Pachnoda Grubs

Waxworms

Waxworms - Galleria mellonella are the larval stage of the wax moth and are a type of livefood which can make great treats for your exotic pets. Waxworms are soft-bodies, fat grubs which are particularly enjoyed by reptiles, amphibians, birds and small mammals due to their high fat content however they are less nutritious than other types of livefood, meaning they should only be fed sparingly to your pets. Their sweet taste makes them extremely addictive with many pets unwilling to eat other food sources if they have been overfed on waxworms for an extended period of time. They can however be used to entice feeding if your exotic pet is sick or malnourished and going through a phase of refusing food. This can be achieved by either offering waxworms directly or by squeezing waxworm guts onto other livefood such as locusts or crickets.

If you only wish to buy waxworms occasionally either online or from your pet store, they are extremely easy to keep and sustain for 5 weeks or more. Once your tub of waxworms arrives in the post, or when you bring it home, you should immediately open the lid and allow any condensation which may have formed to dry out. Damp conditions will allow mould and fungus growth which can damage the colony and your pets, as such you should aim to keep your waxworms as dry and possible. Remember to firmly replace the lid as waxworms are excellent climbers being able to move up and down both plastic and glass and will escape given half the chance. Once you are sure the container is as dry as possible you will need to store at temperatures between 65-70F which will keep your waxworms for approximately 5 weeks.

If you are looking to store your waxworms for extended periods of time you will need to refrigerate the container which will force them into a state of hibernation and will allow them to be kept for 3-4 months. While being refrigerated you do not need to worry about feeding or watering your waxworms as their metabolism slows and they have no need to eat or drink. When removing waxworms from the refrigerator for feeding to your exotic pet, you should be as quick as possible to prevent any condensation forming in the container which as mentioned previously can cause your waxworms to die off.

Any dead waxworms should be periodically removed to prevent spread of disease and infection. It is easy to spot the dead ones as they will be black in colour, unlike the milky-white colour of live waxworms.

Feeding:

In their natural environment waxworms are a pest as they raid and feed on honeycombs. However, to breed these in captivity we need to produce an alternative culture for them to feed on. There are two main ingredients needed to produce a successful waxworm culture, these are weetabix (supermarket own brand) and honey. The weetabix will first need breaking up into a fine crumbly mixture so the individual pieces of wheat become separated and remove all lumps. Slowly you will need to add in the honey continually stirring the mixture to produce a soft crumbly consistency. It is advised to pre-heat the honey by standing the jar in hot water until it becomes thin and runny as this makes mixing the ingredients much easier. You should be looking to produce a mixture that is moist and firm to touch, yet will easily crumble when rubbed between your fingers. Once you have achieved this consistency you are ready to place a 2-3 inch layer of the waxworm culture into the base of your breeding container. Any spare mixture can be stored in the fridge for later use. If you wish to make your waxworm culture more nutritious you could mix in a pinch or two of vitamin, mineral and calcium powder.

Harvesting:

When it comes times to harvest your culture, you will want to wait until they are roughly the size you need. Then remove the culture mixture and spread it out over a flat surface. It will be much more clumped together and stickier in consistency from when you made it as waxworms produce silk like substance which intertwines with faeces and the culture. Be warned that home grown waxworms are much faster movers than store bought so keep an eye open for any that try to make a dash for it. Once collected you should store them in small tubs in the fridge with some wood shavings as a substrate. You should save 20-25 waxworms ready for when you need to produce a new culture and simply pop them into the honey mixture ready to begin the process again.