keeping maggots

[ryno]

I got some maggots from vados two weeks ago and damn near all of them have turned into that hard shelled cocoon stage....whatever that is called   which is no good for fishing that i can tell since they just ooze juice every where when pierced w a hook.  I bout 2k of them to last the whole season.  I have bought them several times b4 and just kept them in my shop at around 50* unless i was in working in there in which case it was little warmer.  I always lost some over couple months to this phenomenon but not 95% of them in 10days or so.  I know they have been kept from 40* to maybe 50 something.  is it possible i got bad maggies or is it something i have done to them?   and i only have one fridge and it is not an option for them to go in there...so i was told!   thinking i mite just call vados and tell them about it anyways. I am open to any ideas or opinions any of you have.

[holeinhide]

To stop them from pupating you need to keep them at 36 deg or so. The refrigerator is the best place to keep them. My wife ice fishes with me so she is more understanding than most but still not too happy about maggots in the fridge.

[Van_Cleaver]

Have to hide mine near the back so my wife won't freak, but they do pretty well in the fridge.

[Pail Rider]

I hide mine behind the two bottles of non-alcoholic beer in the fridge.  Those bottles haven't moved in 3 years...the wife will never check there 

[Haywood]

I stick mine in the drawer next to the cheese and sandwich meat.  She's learned over the past 6 years that I can't hear her complain.  And when I go fishing, I dump about 4 dozen or so of them into another container and leave the bulk in the fridge. 

[mmb]

I'd pitch um now.  You're going to have flies fairly quickly at 50 degree temps.

Sorry.

[Icenutter]

Way to warm for spikes.  Even a touch over 40  degrees and they are squirming like mad.  Get rid of them before they hatch or you will have a mess with a thousand flies in the shop. 

[Pasquatch]

Optimum temp for them is 330 to 380. Anything much higher than that, and you'll have pupae and flies. Keep them in a fridge.

[Dizzy]

I double-containerize mine an keep them in the fridge per the care instructions on Grubco.com. The double-container method is for my wife's peace of mind.

Also helps if you refer to them as "spikes" and deny to all ends that they are even remotely related to maggots.

One of those empty sherbert containers works good for "out of sight, out of mind" cold storage.

[King Fisher22]

Throw them in the fridge and a the whole pack will stay alive.  But like said before...hide them so the woman in the house dosnt see them!

[walkonwater1]

Definetely refrigerated. Can't tell ya how many times I have forgotten them in my coat pocket and found a caontainer full of active flies!

[stumper]

Yup, like they said ,gotta keep them cold. They get warm once and you just as well pitch them if your not using them that day. I have left mine in the shack at well below freezing and still had them squirming once warmed a bit,leave them over night on the counter at home and they are gonna be junk. Cold,Cold, Cold...I am suprised they didnt tell you that when you ordered them...

[captain54]

Best temp is 32or 33 degrees,keep them in fridge on top self where cold air comes out of freezer,the saw dust will freeze but all the mags will be in a ball,nice and fresh (white)