Blue bottle questions

[coffeeguy89]

I've purchased some blue bottle flies and I just have a few questions. I've already done a search and found some great info but still wondering about a few things. Do the flies grow any bigger after the pupae hatch? How long will the unhatched pupae keep in a 38 degree refrigerator? Also any tips on a hatching cup would be appreciated. I've made my own version of the cup-o-flies from mantisplace.com, but I've made my own food which is a mix of powdered milk, sunflower honey and bee pollen, and I'm going to try watering gel for a water source.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Manik6]

i just bought the set up from mantis place. if anything it would probably be better to just wet a napkin and use that instead of water gels. and also the food must be ground up well.

 

[coffeeguy89]

i just bought the set up from mantis place. if anything it would probably be better to just wet a napkin and use that instead of water gels. and also the food must be ground up well.

I'll probably just use a paper towel for the water like you said. But will the flies really not eat the food? I've heard of people just using straight honey to feed them, I figured mixing it with powdered milk for protein would help make it a little more complete.

 

[ColorCham427]

The blue bottle flies that are under my care eat 50/50 powdered butter milk with regular sugar. A shallow dish of soaked paper towel works fine for a water source.

 

[ABbuggin]

I just use honey. Provides food and moisture (and very nutritious BTW). Makes taking care of them a lot easier.