Finally successful

[Kurt]

I started wax worms cultures late last year, after reading about it here on the forum (someone had posted the link to the article, which is off-site). I thought I had failed in my attempt for the longest time. For months nothing. Now I over run with them! Whoo hoo!

A few months ago ,I went to tear down my failed cultures and I found some a few large waxworms and some pupa in them. This was long after the original waxworms/moths had died off. At that moment I thought I was a little bit successful, but not enough to get excited over it, there certainly was not enough to feed every one. So the cultures were spared and I started two more. A little while ago I discovered in one of the older cultures loads of active waxworms. They're all over the place! In the media, hanging from the top, and in the crumpled up paper towel I placed in there.

When I first read the article on how to do it, it said that the cultures would generate heat. Up till this point they hadn't. When I picked up the culture it was indeed warm.

So, waxworms for supper tonight, for the frogs that is, salamanders too.

[Jace]

Congrats on your success! I bet your frogs and salamanders are going to love the home grown treat.

[Kurt]

I think they will and they are more active then the store bought ones, so maybe even the red-eyes will eat them.

[Paul Rust]

Congrats Kurt! It feels good when a culture finally gets going.

[UncleChester]

Congrats! Do you have a link to the article or a short rundown of the substrate and temps you had success with? I'm going to try a wax worm culture again. My last one was a big failure as none of the pupae successfully turned into moths, so I won't be getting any surprise wax worms.

I also wondered if it mattered if the starting worms had previously been refrigerated or not? Do you recall if yours were?

[Kurt]

I had used both refrigerated and non-refrigerated wax worms. One culture thrown in on another, so I have no idea how I succeeded.


I did a search and it was our beloved leader who posted the link originally. Here it is again - http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alan.ca.../waxmoths.html

I many different sized worms and I fed some out tonight to a lot of frogs and salamanders. I saw all my darts eat them, including the new froglets, the monkeys woke up and ate them, the normally lethargic Chinese warty newts came to life and went ballistic over them, the bumble bee toads chowed down on them, but nothing out of the red-eyes, yet.

[Ebony]

That's great Kurt, Congrats ....Happy full little bellies in your frog family.

[Kurt]

The red-eyes look like they enganged in wholesale slaughter of waxworms last night.

[Ebony]

Lol