I was only there for maybe 30 minutes, cause I had to get back for a meeting I barely remembered tonight, but he showed me how he does his stuff, and was very cool about everything.
He doesn't seem to have any secrets about how to do what and keep them from people so they have to buy from him.
He showed me how he makes his food, and told me how to raise my own flies, and gave me some 'layers' so I could do my own, and it was all very cool. Nice guy.
Not to sound demeaning at all, the operation was very simple, yet very effective. He knows what he's doing and has the place to do it, and does it, or so it seems.
I'm sure he has a ton of knowledge that may or may not be necessary for raising the flies, but it was funny how easy he makes it seem.
Spiders hanging from the ceiling all over the place, I before E except after C eh Phil
, and fruit flies buzzing around some of the food area. A heated room in the back where the house flies breed, and a room up front, that I didn't go into, that he said it filled with more fruitflies than I've probably ever seen.
Showed me the material he has the flies lay in, and what the maggots look like in it, and how he seperates the pupae from the bulk of the laying material and all that stuff. Makes it seem very simple and fast, the way he did it. Alot of screens, and little 'bins' like mortar men use to mix their mud in.
If you are interested, he said the recipe's for the food are on his web site.
I think in terms of the mantis food, but one day I'll have to pick his brain about spider venom, the medical uses, and other things related to the spiders.
What's kinda funny, you're wanting more warmer weather, but he had an issue cause it heated up there and a bunch of his pupae hatched out, leaving him without as much as he usually has on hand, but I can assure you, the flies were doing their best to correct that for him
Plus the heat isn't too good for my earthworms, so the evap cooler came out.
They are a couple thousand feet higher than the valley, so it's cooler there, but I wore no jacket or gloves at anytime, so it was a wonderful experience
If you get a chance, I suggest the ride B)
We got to chatting, he's the fire captain in town, and I am a hazmat class short of a fire science degree and was going to be an emt, from earlier college days, and I got carried away and left without paying, and when I went back he acted like, Oh, and you want to pay me too
Nice guy, loves his work.
I was in such a hurry to get up there, after remembering my 7 pm meeting and leaving at 2 pm here, and some of the road up there is 30 mph curvy single lane cliff hanger roads, that's why it's one of my favorite rides, and no way to really speed it up, so I didn't get to spend the time there I'd liked to have, and forgot my camera anyway, along with my tools I usually carry, so I didn't get pics, this time.
I had got a mantis from Peter last week, and asked where he got the flies he sent with it, and he told me of Spider Pharm, so I looked it up online to order, and wow, they were here in AZ, and on one of my favorite 'tours', so up the hill I went, and I'll probably do more business with him anyway
I feel like a lucky pup
Now if I could only get back to pup age again
Sorry if I got carried away, but it was an interesting 30 minutes, not to mention the trip through the old 1800's mining towns getting there. Oh yeah, and my mantis' are gorging themselves on the bounty
BTW Phil, a biker told me the best breakfast in the state can be had there in Yarnell
BTW BTW He has a bunch of hatched out flies, for anyone wanting flies just waiting to be eaten
