D. Hydei suddenly die off?

[Extrememantid]

Hi...

So only about a week and a half to two weeks ago did all the hydei hatch and were hundreds.. Now there are five! Do they die off then hatch multiple times? I haven't noticed and white pupae crawling around... Please help me out with this!

-Cole

 

[Vlodek]

That's normal for D. hydrei. They all come out as a specific life stage (egg, larvae, pupae or adult). It seems that since all of your adult are dead now you have eggs and 1st instar larvae. In next 10-14 days they should change into pupae.

 

[DinehCaveman]

hydei definitely hatch out in spurts there can be a waiting period of about a week if there weren't that many maggots to begin with. Cultures usually take two weeks or more to get established. If you can see the darkened pupas, you will have flies soon. When I purchase a hydei culture I make another one about 2 1/2 weeks after.

 

[Extrememantid]

That's normal for D. hydrei. They all come out as a specific life stage (egg, larvae, pupae or adult). It seems that since all of your adult are dead now you have eggs and 1st instar larvae. In next 10-14 days they should change into pupae.

I already had adults that died off though??

 

[Extrememantid]

hydei definitely hatch out in spurts there can be a waiting period of about a week if there weren't that many maggots to begin with. Cultures usually take two weeks or more to get established. If you can see the darkened pupas, you will have flies soon. When I purchase a hydei culture I make another one about 2 1/2 weeks after.

How can i make another culture in the future?

 

[Vlodek]

I already had adults that died off though??

Well if adult were old then they died out living new generation.

D. hydrei are tricky to work with. They reproduce slow and it can take 3-6 weeks for one cycle to complete. If you keep all cultures at the same temperatures (even if you have few). they will have larvae or flies the same age. If you want to have a steady supply of flies keep one culture in 70F and another at 85-90F. That way when one of the culture is out of flies the other should have fresh adults.

If I were you I would order a D. melanogaster culture. When a cultures is at least 10-14 day old you will have a swarm of flies. You will also have a constant supply of flies since new adult hatch every day.

 

[Extrememantid]

Ok thanks.. I have no reason to get D. Melanogaster because my mantids aren't small enough but when I get smaller nymphs I will..

 

[hibiscusmile]

check out the fruit fly thread, it is full of culture info.