Techinques for Feeder Flies

[sporeworld]

Here's another odd-ball contraption I put together to deal with an enclosure with just TOO MANY flies. Kind of a FlyHut.

I cut a hole in the bottom of a delicup...

Then cut the top off a water bottle and jammed it in the openning...

I glued the cut bottle in place...

Loaded with fly food (as a lure)...

Then popped a lid on it...

And plugged it into a feeding port.

Flies were into the hut about 2 minutes later. Once it was relatively full, I put it in the freezer for 4 minutes, and removed the flies (they went into a neighboring enclosure).

I'm keeping the "hut" in place over night, as the hole is too small for a large Idolo to crawl through.

Thoughts...?

 

[hibiscusmile]

OK, for my math to be right, I have to make a few assumptions. Correct me if I'm wrong...

Assumption: Spikes that arrive with a cold pack, start the 4-day countdown the day they arrive.

Assumption: It takes 4 days for refridgerated pupa to eclose, whether they've been in the fridge for a week or a single day.

Assumption: The most nutritious fly will have fed for 2 days prior to being introduced to your mantids.

That sound about right...?

I am sorry Mark for not reading this, I have been really preoccuppied with losing Abby and I got her back yesterday, so felt like working today so here I am:

no the first assump is wrong, even with cold pack they start to eclose. Depending on how they look, as in:

1)real active or 2) real hot or 3) starting to turn brown. either one of these situtations starts the process, so always figure unless u buy insulation and ice pack, they are on their way to pupae.

2 is somewhat right, depending on the heat of where they are when set out, they can hatch rather quickly, but count on 2 to 4 days at least.

I believe the fly upon hatching is as good as a fed fly, as mine neveer have the chance to eat and my mantis do fine with first hatched flies.

These are all from what I have learned and all can go a day or so off depending on the condition of the maggots and pupae. I have mine fedexed overnight for about 72.00 each time I purchase them, so the ice packs are still icey almost half of it is ice and they are in insulated box, lot of money, but I get them fresh off the production line and I go buy what condition they arrive in, I also have the containers with my fresh sawdust all ready so all I do is clean them out of old dust and put back into new containers all ready to leave or pupae, upon that they go in tto pupae and the rest go in fridge, after 4 days, I start over with those go in fridge and more come out, so they are always fresh. I just go an order on the 12 and have to order again tomorrow.

 

[hibiscusmile]

I have used the above idea and it did not work for me, will for many but not me, I cannot use fridge to slow at all or I could not get done, I also did it with a divided container with three stations, one for moisture, one for pupae to hatch and one for food, and a 1: inside diameter hose to let them out into container, did not work.

the chart you have is pretty close to right, I see nothing wrong with it but will print it so I can see it better and will get back to you on it!

 

[hibiscusmile]

If so, then here's what I think efficient fly production might look like...

So, if you divide your flies upon arrival into 5 groups, you can pull a group out of the fridge every 4 days and have perpetual flies for feeding (obviously barring accidents).

Playing it safe (a margin of error of one group) you'd re-order flies every 13 days. To simplify, you could tweak that to every 15 days (or twice a month).

I think I'm leaning towards something like the feeder setup on Hibiscusmile's site (mantisplace.com). I also think I'm going to put each grouping of fly hatcheries into butterfly net cubes to keep them organized and keep the bad stuff out.

I also think I'm going to have to start labeling and dividing them for individual enclosures (ie: L3-L4 Idolo Tank #1. L5-L6 Idolo Tank #5).

I can see problems here, since molting and appetities are going to cause supply/demand issues. Too many flies all at once is bad, so there will still need to be a literal or metaphoric "valve" to restrict flies from the enclosure. Still working on that...

I'm sure my math is fuzzy in places, but let's see what y'all have to add...?

Ok, work with me on this chart, which I like! I cannot tell which group went in fridge on the first line, and which stayed out.

 

[sporeworld]

Group 1 never goes in the fridge. All others do.

I think from now on, I'll do only 2 groups - one fridge, one not. Group 3 will be considered "For Emergency Only". Too much stress on the last batch. They came out, but took their sweet old time about it!

 

[hibiscusmile]

From what I can see it is good!

 

[hibiscusmile]

Well I see your point, but I use enough bottles just for my own feedings, (really not mine, but the bugs :lol: ) to last 1 month! and they usually do fine, even at the end of that time they hatch fine, only problem is by week 3 I have to put in containers for someone else and reorder as there is never enough. I refuse to buy 40,000 at one time.

 

[sporeworld]

Hahaha! Yeah, it's feast or famine sometimes in Sporeworld! I had one Idolo get annoyed right out of his skin (litterally - he was shedding), and I'm positive he was as pss'd off as a bug could look! He's got a bum leg becuase I had still had too many flies in there. Sigh.

 

[sporeworld]

As soon as I free up some quality time, I plan on making Phil's vacuum thingee... I would LOVE to just put in the riiiight amount to keep them happy...

 

[sporeworld]

Note: When luring flies to the "Fly Hut", I used various attractants - powedered fly food, gelatin, sugar water, fruit fly medium. But by far, the best results came when I added rice vinegar to the powdered medium. Still experimenting...