What do I do if my pupae aren't hatching?

[Ocelotbren]

Yeah, sounds similar to my experience.  Always a couple days longer than the blue bottles.

 

[Connor]

Yeah my houseflies lately have been taking FOREVER.

 

[callisto9]

So batch two (from the same original container) never hatched. I had about 50 pupae in there. Any idea why this might have happened?

 

[CosbyArt]

So batch two (from the same original container) never hatched. I had about 50 pupae in there. Any idea why this might have happened?

Pupae are only good for 2-3 weeks typically even if stored properly in a refrigerator, before their hatch/emergence rate quickly drops to zero. If the pupae were older stock, then they have even less time left.

 

[callisto9]

Well that explains it! Thanks for the info Cosby. 

 

[CosbyArt]

@callisto9 Your welcome, I thought it would make things simpler. That is the downside of pupae for sure though, pupae can not be stockpiled for long.

 

[callisto9]

It was my first time ordering them, so I was definitely disappointed. I can't get anything here in winter to feed the mantids besides crickets.

 

[Ocelotbren]

Yeah, I order pupae through the winter and I don't have issues with shipping them in the cold, but I do have issues with how expensive it is to ship a couple dollars worth of pupae!  But unfortunately it's my best option.  I only have a few mantids so I don't buy bulk feeders or anything, so the shipping cost always exceeds the cost of the actual pupae.  I supplement with crickets sometimes, especially for larger species, but not consistently.  In the summer, I used wild feeders when possible and bought pupae online occasionally as a backup.

 

[callisto9]

I had two very small mantids and the crickets were too big for them. There is nothing I can get locally that's any smaller. We will use wild feeders when the temps get warmer, but that's several months off.