# Storing maggots in the fridge & general maggot advice?



## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

Hey folks, just wondering if anyone breeds/hatches out maggots and knows the best way to keep them?

A have a couple of mantids and I want to start getting small pots of maggots. Ideally I don't want them to emerge all at the same time and I hear you can keep them in the fridge in a state of dormancy, is this correct?

I don't know if the idea is you keep the maggots in the fridge, then bring them out and they'll pupate after a few days, then hatch out as flies..when?

Or do you wait until they're casters and fridge those, then bring them out and they'll emerge in a few days?

any advice would be great, along with general maggot care advice. :lol2:


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

Chuck maggots in fridge, take few out, keep somewhere room temp, let hatch, feed flies to mantids


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

What he said but adding that (in my shed at least) maggots will pupate and hatch in 7-8 days at 25C, quicker if kept at higher temps. Not forgetting that newly hatched flies need to be fed/gutloaded before being used.


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

My Green bottle castors hatched in 4 days in my shed at 24C, I forgot about them then heard a lot of buzzing one morning :/


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

snowgoose said:


> Chuck maggots in fridge, take few out, keep somewhere room temp, let hatch, feed flies to mantids





PeterUK said:


> What he said but adding that (in my shed at least) maggots will pupate and hatch in 7-8 days at 25C, quicker if kept at higher temps. Not forgetting that newly hatched flies need to be fed/gutloaded before being used.





Ben.M said:


> My Green bottle castors hatched in 4 days in my shed at 24C, I forgot about them then heard a lot of buzzing one morning :/



Thanks guys, so Ben.M you had yours in the fridge as castors? Did they all successfully emerge even after you'd had them in the fridge a while?

For SnowGoose & Peter, did you just chuck the maggots in the fridge in a livefood tub and some sawdust/bran? 

Hmm so a week after taking them to let flies, I'll have to get a few pots so I get a staggered supply. Do you generally get a high successful pupating rate with maggots? As in if I kept them in the fridge and took out say 5, and I guess fed them bran and misting them every few days, would I expect to get 5 flies emerge after a week, or more like 2-3? 

Also gutloading, what do you gutload adult bluebottle flies on, sugar water as a substitute for nectar? I assume feeding raw meat is a bit much...


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## ojo (Jun 8, 2011)

dont forget to add breadcrumbs to the tubs that are in the fridge, otherwise youll just end up with a big pot of goo lol


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

joeyboy said:


> For SnowGoose & Peter, did you just chuck the maggots in the fridge in a livefood tub and some sawdust/bran?


I feed maggots to all of my slings and juvies, I put 2-3 maggots in with the slings and juvies. One is eaten straight away and the other(s) usually burrow into the substrate and emerge as a fly in about a week. Feeding the maggots this way means that I only have to feed my young T's every 2 weeks :2thumb:



joeyboy said:


> Do you generally get a high successful pupating rate with maggots? As in if I kept them in the fridge and took out say 5, and I guess *fed them bran and misting them every few days*, would I expect to get 5 flies emerge after a week, or more like 2-3?



1) Why would you take out just 5 ? Maggots cost under £2 for 1/2 a pint measure. I buy 1/2 pint to feed about 400+ slings and juvies, each get 2 or 3 maggots each. I throw approx 1/3 to 1/2 away as there are just to many to use. Thats probably over 2,000 maggots for under £2.00 (£1.80 ?) I would take out 10-15 each time, just in case.

2) For what reason on this earth would you TRY and feed them bran. Bran is ONLY to stop them from sweating and drowning in the sweat. I'm still trying to work out why would you mist maggots or casters, I cant think of ANY reason why anyone would.

For the best methods of keeping maggots and casters over a long period, I would check on one of the many fishing forums.



ojo said:


> dont forget to add breadcrumbs to the tubs that are in the fridge, otherwise youll just end up with a big pot of goo lol


Would probably end up with a pot of goo if breadcrumbs were added, bran is usually added when bought. If not ask for some.


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## Ben.M (Mar 2, 2008)

No, I had only just got them and they were maggots at the time but they pupated a day or 2 later. I thought I better leave them out for a few more days so the hatching time once they're out of the fridge will be shorter but I forgot to put them in the fridge altogether :/



joeyboy said:


> Thanks guys, so Ben.M you had yours in the fridge as castors? Did they all successfully emerge even after you'd had them in the fridge a while?
> 
> For SnowGoose & Peter, did you just chuck the maggots in the fridge in a livefood tub and some sawdust/bran?
> 
> ...


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## ojo (Jun 8, 2011)

PeterUK said:


> Would probably end up with a pot of goo if breadcrumbs were added, bran is usually added when bought. If not ask for some.


They add breadcrumbs up here, well the tackle shop i always go to uses it anyway.

Edit: I dont think its run of the mill breadcrumbs, but that is the main ingredient.


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## spidersnake (Dec 1, 2009)

PeterUK said:


> I throw approx 1/3 to 1/2 away as there are just to many to use.


You throw them away? That is a shocking crime! You would have far more fun if you chucked a handful in the drink around your float with 1 on the hook a couple of feet down :lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

PeterUK said:


> 1) Why would you take out just 5 ? Maggots cost under £2 for 1/2 a pint measure. I buy 1/2 pint to feed about 400+ slings and juvies, each get 2 or 3 maggots each. I throw approx 1/3 to 1/2 away as there are just to many to use. Thats probably over 2,000 maggots for under £2.00 (£1.80 ?) I would take out 10-15 each time, just in case.
> 
> 2) For what reason on this earth would you TRY and feed them bran. Bran is ONLY to stop them from sweating and drowning in the sweat. I'm still trying to work out why would you mist maggots or casters, I cant think of ANY reason why anyone would.
> 
> For the best methods of keeping maggots and casters over a long period, I would check on one of the many fishing forums.


Ah I'd just been browsing some forums, mainly relating to tackle and fishing, and some were mentioning them feeding off the bran and also misting them every 3 days when they were maggots and casters, I have no experience at all with them so was just going on that is all.

The reason I only want a few at a time is that I'm only getting the maggots so that I can hatch them into flies to feed to 3 mantid nymphs. Though thinking about it I can also throw some maggots into my green anoles enclosure, seeing as they'll happily eat both maggots and catch the flies. A pot is total overkill here clearly but since nowhere local sells them it's my only option. Clearly the mantids don't NEED flies all the time, though one species is more in need of flying prey by all accounts and doesn't do as well on locusts/crickets/mealies.


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## kr1s27 (Jul 18, 2012)

Joey, I keep mantids and have at the moment 35 mantids of 10 species and 7 ooths incubating, I feed all of them flies only (fruit flies, house flies, green bottles and blue bottles) all depending on there sizes, all of these can be bought cheaply from "minibeastfarm.com". 
Crickets are not recommended as some mantids species can get fatal infections from the strong bacteria in the crickets. 

Also I always get about 50 maggots out at a time, leave the rest in the coldest part of the fridge, they take between 3-10 days to hatch once pupated and the flies last up to 10 days with just a light spray of water every other day. I have never fed flies, they ether get eaten or die.

Bear in mind your mantids even as nymphs only need feeding every 2/3 days, feed them till they don't take the food anymore then remove anything that's uneaten. 

Hope this helps, any questions feel free to pm me. 

Kris


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## Indelible (May 18, 2009)

I use my local tackle shop for maggots, we have a kinda deal that just happened, basically I get maggots when I want in small quantities but when I've roughly had half a pint to a pint I pay for the price, I get way more than that though. 
I also asked them about chemicals used as there's rumours that tackle shops use stuff that stops flies pupating and hatching. 
This is FALSE, the only thing used is food colouring for the maggots on the meat. 

I use normal/white maggots, I put them in a pot and feed so many to the mantids as mine will all happily eat them. Once full, I add more in, about 5, to allow pupate in the enclosure. I then also add more pupae from the left-over pot once closer to the hatching date.
The tackle shop told me that, cooling maggots in the fridge merely slows them down from turning into pupae, it does not prevent it.

This info may not be helpful, but it's there 

If you have a Tackle shop close to you, I highly recommend to just use them as if you can build a "relationship/deal" with them, you can always have a supply of maggots/flies. 

PS
I too do not feed the flies. I have several adults now which before this ate freshly hatched flies once big enough.


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