# Flies not hatching!



## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

So I just got my new shipment of mantids and flies.

But the flies I have have not been hatching and its been almost 48 hours

My violins have gone stir crazy and I think a meal will calm them down. But aside that, the rest need food. I cant rely on moths outside anymore becasue they are harder to find in summer. These are house flies. How long do they take to eclose?   

Thanks to all


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## agent A (Feb 11, 2012)

i've seen it take up to 4 days

give them a few days, once they start they dont stop lol


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

Ya. I caught a small hummingbird moth last night and fed it to my female ghost. Then I caught a smaller moth and fed it to my adult Female Popa. So I need more food. But finding moths takes about 45 minutes every night


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## angelofdeathzz (Feb 11, 2012)

keep them warmish(78-80) for quicker hatching if needed.


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

Ok I put them next to my Orchid (85)


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## gripen (Feb 11, 2012)

yeah mine take about 4 days to hatch.


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

Well I guess my gongies will have to wait.


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## sinensispsyched (Feb 11, 2012)

Hertarem45- Where do you live? In Buffalo, there's snow on the ground, and absolutely NO bugs.


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## angelofdeathzz (Feb 11, 2012)

I always run a tester group as soon as I get my pupae from Rebecca to see how long they will take, even if I have a bunch already hatched from the last order. Some hatch the next day some take 4-5 days, but once you know you can adjust to suit your needs, like maybe leaving the whole order(500-1000) out for a day or two before putting them back in the fridge so when I need them there ready in a very short a time.


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## gripen (Feb 11, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Hertarem45- Where do you live? In Buffalo, there's snow on the ground, and absolutely NO bugs.


+1 its snowing in Boston!


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

sinensispsyched said:


> Hertarem45- Where do you live? In Buffalo, there's snow on the ground, and absolutely NO bugs.


No I live in Pasadena

Its cold but actaully winter is the season of the Flat House Moth . So they are everywhere here


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## frogparty (Feb 11, 2012)

Last time I ordered flies from rebecca I had a ZERO hatch rate even after ten days. I now order from grubco and they hatch within 72 hours @ 90%+ hatch rate.

I order 500 count, and pupate half immediately, and half 2 weeks later. I just keep the adults alive at 70 degrees with feedings of honey and bee pollen


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## CoolMantid (Feb 11, 2012)

I ordered them from Carey. They usually hatch for me. But they do it sooner.

I will keep the adults in the fridge while takign them out 3 times a day to warm the up and feed them. But they need to hatch first. LOL


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## frogparty (Feb 11, 2012)

Yeah I feel ya.


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## angelofdeathzz (Feb 11, 2012)

Yep, I had a problem with a batch from her also, got a little worried there as Idolo don't like crickets much.


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## dlemmings (Feb 11, 2012)

I have ordered my last 3-4 flys from Carey (thanks for the rush delivery last week!! Carey)

I do find their hatch rates vary...I am sure due to the flux in temp during delivery (although she did use cold pacs) and normal weater fluctuations just prior to her shipping, and different pupation rates in each batch. But the Blue Bottles hatch faster and more consistantly than the house flys for me. I will not order house flys next round since they are smaller that I really need and they dont stay "sluggish" as long as BBF do when I fridge them before feeding. one thing I learned is now I order BBF pupa AND spikes, so the spikes can be refrigerated and then taken out to pupate then frigerated again beore taking out to eclose. so I am getting more constant hatches and can "gut-load" on honey &amp; BBfood for a few days.

so now when I get the order I refrigerate about half the batch, leave the other half out 1-2 days and depending on how many hatch I will fridge the appropriate remainders and keep them seperate from the other fridge group, taking some from each group dailey to have a good spread on hatches. I keep "new hatched" in one 32oz deli and the "fed" ones in another and the "old" ones over 3-4 days in last container (so I can move the "fed"s to the "olds" after feeding mantids, then moving "news" to the "fed" container for 3-4 days)


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## meaganelise9 (Feb 11, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> I ordered them from Carey. They usually hatch for me. But they do it sooner.
> 
> I will keep the adults in the fridge while takign them out 3 times a day to warm the up and feed them. But they need to hatch first. LOL


I recently got some from Carey that aren't hatching. I only got about 3 or 4 flies out of them in a week.


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Oh I hope not!


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Ok! no flies have hatched. I am getting kind a nervous cause I have 11 mouths to feed! (I know doesnt sound like a lot but an adult female who I am trying to gut load ofr mating with no flies is hard)

Im gonna buy some new flies tonight. (Mantis Place)


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## frogparty (Feb 12, 2012)

You should try grubco or spiderpharm. Both are fantastic resources


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## patrickfraser (Feb 12, 2012)

Fly shortages SUCK! I'm currently waiting on some BB to hatch and I will be in the clear. My fly production was majorly affected by some recent colder weather. The weather has been great _more _recently and I have loads of GB and BB maggots "brewing" and lots of maggots making their "exodus" to pupate. I just need this first batch of fresh pupae to hatch and I'm back in business.


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## agent A (Feb 12, 2012)

if u live in a warm area, get dry indoor catfood, wet it, put it in a bowl, set it outside for flies to lay eggs on, and in about 3 weeks u will have fully grown maggots if after a few days u put the bowl in a bucket so nothing other than maggots eat the catfood, cornmeal underneath this is good for pupation

patrickfraser has a whole topic on it


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Well i saw some flies in my female Popas cage only. I am still waitng for more to hatch in the other cages


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

i've put thme on a heat mat and they have been hatching by the dozens!!!!! AAAAGGGGH. Well all my mantids are eating so thanks to all!!!!


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## agent A (Feb 12, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> i've put thme on a heat mat and they have been hatching by the dozens!!!!! AAAAGGGGH. Well all my mantids are eating so thanks to all!!!!


Good

I fed my flies honey and they've reduced it to a hard, sugary lump  

Will have to get pics to illustrate wat I mean...


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

lol please do


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## patrickfraser (Feb 12, 2012)

Here is the "crop" from today.

These are the Blue Bottles.







And these are the Green Bottles (not as many, but enough)


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Do you pluck out the cocoons


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## agent A (Feb 12, 2012)

Do u sell maggots? I wouldn't mind getting a few hundred of each next time I need to feed my guys


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Agent A- This is random. But I glanced at your signature and its seems shorter? As of right now or something?


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## patrickfraser (Feb 12, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> Do you pluck out the cocoons


I leave them together and put them in the fridge for keeping. As I pull out maggots to pupate I just try to get as many as I can that have already pupated. Having a few pupae in with the maggots helps to signal the impending hatch once all have pupated.


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## agent A (Feb 12, 2012)

Hertarem45 said:


> Agent A- This is random. But I glanced at your signature and its seems shorter? As of right now or something?


All my pseudoharpax r dead

Now my question is, if I got maggots that were abt to pupate, wat do I put them in to pupate in?


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

Aww im sorry


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 12, 2012)

I dont get to read all the post, but my bbs take longer to hatch then most as I pupae them myself, so you always get fresh fly pupae, not outdated and ready to die pupae and they take just as long for me to hatch, what u have to do it order before you have to have them hatch, u cannot wait till the last minute and then order, that only insures u get a late hatch. now sometimes the supplier will be sending early or late maggots, it all depends on them. You all do know that grubco gets their blue bottle maggots from the same place I do? Also Chuck always sends a nice order and I buy off of him two times a month, but the other two are off someone else who raise them just for me. Notice one week fly pupae will be smaller and light brown, next week bigger and dark brown, 2 different suppliers, to insure I never run out of flies. But some flies are fresher than others, is why most times, one pupae shipment will hatch sooner than another. But here is something you all need to realize is that if their flies and my flies did not hatch, where did we get new flies from?


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## hibiscusmile (Feb 12, 2012)

here is pic of the different flies:

http://mantidforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=7094&amp;st=140


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## angelofdeathzz (Feb 12, 2012)

patrickfraser said:


> I leave them together and put them in the fridge for keeping. As I pull out maggots to pupate I just try to get as many as I can that have already pupated. Having a few pupae in with the maggots helps to signal the impending hatch once all have pupated.


I have a mind bending question! Do you wash your hands after or just lick your finger's like a real man... :lol: You my friend, made me hungry for chicken fried rice!


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## CoolMantid (Feb 12, 2012)

I lick my fingers lol!


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## patrickfraser (Feb 13, 2012)

agent A said:


> Now my question is, if I got maggots that were abt to pupate, wat do I put them in to pupate in?


I keep them in corn meal and if they are really "juicy" I have some masa flour for tortillas that I add and it wicks them dry in no time.


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## dlemmings (Feb 13, 2012)

I ran out of cornmeal and used italian style bread crumbs...no problems so far and I like to imagine the hatched BB smell like a nice exotic meal!!!


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