# Guys I'm rearing bottleflies indoors!



## agent A (Sep 23, 2022)

ok folks,
so I think I've cracked the code on rearing bottleflies indoors without stinking up the place
1: I have them in a grow tent
2: I add food in very slowly. A few ounces of wet dog food at a time. There have been no complaints of a bad odor!

I have a big sleeve net cube with the adults in it. I provide water, nectar I make, bee pollen, and crested gecko diet for them
about 2 weeks into adulthood, adults start ovipositing in the crestie food. Then, I move this to a bowl within a net cage that has a few spoonfuls of chicken or liver based wet dog food. I add more as they use it up. They leave the bowl and pupate in the net cage. I will get some pics of this tomorrow!


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## The Wolven (Sep 25, 2022)

agent A said:


> ok folks,
> so I think I've cracked the code on rearing bottleflies indoors without stinking up the place
> 1: I have them in a grow tent
> 2: I add food in very slowly. A few ounces of wet dog food at a time. There have been no complaints of a bad odor!
> ...


How do you remove the adults to feed them off? Also is your crestie food just in powder form or do you add water?


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## agent A (Sep 25, 2022)

The Wolven said:


> How do you remove the adults to feed them off? Also is your crestie food just in powder form or do you add water?


The cage has a sleeve
I will take pics later. I've had a busy weekend with a mental health crisis so it has to wait a few days

I add water to the crestie food!!!


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 29, 2022)

waiting...


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## The Wolven (Sep 29, 2022)

hibiscusmile said:


> waiting...


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## agent A (Sep 29, 2022)

hibiscusmile said:


> waiting...


this weekend I promise!!


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 30, 2022)

The Wolven said:


>



I love that!


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## The Wolven (Sep 30, 2022)

hibiscusmile said:


> I love that!


I grew up with Spongebob, so things like this immediately come to mind lol.

I can't remember what bottleflies Forked Tree Ranch sells, but they're in a different genus lol. The blue bottlefly that people usually purchase for their mantises is _Calliphora_ _vomitoria. _These guys are much bigger than what you sell. I'm pretty sure agentA's method refers to these flies as well. It would be pretty awesome if you started selling these guys instead.


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## The Wolven (Sep 30, 2022)

agent A said:


> this weekend I promise!!


Take your time lol. We won't die. Just don't want 2,000 years.


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## agent A (Sep 30, 2022)

The Wolven said:


> I grew up with Spongebob, so things like this immediately come to mind lol.
> 
> I can't remember what bottleflies Forked Tree Ranch sells, but they're in a different genus lol. The blue bottlefly that people usually purchase for their mantises is _Calliphora_ _vomitoria. _These guys are much bigger than what you sell. I'm pretty sure agentA's method refers to these flies as well. It would be pretty awesome if you started selling these guys instead.


forked tree ranch rears _Protophormia terraenovae_
I rear _Calliphora vomittoria_


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## agent A (Sep 30, 2022)

ok here we go!!





larvae, note the moderate level of food. don't overdo it!




fresh pupae




cages for the larvae side-by-side




cage for adults. I have 3 cups, 1 with water, 1 with nectar, 1 with maple syrup solution, a dish of bee pollen, and a dish for crested gecko diet!! they usually lay eggs in the gecko diet!


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## The Wolven (Sep 30, 2022)

That’s gross but cool lol. Wonder if ground up beans would work too? Probably would stink just as much though if not used in the proper amount.


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## agent A (Sep 30, 2022)

The Wolven said:


> That’s gross but cool lol. Wonder if ground up beans would work too? Probably would stink just as much though if not used in the proper amount.


i've tried plant protein, it doesn't work for these


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## Introvertebrate (Sep 30, 2022)

So you've taken through the complete life cycle? Those adults at the end produce viable eggs?


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 30, 2022)

The Wolven said:


> I grew up with Spongebob, so things like this immediately come to mind lol.
> 
> I can't remember what bottleflies Forked Tree Ranch sells, but they're in a different genus lol. The blue bottlefly that people usually purchase for their mantises is _Calliphora_ _vomitoria. _These guys are much bigger than what you sell. I'm pretty sure agentA's method refers to these flies as well. It would be pretty awesome if you started selling these guys instead.


I can't take on something else. This last year I started rearing in earnest superworms and meal worms and some other feeders, flys have to take care of them selves.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 30, 2022)

That is nice, make me some! I need 50,000


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## agent A (Sep 30, 2022)

hibiscusmile said:


> That is nice, make me some! I need 50,000


once I get things running better, sure!


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## hibiscusmile (Oct 2, 2022)

Goody!


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## agent A (Oct 3, 2022)

hibiscusmile said:


> Goody!


first adults emerging
slightly small but this was my first go at it indoors, so I'm satisfied!


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