fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
I'm now using a 2ft x 1-1/2 ft x 6 inch storage container. With the substrate about 3 to 4 inches deep right now. I must be okay as I haven't had any die yet. ((KNOCK ON WOOD!))
My superworm breeding kit Pic Heavy!
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fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
Cool.....Thanks Chris! 
Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
i was looking online and found this website that has some good info on breeding superworms:
http://www.buysuperworms.com/index.html
Here's some of their info that i've seen a lot of people had questions about but none were really answered. This is not my own writing i give credit to the owner of buysuperworms.com I just think it's easier for people to get most of their info at one spot rather then having to open more windows:
Superworms General Information
Superworms, (zophobas morio), make an excellent and easy to keep feeder insect for many reptile, amphibian, and bird species. Superworms also make great fish bait for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Trout.
Superworms are NOT the same animal as Mealworms or Giant Mealworms (tenebrio molitor). Appropriately sized superworms are in fact easily digested as compared to mealworms (a common feeder insect), as they have less chitin. Superworms are easier to keep than mealworms because they normally will not pupate unless forced into certain conditions. While mealworms should be kept in the fridge to prevent them from pupating and becoming beetles, DO NOT refridgerate superworms.
Superworm Life Stages
Zophobas Morio (superworms) have 4 life stages;
Egg, Larva, Pupa, and Beetle.
Superworm Eggs are extremely tiny (about 1/20"). Once laid, eggs will hatch in 7 - 10 days.
Superworm Larva are the 'worm' stage and are what we feed our pets. They begin as very tiny and difficult to see and grow quickly up to 2 - 2 1/2" long. They are white worms with a brown banded exo-skeleton called 'chitin'. Superworm larva live in this stage for about a year when well cared for, but can be forced to pupate as soon as 4 months or at least 2".
Superworm Pupa are at the stage between larva and beetle. This stage lasts 14 - 20 days before the pupa become beetles. Pupa don't eat or move (they will wiggle if bothered), and all energy is spent on metamorphisis.
Superworm Beetles are white, then red, then darken to black within 24 hours of becoming beetles. They are relatively large beetles at about 1" long. Female beetles are larger than the males and lay approx. 500 eggs in a lifetime - of which around 50 will hatch. The beetles will live for 4 - 5 months and breed continuously. The pregnant female has a large abdomen which forces the wings slightly open, making pregnant females easy to spot. Beetles prefer dark areas and will spend the majority of their time hiding, unless they are looking for food.
Gutloading Superworms
Superworm Food
Superworms should be gutloaded for a minimum of 24 hours before being fed to pets. The healthier and better fed your superworms are, the more nutritious they become for your pets.
Superworms need to eat a good dry mix as well as moisture/fresh vegetable content.
Whatever you use as substrate, the worms will eat. Every 2 months or so, the substrate should be changed to remove accumulated wastes. Daily remove any dead worms (if any), pupa, and old vegetables.
Gutload Mix
Use a combination of the following to make a healthy gutload mixture, and use at least 3" of the mixture in your superworm tank:
Oats,
Grain Cereal,
Baby Rice Cereal,
Bran,
Flax Seeds,
Wheat Germ,
Alfalfa Flakes,
Spirulina,
Fish Flakes,
Dry Milk Powder.
You can buy superworm gutload mix:
at WormMan:
1 Gallon of Superworm Bedding $10.50
2 Gallons Superworm Bedding $14.50
or buy at CricketFood:
Premium Blend Advanced Worm Food (1lb) $8.85
Premium Blend Superworm & Mealworm Bedding (5lb) $21.95
Moisture
Superworms will canabalize each other if not provided with enough moisture. Do NOT add a dish of water, or spray the substrate. This will create bacteria and kill your superworms, and possibly make your pets sick when feeding them these worms.
Superworms are quite ravenous. Place fresh vegetables on top of substrate every day or two and remove old vegetables. If there is any moisture or mold on the substrate, remove it.
Good vegetables/fruits to use include:
Carrots, Apples, Potato. (These make a fairly cheap (although not the best nutritionally) moisture source, especially if you keep large amounts of superworms.)
Mustard, Collard, & Turnip Greens, Kale, Rapini, Watercress, Arugula, Endive, Escarole.
Green Beans, Peas (Snap, Snow, etc.), Parsnip, Squash, Okra
Superworm Housing
Housing Superworms
Superworms can be kept in nearly any smooth sided container. Shoebox size tuperware/rubbermaid containers can comfortably house several hundred superworms. A 10 gallon aquarium can house several thousand. DO NOT refridgerate superworms, they should be kept between 70 - 80 degrees (normal room temperature).
Whatever container you use, add at least a 3" layer of substrate for the worms to hide in and eat.
Superworms are not going to climb out as long as the container is smooth sided. However; if you do encounter problems with this, you could either use a screen top (make sure there is good ventilation), or use 2" packing tape to tape all the way around the top of the inside walls of the container. It is too smooth for them to hold on, and once they reach the tape, they will fall off. You could also buy some BugStop, a slippery substance created to keep pests from climbing (normally used for ant problems and the like).
Some people also add egg crates or tissue paper tubes for extra hiding areas for the worms. If you choose to use egg crates, be aware that if you stack them, some worms may pupate due to the dark individual compartments. The pupa will be helpless against any superworms that may choose to eat them, and should be removed. If left in the container, they will either be eaten, or become a beetle - which will eat your superworms.
Breeding Superworms
How To Breed Superworms
When your superworms are at least 4 months old or 2 - 2 1/2" long, they are old enough to breed. Breeding superworms is a long term process, by the time you have food size worms again, it will have been about 3 - 4 months. If you have many mouths to feed, breeding superworms can be very economical.
The first thing you need is individual compartments to force the worms to pupate. Many people use film canisters, workshop screw/nail drawer units, or embroidery floss cases. Drill or melt a small hole in the top of each compartment, and add a small amount of oats to the bottom of each one.
You can start the breeding process with a minimum of 50 superworms. Starting with 50 superworms will eventually yield approx. 3000 superworms over several months.
Put one superworm in each compartment. Do not add any moisture source. Store the containers in a dark, warm (70 - 80 degrees) area. You will not need to feed them again until they become beetles.
Within 14 days, the worms will curl up, preparing to pupate. Any that are black and straight are dead and should be thrown away. Within another 14 days they become pupae. Once you notice pupa, you should check on them daily or so to watch for beetles.
In another 2 weeks or so, they become beetles. The beetles are white, then red, and finally turn black within 24 hours of becoming beetles.
Beetles should be removed to the breeding tank. A rubbermaid container makes a good beetle house. Drill holes in the lid for ventilation. Using the same substrate you would use for the worms, cover the bottom of the tank with substrate. Add several stacked egg crates for the beetles to lay eggs on and hide in.
The beetles will be very hungry and thirsty after their metamorphisis. Provide moisture using the same vegetables as you would with superworms.
The beetles do not need light, and seem to prefer darkness, but should be kept at 70 - 80 degrees to encourage breeding. In 7 - 14 days, there will be eggs within the egg crates and substrate, although you probably will not see them - they are very small.
Removing old food becomes tedious at this point because the eggs and baby superworms are too small to see and may be in the food. Throw old food into a seperate container and keep an eye out for small worms.
Every 2 weeks, remove all substrate to another container so the beetles won't eat the baby superworms. Add new substrate to the beetle container. You will need to do this every 2 weeks or so for 4 or 5 months.
Soon you will find many small worms in your worm tank. These will get full size within a few months when you can begin the cycle again.
http://www.buysuperworms.com/index.html
Here's some of their info that i've seen a lot of people had questions about but none were really answered. This is not my own writing i give credit to the owner of buysuperworms.com I just think it's easier for people to get most of their info at one spot rather then having to open more windows:
Superworms General Information
Superworms, (zophobas morio), make an excellent and easy to keep feeder insect for many reptile, amphibian, and bird species. Superworms also make great fish bait for Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Trout.
Superworms are NOT the same animal as Mealworms or Giant Mealworms (tenebrio molitor). Appropriately sized superworms are in fact easily digested as compared to mealworms (a common feeder insect), as they have less chitin. Superworms are easier to keep than mealworms because they normally will not pupate unless forced into certain conditions. While mealworms should be kept in the fridge to prevent them from pupating and becoming beetles, DO NOT refridgerate superworms.
Superworm Life Stages
Zophobas Morio (superworms) have 4 life stages;
Egg, Larva, Pupa, and Beetle.
Superworm Eggs are extremely tiny (about 1/20"). Once laid, eggs will hatch in 7 - 10 days.
Superworm Larva are the 'worm' stage and are what we feed our pets. They begin as very tiny and difficult to see and grow quickly up to 2 - 2 1/2" long. They are white worms with a brown banded exo-skeleton called 'chitin'. Superworm larva live in this stage for about a year when well cared for, but can be forced to pupate as soon as 4 months or at least 2".
Superworm Pupa are at the stage between larva and beetle. This stage lasts 14 - 20 days before the pupa become beetles. Pupa don't eat or move (they will wiggle if bothered), and all energy is spent on metamorphisis.
Superworm Beetles are white, then red, then darken to black within 24 hours of becoming beetles. They are relatively large beetles at about 1" long. Female beetles are larger than the males and lay approx. 500 eggs in a lifetime - of which around 50 will hatch. The beetles will live for 4 - 5 months and breed continuously. The pregnant female has a large abdomen which forces the wings slightly open, making pregnant females easy to spot. Beetles prefer dark areas and will spend the majority of their time hiding, unless they are looking for food.
Gutloading Superworms
Superworm Food
Superworms should be gutloaded for a minimum of 24 hours before being fed to pets. The healthier and better fed your superworms are, the more nutritious they become for your pets.
Superworms need to eat a good dry mix as well as moisture/fresh vegetable content.
Whatever you use as substrate, the worms will eat. Every 2 months or so, the substrate should be changed to remove accumulated wastes. Daily remove any dead worms (if any), pupa, and old vegetables.
Gutload Mix
Use a combination of the following to make a healthy gutload mixture, and use at least 3" of the mixture in your superworm tank:
Oats,
Grain Cereal,
Baby Rice Cereal,
Bran,
Flax Seeds,
Wheat Germ,
Alfalfa Flakes,
Spirulina,
Fish Flakes,
Dry Milk Powder.
You can buy superworm gutload mix:
at WormMan:
1 Gallon of Superworm Bedding $10.50
2 Gallons Superworm Bedding $14.50
or buy at CricketFood:
Premium Blend Advanced Worm Food (1lb) $8.85
Premium Blend Superworm & Mealworm Bedding (5lb) $21.95
Moisture
Superworms will canabalize each other if not provided with enough moisture. Do NOT add a dish of water, or spray the substrate. This will create bacteria and kill your superworms, and possibly make your pets sick when feeding them these worms.
Superworms are quite ravenous. Place fresh vegetables on top of substrate every day or two and remove old vegetables. If there is any moisture or mold on the substrate, remove it.
Good vegetables/fruits to use include:
Carrots, Apples, Potato. (These make a fairly cheap (although not the best nutritionally) moisture source, especially if you keep large amounts of superworms.)
Mustard, Collard, & Turnip Greens, Kale, Rapini, Watercress, Arugula, Endive, Escarole.
Green Beans, Peas (Snap, Snow, etc.), Parsnip, Squash, Okra
Superworm Housing
Housing Superworms
Superworms can be kept in nearly any smooth sided container. Shoebox size tuperware/rubbermaid containers can comfortably house several hundred superworms. A 10 gallon aquarium can house several thousand. DO NOT refridgerate superworms, they should be kept between 70 - 80 degrees (normal room temperature).
Whatever container you use, add at least a 3" layer of substrate for the worms to hide in and eat.
Superworms are not going to climb out as long as the container is smooth sided. However; if you do encounter problems with this, you could either use a screen top (make sure there is good ventilation), or use 2" packing tape to tape all the way around the top of the inside walls of the container. It is too smooth for them to hold on, and once they reach the tape, they will fall off. You could also buy some BugStop, a slippery substance created to keep pests from climbing (normally used for ant problems and the like).
Some people also add egg crates or tissue paper tubes for extra hiding areas for the worms. If you choose to use egg crates, be aware that if you stack them, some worms may pupate due to the dark individual compartments. The pupa will be helpless against any superworms that may choose to eat them, and should be removed. If left in the container, they will either be eaten, or become a beetle - which will eat your superworms.
Breeding Superworms
How To Breed Superworms
When your superworms are at least 4 months old or 2 - 2 1/2" long, they are old enough to breed. Breeding superworms is a long term process, by the time you have food size worms again, it will have been about 3 - 4 months. If you have many mouths to feed, breeding superworms can be very economical.
The first thing you need is individual compartments to force the worms to pupate. Many people use film canisters, workshop screw/nail drawer units, or embroidery floss cases. Drill or melt a small hole in the top of each compartment, and add a small amount of oats to the bottom of each one.
You can start the breeding process with a minimum of 50 superworms. Starting with 50 superworms will eventually yield approx. 3000 superworms over several months.
Put one superworm in each compartment. Do not add any moisture source. Store the containers in a dark, warm (70 - 80 degrees) area. You will not need to feed them again until they become beetles.
Within 14 days, the worms will curl up, preparing to pupate. Any that are black and straight are dead and should be thrown away. Within another 14 days they become pupae. Once you notice pupa, you should check on them daily or so to watch for beetles.
In another 2 weeks or so, they become beetles. The beetles are white, then red, and finally turn black within 24 hours of becoming beetles.
Beetles should be removed to the breeding tank. A rubbermaid container makes a good beetle house. Drill holes in the lid for ventilation. Using the same substrate you would use for the worms, cover the bottom of the tank with substrate. Add several stacked egg crates for the beetles to lay eggs on and hide in.
The beetles will be very hungry and thirsty after their metamorphisis. Provide moisture using the same vegetables as you would with superworms.
The beetles do not need light, and seem to prefer darkness, but should be kept at 70 - 80 degrees to encourage breeding. In 7 - 14 days, there will be eggs within the egg crates and substrate, although you probably will not see them - they are very small.
Removing old food becomes tedious at this point because the eggs and baby superworms are too small to see and may be in the food. Throw old food into a seperate container and keep an eye out for small worms.
Every 2 weeks, remove all substrate to another container so the beetles won't eat the baby superworms. Add new substrate to the beetle container. You will need to do this every 2 weeks or so for 4 or 5 months.
Soon you will find many small worms in your worm tank. These will get full size within a few months when you can begin the cycle again.
Ryan Maguire
Sub-Adult Member
Mine failed. I had 40-50 beetles, after 3=4 weeks they all died off and I had no babies. LE SIGH!!!
fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
Excellent Post Dakotachristy84! :headbang: :headbang:Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
after almost 2 weeks of waiting and calling i got my superworms from reptilecity.com. won't order from there again. i heard some bad stories about them and had them myself. at first i thought all the worms were dead. the fedex guy threw them on my porch. when i opened the box there was no heating source. it was a box from the worms with 4 big holes cut filled with screens and then the shipping box. no newspaper or anything to keep the cold from them. poor little guys. i was going to call and bitch that they were all dead so they would send me other ones, but when i went to feed one of the little suckers to my dragon the dum thing started to wingle and scared the crap out of me. i ended up dropping it in the dragon's water and had to fish it out. so they just needed to warm up. it's all good. they were all alive. well i feed them for a day and then i figured i would try and pupape then. so i got my tackle totes out and started putting them in their new homes. i have about 198. i know that's a lot but i have over 10 dragons to feed. well i read that they need to be between 70-80 and my house is lucky it gets over 65. so i put a heating pad under the tote i have them stored in. bis mistake. someone had hit the heating pad to high. its one of those that heats up for an hour and then goes off. so i was lucky there. i went to check on them today and i had a bunch of dead ones some of them were so dried out that when they hit the table they made a small little tap sound. Ohhhhh and the smell. it was so gross. i would rather stick my head in with the crickets. it was bad. so i took out all the dead ones and put new ones in. i turned the heating pad back down and i hope it don't happen again. i got them on wed. and put them in the tote later that night and it already looks like i might have 2 or 3 pupate. wish me luck.
fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
Dakotachristy84 sorry to hear about your almost dead supers. If I were you I'd gutoad them for a week or so before trying to morph them. As you want the plumpest ones for beetles. Also I seriously don't think you need to morph that many. I'm working with only about 2 to 3 dozen beetles an I'm feeding 9 beardies off of my supers that I've grown.
Oh yeah! Best of luck with the supers.
Oh yeah! Best of luck with the supers.
Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
i wasn't sure how many to try and morph. i want to make sure that i have a lot of beetles. like i said i have 10 dragons. 3 with the hunger of a bear and 7 sub adults not to mention 22 eggs that are due to hatch any day now. Plus fishing season is coming up and my husband likes to use them. i figure once i get my colony started with beetles i'll only try and morph a dozen or 2 a month to keep them alive. i am pretty sure at one point i am going to be over my head in dragon food but that's ok with me. i also changed the way i have the worms in small tackle boxes setup. i put cookie cooling racks under them so the heat and vent a little more. i never knew that crunchy superworms smelled so bad when cooked. i guess i won't be heating any of them up to eat anything soon. how long have you had your colony going?
fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
I started my supers back in July, but the first batch got destroyed by the grain moths. I took care of that situation. It wasn't until November that any of the first 2 to 3 dozen beetles began to die. I just replace them as I need them. With only 2 to 3 dozen beetles I already have more than enough to feed 9 good eaters until brumation time again next year. And the beetles are still breeding so I plan on keeping the cycle up as it is so nice not to have to buy feeders. I have a Turk colony or 2 also what a releif on Frank's wallet and great for baby beardies. :wink:
I don't know if you've seen my pic's or not but if you'd like to take a look here's a link.
I'll be posting some updated pic's now that I got a new camera as I have much more and larger now.
viewtopic.php?f=76&t=98426
I don't know if you've seen my pic's or not but if you'd like to take a look here's a link.
I'll be posting some updated pic's now that I got a new camera as I have much more and larger now.
viewtopic.php?f=76&t=98426
Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
that's a really neat thread i'll have to get some pictures of my stuff and ad them on. i to myself just got a new camera. i have crickets, dubia roaches, superworms and mice for feeders. so i'll have to make sure to post. my cricket setup didnt really work the way i wanted it to. the ones in the glass tank are doing great the ones in the tote)the feedoffs) i am going to end up getting rid of and just keep the ones in the tank. somehow or another a fly got into it and laid eggs. the one day i went in to it and it was like the plague. i've never had so many flies in my house before and we live on a farm. so i spent the last couple of days killing them off. gross little bugger.
Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
fresnowitte":4de8e said:
you have turks. they breed like mad. what's the ratio of insects you feed to your dragons. for example do you give them more turks then superworms? i don't mind being over run with superworms. i am pretty sure i can figure something to do with them. i think once i have the almost 200 worms turn into beetles i'll only try to morph more once like half of them die.
Dakotachristy84
Hatchling Member
when you are waiting for the superworms to morph do you still check on them every day? will that delay them from morphing by bothering them so much? i've checked on mine a couple of times and one or 2 of them uncurl.
diggerdrake
Juvie Member
finally got aliens ... I put 48 worms in almost 1-1/2 months ago and I got 10 aliens. I was about to give up on them but they were still in there kicking so I left them be. Lo and behold started with 2 aliens a couple days ago as of today I have 10 with a few curled up ready to turn. only lost 10 supers but the rest of the 48 seem to be doing fine. As soon as I get in some more supers I am going to get some more morphing. Looks like I am well on the way to "super freedom"
fresnowitte
BD.org Sicko
Dakotachristy I think I feed about 10 supers to my adult beardies and probably about 10 roaches per feeding subadults about 3x that amount of roaches. And little Benders gets roaches for now with other wormie treats. :wink:
You don't need to check them every single day if you don't want to, but I check mine every couple of days more often as the weather gets warmer.
Diggerdrake if you keep them rather warm they will morph much quicker. Also always make sure to start off with the biggest fattest worms. :wink:
I really don't think you will bother them that much if your just looking in on them and not shaking them around.Dakotachristy84":5572b said:
You don't need to check them every single day if you don't want to, but I check mine every couple of days more often as the weather gets warmer.
Diggerdrake if you keep them rather warm they will morph much quicker. Also always make sure to start off with the biggest fattest worms. :wink:
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