# Blowfly aka Bluebottle



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

Good day forum members!  

recently ive gathered about 8-12 bluebottles and was curious as to how most people go about rearing them?

can I mix up the standard mix as fruit fly cults and use that media?

I was sent a link last night with a method of:

x1 cup dry dog food.

x1 cup milk.

add together and let sit to sour.

however, I have kids and I do not think my girlfriend would be too pleased with that sour milk/soggy rotten dog food idea.. I had thought to make this an outdoor project but fear in doing so it would allow other unwanted creatures to eventually get to the cult.

any ideas or different methods for rearing would be appreciated.


----------



## Rick (May 4, 2015)

Most people don't. The spikes and pupae are so cheap why even bother?


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

Rick said:


> Most people don't. The spikes and pupae are so cheap why even bother?


Free is better than cheap...


----------



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

I have access to the adults right now, and with it being free I figured id give it atleast a try.


----------



## Hellemose (May 4, 2015)

bluebottle flies are usually bred on rotten meat so fruitfly mix wont work


----------



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

yeah, I thought about that too... :|


----------



## Hellemose (May 4, 2015)

if you can live with the stench it gives, it should be fairly easy to breed them, but because its usually done on rotten meat and they are so cheap, most people just buy them as pupae or spikes.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

LAME said:


> yeah, I thought about that too... :|


How do people know that they ONLY will breed if theres rotting meat? Like has anyone actually studied this? Or are they reading stuff online? i read that theyll lay eggs as long as they have something thats moist and edible for the maggots to eat. Id give it a try bro! you never know, it might actually work out.


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 4, 2015)

I breed at the moment

Blue bottle (Calliphora vomitoria)

house flies (Musca domestica)

Curly wing house flies. (Musca domestica)

Both types of flightless fruit flies.

If you give them to much food it can smell. Its a lot of man hours. Also you need to have a container that has a lot of air flow and wide opening. The maggots can over heat themselves and will die within minutes.


----------



## Hellemose (May 4, 2015)

What do you use as food/breeding source for the bluebottle and house flies MikhailsDinos? curly wings are a genetically "crippled" house fly isnt it?


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 4, 2015)

I use lots of wood chips and chicken feed. There is enough protein in that to get big blue bottles. Almost no smell, as long as you checking daily and making sure you add just the right amount of food to it. Just enough for them to eat in one day. Yes there wings are literally curly. You have to let any flying ones out of the container when you see them and let the curly winged ones keep breeding.

They wont lay there eggs on the food I make them. Use a small container with some paper towel and add milk. Change out daily and place paper towel on food for eggs to hatch and when they hatch remove paper towel. I only use the milk for them to lay. I don't use animal protein in the food I make for them.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

MikhailsDinos said:


> I use lots of wood chips and chicken feed. There is enough protein in that to get big blue bottles. Almost no smell, as long as you checking daily and making sure you add just the right amount of food to it. Just enough for them to eat in one day. Yes there wings are literally curly. You have to let any flying ones out of the container when you see them and let the curly winged ones keep breeding.


Interesting!!


----------



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

So, then they CAN be contained and reared without rotting meat.

I agree mantidbro... Why is everyone so close minded? Doesn't this hobby fall in the lines of "science"?

I'm glad to see others think outside the box.  

I am actually able to get chicken feed, my mother raises them so shouldn't be to hard to acquire.

this will more than likely be an outside project though... I do have a shed I don't use. I guess if anything I could clean it up and convert it to my temporary project shed lol.

also, I had thought about meat babyfoods... Do you think that may work or no?


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

LAME said:


> So, then they CAN be contained and reared without rotting meat.
> 
> I agree mantidbro... Why is everyone so close minded? Doesn't this hobby fall in the lines of "science"?
> 
> ...


Yes lets actually experiment and see for ourselves i say!

Oooh yeah thats right!! your mom has chickens, thats freakin perfect, lol!

Good idea about the shed! Id bet meat babyfood would work!


----------



## Rick (May 4, 2015)

MantidBro said:


> Free is better than cheap...


Labor and time involved=$$.

I'd personally rather spend a few dollars and not have to deal with raising them myself. But if a person chooses to raise their own then good on em.


----------



## SSimsswiSS (May 4, 2015)

Doesn't sound free to someone's Mom.

I let someone else raise them up, and purchase the pupae. The flies I get are raised up on salmon. Seems to be a health diet for the maggots, and works best for those farming them.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

Rick said:


> Labor and time involved=$$.
> 
> I'd personally rather spend a few dollars and not have to deal with raising them myself. But if a person chooses to raise their own then good on em.


Not everyone is as well off as others. I for one struggle financially. You can bust your hump every day and still not make enough.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

SSimsswiSS said:


> Doesn't sound free to someone's Mom.
> 
> I let someone else raise them up, and purchase the pupae. The flies I get are raised up on salmon. Seems to be a health diet for the maggots, and works best for those farming them.


Doesnt sound free to someones mom... Wow! thats rude.


----------



## patrickfraser (May 4, 2015)

I use canned dog food and just get a mix of flies by leaving it outside in my shed.

I dump a can of chunky dog food in a large bucket that contained cat litter and that goes into a trash barrel with cornmeal or tamale flour at the bottom.

I only allow flies to lay eggs for a day or two and then cover the trashcan with a sheer curtain for ventilation and to keep out flies.

When the maggots get their fill and are ready to pupate, they will crawl up and out of the medium and fall into the flour which dries them up and keeps them from escaping the trash can.

Then I just sift out the spikes and reuse the flour.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

patrickfraser said:


> I use canned dog food and just get a mix of flies by leaving it outside in my shed.
> 
> I dump a can of chunky dog food in a large bucket that contained cat litter and that goes into a trash barrel with cornmeal or tamale flour at the bottom.
> 
> ...


Wow clever!


----------



## Jay (May 4, 2015)

MikhailsDinos said:


> I breed at the moment
> 
> Blue bottle (Calliphora vomitoria)
> 
> ...


I have bred these all as well and, as it goes with man hours, I completely agree. You can easily spend 10x as long raising feeders than catching a glimpse of the mantids that you wanted to raise to begin with.

Since I started my outdoor housefly rearing project, the time spent rearing these critters has dramatically decreased as has my wife's desire to strangle me for making our house stink. (=


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 4, 2015)

Yes, I agree!  . I keep the curly wings inside because I don't want them to mix with outside flies. I don't get any smell from them, other than it smells like fresh hamster bedding.


----------



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

Labor and time involved= $$ ??

with all due respect Rick, anyway you cut the cake the hobby is just that... I see no point in that remark.

not free to someone's mom?

you've mistaken someone for a child still living under their parents roof? I'm a grown man with my own. Just so that's clear.

I do not know how financial got into this thread but I'm pretty sure its about breeding a type of fly...

I'm also sure for that same price for spikes plus shipping I could in fact have the supply I needed.


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

LAME said:


> Labor and time involved= $$ ??
> 
> with all due respect Rick, anyway you cut the cake the hobby is just that... I see no point in that remark.
> 
> ...


I know, we are talking about breeding flies, it was an innocent question you asked and wasnt deserving of any rude remarks. Kind advice would have been better.


----------



## LAME (May 4, 2015)

I do appreciate those few members with helpful advice. Thanks guys


----------



## MantidBro (May 4, 2015)

LAME said:


> I do appreciate those few members with helpful advice. Thanks guys


Yeah some advice was actually pretty awesome


----------



## Sticky (May 5, 2015)

What do you do with the wood chips and chicken feed? Isit mash or pellets? Thanks!



MikhailsDinos said:


> I use lots of wood chips and chicken feed. There is enough protein in that to get big blue bottles. Almost no smell, as long as you checking daily and making sure you add just the right amount of food to it. Just enough for them to eat in one day. Yes there wings are literally curly. You have to let any flying ones out of the container when you see them and let the curly winged ones keep breeding.
> 
> They wont lay there eggs on the food I make them. Use a small container with some paper towel and add milk. Change out daily and place paper towel on food for eggs to hatch and when they hatch remove paper towel. I only use the milk for them to lay. I don't use animal protein in the food I make for them.


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 5, 2015)

Its not just any chicken feed. You have to get the one with high calcium and protein. I also add whole grains to it. I add water and then add the wood chips and mix... done.


----------



## hibiscusmile (May 5, 2015)

I was gonna say that Rick, so in respect they are not free, and when u think of the time involved, great cost is involved, but hey go for it, u may like it

or may kick yourself to the curb like I did when I tried it and could not get close enough to harvest them due to the smell!!!


----------



## LAME (May 5, 2015)

MikhailsDinos, thanks for your help! Definitely going to just rear my own (despite others beliefs...) id rather have what I need on deck, than have to wait around and play " cat and mouse" with breeders and mail carrier goof ups.


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 5, 2015)

You welcome! I have small refrigerator full of pupa right now. Its not just the mantis that eat them, but the chameleons LOVE blue bottle flies.I also have 3 different species of roaches. So having free food is the only way for me and I enjoy breeding flies.


----------



## patrickfraser (May 5, 2015)

It's easy and saves money, plain and simple. Y'all nay-sayers can keep on spending excess cash on shipping feeders, but I will not. When shipping is more costly than what's being shipped, it's a NO GO for me.


----------



## bobericc (May 5, 2015)

When you live in a city slicker area and feed a lot of mantis, culturing BB isnt realistic.. I set up a trap in the summer time because i know someone working at a local meat market, i ask him to set a trap by their dumpsters every week. This is an ideal way to get bb for completely cost free lol except some pb a funnel and a 32oz soda bottle.


----------



## MantidBro (May 5, 2015)

LAME said:


> MikhailsDinos, thanks for your help! Definitely going to just rear my own (despite others beliefs...) id rather have what I need on deck, than have to wait around and play " cat and mouse" with breeders and mail carrier goof ups.


Agreed, id rather just have what i need right there.


----------



## MantidBro (May 5, 2015)

patrickfraser said:


> It's easy and saves money, plain and simple. Y'all nay-sayers can keep on spending excess cash on shipping feeders, but I will not. When shipping is more costly than what's being shipped, it's a NO GO for me.


Exactly


----------



## Jay (May 5, 2015)

Concerning the wood chips - both a high protein source and a high fiber source is needed for the fly larvae to develop effectively. Though milk is not always required for fly ovipositing (egg laying) either some fresh media that larvae have recently inhabited or milk-soaked tissue encourage the flies to lay in the correct location.

Out of curiosity, MikhailsDinos, where did you come across the curly-winged musca domestica?

The last time I got them they were shipped to me from England. The gentleman who shipped them to me had some secret vegetarian formula for his media - which smelled quite good - though I could never figure out what vegetable material would have enough protein and fiber for housefly larvae to live off of. I currently used blended Purina Puppy chow (high protein) with wheat bran - which seems to work great - though it does take a week for the culture to really start attracting flies in mass.

-Jay


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 5, 2015)

I got mine from the UK. Not many survived the trip. But they easy to breed and have lots now. You just cannot get the curly wings here in the US. So the only way is to breed. The mix I'm using has almost no smell and smells just like the medium they use in the UK. I'm sure it's very similar. I've been breeding flies now for 6 years and love testing new things and what I do now works so well my girl does not even notice the flies in the house. I think the fruit flies smell worse.

I'm glad someone else has them!


----------



## Jay (May 5, 2015)

MikhailsDinos said:


> I got mine from the UK. Not many survived the trip. But they easy to breed and have lots now. You just cannot get the curly wings here in the US. So the only way is to breed. The mix I'm using has almost no smell and smells just like the medium they use in the UK. I'm sure it's very similar. I've been breeding flies now for 6 years and love testing new things and what I do now works so well my girl does not even notice the flies in the house. I think the fruit flies smell worse.
> 
> I'm glad someone else has them!


Well.... I had them. I no longer raise these just because of the time requirement. Though raising and harvesting airborne houseflies can be a bit of a pain (transferring them in and out of the fridge), the time I spent on my curly-winged is what partially drove me out of the hobby the first time. Perhaps if I had everything automated, it would have not been so bad, but when it came down to flies vs. my wife and 4 children the choice was pretty obvious. Getting back into the hobby I had to ensure that the essential chores relating raising feeders required minimal attention and, more importantly, time.

If you have a really efficient system for starting up your curly-winged you should try supplying these to researchers. I had a lady doing research on frogs contact me a couple of years ago asking me if I still cultured the curly-winged variety. She needed a non-flying variant to get exact weight measurements for the flies in the study she was doing.


----------



## Sticky (May 5, 2015)

Mikhailsdinos, thank you thank you!! Ive been looking for something to raise bluebottles that dont stink. I live in an apartment complex and anything smelly is a big no no.


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 5, 2015)

Jay said:


> Well.... I had them. I no longer raise these just because of the time requirement. Though raising and harvesting airborne houseflies can be a bit of a pain (transferring them in and out of the fridge), the time I spent on my curly-winged is what partially drove me out of the hobby the first time. Perhaps if I had everything automated, it would have not been so bad, but when it came down to flies vs. my wife and 4 children the choice was pretty obvious. Getting back into the hobby I had to ensure that the essential chores relating raising feeders required minimal attention and, more importantly, time.
> 
> If you have a really efficient system for starting up your curly-winged you should try supplying these to researchers. I had a lady doing research on frogs contact me a couple of years ago asking me if I still cultured the curly-winged variety. She needed a non-flying variant to get exact weight measurements for the flies in the study she was doing.


That is interesting. I bet a lot of people could use them. They are nice to have, you just knock them back down the container and don't have to worry about them flying away.


----------



## MikhailsDinos (May 5, 2015)

Sticky said:


> Mikhailsdinos, thank you thank you!! Ive been looking for something to raise bluebottles that dont stink. I live in an apartment complex and anything smelly is a big no no.


You welcome! The maggots will always smell of ammonia and that is them killing Bacteria. I only can smell this if I get really close to the container.


----------



## PlayingMantis (May 5, 2015)

Last summer my folks were complaining about a maggot problem in their outdoor trash container. I took a look and yep, there were dozens upon dozens of maggots wiggling about, in the bottom of the container, feeding off the liquid that leaked from trash bags. Add in the summer heat, plus the humidity and rain, and it smelled to high heaven.

I live in an apartment so I can't really do any fly culturing. Though it's interesting to hear there are less smelly alternatives that work. But then again I won't have time...going to work, coming home late...so tired that I barely have energy to make dinner. Then I muster up whatever energy I have left to take care of my mantises If I had lots of time, and a nice big yard (yeah, right, like that's going to ever happen), I wouldn't mind giving a shot at culturing flies. Especially curly winged ones.


----------



## Jay (May 6, 2015)

PlayingMantis said:


> Last summer my folks were complaining about a maggot problem in their outdoor trash container. I took a look and yep, there were dozens upon dozens of maggots wiggling about, in the bottom of the container, feeding off the liquid that leaked from trash bags. Add in the summer heat, plus the humidity and rain, and it smelled to high heaven.
> 
> I live in an apartment so I can't really do any fly culturing. Though it's interesting to hear there are less smelly alternatives that work. But then again I won't have time...going to work, coming home late...so tired that I barely have energy to make dinner. Then I muster up whatever energy I have left to take care of my mantises If I had lots of time, and a nice big yard (yeah, right, like that's going to ever happen), I wouldn't mind giving a shot at culturing flies. Especially curly winged ones.


My outdoor housefly project takes up about a 12"x48" space. If your area gets warm during the day and cool at night you can sometimes come out in the morning and collect flies that came in the day before and stayed through the night - but are too cool to fly away. (=


----------

