Summary of Food preference test of fruit flies

[Shraddha276 (Shraddha Vilas Sonavane)]

During CUBE Chatshaala discussion @Smiti @Swaha and others discussed on an experimental designed on Objective- Smell preference among fruit flies…

To performed this experiments they are going to use different fruits(Tomato,Cucumber, Lemon, Capsicum) ,roots peels(Carrot peels), stem peels(Potato peels) and leaves(Onion). Other than this, there would be an egg shells, Talcum powder and toilet soap.

Collaborators- @Smiti @Swaha @Shraddha276 @Theertha

Summary of an experiments done by @Theertha
@Theertha used Lemon,Onion and gooseberry as an attractants for fruit flies.

Food preference test
Inspired by the experimental setup designed by @⁨Smiti⁩ @⁨Swaha CUBE⁩

Which fruit/vegetable Fruitfly willl prefer !?@⁨Swaha CUBE⁩ @⁨Shraddha⁩ @⁨Amritha CUBE⁩ @⁨Smiti⁩ & others .
A piece of Onion ,Lemon ,Gooseberry are taken in a plate .Setup was placed in Kitchen.
Time :11.46am
Date:13/03/2023
Place :Kariyavattam ,Thiruvanathapuram
Theertha

Food Preference Test
Breaking newS​:partying_face:
Got Fruitfly on Lemon
Time :2.11pm
Place:Kariyavattam ,Thiruvanathapuram
Theertha

Food Preference Test
Breaking newS​:partying_face:
Got Second Fruitfly on Onion.
Time :2.47pm
Place:Kariyavattam ,Thiruvanathapuram
Theertha

**Summary of an experiments done by @Shraddha276 **
I used Onion peels,Potato peels,Tomato,Grapes.
photos taken in 1hr of an interval,but I couldnt observed any fruit flies .whereas, Ants were attracted near grapes,Tomato and Onion.

Food preference test
Inspired by an experimental setup designed by @⁨CUBE Swaha WB⁩ @⁨Theertha CUBE⁩ @⁨CUBE Smiti⁩
⁩
Attractant for fruit flies- Tomato,Potato,Onion, Grapes.
No. Of fruit flies observed- zero.
Ants are observed near set up.

Date of set up- 13/3/23
Time- 4: 30 pm
Place- Panvel, Maharashtra.
Data collected by-Shraddha.

**Summary of an experiments done by @Swaha **

Food preference test:
Attractant for fruit flies:potato, tomato, cucumber, onion and egg shell
Date:13.2.23
Time:12:42pm
Name:Swaha
Place:Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

Food preference test:
Attractant for fruit flies:potato, tomato, cucumber, onion and egg shell
Got 1 fruitfly on cucumber
Date:13.2.23
Time:1:15pm
Name:Swaha
Place:Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

Food preference test:
Attractant for fruit flies:potato, tomato, cucumber, onion and egg shell
Got 4 fruitflies on tomato,2 on potato and 1 on cucumber
Date:13.2.23
Time:5:55pm
Name:Swaha
Place:Jalpaiguri, West Bengal

During the lockdown, We were taken this observaions collaboratively across the India.
After long break, we are doing same experiments with 11th standard students @Swaha who is interested to do work on Fruit flies model organisms.
I will happy to encourage all of you to join this homw lab experiments with us on Food preference test for fruit flies.

[Theertha (Theertha M.D.)]

Took some veggies and salad from the mess (Carrot, Cucumber, Radish/Muli, Chilli, Guava) to make Setup to attract Fruiflies and see which vegetable or fruit attract the fruitflies the most.

Set up made at 8.41pm, 22nd January in PG room at Govindpuri, New Delhi.photo: Enas

Expectation: Guava peel will have 5 fruitfly in the morning tomorrow.

[23/01, 9:00 am] Enas CUBE: At 10.42pm, 22 Jan, after 2 hr of set up no Fruiflies are found.

[23/01, 9:02 am] Enas CUBE: At 11.45pm, 22 Jan, after 3 hr of setup no fruitfly found.
Setup kept in PG room.

[23/01, 9:04 am] Enas CUBE: At 8.08 am, 23 Jan, after 11 hr of the setup, No fruitfly observed on any veggies.
Setup kept in Room.

At 6 pm, 23 Jan, no fruitfly observed. @⁨Sakshi⁩
Setup made yesterday at 8.41pm.

At 8.13am, 24 Jan, no Fruitfly found.
The setup made at 8.41pm on 22nd Jan. Setup kept in PG room, Govindpuri, New Delhi.

[24/01, 11:55 pm] Enas CUBE: At 5.40pm, 24th January. NO Fruitfly found.

[24/01, 11:57 pm] Enas CUBE: Setup of 4 slices of tomatoes and 2 slices of onions placed in a plate to attract Fruiflies made at 5.40pm today.
Setup kept in PG room, Govindpuri, New Delhi

[24/01, 11:58 pm] Enas CUBE: 9pm, 24 Jan, no fruitfly

[24/01, 11:59 pm] Enas CUBE: At 9 pm , 24th Jan , no fruitfly found after 3 hr of setup

[25/01, 12:00 am] Enas CUBE: No fruitfly at11.30pm

[25/01, 12:00 am] Enas CUBE: No fruitflies at 11.30 pm

Breaking news
2 fruitflies found on tomato slice at 11pm, 25th January.
Setup made yesterday (24th Jan) at 5.40pm
Setup kept in PG room, Govindpuri, New Delhi.

[Theertha (Theertha M.D.)]

Date : 23/01/25 11:00 pm
Kept tomato slices on the paper, near the kitchen waste dustbin in the balcony. I expect, Tomorrow morning (24/01/25) 7 am there will be 5 fruit flies on the tomato slices. @⁨Enas CUBE⁩ @⁨Sakshi⁩ @⁨Seethalakhmi⁩ @⁨Arunan sir ⁩ @⁨Akanksha CUBE⁩

Date : 23/01/25 11:00 pm
Kept tomato slices on the paper, near the kitchen waste dustbin in the balcony. I expect, Tomorrow morning (24/01/25) 7 am there will be 5 fruit flies on the tomato slices. @⁨Enas CUBE⁩ @⁨Sakshi⁩ @⁨Seethalakhmi⁩ @⁨Arunan sir ⁩ @⁨Akanksha CUBE⁩

[Theertha (Theertha M.D.)]

This is my fruit fly setup up here; I used two types of bananas:
A- red banana
B- green banana
Time: 11:45 am
By M S Sailekshmi

At 3:35 PM, no fruit flies were observed in A and B.

At 7:24 PM, no fruit flies were observed in A and B.

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Drosophila, the fruit fly, has been a very important model organism in research. Inspired by @Arunan @Rechel_tirkey @KiranKalakotiR, I decided to do Food Preference Test in Fruit flies!!

Day-1- 07/04/25

Cut pieces of lemon, unripe mango, onion, banana, tomato are arranged on a plate. Experiment is set up on the kitchen table. Which food attracts the fruit flies first!?? I was curious to know.
Hypothesis: The slice of banana attract more fruitflies
07/04/25; 10.30am
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

After an hour, I could see two fruit flies on tomato!
07/04/25; 11.30 am
Tomato-2 flies
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total fruit flies-2
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

07/04/25; 12.30 pm
Tomato-2
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
Unripe mango- 1
Banana- 0
Total fruitflies-3
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

07/04/25;1.24pm
Only two flies again! The one seen on mango just left!!
Tomato:2
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total fruitflies-2
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

07/04/25; 02.15pm
Tomato:1
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total fruitflies-1
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana
Only one was left! That too on tomato.

07/04/25; 03.45 pm
Tomato-3
Onion- 0
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana-0
Total flies-3
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana
Why only tomato? My expectation was that the banana having strong sweet aroma and high sugar content would attract the flies first. What attract the drosophila towards the tomato slice?

[Ayana_Sudheer]

07/04/25; 04.45pm
Tomato-5
Onion- 0
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana-0
Total flies-5
Five fruitflies are seen on tomato and only on tomato!!!
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

07/04/25; 05.07pm
Tomato-6
Onion- 0
Lemon-1
Unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total flies-7
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

Hypothesis stating “The slice of banana attracts more fruitflies” is falsified

[KiranKalakotiR (Kiran Kalakoti)]

Why fruit flies are getting attracted to Onion which is not a fruit and not Banana and Mango, though they are fruits?

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Onions undergo fermentation as they rot and produce compounds that attract fruitflies? That can be a possibility, I guess.

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Wowww! I saw a fly on the onion slice! What made it choose onion???
07/04/25; 06.30
Tomato-3
Onion- 1
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 1
Banana-0
Total flies-5
Location: Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

Again no flies!!
07/04/25; 08.08pm
Tomato-0
Onion- 0
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana-0
Total flies-0

07/04/25; 11.24pm
Tomato-1
Onion- 0
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana-0
Total flies-1

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Day 2

Photo: Ayana
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
08/04/25; 12.10am
Tomato-1
Onion- 0
Lemon-0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana-0
Total flies-1

Photo: Ayana
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
08/04/25; 07.04am
Two flies were seen on Tomato
Tomato-2
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total flies-2

Photo: Ayana
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
08/04/25; 08.14am
Two flies were seen on Tomato
Tomato-11
Onion- 0
Lemon- 0
Unripe mango- 0
Banana- 0
Total flies-11
11 flies were spotted on tomato!!!

[KiranKalakotiR (Kiran Kalakoti)]

Sharing whiteboard screenshot of relevant discussion

[Ayana_Sudheer]

On 15/04/25, I repeated the Food Preference Test in fruit flies!
This time I placed overripe small banana (we say Poovan Pazham in malayalam) and grapes along with tomato slice!
Which fruit attracts the fruit flies more!? Will they choose tomato over other fruits, this time?

I arranged a slice of tomato, overripe banana and grapes on a white plate. This was set up in my kitchen space.
15/04/25
10.30am
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

3 fruit flies on tomato!!
Tomato:3
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:3
15/04/25
11.52am
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

4 fruit flies on tomato!
Tomato:4
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:4
15/04/25
12.20pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

Tomato:9
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:9
15/04/25
12.40pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

[Ayana_Sudheer]

12 fruit flies on tomato!
Tomato:12
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:12
15/04/25
1.09pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

6 fruit flies on tomato
Tomato:6
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:6
15/04/25
2.30
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

17 fruit flies on tomato!
Tomato:17
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:17
15/04/25
4.40pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

18 fruit flies on tomato!
Tomato:18
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:17
15/04/25
4.45pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

No fruit flies are noted on the fruits!
Tomato:0
Banana:0
Grapes:0
Total:0
15/04/25
6.58pm
Location:Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo:Ayana

[15/04, 5:10 pm] Rahul: Isn’t it ver interesting that how almost everytime fruitflies are attracted towards tomato more than to ripened Banana?!
[15/04, 5:32 pm] Akhil Gupta Cube: Justice for banana and grapes
[15/04, 5:33 pm] Dr. Dinesh Datta: Inquilab zindabad!
[15/04, 5:34 pm] Akhil Gupta Cube:
[15/04, 5:35 pm] Akhil Gupta Cube: If we were a fruitful
We would scout for a moisture filled and soft tissue for laying eggs than a semi hard surfaced banana and non-exposed grapes

The tomato looks perfectly exposed and moistened among 3
[15/04, 5:35 pm] Akhil Gupta : Maggots can easily thrive and movie once eggs are laid
[15/04, 5:37 pm] Rahul: A brilliant hypothesis to test. What if you provide a banana and grape mashe.
[15/04, 5:37 pm] Dr. Dinesh Datta: Guava left the game
[15/04, 5:37 pm] Akhil Gupta : If looked the otherway around
Where there’s no tomato
But a soft rotten banana and exposed grapes

Probably drosophila will scout and explore them too
[15/04, 5:39 pm] ayanasudheer: Let’s try
[15/04, 5:39 pm] Akhil Gupta: No wonder we call it drosophila

It means dew and moisture loving
By its name
[15/04, 5:39 pm] Dr. Dinesh Datta: Yes
[15/04, 5:40 pm] Akhil Gupta: Droso :- moisture or dew
Phillia :- loving
[15/04, 5:40 pm] Akhil Gupta: A mommy fruitful wants a perfect place for maggots
Moist and soften
[15/04, 5:41 pm] Dr. Dinesh Datta: Thats very similar to concept of Bach Flower remedies
[15/04, 5:41 pm] Akhil Gupta: A highly fermenting fruit like pineapple or banaba may attract the fruitfly
But in the end mommy wants weather it can lay its eggs or not
[15/04, 5:42 pm] Dr. Dinesh Datta: Add cucumber for cooling effect
[15/04, 5:43 pm] Akhil Gupta: @⁨ayanasudheer⁩
Try like this
Exposed grapes without peel
And soft rotten banana
And in other case
Pineapple and fresh tomato

[Ayana_Sudheer]

I have seen fruit flies on ripe banana, grapes and all. Does the presence of tomato make other fruits less attractive??
I repeated the Food Preference Test in fruitflies. But this time, without placing tomato slice!
16/04/25
From the previous day’s set up, I took over ripe banana and grapes, and by replacing tomato, I added a slice of fresh orange, banana peel and cucumber. I arranged this on a white plate and kept on the kitchen slab. Waited for the flies to come!
Hypothesis: Banana peel attracts more fruitflies.

16/04/25; 10am
Nallalam, Kozhikode
Photo Ayana

Observations were made every one hour. I couldn’t spot fruitflies till 4.30pm

9 fruit flies on banana peel!
Banana peel:9
Orange:0
Cucumber:0
1 day old Grapes:0
1 day old Banana slice:0
16/04/25
4.32pm
Why banana peel and not rotten banana and other ripe fruits?

Two fruit flies on orange slice!
16/04/25; 4.40pm
Banana peel: 9
Banana: 0
Orange:2
Grapes:0
Cucumber:0
Total :11
No flies were observed after that!

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Inspired by the photo of food Preference test shared by @Arunan sir (taken in 2022), I started doing the test at my home lab.
On 17/04/25, I repeated the Food Preference Test in fruit flies by modifying the experimental design as per the previous day’s ChatShaala discussion.
Experimetal set up:
Two plates are set up at 9.30 am on the kitchen slab. Plate A (Positive Control) has over ripe grapes, a slice of orange, onion, banana peel with a slice of tomato. On Plate B, over ripe grapes, a slice of orange, onion, banana peel is kept without tomato

Hypothesis: Plate A attract flies and more number of flies will be on tomato.
Lets observe which of these attracts flies and when, both in the presence and absence of tomato!
@Arunan sir @Theertha @KiranKalakotiR @magpie @PChitralekha
It was at 10.40am I spotted a fly on my experimetal set up and that too, on Plate A, on tomato!!!

1 fruitfly on Plate A
Tomato:1
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:0

3 fruitflies on Plate A
17/04/25; 11.45am
Tomato:2
Onion:0
Banana peel:1
Grapes:0
Orange:0
The one fruit fly on banana peel left within 5 minutes.

17/04/25; 12.15pm
On plate A
Tomato:3
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:0
ZERO on Plate B

17/04/25
1.10pm
On plate A
Tomato:7
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:3
Total: 10 flies
ZERO on Plate B

17/04/25
2.20pm
Plate A
Tomato: 12
Onion:1
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Total 13 flies on Plate A (positive control)
Plate B
Onion:0
Banana peel:2
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Total 2 flies on Plate B

17/04/25
3.36pm
Plate A
Tomato: 10
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Total 10 flies on Plate A (positive control)
Plate B
Onion:0
Banana peel:2
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Total 2 flies on Plate B

17/04/25
6.30pm
Plate A
Tomato: 5
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:1
Total 6 flies on Plate A (positive control)
Plate B
Onion:0
Banana peel:3
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Total 3 flies on Plate B

17/04/25
8.36pm
Plate A
Tomato: 1
Onion:0
Banana peel:0
Grapes:0
Orange:0
Just 1 fly on Plate A (positive control)
ZERO on Plate B
After 8.30pm, no flies were spotted on A and B till 12.14 am 18/04/25

Hypothesis stating Plate A attracts flies and more number or flies will be on tomato is accepted by evaluating the results of the 4th experimental set up.

[Ayana_Sudheer]

Line Graphs showing the observations of Food Preference Test done in Fruit flies
Graph.1.Food Preference Test in Fruit flies on 7/04/25

Graph 1 shows a peak increase in the number of flies at 8.14am on the next day of the test.There is a drop in number of flies between 6.30 pm and 11.24pm.There were only one fruit fly noted on lemon(12.30pm) and unripe mango(6.30pm). Flies on the unripe mango and lemon left the fruits within 3 minutes of time.From this graph, it is very clear that tomato is the most preferred fruit among lemon,onion,banana,unripe mango.
Graph.2.Food Preference Test in Fruit flies on 15/04/25

In my second test for Food Preference in Fruit flies, No flies were noted on ripe grapes and ripe banana.Maximum number of flies on tomato was seen at 5.44pm.There is a decline after that till 8.25am in the next day morning. Graphs shows that tomato is the most preferred fruit for fruit fly among ripe banana and grapes

Graph 3 shows the observations of my third test. No fruit flies are seen till 4.32pm. 9 flies were noted on tomato at 4.32 pm. 2 flies were seen on fresh orange at 4.30pm