House Flies

[Macano]

Anyone have experience with small cultures of these? I was thinking of finding a local bait shop that had a few maggots and starting a small culture. I have found culture kits for them and maggots online, but the maggots usually come in HUGE batches. Any advice?

 

[Chris Dickie]

I have thought about this in the past, the main problem is most maggots feed on rotting flesh which would be slightly smelly inside to say the least

 

[Macano]

I believe there are cultures for houseflies based on vegetables that don't smell so bad (and I would guess are safer for the mantid). But yeah, smell and just the "gross" factor of it is big deterrent. :?

 

[Jesse]

I have a book that has recipes for breeding flies without using rotten meat, but I don't have it in front of me at the moment. I use blowflies but I buy them as maggots and take a number out at a time and let them pupate and hatch as flies. The maggots last up to a month or more in the fridge.

 

[Macano]

Once I buy the maggots, what should I do with them to allow them to pupate?And any special instructions to keep them in the fridge? (My wife is gonna leave me I swear lol)

 

[Jesse]

Take out however many you need to feed your critters in one day, put them in a separate container. They pupate in 1 day or so and hatch after 5-9 days. Leave the maggots in the container and substrate they come in and just keep them refridgerated.

 

[Macano]

Well, I called every single bait shop in the phone directory withing a 45 mile radius, and not one single shop carries maggots. I'd catch flies from outside except that it's still a bit cold for them to be out yet. I may just give in and order 150(!) from cricketranch.com That seems to be the smallest amount I can find. Bah.

 

[Guest]

Hi Peeps,

Have just hatched out a load myself, but all got eaten before I had a chance to breed them! I have a book in front of me, with two alternate recipies, here goes:

1. Boil 1,300 cc water after 54 grams of agar has been added. Mix water with 265 grams of yeast, and 265 grams of milk powder. Sprincle shvings or saw dust in the mixture.

2. Filla jar with 20-30mm of water, dried dog biscuit, bran and wood shavings.

Hope this helps, although personally I think it is to much hard work as you can go out and buy several hundred for 60p!

Cheers,

Ian

 

[Macano]

Just an update. I ordered a gram (about 100 pupae) of house flies a few weeks ago. I've been keeping them in the fridge in a bottle, and putting about 15 every two days into a cup with netting on top, and keeping that cup at room temp. After about 6 days or so, voila I find a bunch of flies in the cup. I've just been feeding them right away to my mantids (the picky ones love these) but have been debating giving them some sort of food to up their nutritional value. But all in all it's been very easy.