How long for BSFL turn to fly after being in the black stage

[CryptKeeper]

I bought too many BSFL lol and many are in the black dead looking stage. I threw a couple in the bottom of his feeder where he can’t really see them until they hatch. How long does that normally take? Should I not have them in there? If he eats it like that could it be harmful?

Also I read they produce ammonia which I clearly can smell. Anyway to reduce that or if it’s no harm I’m not worried it only smells like that when I open the lid.

 

[elizaann2]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

 

[CryptKeeper]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

Ah ok so I’ll toss em back into the container until they hatch. How long does that process normally take from once they turn black and hard?

 

[dinomom]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

The problem is container size. I always move them right away from the small shipping cup to the tallest deli cup, filled with coconut coir. It can be completely dry, just put in some ends of squash/any kind of pepper, which they will eat to obtain moisture. You can put about 50 at a time in there and you will get no smell at all. I can usually "raise" a few batches of flies in there, at that time the coir is an amazingly rich compost for my garden IE after one week I add 50 more, another week 50 more, etc. so there is a steady supply of flies coming out.

 

[elizaann2]

Ah ok so I’ll toss em back into the container until they hatch. How long does that process normally take from once they turn black and hard?

I’d say about two weeks or so

 

[elizaann2]

The problem is container size. I always move them right away from the small shipping cup to the tallest deli cup, filled with coconut coir. It can be completely dry, just put in some ends of squash/any kind of pepper, which they will eat to obtain moisture. You can put about 50 at a time in there and you will get no smell at all. I can usually "raise" a few batches of flies in there, at that time the coir is an amazingly rich compost for my garden IE after one week I add 50 more, another week 50 more, etc. so there is a steady supply of flies coming out.

Oh thanks for the input! I haven’t tried the coconut coir before

 

[lurker9090]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

Im just wondering, Ive been feeding my cham the larvae and the flys, is the larvae still as healthy as the fly?? Is the larvae unhealthy?

 

[elizaann2]

Im just wondering, Ive been feeding my cham the larvae and the flys, is the larvae still as healthy as the fly?? Is the larvae unhealthy?

Larvae are super healthy. They are high in calcium and protein. I would assume the fly’s are equally healthy however I happen to just use my flies as an enriching hunting treat.

I know there is a list floating around here somewhere with a list of what is in what bug….

 

[Gloriawood]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

Dubiaroaches.com sells little sifters for a couple bucks. It saves me so much time when separating out the bugs from the substrate.

 

[elizaann2]

Dubiaroaches.com sells little sifters for a couple bucks. It saves me so much time when separating out the bugs from the substrate.

Ok I need one of those, I literally pick them out one at a time

 

[MissSkittles]

I have to ask where everyone is getting their bsfl from. Every single pet store in my area is now keeping them in the fridge, which unless I’m getting senile is something we said not to do a couple of years ago. I’ve tried them from a couple of different places and ended up with maybe one just barely clinging to life out of the 25 or 50 or whatever amount. I was going to order some on line, but the shipping was going to cost more than the bsfl.

 

[elizaann2]

I have to ask where everyone is getting their bsfl from. Every single pet store in my area is now keeping them in the fridge, which unless I’m getting senile is something we said not to do a couple of years ago. I’ve tried them from a couple of different places and ended up with maybe one just barely clinging to life out of the 25 or 50 or whatever amount. I was going to order some on line, but the shipping was going to cost more than the bsfl.

I get mine from dubia.com. To make the shipping worth it I actually order in bulk for supers, was, dubia and then an over excess amount of BSFL since they can also be fed told as flies later.

 

[dinomom]

I have to ask where everyone is getting their bsfl from. Every single pet store in my area is now keeping them in the fridge, which unless I’m getting senile is something we said not to do a couple of years ago. I’ve tried them from a couple of different places and ended up with maybe one just barely clinging to life out of the 25 or 50 or whatever amount. I was going to order some on line, but the shipping was going to cost more than the bsfl.

I get mine from Josh's at the same time as crickets, fly larvae etc. so shipping cost is spread out among all the bugs. I get about 1000; those go into the bug fridge and then I take out what I need 50 at a time to be at room temp. The ones in the fridge last until I use them up but I'd say easily can stay there 2 or more months.

I think it is actually cheaper than buying 25 or 50 at a store although you have to spend it all at once.

But they are healthy, 100% all alive, and really last. My crickets from there have basically no die off at all.

 

[MissSkittles]

I guess I just have to bite the bullet then and pay the shipping.

 

[Throwingstones]

I have to ask where everyone is getting their bsfl from. Every single pet store in my area is now keeping them in the fridge, which unless I’m getting senile is something we said not to do a couple of years ago. I’ve tried them from a couple of different places and ended up with maybe one just barely clinging to life out of the 25 or 50 or whatever amount. I was going to order some on line, but the shipping was going to cost more than the bsfl.

I also get mine from dubia. I get like 100 at a time. But I think I’m going crazy because if I don’t use them all it definitely don’t get 100 between the larvae and the flies that I do feed her.

Also has anyone switched it all to like a critter keeper? I have a free small one now and I was wondering if I just dumped it all into there and get a ton.

 

[MissSkittles]

I also get mine from dubia. I get like 100 at a time. But I think I’m going crazy because if I don’t use them all it definitely don’t get 100 between the larvae and the flies that I do feed her.

Also has anyone switched it all to like a critter keeper? I have a free small one now and I was wondering if I just dumped it all into there and get a ton.

I used to keep mine in a medium sized Tupperware with a coco coir/soil mix and they seemed to do quite well. No odors when I fed them and they grew and pupated nicely. When they were pupating, I’d either just wait and release the flies into my enclosures or I’d just equally dump the whole thing in so my chams could pick them off as they hatched.

 

[Beppo]

I actually do that intentionally. I buy a lot of BSFL when I order my bugs because they are good little worm feeders but then if you don't feed them all they go black and hard and in 2 weeks or so you have flies that are fun enriching bugs to feed your chameleon. I also do this with my wax worms, I buy too many of those intentionally because I can feed off the moths as well.

So long as they are not super squishy they are still alive. I just keep mine in the little container they came in and when they hatch open the container in your chameleon enclosure and let a few fly out.

If they get stinky just switch out their substrate, it takes time because you have to pick out all the little bugs but I just do it while I'm watching a movie or listening to a podcast so it doesn't seem so bad...not sure if someone else has a more effective way to do this....

I got a cool little sifter when I ordered from Smyton one time… but really it’s just a colander you could probably get at the dollar store

 

[Gloriawood]

I get mine from dubia.com. To make the shipping worth it I actually order in bulk for supers, was, dubia and then an over excess amount of BSFL since they can also be fed told as flies later.

Same here!

 

[Throwingstones]

I used to keep mine in a medium sized Tupperware with a coco coir/soil mix and they seemed to do quite well. No odors when I fed them and they grew and pupated nicely. When they were pupating, I’d either just wait and release the flies into my enclosures or I’d just equally dump the whole thing in so my chams could pick them off as they hatched.

How much substrate did you have? Like an inch high? What did you feed the larvae?

 

[MissSkittles]

How much substrate did you have? Like an inch high? What did you feed the larvae?

I guess it was at least an inch of substrate. I fed the larvae pretty much the same as I feed all my bugs but tried to keep to the less juicy produce. Things like various squash, carrot, sweet potato, bell pepper, bug burger, apple - the bsfl didn’t care much for greens. I only put in small amounts and depending on how fast they ate it, would add a little more. I only fed them once or twice a week.