WaxMOTHS

[Pet Duck Boy]

I already know waxworms are a bad choice overall. But what about their adult, moth form? I've bred them before and they multiplied like bacteria. 100 moths gave me 2,000 waxworms. They fly ok, seem to be a good size for an adult ghost topping out at 3/4ths to 1" and are very easy to breed.

 

[PeterF]

Well, you'd have to pull the wings out of the cage, mantids don't usually eat those.

/shrug. Doesn't seem hard/big deal.

 

[GreenOasis]

Hey, can you give me an idea on how to breed the suckers? I got the general idea, but...maybe my problem was starting with only 50? I've had them in the cupboard for awhile and have yet to see any little worms! (But I have had some moths pupate & emerge.) I'm trying to get them going for the reptiles, mostly.

Thanks!

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Hey, can you give me an idea on how to breed the suckers? I got the general idea, but...maybe my problem was starting with only 50? I've had them in the cupboard for awhile and have yet to see any little worms! (But I have had some moths pupate & emerge.) I'm trying to get them going for the reptiles, mostly.

Thanks!

It's been a good 2 years since I've had them, but I recall waiting several weeks after the first moth eclosed until I saw baby waxies. Soon after the first eggs hatched, it got to be too much! A tub of 50 is honestly plenty. Be warned though, the baby waxworms can CLIMB very well and they LOVE squeezing through mesh and wire screens. :blink:

 

[sporeworld]

Your chickens eat them, too, right...?

 

[GreenOasis]

It's been a good 2 years since I've had them, but I recall waiting several weeks after the first moth eclosed until I saw baby waxies. Soon after the first eggs hatched, it got to be too much! A tub of 50 is honestly plenty. Be warned though, the baby waxworms can CLIMB very well and they LOVE squeezing through mesh and wire screens. :blink:

Huh...maybe that's my problem...maybe they are escaping? I haven't seen any wandering about, though, so I'm at a loss as to where they might've ended up!

 

[PeterF]

Huh...maybe that's my problem...maybe they are escaping? I haven't seen any wandering about, though, so I'm at a loss as to where they might've ended up!

I can't say my opinion is worth much, I haven't had a lot of success with them. But I have to say I would be surprised if all of them went on an adventure away from the food. I could see some of them striking out on their own, in case they felt it was too crowded for the food available. But not all of them.

I am not certain that I have had many adults at the same time, so I am suspicious about actual breeding. Then again, I have paid about zero attention to the whole thing.

 

[PeterF]

Crickets and Ghosts:

I pretty much have to hand feed the crickets to the ghosts. They seem pretty happy to eat them, but not very likely to catch them. I have been using house fly sized crickets for this.

They might catch them if I put them in a small container. Say about 10 oz or so. Anyway, a jar the size for the ghost to hang from the top and reach crickets on the bottom.

But that's too much work for more than a few mantids, and too cramped for anything longer than a feeding event.

The smallest critter keepers are too large for this though, I have tried that.

 

[sporeworld]

My first ghosts WAY back where fed almost exclusively on crickets, so I know they'll eat them eventually, if not enthusiastically...

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Setup another container with a nut jar. Honey and cereal bran for substrate, nothing complicated and it worked well last time. Added 80 waixies - a little overkill for the size of the container, but oh well.

EDIT - Sporeworld, my chickens eat anything, even leftover chicken carcasses! Since their so fatty though it'll be better during the cooler months. A fat chicken during a Florida summer is a dead chicken.