# Can I Keep Fireflies?



## kahoy (Jun 19, 2007)

i have this idea...

ill be keeping fireflies from now on and if i can make out about a hundred or 3 of them and then once i complete a hundred of them ill be sending out them loose on the garden... and go enjoy my bug keeping, then take vids, pics, post on the web and then allow persons to enter my house to watch it live, then they pay me... LOL!!! seriously, can i keep fireflies on captivity?


----------



## kahoy (Jun 19, 2007)

another post...

larvae eat earthworms, we got earthworm farm here on PH so feeding would be easy (worms are added on hotdogs to make it nutritious)

i can find them on cool places, look at rivers if im on asia.... yes im asian...

now my problem is...

how the hell can i know when would they show out? and what sp does we got here on PH? my problem is that i dont even know how small or what does the females, larvaes and males look like here on PH...

...


----------



## kahoy (Jun 20, 2007)

anyone? :?


----------



## P.jasonius (Jun 20, 2007)

I considered raising some fireflies if only to release them in this area.  I used to see them every now and then, and now... nothing, ever.  I never did look into it though.  
I'd like to see some info if anyone has any.


----------



## kahoy (Jun 22, 2007)

ive heard that they only live at non polluted areas...

so maybe keeping out a few on a tank would do?

i havnt yet seen any fireflies on my life and thats why i want to keep some...

dont mind my post. its just and exageration


----------



## kahoy (Jun 22, 2007)

http://delta-intkey.com/elateria/www/lampo.htm

heres what i only found...

Ototretadrilinae is the only sp that has been ID to be existing on PH that i found on the net...

and it is microscopic... T_T
http://delta-intkey.com/elateria/images/pototre1.jpg

General appearance. Total length 5.5–6.5 mm. Ratio of body length to greatest body width 2.57–2.88. Body slightly flattened to moderately convex. Sides of body not evenly curved. Body not capable of conglobation (rolling into a ball). Upper surfaces of body clothed with distinct hairs, setae or scales. Vestiture of upper surfaces not including stiff, erect, dark bristles; not including scales or scale-like setae. Upper surfaces of body without deep foveae. Prothorax, metathorax and-or abdomen without extrusible glands. Underside of body without hydrofuge surface(s).


----------



## kahoy (Jun 22, 2007)

ill gonna try look for these... but if i cant... maybe importation will help me... 

so any one? who much do ya want for plenty of males, females, and early instars???


----------



## kahoy (Jun 23, 2007)

6 posts and still none?


----------



## Drachenjager (Jun 23, 2007)

kahoy said:


> 6 posts and still none?


I dont know what you want. I have never heard of anyone raising them. Where i grew up there still some around but not like it used to be, when i was a kid your car would glow in the dark after a trip at night from the fireflys splattered all over them. now you only see a few here and there.


----------



## Tleilaxu (Jun 23, 2007)

Very few people (if any) have raised fireflies for a full life cycle, you are basically on your own dude, blaze a trail for others too follow.


----------



## kahoy (Jun 24, 2007)

ive seen some video on youtube, those fireflys are way large, about an inch or so? and there are plenty on their place, its on US btw, so i would like to import if i cant find any here...

about here on Philippines, i had found someone who can hunt them down... but he can only find males not females or larvae... and that is absolutely imposible if ill go breeding them...

T_T


----------



## kahoy (Jun 25, 2007)

quick reply

i dont want this thread to go to page2! ;P

http://www.lesinsectesduquebec.com/insecta/24-coleoptera/pyractomena_angulata.htm

i want that one too... dont mind that damn sound, that website wasnt mine...
;P

or any US sp. ill pay thru western union...

and im serious...



i already made a tank for them, a 10gal tank w/ deep susbtrate, LED lightset-up 1 tall plant, 1 plant w/ wide leaves, and a susbtrate full of dead leaves and plenty of earthies... the humidity inside is high and its cool there.

i also want to know how many eggs do a female lay.


----------



## bluefrogtat2 (Jun 26, 2007)

*illinois has a ton of them*

i can't give any data other than my kid fills jars with them on a daily basis.They are plentiful outside of chicago.and i can't see it having low pollution here.wish i could help ya
andy


----------



## Tleilaxu (Jun 26, 2007)

kahoy said:


> quick reply
> 
> i dont want this thread to go to page2! ;P
> 
> ...



I don't think the USA species eat earthworms, though I know some are snail eaters, other fireflies are aquatic when babies...


----------



## kahoy (Jun 26, 2007)

Tleilaxu said:


> I don't think the USA species eat earthworms, though I know some are snail eaters, other fireflies are aquatic when babies...


ok, ill make another set-up, no problem for that  :b

i have access to snails too, feeders used for some fishes.

i want to know of course the sp. and where did ya get it. then i can make a good set-up, my problem is where the earth can i get some


----------



## kahoy (Jun 26, 2007)

quick reply

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly
Photuris lucicrescens

i want any fireflies... 

can any one give me a link to all Philippine firefly sp? or any asian firefly that exists on Philippines. pleasssssssssseeeeee!!!!!!!!!!


i want to keep one because i think i can help out the firefly reputation that is dropping, and fireflies here on Ph are dropping dead due to climate changes, and crowding, now firies are found only on deep jungles... just imagine how you would be glad if a boardmemeber got a successful captive bred firefly.. 
a link i found
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index.php?qid=20070622060819AAmkZ1c


----------



## Alakdan (Jun 27, 2007)

Visit Donsol, Bicol.

Besides whale shark watching, I read somewhere that they already included a river cruise at dusk where you can view thousands of fireflies.

I still see some occasional fireflies in my garden.  BTW, the larva looks similar to a silverfish.  I see them in rotting wood.  I will try to find one and post some pictures.


----------



## kahoy (Jun 27, 2007)

please give them  to me... i beg you... :worship:

i cant go to donsol by now... im on the other side of the philippines. LOL!


----------



## kahoy (Jun 29, 2007)

someone Pm me on our local forum, he said that he have some, its about the size of a termite... now what sp can be that... any info or links?


----------



## Wade (Jun 29, 2007)

You're looking in the right direction, you'll probably have better luck with Asian/indopacific species. Rearing of fireflies is something like the "Holy Grail" in the butterfly house/insect zoo community, and what little success there has been has been with Asian species. The large North American ones (I was out catching them with my doughter last night, actually. We released them later, and no I won't ship them anywhere!) have defied nearly all attempts at culture. I saw a talk and read a paper on this at a conference of zookeepers a few years back. I forget the details, but in the end despite major efforts and meticulous attention to detail, the projects were unsuccessful. 

Wade


----------



## kahoy (Jul 1, 2007)

quick reply

whoa... it seems that the fireflies here are seasonal, and they live mostly on the deepest forest, or to the areas w/c are not frequently disturbed.

and the person that contact me said that he cant ID females and larvaes... only males... but im hoping that he can notice those lights on the ground... 

anyone...??? please!!!


----------



## Tleilaxu (Jul 1, 2007)

You are forgetting that you are on your own, there are more wasp keepers than firefly keepers, and as already stated fireflies are very difficult to care for, it is very likely that no one has the answers to your questions.


----------



## kahoy (Jul 2, 2007)

Tleilaxu said:


> You are forgetting that you are on your own, there are more wasp keepers than firefly keepers, and as already stated fireflies are very difficult to care for, it is very likely that no one has the answers to your questions.


oh yeah... your right...  

sorry i forgot...

im just hoping that maybe someone will just pop up on the forum giving some info.


----------



## Louise E. Rothstein (Jul 3, 2007)

Dear firefly fancier:

Young fireflies are predators. They need UNPOISONED PREY, nontoxic moisture,and enough (unsprayed!!!)
cover to conceal them from their own predators.

If you can provide suitable habitat they may come back.
If the nearest survivors are too far away to return by their own efforts you may net some males (whose lights flash in midair) and add some females (whose lights flash on the ground-or on perches.)

Take care to prepare the babies' habitat first.
That is what will make staying to breed possible.

Do NOT permit lawn "care" services to "treat" your
property...they use a LOT of toxic chemicals.

Nor is toxic "mosquito control" a viable option.
Opt for an exemption to such...and empty ANYTHING
whose stagnant rain water might breed mosquitoes.
Organic groundkeeping becomes an imperative if you 
wish to breed fireflies...they don't do it indoors.

They would LIKE to come back.
All they need is a chance to.

Please offer it.

Thank you.

Yours very truly,
Louise Esther Rothstein.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## kahoy (Jul 4, 2007)

ok... now i gonna need to buy a hectare of land somewhere on a non polluted/ non noisy/ non civilized place somewhere here on Philippines...

i bet that 14th and 15th line made me a bit sad. 


i have a 5 gal tank, and maybe will be changing it to 10gal, w/ a 1inch layer of decaying leaves, plenty of small snails, eathworms and other tiny inverts, has plenty of barks(horizontal) and some wood chips (i axed a tree at our backyard, dont worry, its dead long time ago) 

we dont use pesticides or lawn the grass, the grass are cutted by that old rusty large scissor. but i think you got an idea of a noisy neigborhood and how those humans abuse the nature...

sigh....

somehow... inverts and humans are non-communual...


----------



## nepenthes (Jul 7, 2007)

I'm all for this happening, but you will probably be able to rear only a few fire flies with a 10 gallon tank with a few prey items. They probably need TONS of prey for any large majority of firefly's.


----------



## kahoy (Jul 9, 2007)

nepenthes said:


> I'm all for this happening, but you will probably be able to rear only a few fire flies with a 10 gallon tank with a few prey items. They probably need TONS of prey for any large majority of firefly's.



while my tank is empty, i already filled it w/ garden snails, and loads of earthies... and w/ a 2 inch thick leaf litter, (compressed so it will be like 4inches if not compressed) over 3 inch of substrate, and i also discovered something... there are 2 sp of snails on our garden, the 1st one is the yellow and the other is the orange/pink/peach, the yellow eats dead leaves, while the orange/pink/peach eats the yellow... ahahaha...


----------



## andrew A davis (Jul 10, 2007)

i have loads of them in my yard.....


----------

