Bluebottle fly issue

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Rick

Rick

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Seems lately I am having issues with these. Can't be my source because it doesn't seem to matter where I get them. The pupae have a lower hatch rate and many of the flies get stuck coming out or their wings never develop. I wonder if I am keeping them too warm or something? I have been putting the container near a heat source. That seems to be the only thing I am doing different in the last several months. <_<

 
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I'm thinking you may be right about keeping them near the heat source. I thought I read somewhere that BB's don't like a lot of heat. Maybe they are maturing too fast for their wings to have time to form properly. Try backing them away from the heat source and keep at normal room temp and see if it helps. Let us know, as I'm curious also how heat or different temps affect their maturation. ;)

 
Before I had this setup I just set them on the shelf at room temps and never had any problems. Now many of them get stuck as they come out or end up deformed and die soon after. I will try keeping them cooler.

 
Rick said:
Before I had this setup I just set them on the shelf at room temps and never had any problems. Now many of them get stuck as they come out or end up deformed and die soon after. I will try keeping them cooler.
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Yep. With Katt's help, I think that you have solved yr own problem, Rick. On one occasion I needed a batch to eclose ASAP, used a light bulb and had the same problem. I have also found that when I keep them in a net cube, they need a lot more ambient humidity than HFs. Emerging with "crinkled wings" appears to be much more common with BBs than with HFs. I have deliberately let them eclose in a container where the mesh lid touched the pupae and ended up with a nice batch on flightless BBs. :D

 
I use a lot of bbs and I must agree with Becky. I have good hatch results at room temp. I also use Mantis Place's fly system, again with great results. I also keep them in the fridge as adults. The bbs stay alive much longer and bounce back much better than hfs, when it comes to this. At least this has been my experience. Good luck Rick.

 
I have heat lamps hanging from inside my shelf for my uromastyx. Mantids are above it so the heat rises. I have the bb's over one of the bulbs to catch the heat.

 
Not the case here Rick, the only time I see this is if the pupae is gettin old, or older than is good for them. I keep mine right over a baseboard heater. I set them there each morning about 500 in a container, the next morning, they have hatched and are doing fine. The heater is 8" from them and they are setting on a tray. At least thats my experience with them and I hatch about 1000 or 2000 per day. Now if I don't need them in a hurry, I just set on a shelf to let hatch above this, only I don't really think they hatch as good for me that way, but who knows, I could just be lucky! hah! sure ... lucky <_<

 
hibiscusmile said:
Not the case here Rick, the only time I see this is if the pupae is gettin old, or older than is good for them. I keep mine right over a baseboard heater. I set them there each morning about 500 in a container, the next morning, they have hatched and are doing fine. The heater is 8" from them and they are setting on a tray. At least thats my experience with them and I hatch about 1000 or 2000 per day. Now if I don't need them in a hurry, I just set on a shelf to let hatch above this, only I don't really think they hatch as good for me that way, but who knows, I could just be lucky! hah! sure ... lucky <_<
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I have noticed the very old ones hatch like this. However, in this case it is all of them.

 
Well could they all be old? or older? I noticed in the other feedback section, that u purchased from jadabait. From what I can recall, they buy the spikes off of forked tree ranch, I may be wron, but they used to have a link page and it was one of theirs. I called Pam to comfirm this as before whe wanted me to purchase off of them because they were closer to me, I did not, only because the spikes would of then have been handled 3 times over the two. As I said I could be wrong and when Pam gets back to me I can update this, but that is what I remember, and we all know my memory is..... shoot, lost it again :angry:

 
hibiscusmile said:
Well could they all be old? or older? I noticed in the other feedback section, that u purchased from jadabait. From what I can recall, they buy the spikes off of forked tree ranch, I may be wron, but they used to have a link page and it was one of theirs. I called Pam to comfirm this as before whe wanted me to purchase off of them because they were closer to me, I did not, only because the spikes would of then have been handled 3 times over the two. As I said I could be wrong and when Pam gets back to me I can update this, but that is what I remember, and we all know my memory is..... shoot, lost it again :angry:
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Maybe. Though they seemed very lively. The batch I had before came as pupae and they had the same issue. Guess where I got those? :p

 
Could of been me! I pupae most of my own and then put in fridge... but we all know stuff u get is older by the time it reaches you, u r out in cyberspace here on earth, so yea they are out most probably longer then normal, not sure though.... one can never tell. Personally, I perfer them to be crippled, I know, I'm bad! But I dont have to chase as many when they can just walk and the mantis spit the wins out anyw, wish someone would develope the bbs with no wings, wouldn't that be Kool! Oh here comes one now, gotta get me net! :huh:

 
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I have noticed that they dont like extra heat when hatching. Just keep them at room temp. I have also found that when pupae are stuck to each other the flies hardly have good wings, and most are messed up.

I personally like crinkled winged flies, but the gongylus do not. They would rather starve than eat a walking insect! :wacko: (they inherit this trait as they become older and are especially notorious about this as adults)

 
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I talked to Pam and she said she does not supply Ja da Bait! Humm, makes one wonder why she suggested I buy from there, she said they were closer to me,.... Do ya think she no likie me? :eek: NO! Impossible, she just not admitting it! :rolleyes:

 
I have been buying from Ja da recently, and like them a lot. VERY cheap. The flies are a different kind of bluebottle, noticeably larger, but take a little bit longer to hatch.

 
hibiscusmile said:
I talked to Pam and she said she does not supply Ja da Bait! Humm, makes one wonder why she suggested I buy from there, she said they were closer to me,.... Do ya think she no likie me? :eek: NO! Impossible, she just not admitting it! :rolleyes:
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I always have this issue when they are old but never right off the bat. Once the new batch from you gets here I will see what happens.

 

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