Waxworm moths
- Thread starter Lala0
- Start date
absolutbill
Chameleon Enthusiast
A combination of honey and oats. I mix it so that the oats are just BARELY moistened. Place it all in a tupperware bin (about 7" tall), in a layer about 2" thick, with holes cut in the lid, and make sure you put either old pantyhose or a fine wire mesh covering the holes, otherwise you'll have escapees. Also wad up 2 balls of wax paper and place in there, so the moths have places to lay their eggs. You can feed off the moths, or just let them breed and turn into waxworms, however the moths are "better" for chams - they use a lot of their fat reserves while cocooning. The moths are best as a treat - hold them by 1 wing so they flap and then either hand feed or let them go in the cage so your cham has flying prey.
Michelle
Michelle
Zuggieslittlehelper
New Member
Just found this online might help you?
Here it is!!! your guide to breed your very own Wax worms! Now before I start these worms are easy but there basic things you MUST use or they will ALL DIE! So complete this list before starting your colony.
Things you need
1.) A Jar or any air tight container.
2.) Honey
3.) Wheat germ
4.) Glycerin
5.) Wax paper
6.) A consistent heat in the 80’s
(Such as an incubator or heater)
Pros and cons about breeding your own
Cons
1.) The wait, instead of waiting 8+ weeks for worms you can go online and order them and get them faster.
2.) The smell, it stays in the jar until you open it..Really it’s something I DON’T like.
3.)Heat & food, just being able to keep them warm is kind of hard. And the food is messy to make
Pros
1.) YOUR feeders, with the care I know my feeders are being cared for with whatever they need…And with well cared feeders I get even better reptiles….other shops might let that bedding lay around and not keep things clean or refresh foods.
2.) Not much upkeep after you put it in the incubator just back in 8 weeks.
3.) They MOVE! My reptiles notice them more then the slower store bought wax worms.
4.) Saves me money, with the price of wax worms now a days and the long list of reptiles I have it really pays off!
Your bedding
this is a very important part in your colony.
Honey, in the wild wax moths attack bee hives and lay eggs in their hives which hatch out the wax worms. So it’s very important to have honey.
Wheat germ, this is going to be the main bedding that they can eat, dig, and crawl in. this will act like a honey comb.
Glycerin, Now I have used it with and without, and had good results with each however this keeps the bedding damp more and keeps the warmth in and helps your worms grow faster.
Wax paper, who knows? I tried both ways, with and without, all turn out fine. The worms tend to eat it when there adults.. And the moths lay on It.…that’s about it
Your Heat, This is KEY! To wax worms if you cannot keep temperature Above 80’s your worms will die off or become such a long wait it will not even be worth it.
Making the bedding, I never measure anything out. Pour as much wheat bran as you need. Then use alot of honey, after all it’s important I mix it by hand and know when its done when the whole batch is damp and the wheat bran falls off my hands in sticky crumbles. Then I add a few spoon full’s of glycerin making sure the bedding is darker (it means it’s all damp) your ready! Now place it in the containers Make sure you have up to a inch or more piled in to your container. Because after they hatch the first layer will be covered in dead moths and such so make it deeper so the babies can burrow away from that. The rest you can store in the refrigerator.
Your container, I Like using basic jars but anything that will lock airtight will work. You cannot have large holes in the container because when the wax worm babies hatch they will be able to crawl out of small holes. What I do is Stab holes in the lids and use a paper towel like a screen to keep them inside. So it will be Jar, paper towel, lid
When you first order your wax worms from whoever they tend to pack them in cedar chips (its much cleaner then there food) Adults are about a inch long and there is no need to move them in to food bedding, Wait and you will see them either cocoon in to a mix of cedar chips. Or more common is the burnt brown color they turn. (Dead jet black wax worms are the worst smell ever! Trust me if you can’t tell you will know by the smell between dead and pupated wax worms) Place them in the jar with food. Place a good number of them in there. Because once they start hatching you really can’t open the jar again…SO add enough cocoons!
TIP: You could Place jars in incubator, the faster you get them warm the faster they grow…( I use 80F for moths) remember you don’t have to yet..
Moths, it can take around 2 weeks or so I never really counted. But you will see the small gray moths will lie around and only at night will they fly and breed… they are not much to look at… Be careful not to open the lid don’t worry about dead or dirty left over cocoons, moths, or worms just wait!
About 3 weeks later, you will notice SUPER TINY BABIES and TONS of them at that. You will now know why you needed that paper towel as a screen. Because they climb all over and any small holes they will sneak out….DON'T OPEN THE JAR. You will just have tons of babies getting away.
TIP: Turn up the heat! Once you see babies you need to get them warm If you don’t your passing up valuable time to get them growing. (I use 85-88F)
TIP: IT’S SO DIRTY! Yes there not the cleanest feeders, in fact keep the lid shut because there will be a hell of smell Even with the lid on….. Really don’t worry about it. You should never see mold. However it WILL smell super bad if you open it, so don’t! (You might see white bits, webbing, and hairs in the jar this isn’t mold this is from the wax worms they make little tunnels.)
6 weeks in, you’re going to see worms in their own little pockets in the bedding and crawling around. You might notice that smell coming from the Lid…..there might be some small babies still but some should be Larger now.
TIP: you COULD open the lid and add more food. However I almost never do unless its 100% all eaten up. Be careful it will smell.
8 weeks in, ADULTS! They are FAT and full wax worms. I take them out and split them up. Some will go in clean new breeding jars to cocoon and the rest will go in big clean bins with cedar to be used as feeders. And this is how you breed your own wax worms!
i hope this helps you! Pm or ask on here anything else you need to know about waxworms!
Here it is!!! your guide to breed your very own Wax worms! Now before I start these worms are easy but there basic things you MUST use or they will ALL DIE! So complete this list before starting your colony.
Things you need
1.) A Jar or any air tight container.
2.) Honey
3.) Wheat germ
4.) Glycerin
5.) Wax paper
6.) A consistent heat in the 80’s
(Such as an incubator or heater)
Pros and cons about breeding your own
Cons
1.) The wait, instead of waiting 8+ weeks for worms you can go online and order them and get them faster.
2.) The smell, it stays in the jar until you open it..Really it’s something I DON’T like.
3.)Heat & food, just being able to keep them warm is kind of hard. And the food is messy to make
Pros
1.) YOUR feeders, with the care I know my feeders are being cared for with whatever they need…And with well cared feeders I get even better reptiles….other shops might let that bedding lay around and not keep things clean or refresh foods.
2.) Not much upkeep after you put it in the incubator just back in 8 weeks.
3.) They MOVE! My reptiles notice them more then the slower store bought wax worms.
4.) Saves me money, with the price of wax worms now a days and the long list of reptiles I have it really pays off!
Your bedding
this is a very important part in your colony.
Honey, in the wild wax moths attack bee hives and lay eggs in their hives which hatch out the wax worms. So it’s very important to have honey.
Wheat germ, this is going to be the main bedding that they can eat, dig, and crawl in. this will act like a honey comb.
Glycerin, Now I have used it with and without, and had good results with each however this keeps the bedding damp more and keeps the warmth in and helps your worms grow faster.
Wax paper, who knows? I tried both ways, with and without, all turn out fine. The worms tend to eat it when there adults.. And the moths lay on It.…that’s about it
Your Heat, This is KEY! To wax worms if you cannot keep temperature Above 80’s your worms will die off or become such a long wait it will not even be worth it.
Making the bedding, I never measure anything out. Pour as much wheat bran as you need. Then use alot of honey, after all it’s important I mix it by hand and know when its done when the whole batch is damp and the wheat bran falls off my hands in sticky crumbles. Then I add a few spoon full’s of glycerin making sure the bedding is darker (it means it’s all damp) your ready! Now place it in the containers Make sure you have up to a inch or more piled in to your container. Because after they hatch the first layer will be covered in dead moths and such so make it deeper so the babies can burrow away from that. The rest you can store in the refrigerator.
Your container, I Like using basic jars but anything that will lock airtight will work. You cannot have large holes in the container because when the wax worm babies hatch they will be able to crawl out of small holes. What I do is Stab holes in the lids and use a paper towel like a screen to keep them inside. So it will be Jar, paper towel, lid
When you first order your wax worms from whoever they tend to pack them in cedar chips (its much cleaner then there food) Adults are about a inch long and there is no need to move them in to food bedding, Wait and you will see them either cocoon in to a mix of cedar chips. Or more common is the burnt brown color they turn. (Dead jet black wax worms are the worst smell ever! Trust me if you can’t tell you will know by the smell between dead and pupated wax worms) Place them in the jar with food. Place a good number of them in there. Because once they start hatching you really can’t open the jar again…SO add enough cocoons!
TIP: You could Place jars in incubator, the faster you get them warm the faster they grow…( I use 80F for moths) remember you don’t have to yet..
Moths, it can take around 2 weeks or so I never really counted. But you will see the small gray moths will lie around and only at night will they fly and breed… they are not much to look at… Be careful not to open the lid don’t worry about dead or dirty left over cocoons, moths, or worms just wait!
About 3 weeks later, you will notice SUPER TINY BABIES and TONS of them at that. You will now know why you needed that paper towel as a screen. Because they climb all over and any small holes they will sneak out….DON'T OPEN THE JAR. You will just have tons of babies getting away.
TIP: Turn up the heat! Once you see babies you need to get them warm If you don’t your passing up valuable time to get them growing. (I use 85-88F)
TIP: IT’S SO DIRTY! Yes there not the cleanest feeders, in fact keep the lid shut because there will be a hell of smell Even with the lid on….. Really don’t worry about it. You should never see mold. However it WILL smell super bad if you open it, so don’t! (You might see white bits, webbing, and hairs in the jar this isn’t mold this is from the wax worms they make little tunnels.)
6 weeks in, you’re going to see worms in their own little pockets in the bedding and crawling around. You might notice that smell coming from the Lid…..there might be some small babies still but some should be Larger now.
TIP: you COULD open the lid and add more food. However I almost never do unless its 100% all eaten up. Be careful it will smell.
8 weeks in, ADULTS! They are FAT and full wax worms. I take them out and split them up. Some will go in clean new breeding jars to cocoon and the rest will go in big clean bins with cedar to be used as feeders. And this is how you breed your own wax worms!
i hope this helps you! Pm or ask on here anything else you need to know about waxworms!
Lala0
Member
This is a great help thanks, and Sandra's link, also good!
