Black Soldier Flys finally laid eggs!! Phoenix Worms are here

[bbprinting]

So I built a BSF composter about 2 months ago because my Chameleons LOVE Phoenix worms and I finally got them to lay eggs and they have hatched out. I think I should easily have a good cycle going where I have way more than I need.

 

[reptoman]

Sweet! Can always use another source for feeders

 

[pigglett79]

ugh! I have tons of feeder projects, but black soldier flies just freak me out. I feed them off to my mantids ASAP. haha. I just dont think I could breed them.

 

[bbprinting]

ugh! I have tons of feeder projects, but black soldier flies just freak me out. I feed them off to my mantids ASAP. haha. I just dont think I could breed them.

Lol yea they seem pretty nasty at first but it's not too bad, since it is all done outside and everything I feed them is basically what we use at gutload so the smell is not overwhelming. Unlike BB Flys where you have to use rotting liver, lol. I think the thing you have to get out of your mind is the word maggot, the term itself is just gut wrenching.

 

[Saldarya]

Great job!! Would you mind how you set up your composter or link to another thread where you point it out. Thanks!!

 

[bbprinting]

Yes I would love to, here is where you can find everything you need to know
http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/

This the one I built
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kjNvE5IOdw

I could not get any wild ones to show up so I had to seed mine with 500 phoenix worms I bought off of ebay

 

[Dgood]

I was just reading that blog on the soldier flys, they have 3 life stages, the fly,the larvae, but what was the last one when they look like the larvae but are black? I was going to buy some of these at petco but every cup they had looked like the black larvae so I thought all of them were dead

Yes I would love to, here is where you can find everything you need to know
http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/

This the one I built
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kjNvE5IOdw

I could not get any wild ones to show up so I had to seed mine with 500 phoenix worms I bought off of ebay

 

[pigglett79]

Lol yea they seem pretty nasty at first but it's not too bad, since it is all done outside and everything I feed them is basically what we use at gutload so the smell is not overwhelming. Unlike BB Flys where you have to use rotting liver, lol. I think the thing you have to get out of your mind is the word maggot, the term itself is just gut wrenching.

Oh its not the maggots that bother me, its the flies, they just look scary. Fed some to my mantids today and to my whites tree frogs tonight. I grab them by a wing and throw quickly! They are just mean looking.

 

[Mike Fisher]

Oh its not the maggots that bother me, its the flies, they just look scary. Fed some to my mantids today and to my whites tree frogs tonight. I grab them by a wing and throw quickly! They are just mean looking.

Perhaps you've watched "The Fly" too many times.

 

[bbprinting]

I was just reading that blog on the soldier flys, they have 3 life stages, the fly,the larvae, but what was the last one when they look like the larvae but are black? I was going to buy some of these at petco but every cup they had looked like the black larvae so I thought all of them were dead

When they are black that is the final stage before they pupate into the actual fly, at this stage they have the highest calcium content. Only problem is sometimes they don't move a lot at this stage and the chameleons ignore them. They control when they become a fly so it could take 2 days after they turn black or it could take 3 weeks. It has to do with the environmental conditions. My chameleons go nuts when they turn into the flys though, they can't catch them fast enough.

 

[bbprinting]

Oh its not the maggots that bother me, its the flies, they just look scary. Fed some to my mantids today and to my whites tree frogs tonight. I grab them by a wing and throw quickly! They are just mean looking.

Lol yea they look almost identical to dirt dobbers or some people call them black wasp. They are really cool though because they have no mouth at this stage so they don't land on you and lick you like other flys. They simply have one goal and that is to mate and then die.

 

[Dgood]

Awesome ha that answers my question than, ive been wanting to give my cham some flying feeders because like you said chams love em ha, I'll pick some up tomorrow

When they are black that is the final stage before they pupate into the actual fly, at this stage they have the highest calcium content. Only problem is sometimes they don't move a lot at this stage and the chameleons ignore them. They control when they become a fly so it could take 2 days after they turn black or it could take 3 weeks. It has to do with the environmental conditions. My chameleons go nuts when they turn into the flys though, they can't catch them fast enough.