1. Preparing Tools and Accessories
<ol>
	<li>Tip/funnel stoppers
	<ol>
		<li>Obtain two sponge plugs (the diameter of the plugs must be slightly larger than the internal diameter of the vials used to transfer flies). Make a hole in the centers of the sponge plugs with a heated electric soldering iron.</li>
		<li>Obtain two 1 mL pipette tips, cut one in half transversely with a sharp knife, and discard the pointed end. Then, cut 1.5 cm of the pointed end off the second pipette tip. Glue the remains of t...

<ol>
	<li>Jennings, B. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Drosophila+&#8211;+a+versatile+model+in+biology+&#38;+medicine.">Drosophila &#8211; a versatile model in biology &#38; medicine.</a> Materials Today. 14 (5), 190-195 (2011).</li><li>JoVE Science Education Database. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Biology I: yeast, Drosophila and C. elegans. An Introduction to Drosophila melanogaster. , (2018).</li><li>Ashburner, M., Roote, J., Sullivan, W., Ashburner, M., Hawley, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Laboratory+Culture+of+Drosophila.">Laboratory Culture of Drosophila.</a> Drosophila Protocols. , (2000).</li><li>Greenspan, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Fly+pushing:+The+theory+and+practice+of+Drosophila+genetics.">Fly pushing: The theory and practice of Drosophila genetics.</a> Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. , (2004).</li><li>Ashburner, M., Thompson, J., Ashburner, M., Wright, T. R. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+laboratory+culture+of+Drosophila.">The laboratory culture of Drosophila.</a> The genetics and biology of Drosophila. 2a, 1-109 (1978).</li><li>Ratterman, D. M., O&#39;Donnell, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Eliminating+ether+by+using+ice+for+Drosophila+labs.">Eliminating ether by using ice for Drosophila labs.</a> Tested Studies For Laboratory Teaching. , 259-265 (2003).</li><li>. Culturing techniques for Drosophila Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ptbeach.com/cms/lib/NJ01000839/Centricity/Domain/113/ap%20biology%20Labs/Culturing%20techniques%20for%20Drosophila.pdf">https://www.ptbeach.com/cms/lib/NJ01000839/Centricity/Domain/113/ap%20biology%20Labs/Culturing%20techniques%20for%20Drosophila.pdf</a> (2019)</li><li>Markow, T. A., O&#39;Grady, P. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Drosophila: A Guide to Species Identification and Use. , (2006).</li><li>Artiss, T., Hughes, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Taking+the+Headaches+Out+of+Anesthetizing+Drosophila:+A+Cheap+&#38;+Easy+Method+of+Constructing+Carbon+Dioxide+Staging.">Taking the Headaches Out of Anesthetizing Drosophila: A Cheap &#38; Easy Method of Constructing Carbon Dioxide Staging.</a> The American Biology Teacher. 69 (8), e77-e80 (2007).</li><li>Qu, W. -. H., Zhu, T. -. B., Yang, D. -. X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Modified+Cooling+Method+and+its+Application+in+Drosophila+Experiments.">A Modified Cooling Method and its Application in Drosophila Experiments.</a> Journal Of Biological Education. 49 (3), 302-308 (2015).</li><li>. Egg-laying cages for drosophila Available from: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kisker-biotech.com/frontoffice/product?produitId=0H-19-17">https://www.kisker-biotech.com/frontoffice/product?produitId=0H-19-17</a> (2018)</li><li>Roberts, D. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Drosophila: a practical approach. , (1998).</li><li>Tang, M., Peng, Q. -. F., Yang, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Two+devices+for+Drosophila+experiments+(in+Chinese).">Two devices for Drosophila experiments (in Chinese).</a> Bulletin of Biology. 45 (11), 49-50 (2010).</li><li>Zhou, T. -. y., Gan, J., Yang, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+of+sponge+plug+and+sponge+plug+based+fly+transferring+device+for+Drosophila+experiments+(in+Chinese).">Preparation of sponge plug and sponge plug based fly transferring device for Drosophila experiments (in Chinese).</a> Bulletin of Biology. 46 (6), 49-50 (2011).</li><li>Yang, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Genetics laboratory investigation. , (2016).</li><li>Yang, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Carnivory+in+the+larvae+of+Drosophila+melanogaster+and+other+Drosophila+species.">Carnivory in the larvae of Drosophila melanogaster and other Drosophila species.</a> Scientific Reports. 8, (2018).</li><li>Stocker, H., Gallant, P., Dahmann, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Getting+Started:+An+Overview+on+Raising+and+Handling+Drosophila.">Getting Started: An Overview on Raising and Handling Drosophila.</a> Drosophila: Methods and Protocols. , (2008).</li></ol>

Some homemade tools for handling basic activities involved in Drosophila rearing and experimentation are described in this paper. These tools are simple but rather effective. Virtually, any lab can make these tools with ease, and a research or a teaching laboratory does not need to find a ready-made alternative that is perhaps not available locally.
Fly transferring is the most common practice and a difficult task in Drosophila experiments. Unfortunately, until now, there hav...

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a model organism widely used in biological research and biology education to study a wide range of topics1,2. The basic problems of handling Drosophila are the transfer of adults from vial to vial and immobilization of the flies so they are easier to handle, as all adults (except for some mutants3,4) can fly.
Conventionally, a researcher transfers flies from one vial to another by holding two vials mouth-to-mouth, tapping the flies down or allowing flies to fly up into another vial, then separating and replugging both vials4. Obviously, this requires that the opening of two vials with the same diameter, and it is hard to control the quantity of flies transferred. Meanwhile, this requires quick hands to get the job done, and escaping stray flies can result in problems for the laboratory or classroom. Adding extra virgin flies or male flies to an already prepared cross is another routine task in Drosophila experiments. Conventionally, flies must be immobilized in the cross vial before the addition of extra flies.
Adult Drosophila are routinely anaesthetized by ether, CO2, or chilling5. Compared to ether and CO2 exposure, chilling is the most cost-efficient agent for immobilizing adult Drosophila and the least harmful to both the flies and researchers (especially young students)6,7. However, water that condenses continuously on the cold surface or chamber wets the flies. It is difficult to determine the phenotypes of wet flies, and they can easily become damaged during manipulation8,9. This has kept the chilling method from becoming more widely accepted.
Tools for fly transferal and a method for fly cooling have been previously described10. Herein, a modified chilling anesthesia technique is reported that is safe, reliable, and feasible for Drosophila experiments. Also described in this paper are 1) methods for killing adults for counting, sorting, or discarding, 2) labor-saving devices and protocols for cleaning glass culture vials, and 3) a simple cage for collecting eggs. The easily designed and cost-effective tools described here can be used to address the difficult issues of fly handling, and these methods have been tested and are proven to be robust, reliable, and easy-to-handle for experienced and novice researchers.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>a pair of pliers</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cordless drill driver</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>max speed: 500 rpm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>electric soldering iron</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>file</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>funnel</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>diameter of disk&#60;60mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ice box</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>insect pins</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>infrared thermometer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>HCIYET HT-830</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>long cuff rubber gloves</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>mechanical pencils</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>medical gauze</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>microcentrifuge tube</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>100 ul</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>microwave oven</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Parafilm</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>peri dish</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>internal diameter 60 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>pipette tips</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>1 ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>plastic film</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>plastic peri dish</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>&#934;36 mm used to cover the empty vial</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>point tweezers</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>protective work gloves</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>re-freezable hard icepacks</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>26.5&#215;14.5&#215;2.5 cm or larger</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>rubber air blower</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>snap cutter</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>soft drink bottle</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>500 ml, internal diameter c.a. 65 mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>sponge stopper</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>stainless steel sponges</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>tube brush</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>vial</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>&#934;34 mm &#215; 90 mm</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

simple homemade tools to handle fruit flies&#8212;drosophila melanogaster

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is widely used both in biological research and biology education. Handling adult flies is common but difficult in practice, as adult flies fly. Demonstrated here is how to make some simple and cost-effective tools to address difficult issues in the handling of Drosophila. Holes in foam stoppers are made and pipette tips or funnels are inserted into the holes. Flies then move only in one direction into the pipette tip/funnel assemblage, allowing efficient control of the transfer of adult Drosophila into or out of a vial. Existing protocols have been modified for cool-anesthetizing flies by chilling in crushed ice and transferring them onto a cold, hard icepack surface. The icepack is covered with a piece of medical gauze that keeps immobilized flies from the condensed water when examined under a stereomicroscope. The flies are finally euthanized for counting and sorting or discarded by microwaving. A bottle-shaped cage has also been developed for collecting eggs, as well as a labor-saving device and accompanying protocol for cleaning glass culture vials.

The T- and F-stoppers were developed as a set of simple tools that can be adapted and used in any fly transferring activities. Transferring flies from an old culture into several fresh cultures involves removing the plugs of the fresh vials, replacing them with F-stoppers, then tapping down the flies in the old vial, quickly removing its plug, and replacing it with a T-stopper. If the old food is compact, then it is important to flip the old vial and insert the tip of T-stopper into the o...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Simple Homemade Tools to Handle Fruit FliesÃ¢â‚¬â€Drosophila melanogaster at JoVE.com

Simple Homemade Tools to Handle Fruit FliesÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬ÂDrosophila melanogaster

Described here is the use of several homemade tools to transfer, chill, and kill adult Drosophila, as well as to clean glass culture vials and collect eggs. These tools are easy to make and are rather efficient in handling Drosophila.

Simple Homemade Tools to Handle Fruit Flies&#8212;Drosophila melanogaster

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is widely used both in biological research and biology education. Handling adult flies is common but difficult in ...

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Fruit Volatile Analysis Using an Electronic Nose

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