Hello all - this is my first post on this forum I believe but I was browsing through and thought this info might be of use. It was suggested on a different forum that I write up a quick 'how to' for pea aphid cultivation - so here it is! :
I am convinced (admittedly on the basis of no hard evidence...) that aphids make good frog food. They are very high in sugar and complex carbs, and also carry natural pigments not found in our usual feeders. On the other hand, they are low in protein and their highly calorific nature could be problematic if not used as part of a more complex diet. We get an abundance of species around these parts (the north of England) in all different shapes, sizes and colours. They have no hard cuticle, they feed on a variety of different plants and must therefore make a contribution towards dartfrog nutrition that is difficult to get elsewhere.
The problem is, come October they are gone and I'm back to relying on the usual FFs, weavils and springs. In the past I've dabbled with pea aphids as a stop-gap feeder over winter, but had no joy keeping the cultures running semi-continuously. This time I am having no problems, so either I was not trying hard enough last time, or the brood stock I have now are substantially better. I suspect the latter...
The issue with pea aphids is that whereas with FFs you generally think about setting up new cultures every 10 days or so and on the scale of months with weavils, pea aphid culture need some kind of intervention a couple of times per week. Take your eye off the ball and it's all over. So, here goes:
- Stage 1, get some broodstock.
- Stage 2, get some peas. As far as I can tell, any will do as long as they germinate. I have to say I have never tried black eyed peas or any of the 'fancy' types others say they have used. I am currently using the cheapest dried marrowfat peas available from the local supermarket whole-foods section - a pound of dried peas (for soups etc.) should cost pennies and will last you for months.
- Stage 3, get a plastic pot.
- Stage 4, soak enough peas to cover the base of the pot over night in tap water.
- Stage 5, drain the peas and place on a few layers of wet tissue paper in the bottom of the pot thusly:
- Stage 6, wait a couple of days until the peas have germinated and grown about an inch, then add some aphids (a couple of dozen should do it) and cover with fine mesh:
- Stage 7, after another few days to a week at 15 - 20 degrees C, watering every couple of days to keep the peas damp (but not wet), the culture is ready to feed with. I usually uncover the culture at quite an early stage as the peas get too high for the pot quite quickly. It's no problem, the aphids stay put until the plants start to die:
- Stage 8, Drain off any accumulated water (there should not be any unless over-watered) and let the culture dry out for a day (not essential, but really helps harvesting). To harvest, simply invert the culture over a piece of paper and tap. You'll be surprised how many come out!! You'll get a size range from absolutely tiny 1st instar aphids that are a good supplement to/replacement for springtails, to 3mm-long adults. All readily taken by all the frogs I've tried them with. If you do this and the culture is water-logged, you will end up with a smell and a load of drowned aphids.
It really is the easiest thing in the world, but you need to keep on top of things. These cultures are two weeks, start to finish, and all your aphids can be gone over night if you're not careful. I usually have three cultures on the go - two to feed with and one to make new cultures. Takes minutes and they are currently my most productive feeder by far. All of my frogs from Phyllobates to Ranitomeya take them without any problems. Any questions, fire away.