Mold Question

[turbosteve]

I have a question regarding mold. I'm breeding almost all feeders and an issue that often comes up is mold. Now with silks mold is really really bad. But what about with superworms and soldier grubs (phoenix worms)? The darkling beetle that produces the superworm generally feeds on decaying and moldy plant matter:

Food
The beetles and larvae eat decaying leaves, sticks, grasses and occasionally new plant growth. As general decomposers, they also eat dead insects, feces and stored grains.

Habitat
Mealworms live in areas surrounded by what they eat under rocks, and logs, in animal burrows and in stored grains. They clean up after plants and animals, and therefore can be found anywhere where "leftovers" occur.

The soldier grubs and the flies are used in composting, the biopod for example. Now there is definetely going to be mold and other yuckies in there.

Now I understand we don't want to pass on mold and other harmful things to our beardies, and gutloading 24-48hrs prior to feeding with fresh fruits/veggies/gutload is the best. But for the months prior to being eaten by our reptiles, is mold really that harmful to things such as mealworm/superworm breeding? I try to clean out all my feeders regularily, but is it really needed? Or is this just a human thing, us not liking molds, that we don't want to see it in our feeders? Cuz I'm having a problem finding it scientifically documented other then peoples care sheets and such. Maybe I need to hit up an old fashed library I think it's called? lol

Any insights you can provide will be appreciated.

Cheers!

-Steve

 

[fresnowitte]

Hi Steve!

I grow supers, turks, and on occasion I will hatch silkworms and horn worms.
The mold is your worst enemy when raising feeders. Mold destroys your substrate for your supers and causes them not to be the healthiest...you want nice fat healthy supers for feeding your beardies or they can become sick. Plus the mold tends to kill off the baby supers. Mold also leaves you open for parasites and other bugs to your feeders which in return can give your beardies parasites as well or can make them ill.

With the turks(roaches), silkworms, and horn worms mold will kill off your colony this I have learned from experience.

You should always clean your bug enclosures to keep them as free of dead bugs and feces as this is how...say for instance a cricket carries parasites to your beardies. Insecticides and chemicals are not the only reason we should not feed wild feeders to our beardies. Main reason in my belief is that the wild grown bugs are prone to have parasites due to the food source and habitat in the wild.

 

[turbosteve]

Thanks for the reply Barbara! I'm currently breeding waxworms, mealworms, superworms, crickets, dubia roaches, hisser roaches, and plan to start horns and silks shortly. Both my mealworm and superworm babies tend to gather more where the mold starts to grow, hmmmmm. I'll be honest, I've let some carrots/potatoes get pretty old in the superworm bins, and they are doing great! I have next to no deaths and my supers are huge! As long as there is no smell, I don't worry too much about what they look like.

I understand mold doesnt make the substrate the nicest, but sayin mold makes supers unhealhy I think would be incorrect. Considering they are bred and raised in decaying plant matter? I understand that we want to keep everything optimal to produce the best yields and healthiest feeders, but I think this may just be a human issue. Darkling beetles/superworms have been doing their thing for years before we ever started using them as feeders, and I know nature didn't provide them a nice clean bin of bran.

What I'm getting at is alot of this information is based off of peoples thoughts and ideas, I'd just like to see some more scientific information to prove this.

 

[fresnowitte]

I see where where your going with this conversation. :wink:

This is what I found at Wiki....regarding what they say about the mold.

Mold and cannibalism

To prevent cannibalism the larvae should be given enough food. It is also important to see that there is not too much moist food in the container, as this can cause the exoskeleton of the larvae to soften, making them prone to be eaten by other individuals. If it becomes apparent that their exoskeletons have begun to soften due to humidity, it is possible to dry the worms by adding sawdust or wooden flakes to the breeding container.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zophobas_morio#Mold_and_cannibalism

So I guess as long as your not having cannibalism taking place in your worm bin then your okay. :roll:

I do leave the veggies in for probably longer than alot do, but I place mine on a section of egg crate now to keep the substrate from developing mold. I seem to acquire grain moth infestations when my substrate molds.

Interesting conversation you have stirred up Steve an I'm also interested in what others may have to say.

 

[turbosteve]

Anybody else have any comments or ideas on this?