# Keeping spikes alive



## Milbo (Jan 5, 2011)

How does everyone keep spikes alive? I keep mine in a SM puck in the egg area of the fridge door. In a weeks time, half are brown and hard. I've read to put them in plastic bags and keep them just above freezing? I don't bother buying colored because they go bad faster yet. I know, use plastic and you don't have to worry about it.


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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

I buy them by the thousand and keep them all winter. Put them in a Ziploc bag and push all the air out and seal put them in a second Ziploc bag remove air and seal. Put in a light proof carton and keep in the refrigerator. When I need my puck refilled I take out enough for a week or so and repeat the sealing process with the remaining. Air and light are their enemy.


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

Pluggers got it. I'll also take n replace some of the sawdust mid season if it get damp. I replace it with oatmeal. I used mine all the way thru mid May last yr


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## JimJim (Jan 4, 2012)

I also use the double zip lock bag method. My wife gave me 1 of the 2 veggie bins in the fridge for my bait.


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## mkarpov (Jan 12, 2009)

I keep them in the basement window. Just cool enough to keep them lethargic but alive. I will have to try the bag method though, since they usually die by late Feb.


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

I'm somewhat confused here the spikes i use pic -1 usually pupate in a couple weeks even in the fridge some have actually hatched into flies .Are we confusing wax worms pic-2 for spikes .I have kept wax worms alive for a couple months


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## mkarpov (Jan 12, 2009)

Thirty pointer said:


> I'm somewhat confused here the spikes i use pic -1 usually pupate in a couple weeks even in the fridge some have actually hatched into flies .Are we confusing wax worms pic-2 for spikes .I have kept wax worms alive for a couple months
> View attachment 291775
> View attachment 291776


My comment was regarding waxies. I figured they had the same anatomy and storagability. But you're right, there is a difference.


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

mkarpov said:


> My comment was regarding waxies. I figured they had the same anatomy and storagability. But you're right, there is a difference.


Spikes are actually fly maggots .Wax worms will turn into small white moths . I had a failed attempt at raising wax worms more to it than you would think .


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## shrek527 (Jan 4, 2010)

I don’t do anything to them: leave them in the container they came in and put them in the fridge. A couple die but I just pick them out when I notice them and seems to help keep the others alive longer. I buy them by the 1000 and use at least two a winter.


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## crossneyes (Sep 26, 2005)

I buy 1000 at a time and keep in fridge in original container, and give em a litle cornmeal. However I wish I would have spent the money I paid for them on more plastics,bet I haven't caught 15 keepers on spikes this season.


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## michael marrs (May 22, 2017)

plugger said:


> I buy them by the thousand and keep them all winter. Put them in a Ziploc bag and push all the air out and seal put them in a second Ziploc bag remove air and seal. Put in a light proof carton and keep in the refrigerator. When I need my puck refilled I take out enough for a week or so and repeat the sealing process with the remaining. Air and light are their enemy.


does this work for waxworms as well?


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Thirty pointer said:


> Spikes are actually fly maggots .Wax worms will turn into small white moths . I had a failed attempt at raising wax worms more to it than you would think .


I have raised waxworms in the past and they were easy. You have to have some cappings of bees wax with a little bit of honey left on them. I use to raise honey bees and you had to be carefull that you did not get any in the hives or they would eat the wood in the hive up. I saw what they could do in a hive (not mine) and that year I did not have to raise any as I had a gallon jar full. I think everyone in the county had free waxworms that year


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

Scout 2 said:


> I have raised waxworms in the past and they were easy. You have to have some cappings of bees wax with a little bit of honey left on them. I use to raise honey bees and you had to be carefull that you did not get any in the hives or they would eat the wood in the hive up. I saw what they could do in a hive (not mine) and that year I did not have to raise any as I had a gallon jar full. I think everyone in the county had free waxworms that year


I used some concoction from a magazine they started to do fine then suddenly all died .


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

Thirty pointer said:


> Spikes are actually fly maggots .Wax worms will turn into small white moths . I had a failed attempt at raising wax worms more to it than you would think .


All the waxworms that I've raised (in the pocket of my jacket) have turned into bees. 
All the spikes have turned into HUGE, NASTY, purple/black flies.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Thirty pointer said:


> I used some concoction from a magazine they started to do fine then suddenly all died .


You have to have honey comb to raise them. The wax worms turn into a moth when they hatch out. Spikes are nothing more than a magot that feeds on rotten meat. We use to go to the feed mill and you could get mousies out of the spilled feed laying around. Growing up we never bought bait. We has golden rod worms that gets into the ball, these turned into deer flies, cornborers, wood grubs, spikes and wax worms. Plus we use to get ritamites ot of the creeks running into the lakes where we fished


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

i believe wax worm survive better at a warm temp than the spikes. 
i think a fridge is too cold, but that's just my opinion


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

jimbo said:


> i believe wax worm survive better at a warm temp than the spikes.
> i think a fridge is too cold, but that's just my opinion


I think you are right. What we use to do is put them in a container at room temp for about 12 hours. Put into this container coragated cardboard cut into pieces about 3 inch square. The worms crawled into the spaces in the cardboard and spun a webbehind and in front of them. Then we out them in a cool dry place. I have kept them this way from fall into late summer the next year. You just peel the layer of paper back and get then out of the cardboard


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## JimJim (Jan 4, 2012)

jimbo said:


> i believe wax worm survive better at a warm temp than the spikes.
> i think a fridge is too cold, but that's just my opinion


Keep spikes in the fridge, under 40 degrees. Waxworms do best around 55 to 60 degrees. I order 250 cartons from my bait shop and tell them not to put in fridge. They call and I pick them up. If you buy 2 dozen out of the fridge at the bait shop, use them right away. If they have been in there more than 2 or 3 days they won’t “wake up”. Most bait shops usually get bait delivered Thursday or Friday.


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## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

Scout 2 said:


> I think you are right. What we use to do is put them in a container at room temp for about 12 hours. Put into this container coragated cardboard cut into pieces about 3 inch square. The worms crawled into the spaces in the cardboard and spun a webbehind and in front of them. Then we out them in a cool dry place. I have kept them this way from fall into late summer the next year. You just peel the layer of paper back and get then out of the cardboard


We used to put corn borers in cardboard like this back you could find them


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

jimbo said:


> We used to put corn borers in cardboard like this back you could find them


We did that also.


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