Fruit fly cultures for sale.
Flightless, in 32 oz producing cups.
Flightless fruit fly cultures, bred in Las Vegas: D. melanogaster for the smallest mouths and D. hydei for bigger ones. Each is a vented 32 oz cup with laying adults you can feed from on day one, and it keeps producing for about 3 to 4 weeks.
Cultures ship Ground every Monday and Tuesday; with a mantis order, they ship free. For sizing and upkeep, see the feeder care guides.
Which feeder should I get?
| Feeder | Fly size | Mantis stage | Also good for | Arrives as |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Melanogaster | About 2 mm | L1–L2 nymphs | Jumping spider slings, dart frog froglets | 32 oz culture with laying adults |
| D. Hydei | About 3 mm | L3–L5 nymphs | Jumping spiders, dart frogs, small reptiles | 32 oz culture with laying adults |
| Green Bottle Spikes | 8–10 mm | L5–L6 | Smaller reptiles | Pupae that hatch in 2–7 days |
| Blue Bottle Spikes | 12–15 mm | L6 to adult | Chameleons, larger reptiles | Pupae that hatch in 2–7 days |
Melanogaster or hydei?
Melanogaster is the small fly, about 2 mm, and the right first food for L1–L2 mantis nymphs and spider slings. Hydei is about 3 mm, half again as big, with more food in every fly for L3 nymphs and up. Hydei cultures run about a week behind melanogaster and last longer. Many keepers run one of each.
Keep two going
A culture peaks, then fades. Run two, started a couple of weeks apart, so one is producing while the other winds down. If you buy rather than split, order a fresh cup every 2 to 3 weeks. The flies have wings but can't fly; keep cups under about 80°F, or some of the next generation can fly again.
Bottle fly spikes
Spikes are fly pupae, the next size up once a mantis outgrows fruit flies. Kept at 70–80°F they hatch in 2 to 7 days; in the fridge at about 40°F they wait about a week. Never freeze them. Step by step: how to hatch fly spikes.
How feeders ship
Miss the 8 AM Pacific cutoff on a ship day and your order rolls to the next one. Local to the Las Vegas valley? Free pickup is an option at checkout. The Live Arrival Guarantee covers mantises and isopods on Overnight; feeders are not covered. Checkout flags any address we can't ship them to.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a fruit fly culture last?
About 3 to 4 weeks of harvestable flies. Melanogaster is done around day 30 to 35; hydei often runs past day 40. Retire a culture when it stops producing, not on a date.
Where can I buy fruit flies for jumping spiders?
Both cultures here work: melanogaster for slings, then hydei once the spider is past the sling stage. More in the best fruit flies for jumping spiders.
How do I make my own fruit fly culture?
Split one you have. Around day 14 to 17, tap 40 to 100 adults from the producing culture into a clean cup of fresh media. The fruit fly culture guide has the steps and a media recipe.
What can I feed my fruit fly colony?
Nothing. The media in the cup is the colony's food for its whole run, and you don't mist a culture either. To keep flies coming, start a new cup on fresh media before the old one fades.