keeping houseflys

[mrblue]

nice! this has turned into a really helpful thread!

 

[The_Asa]

i forgot to ask actually, whats the best food to gut-load flys with for mantids?and also, i know refidgerating slows down fruit flys. but how do i deal with getting the larger, much quicker house flys from the container into the mantids tank without any/too many escapes?

Darkspeed answered the question of feeding them, I also like to feed them bananas. You can also refrigerate the houseflies to slow them down. Just leave them in the fridge a little longer.

 

[darkspeed]

I have wanted to start a house fly culture for quite some time, and kinda fell into it when I finally did. I'll document my process the next time around.

As for transfering them refrigeration is the best way. Some people put them in the freezer for a few minutes, but forget about them and they are done for, wheras in the frige they will just sit there an shiver till you remember them lol.

I keep my mantises in deli cups, and I always transfer my flies to one with a hole in the lid first, and then place the fly cup on top of the open mantis cup and wait for the flies to venture out of their cup into the mantis cup. they usually dont last long after that, and if multiples transfer you simply slide the mantis cup lid between the two and then return the sponge to the hole in the fly cup. I usually have an escapee or two regardless, but I dont refrigerate, and I am pretty good at catching the fugitives. I gots me a net.

 

[mrblue]

i use a net fully (let them fly out of their tank into the net, and then out of the net into the mantis container. same with wild caught flies/moths/bumblebees etc) as my fly tank is too big for the fridge <_<

 

[Thorska]

i've now got alot of very fat maggots getting ready to pupate and the right containers set up, thanks alot for the help guys! got a few mantids that are now far too large for fruit flys and it was becoming a big pain making sure they was properly fed, no good feeding a sub-adult budwing females on fruit flys unless you put loads in