Fruit Flies

[Reevak]

I know some people feed Fruit Flies to their ants, but how do you get them? I've never seen any store that sells them, or at least I don't remember any stores that do. Do you order them online? Is their a specific website? Also, are they wingless or just flightless?

[Reevak]

Also aren't flies usually not good to feed to ants because of bacteria or parasites or something? Or are fruit flies different?

[GriffinAnt]

wingless fruitfly on ebay

[Serafine]

I know some people feed Fruit Flies to their ants, but how do you get them? I've never seen any store that sells them, or at least I don't remember any stores that do.

I have them as pests in my house - first time they are actually useful

Do you order them online? Is their a specific website? Also, are they wingless or just flightless?

They have curly wings and while they can't fly they can still mount some pretty impressive jumps. It is recommended to put them into the fridge for a minute before you pick some out so they are lazy and don't jump all over the place.

Also aren't flies usually not good to feed to ants because of bacteria or parasites or something? Or are fruit flies different?

You just dip them into boiling water for 5-10 seconds- all bacteria and parasites gone.

[Batspiderfish]

Fruit flies are easily available in pet shops, particularly the ones that carry fish, frogs, and reptiles. Many wild flies are bad to give to your ants because of their resistance and potential exposure to pesticides. Fruit flies are apparently vulnerable to mite infestations much in the way that ants are, but I have never needed to boil my flies.

[shaky33]

I've found that my colonies absolutely love fruit flies. They are also very easy to get a hold of.

[Serafine]

One note there - if you buy fruit flies at a pet shop watch how big their abdomens are and if needed give them some food before you feed them to your ants. Also make sure the container they are in is relatively clean.

My ants LOVE the wild fruit flies that dwell in my kitchen but they outright refused the ones from the pet shop (in fact when I put them into their tube they examined them very skeptically and then dumped them into the outworld like they do with their waste).

[shaky33]

One note there - if you buy fruit flies at a pet shop watch how big their abdomens are and if needed give them some food before you feed them to your ants. Also make sure the container they are in is relatively clean.

My ants LOVE the wild fruit flies that dwell in my kitchen but they outright refused the ones from the pet shop (in fact when I put them into their tube they examined them very skeptically and then dumped them into the outworld like they do with their waste).

How do you catch the fruit flies? My method is probably not the most efficient.

[Serafine]

I have a transparent plastic cup and a plastic card thingy so I just drop the cup on them while they sit on the wall and then push the card below it. Then I put the thing over a glass of water remove the card and tap against the cup so the fruit fly falls into the water and drowns (you can also use boiling water which instantly kills them). Then I put them into a box and in the freezer. Later I feed them to may ants one by one.
I already caught about a hundred fruit flies with that method over the last week or so.

However I'm currently trying to make it more effective. I have prepared a plastic cup with potato skin (fruit flies love it) and when they go in I will just close it, wait for them to hatch and then put the entire thing into the freezer.
It's basically a small primitive fruit fly farm.