How to Raise Waxworms
Loved by reptiles as a tasty treat and despised by beekeepers, waxworms develop in four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Waxworms are surprisingly easy to raise, for use as reptile treats or as fish bait. Beekeepers abhor waxworms because the larvae invade bee hives and eat through the honeycombs, often destroying the hive.
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Instructions
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Purchase your waxworms from a reputable mail-order bait supplier or an exotic pet store, according to "Raising Insects as Reptile Food" on Geocities. You can usually buy waxworms in refrigerated tubs that contain 25 or 50 worms.
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Use an escape-proof metal or glass container to house your waxworms. Waxworms are notorious escape artists, and they can chew through wood and plastic, according to allaboutworms.com.
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Make an "artificial honeycomb" to feed the larvae. Mix equal parts of oatmeal or bran with honey, allow the mixture to dry and harden, and then break it into small chunks. Line the bottom of your container with approximately 1 inch of the chunks.
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Roll wax paper into balls and add them to the container. Place the waxworms inside the container. The waxworms will tunnel into the "artificial honeycomb" chunks, eating as they go.
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Watch as the waxworms grow, spin themselves into cocoons, and then pupate. Emerging as wax moths after two weeks, they will live long enough only to mate and lay eggs -- approximately one week. The moths will lay their eggs in the wax paper balls.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the waxworms at room temperature to encourage growth. Conversely, you can place the container in the refrigerator door if you want to slow the waxworms' growth cycle.
Don't let your waxworms escape. Waxworms can climb up the glass or metal sides of the container and the adult moths can fly away, so you must have a tight-fitting escape-proof lid. Be careful when opening the lid, too. You can put the container in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before opening the lid to help prevent the moths from flying away. Don't use waxworms as a dietary staple for your reptile. Waxworms are quite fattening, so you should use them only as a treat.
