Spikes just arrived in the mail today, question about storing them and letting them pupate into BBFs

[cleothechameleon]

I just got a shipment of 50 spikes in from Rainbow Mealworms. I know they are supposed to be refrigerated in larvae form but I want these guys to pupate into actual flies. A few questions I have

• What container would be appropriate for this? I'm assuming they will suffocate in the bag they were shipped in.
• Should I leave some in the fridge to stay in the larval form so I don't have 50 flies hatching all at once? I'm assuming yes
• Should I keep the spikes I want to pupate at the time outside of the fridge?
• I know people recommend mixing powdered sugar and powdered milk to gutload, but could I just use the fruits and veggies I use to gutload other feeders or is there a specific reason they need the sugar and milk mix

 

[SourGrape4u]

Keep at room temp in a tall container with reptile substrate and they will turn to flies in a week or two.

 

[Redman]

I am getting 1000 spikes from them in a couple of days, with the intention of breeding them, so I have been researching this for a bit now.

Let me see if I can find you a good link to explain it all. Easier than me typing it out, but I promise not to leave you hanging if I can't find a good link. Just give me a few.

 

[SourGrape4u]

Also do all at once they will populate over time not at once. When I do 500 at room temp they populate over 2 months and even after that a few will randomly pop up.

You have to feed them off with a day or two as fly form they do not eat and die.

 

[cleothechameleon]

Keep at room temp in a tall container with reptile substrate and they will turn to flies in a week or two.

Thank you! Will do.

I am getting 1000 spikes from them in a couple of days, with the intention of breeding them, so I have been researching this for a bit now.

Let me see if I can find you a good link to explain it all. Easier than me typing it out, but I promise not to leave you hanging if I can't find a good link. Just give me a few.

Thank you so much! I would like to eventually breed them myself so any information would be great!

 

[Redman]

fly form they do not eat and die.

That's true of BSF not blue bottles.

 

[Redman]

For your questions about the fridge and keeping them, watch this vid.

For breeding I found interesting ideas on this vid.

 

[SourGrape4u]

Omg I totally read the post wrong! I thought bsfl. Sorry sorry sorry!

 

[Redman]

No worries. I wasn't jumping your case, just making sure we weren't spreading false info.

 

[jamest0o0]

So BBF will eat most sweet liquids that they can suck up. I would always make a mixture of bee pollen, spirulina, honey, and really any other nutritious powders I had around that could be easily liquified. I'd soak a cotton ball in it and place in the deli cup with flies.

The flies themselves will actually live in the fridge for a couple weeks. They die in a couple days at room temp. I always kept them in the fridge, they get extremely sluggish and can easily be dusted and fed off like this. They do warm up pretty quick, once this happens theyll be back to flying all over the place.

 

[rlschwer]

Do NOT pupate them all at once; they take a week or two and all turn to flies in the course of 1-2 DAYS

 

[cleothechameleon]

So BBF will eat most sweet liquids that they can suck up. I would always make a mixture of bee pollen, spirulina, honey, and really any other nutritious powders I had around that could be easily liquified. I'd soak a cotton ball in it and place in the deli cup with flies.

The flies themselves will actually live in the fridge for a couple weeks. They die in a couple days at room temp. I always kept them in the fridge, they get extremely sluggish and can easily be dusted and fed off like this. They do warm up pretty quick, once this happens theyll be back to flying all over the place.

I've got an extra old mealworm cup that I plan on putting them in if too many pupate all at once. I put about half the bag in because it seems like I got wayyyy more than just 50 spikes. I'll also use this cup to dust them

I have bee pollen and honey so Ill make sure to get that going once they become flies! as for the spikes, Ive just got some carrots and greens in the containers I have them in, I'm not sure if they'll eat them though? I'm worried about putting meat in there just cause of the smell. From what I understand they normally feed off of rotting meat?

 

[cleothechameleon]

Do NOT pupate them all at once; they take a week or two and all turn to flies in the course of 1-2 DAYS

I have about half of the bag I got in a container to pupate in, I'm guessing there's maybe 30 or so spikes in there right now. I don't plan on counting them but I'm pretty sure I got way more than 50 of them in my shipment so the rest are in an old mealworm cup in my fridge, sitting at about 40F

 

[Redman]

I am looking into using cat food as a spike feed. Just have to make sure to find an all natural one, and nothing to harm the end user (the chams).

 

[cleothechameleon]

For your questions about the fridge and keeping them, watch this vid.

For breeding I found interesting ideas on this vid.

Thank you for the info! I appreciate it

 

[jamest0o0]

No no no... do not feed them meat or anything with animal protein. That will be a disgusting mess fast. It is the maggots(spikes) that feed on that and you only feed that if you're trying to grow them out and breed more, which most people don't do. The spikes you receive are ready to pupate and do not need fed.

With 50 or so, you could absolutely hatch them all and then just refrigerate. Chams can easily eat 20+ flies a day.

 

[cleothechameleon]

No no no... do not feed them meat or anything with animal protein. That will be a disgusting mess fast. It is the maggots(spikes) that feed on that and you only feed that if you're trying to grow them out and breed more, which most people don't do. The spikes you receive are ready to pupate and do not need fed.

With 50 or so, you could absolutely hatch them all and then just refrigerate. Chams can easily eat 20+ flies a day.

Thank you, I'll just move them all over to pupate then and put the flies in the fridge to use as needed

 

[Redman]

I am thinking, for my breeding setup attempt, that fish meal would be even a better spike food base, but I am not sure how easy that will be for me to source. Especially given the current lock down mentality.

 

[rlschwer]

I am looking into using cat food as a spike feed. Just have to make sure to find an all natural one, and nothing to harm the end user (the chams).

They like chicken liver, and it's pretty nutritious. Can be smelly, though... Also, you don't HAVE to feed the spikes; they'll pupate even if you withhold food, as long as they're at room temp or so. The flies will eat meat (and lay eggs too :/) but they'll also eat sweet, nectary things. If you feed the flies they'll live for a couple weeks, otherwise they die in 2-5 days.