Eurolarvae

[hanson]

How long can you guys keep these buggers alive?

And what are the tricks to doing so?

[SportFishin']

Hanson,

I have had my best luck putting them in the "Beer & Bait" fridge out in the garage when I'm done with them. Keeping them at a temp of around 35-40 deg. this seems to slow them down on pupating(sp?). Then just grab them out of the fridge & throw them in your pocket on the way to the lake & they will be squirmin' like little monsters when you get there.

The longest I've ever had them was about 2 weeks.

I had one container we left in our perm. & when we came back a few days later we had a container full of black flies, must have been the right temp in there not to kill them.

Later,

Chris

[Deitz Dittrich]

Hanson... I have kept them alive for about a month at times... I keep them in the warmest place I can in the fridge.. usually that means on the door at the top... Its important that once you see the sawdust getting wet, to put in new sawdust.

Euros in the fridge.. waxies I put in the coolest place I can find IN my house... usually basement.

[augernaut]

I have a fridge in the basement I keep them in. Keep them as close to freezing as you can, 35 is almost perfect. Check them every few days and pick out the dead or pupated ones. They pupate when they get warm, so the trick is to keep them cold - but don't let them freeze! I typically buy 1000 at the start of the ice season and sometimes still have some left at the end - you can keep them a long time as long as they stay cold. Add a couple drops of water to the sawdust every now and then too - not enough to make it wet, but just a little little bit.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Ut Ohhh... one person says to wet the sawdust.. one says to keep them dry?.... LOL , looks like we need a baitstore expert... If Auger says he is keeping them alive all season, I would take his advise before mine!

[metrojoe]

The beer and bait fridge, don't ya just love that fridge. I keep mine on the top shelf of the door also. I've had them last a few weeks more or less. It all depends on how fresh they are.

Sounds like it would be a good topic for a seminar. "Beer and Bait Fridge 101"

[nytelyter]

hehehe i am a batchelor (splck) my beer and bait frige is in my kitchen. lol

[Little John]

I bought 5,000 in December and still have about 2,000 left. I've been doing this for years. You must keep them above freezing but really shouldn't exceed 37 or 38 degrees for any length of time. I use margarine containers and poke many tiny holes in the top to allow air to circulate. I change the saw dust every couple of weeks and have never had to add water. I keep them in the lower crisper drawer of my fridge (my wife is a saint!). You will find that the colored spikes will not last nearly as long as the natural, white ones do. I believe that it's because they have to get them warm for an extended period of time to eat enough colored turkey meat to change their color. When you go fishing, only take what you need and don't keep them too close to your body heat. You want to them kept just above freezing. However hard they are wiggling above the water, won't matter much after 15 or 20 seconds in 32-39 degree water. Waxies like to be kept around 45-50 degrees. I keep them in an inside pocket when fishing...

[huntingmaxima]

someone say BEER?

[fisherking01]

I heard it, May the fish eat all of your eurolarvae and may your beers once plentiful in the fridge flow with ease. Have a great weekend. ps I usually freeze mine to death (eurolarvae) after each trip and end up at the bait store , well, I'm there every day anyway.

[icehousebob]

I told a friend that he should keep his waxies sitting in the coolest windowsill in the house. His wife found them on the bedroom windowsill and for a long time, the only thing done in that bedroom was sleeping.

[Corey Bechtold]

Strikemaster bait puck!!!

I have been using mine for a while now and I have never had them stay alive so long.

Like Deitz said, the fridge is a good place to store them.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[hanson]

So far so good!

My Euros are in one of those Ziploc plastic containers sitting on the bottom shelf of the fridge now. I left the top cracked open for a little air circulation.

1 week and counting is better than I've managed so far this winter.

[CrappieJohn]

Matt Johnson likes to keep them cold at all times, in a bait puck. He swears that the reduced airflow from just the three or four vent holes helps to keep them as well. We just fished the Backwater Brawl with colored Euros hes got back in November!

[Tofishem]

Spikes are the larvae of the Bluebottle Fly. Spikes are intolerant of warm temperatures. HOLD IN THE DOUBLE ZIPLOCK BAGS at 33 to 40 degrees for best results. Take only what you will use for the day. Constant swings in temperature will cause pupation. Almost without fail Spikes will pupate before they will die. Cold temperatures plus restricted air produce best results. Do not give Spikes the unlimited air supply that you would Waxworms or mealworms. This is the reason for using ziplock bags, to control air supply.

Bruce

[Captain B.R.K]

Eurolarvae with me is a love/hate relationship type of thing. I love to use em', but hate storing them. I can never get a long life out of them.

I had put an order of 1000 to Vados several weeks ago and after 1 and 1/2 weeks, they were all dead. I gave Vados a call and told them my displeasure with the whole experience and they said I was suppose to store them in the coldest place in the fridge.

I said I've been doing the same thing, year after year with an order like this and they never went bad like that.

So until someone comes out with a way to keep these things alive, I'll just keep my ears open.

I didn't expect them to all live for months, but to have all 1000 die within 2 weeks...I thought that was a little ridiculous, especially what I paid for em'.

[andy j]

Guys, I have been following info that I read from Dave Genz a few years back and I can keep my spikes and waxes alive much longer. I have a small batch in my strickmaster puck that is going on at least 3 1/2 weeks. Here is what Mr. Icefishing says:

"Wax worms need be kept at about 55 degrees F. Store them in a closet, against the outside wall of your house.

Eurolarvae, maggies, maggots, spikes––whatever you want to call them––need to be kept as close to freezing as possible, in the low 30s F if you can. Ideally, their storage temperature is about 34-35 degrees F. Your goal is to make sure they aren’t wiggling when they’re stored. You want them to be dormant, or they’ll more quickly turn into a pupa, or the ‘caster’ stage, as it’s called. Keep the maggots in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Not in the door, and especially not in the butter compartment.

The main thing to realize is that you don’t store your maggots and wax worms in the same place, which a lot of people do. If you try that, it’s almost always too warm for the maggots, and too cold for the waxies.

As for longer-term storage, it’s a good idea to remove any dead ones every few days. Dump waxies or maggots onto newspaper and it becomes easy to find the dead ones. If you’re trying to keep large quantities of maggots for a relatively long time, you might want to get a ‘riddle’ from a bait shop, if you can find one. It’s like a filter. You dump the maggots onto the riddle, and the live ones are able to crawl through it and land back in the storage container. The dead ones lay on top, and you can discard them.

It’s also a good idea to change the sawdust you keep your baits in, if you’re keeping larger quantities for a relatively long time. You can get sawdust from a lumber yard, or make your own by cutting a few boards. But don’t use sawdust created by cutting plywood; it has glue in it, which is apparently toxic to the baits.

This is probably more than anyone will ever need to know, but what the heck, I used to be in the maggot selling business, so I had this information in my memory banks."

–– Dave Genz

[Captain B.R.K]

Thanks AJ for that read. I do have one question and that is after I have come back from an outing and my maggies (eurolarvae) have been active, probably because I kept them in my pocket, will they be more prone to die when I put them back in 30 degree temps or will they live?!?

[andy j]

Brandon,

I usually just put them right straight back into the fridge in the back where it is the coldest. I have been using the strickmaster puck and I think it has made a difference, I also keep mine in my pocket when I am out fishing. Later AJ

[Tofishem]

As I said in my previous post....Only take what you will use for that day. Cause once you warm them up and then put back in the refrigerator, they will die. Don't mix them back in with your original stash. Hope this helps.

Bruce

[Captain B.R.K]

Thanks Bruce and AJ for the tip. I'll be buying a batch in the next few weeks for a couple of trips so I'll try exactly what you have mentioned above.

[metrojoe]

I know it's been mentioned, but old Jack at Larry's Live bait always told me the most imortant thing for keeping those spikes alive for a good long time was storing them at the proper temp. Temperature extremes really shorten thier shelf life. I just surpased 3 weeks with one container. Sounds like I need to get out fishing more.

[fish hawk kris]

Finally some $ saving info. Wondering though how much affect the dead larvae have on the the living. Since they just pupate and seem to dry up, unlike waxworms which seem to rot.

My point being is, if temp & air are everything, maybe less handling of the bulk container would be better, just get in & get out! Sounds like a plan!!!

Thanks fellow FM'RS