Colonizing super worms

[Ronandex317]

Hey everyone, I'm hearing a lot about colonizing super worms and would like some advice as to how. What kind of container, what to feed them, what should I put in their container, temperature etc. any and all advice would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Decadancin]

I have never done this, but supers are very resilient feeders and live a looong time and are pretty cheap. Would it be worth it? Other feeders are much more expensive and take more effort to breed successfully, and with a varied diet as the "ideal" mix, I would personally spend the time and effort on silkies and such. I'm not questioning what you are asking as wrong, but just wondering if it is worth the effort. I never even considered raising them, but might if it was truly worth it.

 

[Ronandex317]

I have never done this, but supers are very resilient feeders and live a looong time and are pretty cheap. Would it be worth it? Other feeders are much more expensive and take more effort to breed successfully, and with a varied diet as the "ideal" mix, I would personally spend the time and effort on silkies and such. I'm not questioning what you are asking as wrong, but just wondering if it is worth the effort. I never even considered raising them, but might if it was truly worth it.

I agree with you. Mostly asked as a way to practice colonizing bugs so I don't kill a batch of more expensive ones. But thank you for your insight very much and if it is more effort than it's worth for super worms I'll of course try it with silks or horn worms

 

[Ronandex317]

I have never done this, but supers are very resilient feeders and live a looong time and are pretty cheap. Would it be worth it? Other feeders are much more expensive and take more effort to breed successfully, and with a varied diet as the "ideal" mix, I would personally spend the time and effort on silkies and such. I'm not questioning what you are asking as wrong, but just wondering if it is worth the effort. I never even considered raising them, but might if it was truly worth it.

Also a new member so learning new things constantly so thank you

 

[Decadancin]

Hey, I'd be learning here too, so I hope someone answers . I only raise silks, because I only have one chameleon and can't feed that many bugs off. I get eggs and raise them but buy all other feeders.

 

[Ronandex317]

Hey, I'd be learning here too, so I hope someone answers . I only raise silks, because I only have one chameleon and can't feed that many bugs off. I get eggs and raise them but buy all other feeders.

Any trick to raising them or just kinda leave them on their own?

 

[Decadancin]

For silks? Lots of info and threads on that subject, but my biggest advice for raising them is to keep them clean. Wash your hands and keep the poop cleaned out of the container. They only eat mulberry leaves or silk chow.

 

[Andee]

Super worms need large containers, they eventually need two, and you need to separate the worms or they never pupate. One container should be your breeder container, with all your beetles, and your other container should hold all your feeders and younger larvae.

 

[inkdguy35]

I have had success with using a tackle box type small container with separate compartments and in about two or so weeks of being in a warm space, void of light, its ready to move into the beetle container. I use a three drawer vertical plastic organizer. Top drawer is beetles second is young supers bottom is large supers. Its actually a very easy process but just takes lots of time to get going and success isn't always guaranteed.

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

They are quite easy! You need at least 3 containers and a plastic tackle box that you can make 2 X 2 inch partitions in. On the lid over each 2 X 2 you want to make a tiny breathing hole. Put a full grown worm in each 2 X 2, close the lid and let them be. Most of them will become pupae (unfortunately some die on occasion). Once they pupate, move them in to one of the big plastic containers. Fill these with about 2 inches of a mix of oatmeal, bran, wheat germ and some dry cricket gutload. On top put a course mesh with squares about 1 X 1 inch. On top to these put flat containers for wet gutload and water crystals (I use mayonnaise container lids for these that I roughen up with sandpaper so the bugs can crawl on them with ease! Every couple of weeks I sift the contents through a fine screen (about the size of a window screen) this is to seperate the eggs and small worms. Put them in a second container set up the same way as the first. Once the worms are about a inch long I start a new container for the new eggs and baby worms. Super worms are canibals eating the smaller and also eating each other when they get thirsty. Every time I sift out the eggs I add fresh wheat germ bran and dry gutload. Hope this helps.

 

[rminnis]

Supers are in my opinion the easiest and cleanest feeders to keep, feed, and breed! As stated they are really cheap but require such little effort, space, food that its a no brainer to do it for me. Go to youtube and look at superworm breeding on there basically all you have to do is separate the worms for awhile (no food or other worms) then they will turn into a beetle if you keep enough beetles together and feed them greens and things they will lay eggs into the food and or oats at the bottom that hatch into tiny baby supers. Youtube shows a way to turn the 3 tier platic storage deals into a superworm farm by simply removing the bottom plastic and replacing it with mesh that the baby supers can fall thru (so they arent eaten by the beetles)