Failing with super worms...miserably

[Aldebaran]

Hello,

I am failing with my super worm colony. I have successfully got them to the beetle stage but I see no eggs and no babies, it’s been about 2 months now. I’ve seen beetles mounted on each other.
They are in a ‘classic’ set up, a plastic drawer with wheat bran and oats, a little dish of watered paper towel, egg carton, a small heat mat because it’s cooler in my basement and ‘they’ say the worms do better when they are warmer. I give them carrots, cabbage, lettuce etc. but like 4 have died. What could be wrong??

many thanks

 

[Lennoncham]

It takes several months (like 6) to establish a superworm colony. There is probably babies you can’t see. They are very very tiny when they hatch.

 

[kinyonga]

I always had a piece of rotting wood in with mine and some soil/substrate and fed them the same veggies I always list for feeding/gutloading insects.

I actually ended up with a colony in some of my turtle/tortoise cages without intending to because I would feed the turtles/tortoises the same food and had the same substrate and rotting wood pieces in there too.

 

[Ramrod]

Don't give up hope. When I started mine I thought all was lost after many weeks. When deciding to give up I was cleaning the Beatles out of the container and noticed the substrate slightly moving in spots. Guess what? Tiny worms you can hardly see. You will lose some beetles along the way but keep the cycle going and before long you will have all you need.

 

[Aldebaran]

Oh thank you all, that’s encouraging. Thank you for your replies

 

[jamest0o0]

I have hundreds all in one bin reproducing. I just throw in some carrots and scraps once a week and they thrive.

 

[nightanole]

Without a proper setup, my adult worms just ate the baby worms. So i hope you have a bin with just beetles, and are not "mixing". These guys are not perpetual motion machines that just need one bin like "meal worms".

 

[jamest0o0]

Without a proper setup, my adult worms just ate the baby worms. So i hope you have a bin with just beetles, and are not "mixing". These guys are not perpetual motion machines that just need one bin like "meal worms".

With the right set up they can be. I've had a colony going for over a year beetles, eggs, babies, etc all living in one bin with more than enough to feed off. I might be biased too, but they seem healthier looking than a lot of supers that I have bought. Not sure if it's from what I'm feeding(I don't use oats, bran, or plain potatoes). Carrots and sweet potatoes along with greens and dry gutload are very popular with them

 

[Aldebaran]

I have hundreds all in one bin reproducing. I just throw in some carrots and scraps once a week and they thrive.

yeah,,,that’s what I’ve seen on YouTube and that’s the reason for my post. That’s not been my experience I dunno why. It seems simple to me....maybe I’m doing something wrong?? The meal worms are thriving???

 

[nightanole]

With the right set up they can be. I've had a colony going for over a year beetles, eggs, babies, etc all living in one bin with more than enough to feed off. I might be biased too, but they seem healthier looking than a lot of supers that I have bought. Not sure if it's from what I'm feeding(I don't use oats, bran, or plain potatoes). Carrots and sweet potatoes along with greens and dry gutload are very popular with them

Uh what do you use for "bedding" if you dont use oats/bran? Are they just swimming in a gut load mix?

 

[Aldebaran]

With the right set up they can be. I've had a colony going for over a year beetles, eggs, babies, etc all living in one bin with more than enough to feed off. I might be biased too, but they seem healthier looking than a lot of supers that I have bought. Not sure if it's from what I'm feeding(I don't use oats, bran, or plain potatoes). Carrots and sweet potatoes along with greens and dry gutload are very popular with them

No, no big worms-it’s motionless. There are 9 beetles—-maybe they are all girls or all boys

 

[Aldebaran]

Uh what do you use for "bedding" if you dont use oats/bran? Are they just swimming in a gut load mix?

I use wheat bran and oats

 

[jamest0o0]

Uh what do you use for "bedding" if you dont use oats/bran? Are they just swimming in a gut load mix?

The ones I breed are kept in a 'natural' set up with bark sheets, rotten wood, cocofiber, sphagnum, leaf litter substrate, and some egg flats on top. The superworms often pupate in the egg flats and inside of the bark. The beetles just wonder around.

I do keep the ones being fed off in a bin with a layer of dry gutload at the bottom. I put some roaches in there too. So each day I just pick out of that rather than digging through a huge bin.

 

[Aldebaran]

The ones I breed are kept in a 'natural' set up with bark sheets, rotten wood, cocofiber, sphagnum, leaf litter substrate, and some egg flats on top. The superworms often pupate in the egg flats and inside of the bark. The beetles just wonder around.

I do keep the ones being fed off in a bin with a layer of dry gutload at the bottom. I put some roaches in there too. So each day I just pick out of that rather than digging through a huge bin.

That sounds great. I did plant a tray of grass awaiting its germination to provide some natural feel. I will add bark n such thank you for your reply. And by ‘egg flats’ you mean egg carton??
Is a picture possible??

 

[jamest0o0]

That sounds great. I did plant a tray of grass awaiting its germination to provide some natural feel. I will add bark n such thank you for your reply. And by ‘egg flats’ you mean egg carton??
Is a picture possible??

Yeah an egg carton, one that has 30 egg slots