Mutant Fly's

Considering just how many fly eggs can be laid by an individual fly, we may be looking at just a standard set of deviants (take Applefritterers, for example). However, there may be another factor at play here. Insecticides, fertilizers and other human-made chemicals have been playing havoc on vertebrates and invertebrates alike, causing some deviancy from what might be the normal allowance of mutations.
Of course, I'm an astronomer and really am just taking a guess...

if you live in a condo, why do you need compost? Does the condo association not take care of the grounds?

astro_rob-
I like the standard set of deviants idea. ('course who know about the chemicals, right?)

In my non-fritter life, I work with tree seeds, seedlings, and what-not. When we germinate a larger lot of seeds, say over 1000, I'll get a couple of funky mutants. Every time. Pity we work with pine trees, who wants a mutated pine? I figure we get a 0.5% mutant rate. Maybe the flys are the same, or worse. I've seen some weird fruit flys in science class years back.

Perhaps the mutants, because of the abnormalities that you mentioned can't fly off and get concentrated at your compost bin. That'd skew your apparent mutation rate up.

mike

Why am I composting materials?:

A) I'm creating my own orgnically enriched soil.
B) I have fruit and vegetable food waste to use, as well as various shrub trimmings here.
C) I did a moderately interesting hack to a trash can to make it into a composter ($30 material costs) versus buying one that isn't as good or half as big for $150. This was fun to work out based on the criteria that a "master composter" had given me.

BTW, the container garden is all organic including the flowers (several if not all will be edible). The first round of sweet basil came up above the surface about four days ago, the dill came up two days ago, and the nasturtiums were planted today.

Also, I'll post pictures of the composter when I have the time. I think I'll make detailed plans to share too.

I'd be interested in your plans. I've got a huge pile of grass clippings that refuses to compost (since I don't water, turn, or fiddle with it) Since my way over ambitious plans for a biogas reactor probably won't come to fruition, a composter might be a better plan.

Interested also to see your pics when you get the time.

Mike

We have a very large compost pile in a corner of our back yard, we dont water it, or turn it or anything like that. We've been dumping all our vegetable/fruit scraps in it ever since we had this house - about 14 years.

We now have a nice little peach tree, a recouring group of pumpkins (2-4), as well as ocassional potatoes, squash, and other various veggies and fruits, as well as the biggest and bestest worms (for fishing) ever!

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong when posting pictures.

Besides the mutant flies displayed below, I'll put up some of the composter and garden soon.

Mutant_Pie

I think that the mutations will be the standard deviation, but wanted to comment on the Right-Wing-Normal-Left-Wing-Crumpled flies. I think these are nothing but adult flies who did not come out of the pupa correctly.

I've seen this hundreds of times with cicadas here in Texas, as well as with silkworm moths. When the bug comes out of the pupa (or cocoon), it must then dry to form it's exoskeleton. As it does this, it pumps blood into the wings to get them to expand out so that when they dry, they are fully formed. If the bug happens to be crammed against a wall, the wings will not expand fully, and will dry in a bent, crumpled, or even balled-up form. With the cicada, this means death, as a bird or lizard will easily catch it. With the silkworm most, it means little, as they can't fly anyway.

The wingless flies are mutants, as would be flies with only one wing. The others just dealt with a lack of growing room.

could the same theory go for spiders? ive seen a spider with 5 legs before, tell me that isnt odd!