Cooking Pupea

Hi guys,

While I was out fishing the other day I left a note for the mail lady to leave my fly pupae order on the front porch so I would have some flies when I got home that night. I think they might have sat half a day in full sun in their priority box. Do you think this will kill the pupae or render them non viable?

It would seem they don't want to hatch out now.

I think I need to order more pupae. It has been a few days for my gongys. I think I cut this order a little close and now am left without flies and need to order more.

I have been feeding crickets and mels for the last few days but this doesn't seem to satisfy some of the mantids like the idolos who have huge claws and the gongys. Also I don't like to put the crickets in the net cages for fear they will eat holes in them.

I see one of my pupae hatched into a house fly after 2 full days. Does it sound line they won't hatch out at all?

I'm surprised any hatch out. Around here even one hour in the sun would kill em. I sometimes get batches this time of year that died from the heat in the back of my mailmans truck.

Thanks Rick.

Well good thing I went out and bought some hydei even though I'm waiting for my first hydei culture to explode. Also got more small crickets.

Will have to order my flies with cold packs now. That's the first time I haven't been home to get them. Will surely happen more in the future.

Hey let me know if you need that European too. She's doing well. If I had to guess I'd say young adult cause she's not fat at all yet. Shoot me a PM if you want her.

Is it wise to over order pupae and store them in the fridge for more than a week?

Some will last two weeks in fridge, in warmest spot, check with thermo....... to see where that would be.

Thanks guys. It's tough being a newbie lol The learning curve is always crazy with all my hobbies.

Since you live in Cal, your best bet is probably to buy them from SpiderPharm which is in AZ very close to the CA border.

Chuck and Anita have a phone number on their site and you can call before noon or so and they'll send them out that day and automatically (in AZ, natch) include an ice pack, though it will be melted by the end of that day and the flies' period of vulnerability to heat is when they are placed in the USPS van for delivery. One way to avoid that is to rent a P.O. box and pick up the package yourself in Air Conditioned Comfort.

You might want to try buying 20G, which will come in two 10G bags , one for the gongies and one for the fridge. Chuck recommends pulling the bag out of the fridge for a few hours every few days -- just be sure to remember to put 'em back! Trearted like that, as Rebecca says, they should last for about two weeks.

I eclose mine in a 12" net cage which has a well sprayed paper bottom (Spiderpharm provides enough paper to cover two cages!) a small pot filled with sphagnum moss and water, a lid containing sugar and powdered milk (or buttermilk if you want them up to their fighting weight ). The flies will live happily in there for at least two weeks if you are careful to mist at least daily and slurp some honey on top of the net cage. They love it and will clean it up without leaving a trace.

Good luck!

Oh dang I should know that. Cold packs don't last but a few hours anyways. I'm a bonehead.

You know.. You'd think someone who has a bunch of fly eating mantids would have done all his research on their food before buying them! Sheesh I really did it this time lol.

Hopefully the mantids will forgive me for their fly break.

I really do appreciate the info guys, it's good info for others too. Thanks for the enlightenment. My feeders care and stock etc will have to come first to keep the mantids happy at all times from now on. I never saw it that way until now. It's like how I have to breed the chameleon feeders and stuff them with all kinds of stuff and then powder coat them and this and that to keep the chameleons well diversified and active.

Chuck does not freeze his cold packs, he says that they also absorb heat: blink: , he may be right, I dunno?!!