None of my bluebottle pupae are hatching...

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wetterdew

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I can't take this any more!  I've ordered two sets of bluebottle pupae, each from a different popular online mantis vendor.  The first one took 2 days longer to arrive than it was supposed to, and none of the pupae ever hatched.  I guessed it was because it took so long to arrive.

But this Wednesday I got my second set of pupae, which only took 2 days of shipping, so I thought they'd be fine.  Well, it's Saturday now and still none of them have hatched.  And I'm worried that I won't be able to feed my 5 fully grown mantises now.  Sure I can use other bugs, but they're nowhere near as convenient as flies.  Should I just keep waiting?  I thought bluebottle pupae were supposed to hatch within 1 or 2 days.  I remember my first set of pupae taking nowhere near this long.

 
You bought the pupae right? Not the maggot? If they only just transformed into pupae from maggot it takes about 2 weeks to turn into a fly. Mostly if you buy pupae they should hatch in 2-3 days. I haven't really known any case of a pupae not hatching. Unless if they were frozen or smth..

 
SpaceWolf said:
You bought the pupae right? Not the maggot? If they only just transformed into pupae from maggot it takes about 2 weeks to turn into a fly. Mostly if you buy pupae they should hatch in 2-3 days. I haven't really known any case of a pupae not hatching. Unless if they were frozen or smth..
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Ah okay, I'll keep waiting then!  I'll use cockroaches in the meantime.

 
Yeah that's very weird. I ordered some and a few even hatched on the way to my house! These were houseflys so it could be different but I believe they are similar in hatching

 
I'd just order new ones from a different website in the meantime while you wait.Or maybe email the store you bought them from, asking if they actually still transform because some fishing shops freeze the pupae and I think they die in that process. 

 
Eyy you were right, they mostly hatched today.  I was panicking because my last batch didn't hatch at all, hm.  I guess that one was just a fluke.

 
Lately I am having a bit of a different problem with blue bottle pupae. I take out what I need to hatch and some(few actually) hatch just fine but most struggle to get out of the case and die because they cannot. Some that manage to get out are deformed or the abdomen is very emaciated looking. Anyone ever see this or know what causes It?

 
Pat Stauffer said:
Lately I am having a bit of a different problem with blue bottle pupae. I take out what I need to hatch and some(few actually) hatch just fine but most struggle to get out of the case and die because they cannot. Some that manage to get out are deformed or the abdomen is very emaciated looking. Anyone ever see this or know what causes It?
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I'd say to maybe give them a little spray of water to help them get out.

 
@Pat StaufferHmm interesting. Maybe try to warm them up? Or you can always help them get out by pushing them out yourself 

 
I have them under a heat lamp. I have other containers of house as well as bb flies that are hatching normally so far. There just seems to be something odd about these. Some that did hatch and manage to get out had wings that were curled up on the ends.

 
@Pat Stauffer and @Connor, I have this happen sometimes.  Not entirely sure why, but I have sort of guessed it's due to the pupae being quite old by the time I pull them out of the fridge, like 3+ weeks.  Hatch rate goes down, but perhaps success rate of those that do hatch also goes down?  This is just my theory.  Do you know how old the pupae were?

Also if you have them under a heat lamp, Pat, is it possible they are drying out too much?  Not sure.  I hatch mine at room temperature.  If they start to hatch but get stuck, it's probably too late to try and add moisture though.  I do pull them the rest of the way out myself if needed, and sometimes their legs and wings end up okay, or sometimes they can walk but not fly, and other times their legs are misshapen or stuck together and they can't walk at all.

 
Room temp is best to hatch them, or a little colder.  I have found if I kept mine in my "bug room" they often have trouble hatching fully or their wings get all screwy.  I figured it was due to the heat.  I hatch them in another room that stays room temp or colder now.  I don't worry about it getting too cold as they seem to hatch just fine in the fridge if they have been in there too long.

I asked my supplier why they could be having issues hatching and he said it could happen if I was keeping the maggots in the fridge too long before allowing them to pupate.  They could spend too much of their energy that would normally be used to develop and hatch properly.  That is exactly what I was doing in an effort to extend the life of my supply before having to re-order.  Now I just buy the pupae in bulk from them instead of maggots and have not had any issues since, other than the last cup or 2 hatching in their containers in the fridge if I do not use or sell them fast enough.

 

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