Superworm beetles!!

magicmed

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
404
20161027_142933.jpg

Just thought I'd post a pic of my beetles. kinda cute, huh? I separated a few superworms about a month or so ago, after they turned to beetles I put them in here. I've witnessed a couple of matings, hopefully I'll see some eggs soon!
 

AlbatrossWarrior

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 6, 2016
Messages
147
My B. albopilosum hardly eats so every other month one of these beetles pops up in her cage and she hides in a corner until I remove them lol
 

Ranitomeya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
255
I raised superworms once. I found that they bred better when provided with moist substrate and shallow dishes of food. I believe they prefer higher moisture levels than mealworms. The superworms would emerge from the substrate to the plates of food. Once they reached maximum size, they were moved to solitary confinement for pupation. The adults didn't live particularly long, but I noticed that they died much faster in drier enclosures.

My B. albopilosum hardly eats so every other month one of these beetles pops up in her cage and she hides in a corner until I remove them lol
You don't want to leave uneaten superworms or mealworms with a tarantula unless you want to risk them burrowing through webbing to a molting tarantula and eating it.
 

sschind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
358
I raised superworms once. I found that they bred better when provided with moist substrate and shallow dishes of food. I believe they prefer higher moisture levels than mealworms. The superworms would emerge from the substrate to the plates of food. Once they reached maximum size, they were moved to solitary confinement for pupation. The adults didn't live particularly long, but I noticed that they died much faster in drier enclosures.
I would morph a couple hundred and get no eggs, or at least no babies. I know they need to be kept a little more humid but I couldn't figure out how to do it since I was using bran as a substrate and I didn't want to get mold or grain mites. Maybe I'll try it again with coco fiber for a substrate and use dishes. What about a fine mesh screen to keep the food out of the substrate but the worms could get through. I might have to switch to a more solid food than bran but it may work.
 

Ranitomeya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
255
I would morph a couple hundred and get no eggs, or at least no babies. I know they need to be kept a little more humid but I couldn't figure out how to do it since I was using bran as a substrate and I didn't want to get mold or grain mites. Maybe I'll try it again with coco fiber for a substrate and use dishes. What about a fine mesh screen to keep the food out of the substrate but the worms could get through. I might have to switch to a more solid food than bran but it may work.
I didn't use bran as a substrate or as food due to the inevitability of mold and mites with the addition of moisture and humidity. I'm pretty sure the superworm eggs dessicated in dry substrates.

You could use a mesh screen to keep large pieces of food out of the substrate, but smaller pieces may fall through and grow moldy or feed mites if there aren't enough hungry superworms. Definitely avoid using bran--that's just a recipe for disaster in a humid or damp situation. You could try whole grains instead of bran if you want to have a grain-based diet. I used potatoes, carrots, and fruit with the occasional dish of fish flake that I'd remove if any was left uneaten after a day. The dishes made it easy to ensure that leftover food didn't have as much of a chance to mold or feed mites.
 

sschind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
358
I didn't use bran as a substrate or as food due to the inevitability of mold and mites with the addition of moisture and humidity. I'm pretty sure the superworm eggs dessicated in dry substrates.

You could use a mesh screen to keep large pieces of food out of the substrate, but smaller pieces may fall through and grow moldy or feed mites if there aren't enough hungry superworms. Definitely avoid using bran--that's just a recipe for disaster in a humid or damp situation. You could try whole grains instead of bran if you want to have a grain-based diet. I used potatoes, carrots, and fruit with the occasional dish of fish flake that I'd remove if any was left uneaten after a day. The dishes made it easy to ensure that leftover food didn't have as much of a chance to mold or feed mites.

Thanks for the tips. I know I did have some luck many year ago when I raised them on damp coco fiber. I just see so many You Tube videos and people saying the have luck on bran and similar substrates I figured I would try it.

I'm going to try it again with the coco just to see if I can do it. The larger worms do fine on the dry bran, I've never had a problem keeping them alive so maybe it was that I just never got a lot of eggs to hatch.
 

Hisserdude

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
2,453
I have been keeping my Zophobas and my Tenebrio in coconut fiber for years, and I have yet to experience any big mite problems. They breed just fine in coconut fiber, I just offer food in little dishes for them.
 
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