Bugatorium

[revmdn]

Awesome.

 

[Katnapper]

It looks GREAT Rebecca!!!

You have so much room and it's so organized, I'm jealous.

 

[Rick]

Wow. I am most curious about how you feed and water everyone. That seems to take the longest.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Thanks Kat, it took a lot of sweat and tears to get it here, and best of all I paid for it, labor and all Myself!

The feeding is actually the fastest chore I have now, Rick. One would never believe it, it use to take almost 6 hours, now I am down to 2.5 if I feed them all or 1.5 in the am and the other 1 at night. I have streamlined it and am most happy with it now, I even get time to laugh at some of the things they do.

Also cleaning their cages used to take a whole day or two, now I feed and clean on thur. and it only takes about 3 hrs. That's what I do best is organaziation and figuring out how to make it simple. Took me a couple years, but I got it down pat now.

Sorry if I sound proud, it's just I worked so long and hard on this and I am so happy with it, I can't help myself. If you saw what I worked in for years before, u would understand why. The room was an L shape, about 6' x 10 x 6 x 8' and all the mantis and feeders were in there and no windows and no air and no room for anyones butt but mine

! I use to drop things so much, I usually came out of there bent over

and needing one of these to get around in! :tt2:

 

[beginner entomologist]

Well, It's official! I am a slob.

I now have a summer project! You've inspired me! I'm gonna tear apart my "bug room" and completely redo it. It's currently just housing 3 different species of roach and a "few" dozen dead insect display cases and 2 pinning tables. I am forced to keep all my mantids in my bedroom because I'm afraid that the no pest strips that I put in the display cases will harm the mantids.

Any ideas on solving this problem?

Thanks for giving me all these crazy ideas hibiscusmile!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Cant u use diatomaearth in the pinning boxes? This way it will kill the beetles and hopefully not get out to the mantis.

that was funny, official slob

 

[hibiscusmile]

I got some new house flies today, well pupae, and I took some pics of them with the new ones from Chuck. Notice the different sizes,

These really looked good when they showed up today, I am so tickled to of found them....

I am offering 1 order free to all forum members with just the price of 6.50 shipping that I charge for fly shipping. They will go out monday, tue and wed next week depending on when u order them. I have took the same amount of each and placed in my bottles to hatch, I can't wait to see these new flies! wahoo!

Just email me at himantis@ yahoo.com or send the 6.50 at www.paypal.com to me at [email protected]. Then let us know how the flies do! I havent had them hatch yet, but they were very fresh when I got them, so by monday they should hatch. If something changes or I don't see them hatch I will refund, but I don't see that happening. Also if u regulary get flies from me, make sure u leave me a note so I can include the free ones too!!! Please don't be shy about ordering, this offer is just for mantisforum members!

 

[PhilinYuma]

A very interesting post, Rebecca. I too have noticed that Chuck's fly pupae (anyone's I imagine), vary in size. There are several possible reasons for this. Remember that in nature, flies, like everyone else, are there to reproduce, not win a place in the Guinness Book of Records for their size, so size in itself does not make any difference to the success of the species.

The easiest way to produce a supply of pupae of the same size is to remove the breeding medium a day or two after the flies start laying, so that the larvae are about all the same age. (I never do this myself. It is extremely wasteful of medium). With a homogeneous population like this, you can grow maximum sized flies by letting them pupate when they are ready, or produce smaller pupae/flies by "flooding" the medium with water before the maggots are ready to pupate. They will flee the water, which would drown them, climb to a drier area, and, without food, pupate, producing smaller flies.

I have chatted with Chuck about the problems introduced by the changes made over the last year in dry dog food (beef and lamb meal are out; chicken is in) and the considerable effort that he has expended in trying to make an optimal feed mix, adding things like carotene and one egg to every 5 gals of medium (!). I suspect, though, that in this case, the smaller pupae represent a shorter growth period due to higher temp. I shall call him tomorrow, and then make a post explaining why I was wrong!

Fortunately, Chuck sells his pupae by weight, so if they are smaller, you get more per gram!

 

[Rick]

Sure they are not bluebottles?

 

[hibiscusmile]

Rick, not blue bottle, should of took pic of it too, I will today.

Thanks Phil, please don't tell Chuck I am cheating on him

. These are not his

. I bad girl.

But really don't tell him.

I was not really refering to the diff in size to indicate good or bad producing pupae, just wanted to point out the difference in it. The ones I got were really fresh and wet, I mixed them with cornmeal and the end product is like the picture. You guys gonna try them?

This was by weight too. I order 600 grams from him and 600 from this new supplier.

 

[hibiscusmile]

Well I only had two people who wanted to try the new flies, thats too bad, I told hubby he had to help eat the extra and for some unknown reason, he woke up today feeling really bad.

 

[hibiscusmile]

It seems like no one is listening anymore, I guess I will talk to myself! hey self! Yea, wahts up? Did I tell you about the time..... No and I don't wanna hear it now either :tt2:

 

[Ricky Ortiz]

I want some free flys

 

[Rick]

Speaking of flies I need to go order some.

 

[hibiscusmile]

So those of you who got the new flies, Let me know how u like them when they hatch!

 

[[email protected]]

The flies are good, mantis love them. I think these are even more ninja like than others h34r: h34r: h34r: h34r: Had one escape and have yet to kill/catch him... Thanks for the flies!

 

[Rick]

So those of you who got the new flies, Let me know how u like them when they hatch!

Are they the small ones? You sent a small cup that has very small pupa in it. I was at critical stage and since many of the bb's hatched in the box I was able to feed everyone. Usually I hate when that happens but this time it was a good thing. :lol:

 

[hibiscusmile]

HAHA, yea probably, send so many I forget. I was out of my bbpupae so had to send hers! Hers is always older.

 

[davestreasurechest]

hatched in normal time and are the small houseflies perfect for hungry nymphs that bb are too big and hydei to small! thank you!

So those of you who got the new flies, Let me know how u like them when they hatch!

 

[PhilinYuma]

So those of you who got the new flies, Let me know how u like them when they hatch!

I like 'em Rebecca, and they like me. The adults aren't noticeably different in size from the others. I'm training them for the Great Fly Food Experiment starting tomorrow!