Helen is our current Fly Food Czar.

Food from Archon Scientific#

We purchase most of our fly food from Archon Scientific via a monthly subscription service. The food is paid for by a blanket PO issued by HHMI. The blanket PO for FY23 is HHPO1513060.

  • A few days before the scheduled shipment, Archon will e-mail the Fly Food Czar asking how many trials of vials and bottles we want for that month. Archon will also indicate the shipment date for the following month so that we know exactly how many dates there are between the two shipments.
  • The Fly Food Czar responds to that e-mail by mentioning how many trays of vials and bottles we want. It might be good to add an additional reminder in the same e-mail to make sure that vials need to be stacked horizontally to prevent them from being squashed during the shipment.
  • Archon will confirm the order and he will send us the food via FedEx?. Once the shipment is on the way, Archon will send the tracking number.
  • The food will arrive in a large cardboard box in a few days, and they can be stored in the incubator or in the lab.
  • If we are likely to run out of food before the next shipment date, the Fly Food Czar will e-mail Archon to place an additional order (“booster shipment”). If it’s a small quantity, he can usually send it out the next day. The only catch is that the price will be a little higher than what you get from the monthly subscription.
  • As a default, the food will be light molasses food, and vials and bottles will be plugged (additional charge). Archon likes getting feedback from us on the quality of the food, and they will let the Fly Food Czar know if they are making any changes to the recipe (e.g. water content).
  • Our contact at Archon is “Joe” Joseph Daniels (josephdaniels@archonscientific.com), 919-450-6744

ATR Molasses food#

The link to this protocol can be found here. Currently we make this once a week, approximately.

Protocol used as of May 2026:

  • Get 1 container of J food from the wire shelf and empty all contents into 1000mL beaker.
  • Get a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
  • Just use the microwave to heat the food to ~80 deg C, and then transfer the food into a 2000 mL volumetric flask and move onto the hot plate to heat and stir (heat level ~8, stir level max) until just below a boil, i.e. about 95 deg C. The food should look like this:

  • While continue stirring, turn off the heat and let the food cool to below 60 deg C
  • Once the food has cooled to 60 C, take the 20 mL vial of liquid ATR solution wrapped in foil from the freezer and carefully pipette 4 mL of the ATR solution into the food. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed before pipetting the food into vials.
  • Dispense the food into foil-wrapped vials.
  • Once food is in the vials, flug each vial to ensure moisture is contained. Place the tray in a plastic bag and let it sit on the back bench overnight. Place the tray in the cold room the next day.
  • Let Helen know when there are no containers of J food left, so she can order more.
  • When you use the last ATR vial, you should order more for next time.

German food#

In the past, we have sometimes made food according to a ‘German’ recipe. The protocol for making German food can be found here. For the dry mix, use this protocol.

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