# Baiting fly traps



## bugzilla (May 10, 2008)

If I invert the top of a pop (soda for you Americans  ) bottle and put bait in  side I think this will make a decent fly trap but what should I put in as bait. Obviously I don't want anything that will stink the garden out  

I'm finding my bluebottles don't live very long even when I feed and water them, then I have to wait for the next lot to hatch out :angry: so I want a more steady supply of flies.

Does anyone do anything similar?

Cheers

Huw


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## macro junkie (May 10, 2008)

i hatch my bluebottles in a 1pint cup..i put smal bit of tissue in there so they have something to climb on to..my flys in the cup lives for weeks.!u must be doing somthing wrong.?im sure no one does that here..why would they?they just hatch there own.  :seriously tho u must be doing something wrong..

when i use to hatch the flys in 1pint cup and have nothing for them to climb on to when i use to mist them with water the next day i would find them all dead..since putting tissue for them to climb on they all live for weeks.when i feed them i wipe a thing layer of honey over the top of the netting,,i mist them with water lightly every 2 days.


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## OGIGA (May 10, 2008)

I think I've seen something about milk powder used to attract flies before.

By the way, some places in USA call "soda" "pop" too. I know Chicago people do...


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## bugzilla (May 10, 2008)

Sounds like the way I kept them wasn't the best then  

I put a wad of kitchen roll in the bottom of pint cups and poured water/honey solution on this so there was none loose. I didn't put anything for them to climb onto though so tended to make a pile on  the bottom or on the mest top. The wife [SIZE=18pt]REALLY[/SIZE] wasn't impressed with the constant buzzing everytime she went in the garage, it freaked her out a bit  

I've also fallen out with one of the local angling shops that I've used since they opened. He's said to me before that he doesn't like selling maggots in less than 1 pint quantities since he can't measure them accurately. He had agreed to sell quarter pints to me for £1 but last time he went mad saying he's fed up with people coming in and asking for small quantities and started ranting on about measures and the council as he did in the past. I've literally spent £hundreds with him over the past few years and this is the thanks I get. Unfortunately I was in my uniform and there were other customers there otherwise I'd have let rip :angry: He won't see me again the arrogant prat!!!!!

Rant over, I'll get more maggots today and start over. In the meantime I'll try to trap some from the garden


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## bugzilla (May 10, 2008)

Just found this link which is exactly what I am planning.

I'll try today and let you know how it works. My childhood spent watching blue peter should start to pay off at last :lol:


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## macro junkie (May 10, 2008)

in future get 1 pint cup..throw some tissues in there and it will be fine in future.keeping them like u did would kill them for sure..lots of tissue in future..  

if u want il send u some casters on tusday with the mantids im sending u..cant u got some small crickets untill your flys hatch.?


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## bugzilla (May 10, 2008)

macro junkie said:


> in future get 1 pint cup..throw some tissues in there and it will be fine in future.keeping them like u did would kill them for sure..lots of tissue in future..  if u want il send u some casters on tusday with the mantids im sending u..cant u got some small crickets untill your flys hatch.?


Thanks for the casters, that'll be great. I've got smal locusts that I feed in desperation so will manage for a while.


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## Precious (May 10, 2008)

I hatch them in quart sized clear acrylic containers. Once the majority have eclosed, I begin smearing honey on the lid and add Fluker's cricket water. I zap them in the freezer to feed and after a short while, with all the pupae casings and honey, it's a sticky mess. The flies don't last so long because I feed them to my babies. I store the maggots in cornmeal in the 'fridge, take out only what I need - 2 days to pupate another 6 or so to eclose and then they're only around for a few days. The trick is to take them out at regular intervals so you always have flies. Toward the end of one month they eclose at a progressively lower rate and it's time for new. Bluebottle pupae don't eclose after being kept in the 'fridge (learned that the hard way, Grubco confirmed it).

I catch flies in a large mesh bug tent when I'm in a pinch. Use sardines or an old ff culture as bait.


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## Malnra (May 10, 2008)

Precious said:


> Bluebottle pupae don't eclose after being kept in the 'fridge (learned that the hard way, Grubco confirmed it).


My Bluebottle pupae go into the fridge as soon as i get them and I pull out a "bunch" at a time to let them eclose. So far that has worked for me. Maybe i dont get 100% of them to eclose, but the vast majority seem to. Maybe Grubco is just covering their tush ??


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## Trademark (May 11, 2008)

Lol. "After completing the observation and activity, release the flies."

Release...yes...right. Of course. Heh.


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## pedro92 (May 11, 2008)

OGIGA said:


> I think I've seen something about milk powder used to attract flies before.By the way, some places in USA call "soda" "pop" too. I know Chicago people do...


I live in Montana USA and i call it pop also


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## OGIGA (May 12, 2008)

I did strawberries and a 500ml water bottle. I got a bunch of fruit flies and slugs in there. Oh yeah, the fruit flies can fly, which I wanted.


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## hibiscusmile (May 12, 2008)

My blue bottle last forever too, Grubco is covering the back end of things. I even like it when they get old, cause they still hatch, just cant fly hardly at all, which makes it really nice for feeding, I just grab the forcepts and pinch, pinch , pinch. Yum yum yum... Aslo I hatch a lot at once, they live for a long time, I just put my homemade fly food in with them and a humidity sponge in a sponge holder with it soaked in water and they take care of theirselves. I have almost quit using house flies, too much trouble, I sell them to those who like them, but can't stand them :angry: myself, though the mantis like them, too bad!!! :lol:


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## OGIGA (May 12, 2008)

hibiscusmile said:


> My blue bottle last forever too, Grubco is covering the back end of things. I even like it when they get old, cause they still hatch, just cant fly hardly at all, which makes it really nice for feeding, I just grab the forcepts and pinch, pinch , pinch. Yum yum yum... Aslo I hatch a lot at once, they live for a long time, I just put my homemade fly food in with them and a humidity sponge in a sponge holder with it soaked in water and they take care of theirselves. I have almost quit using house flies, too much trouble, I sell them to those who like them, but can't stand them :angry: myself, though the mantis like them, too bad!!! :lol:


How often do you buy from them in order to have a constant supply of flies?


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