinheads were based of because of what I was feeding them. I always questioned the nutrition value of the fruitfly.
Peace
 

skadiwolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
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May 6, 2003
Messages
645
stick the flightless fruit flies in the fridge overnight. in the morning they'll be cold and not moving, but still alive. pop a few in the slings containers (with amazing ease!) and later they'll warm up and wake up. fresh dinner! :D
 

Jeff_C

ArachnoAddicted
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Apr 10, 2003
Messages
449
Good point. And I'll bet that will make the culture last a long long time...Still hard to tell how many get consumed versus just perishing but in my limited experience (IMLE?) it seems to to the trick since I've taken a few miniscule s'lings (< 1/2") to 1" plus without pinheads.

Jeff
 
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