wax worm help

[punkrock868]

i have been trying to grow some cultures of wax worms myself and have been some what successful in breeding and growing them. the problem that i am having is that they never really seem to get extremely large like the ones that you can buy. i am using a mixture of honey and a mixture of mealworm food. does anyone have any suggestions on a different food mixture that i can use to get my waxworm fatter. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks all

 

[Buspirone]

Two recipes for wax worm food/substrate can be found below. Brewers yeast is commonly added to feeder diets as a "fattener". I've never raised wax worms so havn't used the recipes myself but I've considered it.

http://www.adcham.com/html/insects/insects-waxworm-rearing.html

http://www.bfbsbirdclub.org/articles/waxworm_food.html

 

[ScorpDude]

This method has worked for me

For the food you want:
1 cup of wheatgerm
1 cup of rice powder
1-2 drops of glycerine (keeps the mixture soft, and the waxies seem to thrive on it)
A sprinke of calcium/vitamin stuff (optional, for gut loading)
Honey

You add the honey til you get a crumbly consistancy that will hold together when squeezed in your hand.

Put this in a tub so its like 2-3inches deep. for the tub you want something tall, those sweet jars work ok.

For the egg laying, take some cardboard (the one thats like a sandwich with the wiggly bit in the middle ) and rip off one of the sides so you've got 1 wiggly side showing. Add some of these to the culture so they stand up.

Then its just a case of being patient

 

[Thoth]

The other thing is keep the larva you intend as food, a little cooler than normal, it'll delay metamorphisis and allow them to grow larger.

 

[JustBugs]

Wax Worm Cultures

Here's the method we use:

Waxworm (Galleria mellonella) Culturing Instructions

Hope this helps in some small way.