Hornworm Breeding, Superworms, and a general question.

[MatthewLee]

Hi everyone, I appreciate you taking the time to look at (and hopefully answer!) my questions.

1) I have read virtually everything on the internet about hornworm breeding. I have gotten the hornworms(from egg) to pupate, burrow, and emerge. However the only question I have is about the egg laying/egg collecting. I have read that you can put the mated female in a paper bag to lay(how do you know which is the mated female?). If I put fake vines would they lay on that? Then once the eggs are laid can I just scrape them off with something? If they wouldn't lay on the vines would a fake tomato plant work?

2) Can the bedding for the superworms be plain whole oats? Or do I have to add the unmedicated chicken mash...is there anywhere online to buy it in small amounts? Can supers replace crickets?

3) This is just a curious question with no intentions...Can beardies eat the moths?

 

[Goonie]

[Moved from Feeding to Feeders]

 

[Triage]

1) I have read virtually everything on the internet about hornworm breeding. I have gotten the hornworms(from egg) to pupate, burrow, and emerge. However the only question I have is about the egg laying/egg collecting. I have read that you can put the mated female in a paper bag to lay(how do you know which is the mated female?). If I put fake vines would they lay on that? Then once the eggs are laid can I just scrape them off with something? If they wouldn't lay on the vines would a fake tomato plant work?

There are sites on the web that will show you the difference in female and male, not sure how to see if its pregant or not. I am currently trying this with my children. We made a box, like this one: http://insected.arizona.edu/manduca/Rear_reargbox.html and have a tomato plant in the box. It is ACTUALLY growing with only a 35 watt lightbulb. I have not had any emerge yet, but my idea is they will lay the eggs on the bottom of the tomato plant and I will harvest from there and then put them in a rearing box with artificial diet. As long as you get the eggs off the plant before they hatch and eat, you should be ok.

2) Can the bedding for the superworms be plain whole oats? Or do I have to add the unmedicated chicken mash...is there anywhere online to buy it in small amounts? Can supers replace crickets?

I use plain old whole oatmeal for my bedding. They survive fine in that. I tried to get them to lay some eggs, and I used ground up oatmeal, some fishflakes for protein and some powdered milk for vitamin D, but my beetles are living forever and I haven't seen a new worm yet. I thought the beetles would live 2 weeks, mine are almost 6 weeks old now!!! Some people will tell you no that supers are not a replacement for crickets. But I have fed my dragon supers for a while and she loves them. She is of course over 16" long.

3) This is just a curious question with no intentions...Can beardies eat the moths?

Dont know this answer, sorry. :/