# I love this place!



## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

http://stores.mgfx.com/bb/insects.htm


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

Have you ordered from here? I was thinking of getting some aphids from them to start culturing them myself. Also, has anyone tried the milkweed bugs from here? Are they the same kind that Tor is working with?


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## AlexB (Feb 15, 2004)

I ordered aphids from there. worked out great. I'm going to order some more for future cultures soon too.


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2004)

jbeetle, didn't I send you aphids once?


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

How many aphids (estimate, of course) does each culture produce, and for how long?


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

I heard milkweed bugs are poisonous. So i'd stay away unless you heard different.


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## pa.walt (Feb 16, 2004)

*milkweed bugs*

there was a thread over at frognet about the use of a type of milkweed bug for feeders a bit back. tor linbo was giving them a try. from those of you who don't know who he is he is pretty well known frog breeder from washington state. he had a pic of 30-35 tanks in the back of one of those rental moving trucks when he moved. so i guess he has frog fever. :lol: 
walt


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

What was the outcome of the discusion?


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## jbeetle (Feb 8, 2004)

*milkweed bugs*



> * Ryan wrote:*
> I heard milkweed bugs are poisonous.


You are correct that in the wild most milkweed bugs are poisonous, due to their food source (milkweed species plants). But as Walt pointed out, Tor Linbo was working with some that weren't toxic so they could be used as another feeder for darts (and I guess other amphibians & reptiles as well). That is why I was asking if you (or anyone for that matter) had tried them and if they were the same kind that Tor is working with. So if anyone has had any experience with Tor's milkweed bugs or any, please speak up . But like you said, I wouldn't go out and collect them from the wild to feed my frogs... that might have some bad results.




> *joseph wrote:*
> jbeetle, didn't I send you aphids once?


Yes you did, but I didn't do to well with them lol. I feed some off, and then my new pea plants didn't take well so I feed off the rest. So, once I finish a couple things up around the apartment I plan on trying my hand at them again.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

my yard(alot of yards in orlando not sure with other parts in fl) are plauged with milkweed bugs! I can send them to anyone for free because its less i have to deal with. At night you can here them crawling from a mile away there are millions! But anyways i will send some (wild not cb so you'd have to do that part) might be culturing them soon. But pm me if interested.


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

The aphids from Berkshire are quite big. I'd suggest roses or apple trees aphids instead. Some of them are even smaller than melanogaster. Great for tumbnails.

Steven Budidharma


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## AlexB (Feb 15, 2004)

How exactly big are the milkweeds? and what would you feed them in captivity other then the milkweed plant??


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Aphids larger than ff's? I thought aphids were very small.

How do you culture them?



steelcube said:


> The aphids from Berkshire are quite big. I'd suggest roses or apple trees aphids instead. Some of them are even smaller than melanogaster. Great for tumbnails.
> 
> Steven Budidharma


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2004)

Quite Big??????????? I think not. The adults can get as big as a small fruit fly but the majority are little ones that even youngsters should eat.

I have about 6 or 8 plastic flower pots that I plant bushy pea plants in on a rotating schedule, when the plants are of some size I place them next to the infested plants. The aphids wander over on thier own to infest the new food. Feeding is done by blowing the aphids off the plants directly into a front openging vivarium or lightly brushing them into a small feeding cup. I don't recommend dusting as these can be killed easily.

The aphids live under a shop light in the basement, they like it somewhat cool. Want more aphids, then plant more peas, very simple. Berkshire ships the aphids on a pea related plant that is much hardier than a pea plant and they sell seeds for these plants (I don't recall what it is), however peas are cheaper.

Joe


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

All aphids went thru stages where they are smaller than melanogaster. Some, depend on the species, can grow larger than hydei.

I've tried berkshire pea, local apple and local rose aphids. Berkshire pea aphids can grow big, so does the rose. 

The lil ones -are- smaller than ffs. 

When I said "some of them are smaller than melanogaster", I meant the adult size.

Steven Budidharma


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

Joseph : thanks for the culturing information. How long does a pea plant
last and how many aphids does a culture produce? 
I was thinking that it might be possible to put the peas right in some of
the temporary enclosures I have for juveniles. Then the aphids would be a somewhat renewable food source in the enclosure. If the pea plant lasted 2 - 3 months, that would be a perfect amount of time to get them thru the post metamorphoses phase. 

Steelcube : We get aphids on our Roses every year, we usually get ladybugsto take care of them. Are you culturing the rose aphids or just harvesting them from the roses? 

Thanks, 
Ed


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## Guest (Apr 9, 2004)

Rose Aphids, Second worst bug on the planet, second only to mites. Hate them.

Anyway, how long the pea plant last depends on how many adult aphids walk over to it and start breeding. I'd say a couple of weeks, I certainly wouldn't bother planting it in an enclosure, I sow about a dozen seeds every couple of weeks. Problem is if you use a brush to get the aphids off of the pea plant it does a lot of damage to the tender little pea plants and can shorten thier life. As far as quantity of aphids, It takes about one small plants worth of aphids to make a meal for an adult tinc.

I am going to try, and would suggest ordering a pound of Fava beans. They are a member of the pea family and are a much tougher plant.

Joe


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

fava beans...and a nice chianti?


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## Guest (Apr 9, 2004)

sorry, I don't get it.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Fava beans are the plants of choice for raising the Berkshire aphids.

s



joseph said:


> sorry, I don't get it.


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## Guest (Apr 10, 2004)

mindcrash said:


> fava beans...and a nice chianti?


Got it, the wife was kind enough to explain your reference.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

Scott said:


> Fava beans are the plants of choice for raising the Berkshire aphids.
> 
> s
> 
> ...


With liverwort?


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