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Breeding waxworms..... For Ro and anyone else interested....

Gregg M

Gregg M

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As an encloser, I use those screened cages made for chameleons that I modify slightly..... You can basically use any type of well ventilated cage system.....

You can make a substrate buy boiling honey and mixing bran and oats into it... Spread it out on a cookie sheet..... When it is hard, just break it up and put it in the bottom of the cage...... This will act as a substrate and food....
You will also be adding some balled up newspaper or better yet, wax paper into the encloser......

Get a bunch of waxworms and put them in the encloser.....

Once the waxworms make their cocoon, it can take anywhere from two to three weeks for them to turn into moths.....

Soon after the moths emerge, they will start to mate..... The moths will start to die off in about a week or two...... Before they die, they will lay their eggs in the balled up news or wax paper you provided them.....

About two weeks to a month later you will see a large amount of tiny waxworms...... They will live on the substrate of honey, bran, and oats you made for them until they are large enough to feed them to your leos....

These are very easy to breed and maintain..... You can just repeat all the steps and you will have an endless supply of waxworms.....

Hope this helps you out Ro..... Let me know how it works out....
 
Awesome! Thanks...I've been thinking about doing this, but I thought that I would probably end up with way too many wax worms...perhaps if I can get my cresteds to eat them. I've only been able to get my female to eat a silkworm once, that's it for worms for my cresteds.
 
Good info Gregg! How do you modify the cage? How do you keep the little waxies in there when they hatch? or are they like sikworms & stay near the food?
 
Think a reptarium would work? I have a 22 gal one that basically just sits there. I used to keep my day geckos in it ... but its so dark you cant see crap.
 
One thing I would like to add to the info is to be very careful that the screen is of very fine mesh. Freshly hatched waxies can squeeze through your average window screen, and they can climb up the sides of a glass container via the silk threads they'll spin while growing. If the moths or worms escape into the house and/or walls, it can take years to get rid of them completely, even in the far north. I'm in Canada, our winters aren't cold enough to kill them off if they're happily tucked away in the attic or wall insulation. It took me over 4 years to get rid of them, the moths fly all over the house to lay their eggs. Lesson learned -- don't trust a waxworm to stay put and behave nice. :raspberry

Also, don't use wood nor soft plastic tubs, they can and will chew through it and through drywall, fabric, important papers sitting on your coffee table as well as the table itself and wooden furniture (personal experience here with all of them).


Ohio State University Rearing Wax Worms
Use glass or metal containers such as wide-mouth glass jars, plastic crispers, large lard cans or honey cans. Larvae will chew through wood and soft plastic. Use 20 mesh wire-screens for lids or covers.
Click to expand...


University of Kentucky REARING WAXWORMS
 
Well that would definately knock the reptarium out of the running. Thank you for the info!
 
Well, it sounded great right up till that last tip about them eating everything on God's green earth.Think ill stick with silkies..unless of course i can set up somthing outside.
 
I tried waxworms before and it worked, got a ton of them. My only problem was containing them, as Hilde said. They chewed thru everything I tried for a lid, and I finally just had to feed them off real fast... Does anyone know where I can find this 20 mesh wire screen? I want to make some more waxworms, it was fun.
 
I looked for 20 mesh screen. I am noticing that silkscreens (for making t-shirts) is 86 - 125 mesh...much better than 20 mesh and it looks pretty cheap. (look on ebay) I have a place 1/2 mile from me that does silkscreeing, I could probably talk them into some scrap pieces...so maybe ask your friendly local t-shirt silkscreeners! We may all be rolling in waxies and have the FATTEST (phat) leos around! :cool:
I could sell 'em off to the petstore like I do with the silkies & roaches...mo' money.
 
The mesh on the screen chameleon encloser is fine enough to contain the smallest of waxworms..... I made a plexi-glass bottom and 4 sides that fits snuggly into the screen encloser that is 1 and a half foot tall..... Besides, once the waxworms hatch, they are put into containers..... The only ones to remain in the encloser are the ones you will be growing to breed again..... I have had a few moths escape, but I have never had or heard of an infestation in someones house..... Waxworms are pretty particular about what they eat..... Without the proper food source they do not last very long as everyone knows......

If they do find the proper food all over your house, you might want to call a maid service.....LOL
 
hill4803 said:
I could sell 'em off to the petstore like I do with the silkies & roaches...mo' money.
Click to expand...

Hey Ro, I can use some silks and roaches..... Put some aside for me and I will buy some off of you......
 
hill4803 said:
I looked for 20 mesh screen. I am noticing that silkscreens (for making t-shirts) is 86 - 125 mesh...much better than 20 mesh and it looks pretty cheap. (look on ebay) I have a place 1/2 mile from me that does silkscreeing, I could probably talk them into some scrap pieces...so maybe ask your friendly local t-shirt silkscreeners! We may all be rolling in waxies and have the FATTEST (phat) leos around! :cool:
I could sell 'em off to the petstore like I do with the silkies & roaches...mo' money.
Click to expand...
Hill that would work great as long as its not made of actual silk! They can chew thru silk, I tried it. :p
 
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