wax worms?

[Mystymantis]

I found out that my local pet store has wax worms.  I was wondering how good are they as feeders? or would they more be used for hand feeding? I think they would be better then mealworms and superworms because they are soft and don't have as hard of an exoskeleton.

Are they useful as feeders or prey for mantises?

Are they hard to take care of or are they similar in care to mealworms?

Any thoughts on wax worms? experiences with them?

 

[izbiggs]

Here's my time to shine  I love waxworms. They're cheap and easy to take care of, just like mealworms! Except instead of beetles to turn into, they turn into moths, giving your praying mantises a healthier flying insect to eat rather than a beetle. Breeding them is cheap and easy, though you might need a little heat to speed things up breeding-wise, room temperature works too, just much slower. I tend to hand-feed wax worms with tweezers, and I find when my mantises are sick or need to be hand fed, they are by far the easiest insect to use. They have gooey, oozy innards that leave goo all over the place, perfect to nurse your mantis back to health with. They have lots of fat and lots of moisture, too. I would definitely recommend them over mealworms and super worms. That's just my experience!

 

[Chalc]

Here's my time to shine  I love waxworms. They're cheap and easy to take care of, just like mealworms! Except instead of beetles to turn into, they turn into moths, giving your praying mantises a healthier flying insect to eat rather than a beetle. Breeding them is cheap and easy, though you might need a little heat to speed things up breeding-wise, room temperature works too, just much slower. I tend to hand-feed wax worms with tweezers, and I find when my mantises are sick or need to be hand fed, they are by far the easiest insect to use. They have gooey, oozy innards that leave goo all over the place, perfect to nurse your mantis back to health with. They have lots of fat and lots of moisture, too. I would definitely recommend them over mealworms and super worms. That's just my experience!

My mantids loved their waxworms! They do make a mess on themselves but it's fun to watch. Unfortunately most of the ones I bought died before I could feed them for some reason.
@izbiggs Is it okay to have a heat lamp on them? I read they prefer the dark so I wonder if having light on them would interfere with their breeding. And can I ask what food recipe you used to feed them? I used crushed up bran and honey, then quick oats and honey, but no luck. 

 

[izbiggs]

My mantids loved their waxworms! They do make a mess on themselves but it's fun to watch. Unfortunately most of the ones I bought died before I could feed them for some reason.
@izbiggs Is it okay to have a heat lamp on them? I read they prefer the dark so I wonder if having light on them would interfere with their breeding. And can I ask what food recipe you used to feed them? I used crushed up bran and honey, then quick oats and honey, but no luck. 

Bran, wheat germ, and oatmeal can all be used as the crunchy base for your feed. You can use honey or glycerine, glycerine helps keep in moisture and warmth, but honey should work just fine! I put them in a paper bag under the heat lamp so that they're in the dark but they're warm. It helps to have crumpled wax paper in there too! 

 

[Teamonger]

@izbiggs I've read that breeding waxworms can be a bit of a smell/messy business which is why I went with black solider flies instead. Is this true or do you have ways of keeping the smell down?

 

[izbiggs]

@izbiggs I've read that breeding waxworms can be a bit of a smell/messy business which is why I went with black solider flies instead. Is this true or do you have ways of keeping the smell down?

It does get a bit smelly sometimes, but usually if you take out the carcasses that can prevent a lot of the smell. I love your post about the flies, btw!  

 

[Mystymantis]

Thanks a lot everyone! I will definitely get some wax worms next time I am at the pet store.  So to feed them put oatmeal in for their substrate, but what is the honey for? do they need honey? any particular way to put it in their container? like in something such as a small top or just pour it onto the oatmeal?  

Do they need anything like apples and such like mealworms?

And they need it slightly warm to breed right? What would be the best container to keep them in? a 32 oz deli cup?

 

[Teamonger]

CosbyArt has a very detailed thread about his waxworm setup. If you have not already taken a glace at it its definitely worth the read.