Phoenix Worms vs Silkworms- New Owner

[BeardieSUSU]

New on this forum (and new beardie owner) and I'm having trouble finding an answer on here; are phoenix worms or silkworms technically better? I've done a lot of research about beardies before getting one, but I overlooked one key thing; I HATE CRICKETS AS A STAPLE INSECT. I didn't anticipate the smell and how persistent they are. Roaches aren't an option in my area. So I'm down to these two options.

Overall, my biggest concern is the time it takes for each to grow into their adult stage. I've bought calciworms from my local pet store, just to see if he had a taste for them, and was surprised to open the container to a fully grown BSF after just two weeks. I would prefer to buy 3-4 weeks worth at a time. Is there any way to prolong their larvae stage?Obviously silkworms go through a similar process, but does it take as long? Also, my beardie is only about 6 weeks old so I'm leaning towards phoenix worms.

 

[CooperDragon]

If you want a staple bug that will last for more than a couple of weeks I'd go with either crickets or some kind of roaches. Where are you? If you're in Florida you may be able to get discoid roaches instead of dubia roaches. Otherwise, I'd go with variety. Get a batch of Phoenix Worms then a batch of silks and just do them on rotation. You can grow your own silk worms too. For young dragons I'd stick with Phoenix Worms if you have to choose one because of their calcium content but they are quite small so you'll go through a LOT of them, especially during growth spurts which will become expensive.