# Using Blue Bottle Flies



## KyleB (Nov 17, 2020)

Hi all,

I have 3 L5/6 Chinese mantids and I recently switched to blue bottle flies because they stopped eating fruit flies. 

The problem with blue bottle flies is I can't predict when they will come out of their cocoon, therefore making sure my mantids get fed regularly has been a challenge. Any advice on this?

Also how often do the flies die before even coming out? I have several that have been in the enclosure for days and nothing has come out.

Thanks!


----------



## Mantid-Tim (Nov 17, 2020)

The trick to that is put a spoonful (i.e. one day of feedings worth) of blue bottles into your hatching container every other day. Then eventually they will hatch regularly.

In my experience BBFs take at least a week to hatch from larva state anyway; with pupas you can't tell because you can't tell how matured they are from larva. But try out that trick....


----------



## KyleB (Nov 18, 2020)

Are you saying put the pupa into a separate container regularly and then transfer them to the mantid enclosures as they hatch? I have been putting the pupa directly into the bottom of their enclosures.


----------



## MantisMart (Nov 18, 2020)

@KyleB Personally I like to put like 3 weeks worth of pupa in a separate container in which I call the "hatching container." I put some food in there just so they survive longer so I don't have to feed them right away. Potatos or bananas work fine. When they hatch move the hatching container to a refrigerator (Not the freezer) and they will live much longer and be partially paralyzed. This way when you are ready to feed, you can pick up the fly with your hands or tweezers, and throw em in the container. They will be partially paralyzed from the coldness of the refrigerator and wont fly away for a couple mins.


----------



## Mantid-Tim (Nov 19, 2020)

KyleB said:


> Are you saying put the pupa into a separate container regularly and then transfer them to the mantid enclosures as they hatch? I have been putting the pupa directly into the bottom of their enclosures.


Yeah thats what I do. Put them in a freezer for 2 mins to slow them down and put them in the feeding container so I can water/feed the flies. Then do the same to feed them out. 

An easier alternative is to put the larva/pupa into the terrarium directly. I don't like to do that though because then you don't see when they hatch and you have to change the substrate more often. But it is easier....


----------



## KyleB (Jan 1, 2021)

So, blue bottle flies continue to be really obnoxious. Right now my Chinese Mantids are living with feast or famine. When I order them online I never know when they will arrive. Two shipments ago I got a tiny 8 oz container FILLED with already hatched flies; like literally hundreds. The delivery was too slow and all the pupae matured. Then I got a shipment of spikes that were still in their larva stage. I fed some of the spikes to my mantids and let the rest pupate. I put all but 20 in the fridge over a week ago and they still haven't hatched into flies! It seems like I have some really bad luck with these flies because I would say only 20% of the flies I've ordered actually come out. It's very frustrating because I'm having a hard time feeding my mantids on a regular schedule. They don't want to eat meal worms. 

Is there something I'm supposed to be doing to help the flies emerge from their pupa? They are currently at the bottom of a plastic 32 oz deli cup with a mesh lid. NONE have emerged. I don't spray the container and there is no substrate at the bottom. Maybe that's the problem? I just took out another batch from the fridge to see if they will come out.


----------



## Mantid-Tim (Jan 1, 2021)

KyleB said:


> So, blue bottle flies continue to be really obnoxious. Right now my Chinese Mantids are living with feast or famine. When I order them online I never know when they will arrive. Two shipments ago I got a tiny 8 oz container FILLED with already hatched flies; like literally hundreds. The delivery was too slow and all the pupae matured. Then I got a shipment of spikes that were still in their larva stage. I fed some of the spikes to my mantids and let the rest pupate. I put all but 20 in the fridge over a week ago and they still haven't hatched into flies! It seems like I have some really bad luck with these flies because I would say only 20% of the flies I've ordered actually come out. It's very frustrating because I'm having a hard time feeding my mantids on a regular schedule. They don't want to eat meal worms.
> 
> Is there something I'm supposed to be doing to help the flies emerge from their pupa? They are currently at the bottom of a plastic 32 oz deli cup with a mesh lid. NONE have emerged. I don't spray the container and there is no substrate at the bottom. Maybe that's the problem? I just took out another batch from the fridge to see if they will come out.


You shouldn't need a substrate or to spray them but they also shouldn't drop below 30% humidity, so i the area is that dry you can _lightly_ mist the sides of the walls of the container. And that happened to me where they arrived all hatched. The shipper decided to use silk bags to ship so you can imagine the mess transferring 3 bags of flies to containers!

But please try my advice:



Mantid-Tim said:


> The trick to that is put a spoonful (i.e. one day of feedings worth) of blue bottles into your hatching container every other day. Then eventually they will hatch regularly.
> 
> In my experience BBFs take at least a week to hatch from larva state anyway; with pupas you can't tell because you can't tell how matured they are from larva. But try out that trick....


----------



## KyleB (Jan 13, 2021)

I think I'm finally figuring this out. Learning by mistakes. Now that I have flies more frequently, how may blue bottle flies should I be feeding my L6 Chinese Praying Mantids per week? I've noticed after ordering from several places that the size between flies varies significantly. Right now I have HUGE blue bottle flies and I feed each mantis one every other day. Should I be doing more?


----------



## MrGhostMantis (Jan 13, 2021)

Feed when they are thin.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Jan 18, 2021)

I feed my adult girls about 6 bbs a day, males get 3 every other day if I am keeping them longer so females mature. For any sub sub adult I give at least 4 to 6 a day. I feed my mantis every day. I dont like to think of anything going hungry. And besides they have nothing else to do so let them chase flies.


----------



## Introvertebrate (Jan 19, 2021)

hibiscusmile said:


> ..................And besides they have nothing else to do so let them chase flies.


That's pretty much what their life revolves around out in nature as well.


----------



## hibiscusmile (Jan 22, 2021)

yeah and hiding from owls!


----------



## agent A (Jan 22, 2021)

what you honestly should do is emerge out the pupae and then store adults, after having food and water, in the fridge

they live 5-6 weeks this way (pull out for food and every week to feed and water them)


----------



## KyleB (Jan 22, 2021)

What do you feed the flies?


----------



## Mantidfinatic13 (Jan 27, 2021)

You can feed them fruits e.g leftover bananas, strawberries, peaches, plums etc etc


----------



## Mantid-Tim (Jan 29, 2021)

I feed them the powder you use to make fruit fly media.


----------

