Care of bluebottles

[mampam]

Hello my mantids prefer flying food to crickets so I am hatching bluebottles from castors sold as fishing bait. What should I feed the flies on before I feed them to my mantids? Thanks.

 

[Sticky]

I give mine honey and a light spritz of water. I like the deli lids with wire mesh because I can wipe some honey through the mesh.

 

[Katattack]

Hello my mantids prefer flying food to crickets so I am hatching bluebottles from castors sold as fishing bait. What should I feed the flies on before I feed them to my mantids? Thanks.

Flies are the meal of choice in my house, too.

So did you just buy maggots at a bait shop?

I need flies and it's too chilly to catch them here now.

 

[Katattack]

Or larva is maybe the better word?

 

[Rick]

I feed the flies honey.

 

[Darkrai283]

Hello my mantids prefer flying food to crickets so I am hatching bluebottles from castors sold as fishing bait. What should I feed the flies on before I feed them to my mantids? Thanks.

Did you buy them as casters? Here in the UK, casters sold as fishing bait are treated to kill the developing fly inside the pupa to extend their shelf-life... usually by freezing them so they will never hatch out. I'm not sure if this is the case in the US though.

Also avoid buying coloured maggots just to be on the safe side- just in case there are any harmful chemicals in the dyes themselves.


To answer your question, I feed my flies watered down honey after they have hatched out.

 

[dlemmings]

HONEY

 

[mampam]

They were UK castors but they are hatching very well. Thanks for the advice my flies are now full of honey!