Drosophila melanogaster. Fruit flies are often found near unripe and rotted fruit and are an ideal species for behaviour and genetics studies. Wild type fruit flies are the type you would find in nature and all look identical.

Chromosomal position: N/A

We purchase our mother cultures from the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Centre, strain Oregon-R-P2.

Cultures: contain approximately 30 specimens as well as eggs, larvae and subsequently pupae.
Large Cultures: contain approximately 80 specimens as well as eggs, larvae and subsequently pupae.
Males: contain approximately 30 specimens. We usually require 7 days notice to supply segregated males. 
Virgin Females: contain approximately 30 specimens. We usually require 21 days notice to supply virgin females.
Mature Females: contain approximately 30 specimens. We usually require 7 days notice.
100 Adults: contain approximately 100 adults, both male and female.

Cultures and segregated flies are supplied in glass specimen tubes, large cultures are supplied in large plastic tubes.

All drosophila are bred, and sexed, in-house. This means we have the facilities to supply large or bespoke orders, please contact us for a quote.

All flies are dispatched on Mondays - please advise when ordering your preferred delivery week. If you require males or virgin females urgently please contact us before ordering.

If you wish to breed your flies we have ready prepared media tubes, as well as empty specimen tubes, quick-mix media and yeast. For media recipes and fruit fly facts read our live specimen care information.

Mainland Britain

Our UK mainland delivery charges are as follows: (All figures are exc. VAT)

For next day delivery, please order by 12pm, item must be in stock. All stock levels are shown on the web, if showing as out of stock or prepared to order and required urgently, please contact us as we may have stock! Next day orders are sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery which is a signed for service, please ensure someone is available.

Drosophila are always dispatched on a Monday, please advise when ordering your preferred delivery week.

Our working hours are 9am - 3pm Monday - Thursday, 9am - 12pm Friday. Orders received outside these hours will be processed the next working day; orders are only dispatched Monday-Thursday (Monday-Wednesday for perishable items). Hours vary during school holidays but we are usually available via email.

*Christmas Closure: 18th December 2026 - 4th January 2027 Inclusive*

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Northern Ireland

Sadly, due to the UK leaving the EU, we can no longer supply Northern Irish customers with any products the have codes starting with an 'L' or 'P'. This is due to the requirement for all live or preserved products to have an import licence specific to the customer purchasing and the product being purchased. As each licence takes 2 weeks to obtain, and involves a considerable amount of paperwork, we have made the difficult decision to stop offering these products to Northern Irish customers. We can still offer equipment, i.e. products with an 'E' code, as these simply require customs documentation.

We apologise for the inconvenience and if the legislation changes we will happily review our decision.

British Islands

Delivery charges to the Isle of Man, Channel Islands (including Jersey & Guernsey), Shetland, Orkney and all the other islands we've missed, are the same as to mainland Britain (see above). The main difference is that delivery is likely to take a little longer, and for this reason we cannot guarantee next day delivery.

In addition, we cannot ship any liquids, so any 'wet' specimen ordered will be sent vacuum packed rather than in a jar.

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