# Flies all over my house...



## CashPants (Sep 18, 2012)

On my 2nd week of mantis parenting and I cannot figure out how to feed this little guy. I have flies in a water bottle with pin holes for air and I just can't seem to get a few into the enclosure without a bunch making an escape and buzzing merrily around the house for 3 days.

I feel like PigPen


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## Mime454 (Sep 18, 2012)

Put them in the refrigerator until they stop moving. Then release some into the cage. They'll reanimate after they warm up.


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## Rick (Sep 18, 2012)

If you're talking about bb's or houseflies, I put the container in the freezer for a minute or two. They will stop moving and then you can pick them out with tongs.


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 18, 2012)

I have house and BB's and I prefer the fridge.

If you forget them in the freezer more will die.

Also I lost a bunch when my hubby turned the fridge temp up!

So...I put them in the fridge for a while at least 20 minutes for max sleepy time then pop the top fast!

Take my tweezers and grab the wings. Pop into feeder hole. Shut that fly door fast!

You will get major skills at this eventually!


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 18, 2012)

Be very careful with the feeders girl.

It's a good way to get a D-I-V-O-R-C-E!

Or so my husband says!

So...I plan on leaving a giant hissing ###### roach on his pillow!!


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## Rick (Sep 18, 2012)

fleurdejoo said:


> I have house and BB's and I prefer the fridge.
> 
> If you forget them in the freezer more will die.
> 
> ...


I set a timer. Much faster than putting them in the fridge. I haven't froze any yet in doing that for many years. Some fresh bb's can take up to 4 minutes in the freezer.


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## lancaster1313 (Sep 18, 2012)

My husband hated that the houseflies and bluebottles went in the fridge, but he got over it.  

You will get better at containing them with some practice.

However, he will never get over the fruit flies that bother him when he watches television.

When I have cultures of fruit flies, the wild flies come in after them. It is a pain in the neck, but I can control them with traps.


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## CashPants (Sep 18, 2012)

I never would have thought of that! You guys are great  

We were losing our minds swatting the jail breakers away from our dinner.


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## Paradoxica (Sep 18, 2012)

I always put em in the fridge, but I still find that my bug net gets more use indoors than out.


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 18, 2012)

Oh Rick, I will have to try that!!!

I spend so much time waiting for them to fall asleep.


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## angelofdeathzz (Sep 18, 2012)

You decide what to put in the fridge or freezer(timer is important for the 2nd) but heres my rig thats worked well...


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## dlemmings (Sep 18, 2012)

I use fridge for 20-30 mins for my BBF which I keep in a 32oz deli...then lift the lid slightly and tweezer out dinner for 10 hungry mantids....the Ladies get 2-4 per day.

when I resort to wild caught (between BBF hatches) I use the freezer and a timer for 3 minutes exactly...the timer is because I have killed off all my (30-40) BBF by forgetting. also when I freeze my BBF they tend to die easily if refroze the next day or so.

sometimes the BBF start getting active before I have made rounds will all the mantids so I split up feeding and hit the females first, then pop BBF back in fridge, feed fruitflies to my younger nymphs, then come back and feed the males last.


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## Rick (Sep 18, 2012)

My flies live in typical 32 oz insect cup. I just toss the whole thing in the ice tray and set a timer for usually 2 mins. If that isn't enough I do another minute. Younger the flies=more time needed. Take em out and pick em out with long tongs/forceps. Nothing fancy.

Title of this thread reminded me of a time when another member left out an entire cup of bb fly pupae. His entire house was full of flies.


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## Precarious (Sep 18, 2012)

I hatch my flies in a bin the size of a shoebox. After they hatch I let them feed and drink for a few days then they go into the fridge and remain there. They can survive much longer refrigerated and they are always ready to feed my pets. Just take them out once a week to feed and drink for a day.


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## CashPants (Sep 19, 2012)

Likebugs, we are both a little grossed out by the buzzing little bottle in the corner but if it keeps them out of our house I can stand them being in the fridge for a few minutes.


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## CashPants (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh! And I fed him a little bit of honey on a stick last night, I am his best friend now. He came running up his stick when I opened the lit to spray him this morning.

"Moar honey!"


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## dlemmings (Sep 20, 2012)

Rick said:


> My flies live in typical 32 oz insect cup. I just toss the whole thing in the ice tray and set a timer for usually 2 mins. If that isn't enough I do another minute. Younger the flies=more time needed. Take em out and pick em out with long tongs/forceps. Nothing fancy.
> 
> Title of this thread reminded me of a time when another member left out an entire cup of bb fly pupae. His entire house was full of flies.


I have often thought that a great/horrible prank would be to toss a fist-full of pupa under someones car seat and imagine them opening the door one day and having a car full of flies....does this make me deviant?


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## patrickfraser (Sep 20, 2012)

I have thought the same thing, but under their couch. :devil: My nephew was so keen to the idea, he wanted to buy some for that purpose. I couldn't let myself do it. :innocent:


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## Mvalenz (Sep 20, 2012)

mantiscurious said:


> I have often thought that a great/horrible prank would be to toss a fist-full of pupa under someones car seat and imagine them opening the door one day and having a car full of flies....does this make me deviant?


I like that. :devil: 

I use the fridge method. It works well for me. When I have flies in my house; escapees or wild, I just hold the mantis about an inch or so away from the fly and the mantis does the rest. Its actually kind of fun.


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## fleurdejoo (Sep 20, 2012)

Love it!!!!


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## CashPants (Sep 23, 2012)

The fridge trick worked like a charm! We caught 2 house flies and cooled them down and dropped them in with no problem. Our little fatty ate 2 fat house flies and at least 8 fruit flies. At one point he was munching on 3 ff at a time.


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## Sticky (Oct 4, 2012)

I like the BB escapees. They go to windows so are easy to recapture. House flies don't. All they do is fly free and tease the heck out of me!


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## selkielass (Oct 20, 2012)

Do you order fly pupa or do some pet stores carry them?

I saw fruit fly cultures near the mealworms at petco but they looked too tiny for my ghost (it is about the size of my thumbnail and can take 1/4 inch crickets.)


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## angelofdeathzz (Oct 20, 2012)

Mantisplace.com (Rebecca) is one of best places to get all types of flying feeders from, I've been using her for years, plus her prices are on the low end of the scale.


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## selkielass (Oct 21, 2012)

Thank you!


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## CashPants (Oct 24, 2012)

I recently got some great crickets from Backwaterreptiles.com, just to give you some options


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## Sticky (Oct 27, 2012)

That looks like fun!


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