Superworms
82Superworm
Raising Superworms
Superworms are a worms that are approximately 2" long. They are very popular feeder for reptiles.
These worms are naturally large and have no growth hormones unlike the giant mealworm. The total life span for a superworm is a little over a year from egg to beetle.
These worms have hard exoskeletons, so as a staple diet, superworms can create impaction concerns in smalelr reptiles. Superworms should only be provided for larger reptiles.
Materials for Breeding Superworms
- Plastic storage containers
- Bedding
- Superworms
Basic Setup for Breeding Superworms
Superworms can be placed in the plastic storage container at least 5" tall, so that they cannot climb out, because they will climb. You must place sufficient bedding in the container before you add the superworms, without sufficient bedding, superworms will chew out of the plastic, which means you cannot use cheap plastic containers.
Like mealworms, the basic setup of superworms, is very simplistic.
As for heating, the best temperatures are in the mid 70s to the low 80s. Temperatures that are too high or too low, will kill them.
DO NOT put superworms in the refrigerator.
As for the diet of a superworm, they will eat about anything. Wheat bran of a highly nutritious gutload should be provided, either as pure bedding or blended in with the bedding. Commercial gutload can be found at Pro Geckos, Cricket Food, and Worm Man. Also, provide fresh vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
The fresh vegetables provide the superworms with a great source of moisture. If you do not provide enough moisture, they will begin to eat each other.
Breeding Superworms
Similar to mealworms, superworms pupate into little "aliens." Some say that superworms need to be placed individually in order to pupate.
The worms become large enough to pupate around 5 months old. Choose the largest worms to pull out. Place these worms, separately, in small, dark containers. Film containers work just fine.
The "aliens" will morph into beetles. Place the beetles together and they will reproduce. You will have baby superworms in no time.
Bearded Dragon Eating Superworms
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Comments
I think that if you have sufficient bedding the egg cartons are unnecessary.
And, yes... As beetles the EAT and EAT and EAT!
Does anyone know roughly how long it takes after the beetles lay their eggs for them to hatch? Thanks.
It shouldn't take any longer than a week or so. The worms will be very, very small, but will grow rapidly.
So... I experienced my first "alien" last week, when I opened my superworms tub and saw a small black ELEPHANT, just chilling out. I mean, I understood the second I saw it that mealworms WOULD NATURALLY change into beetles, but I still had a "WTH" expression for a good few minutes.
Next time I get one, I think I'll take the breeding approach. Do the Beasts pose any kind of threat to the superworms, or is it okay to leave them be with the others?
Do you just kind of hangout until you look in the container and see tiny little superworms, then remove the beetles?
Jamberry- You can leave them without consequences to the worms. But, when I bred mealworms, I set up a separate container of bedding for beetles, and after a month or so put the beetles in a different container to let baby worms grow. I would not leave beetles and "aliens," as you may find the beetles eating the "aliens".
Oooh, I now see that I was confused. "Aliens" are what you guys call the mealworms that are soft and white, their inbetween state, I'm assuming? I thought you were refering to the beetles as the "aliens." I should read more carefully.
Whoops.
But that makes sense. I just need to wait until another beetle amerges. How long does it take the superworms to grow, to an inch or so, with adequate food and moisture?
Yes the "aliens" at the white stage in between worm and beetle. I'm not sure how long it takes superworms to reach about 1 inch. I tend to purchase them as adults, when I do, which is seldom. I've never bred them.
This site is awesome! Thanks to all the info about breedind insects i now successfully breed my own crickets, mealworms, superworms and silkworms! And now that i know it can be done, i am opening my own business to sell them as we live in a very small town with a high demand for insects for reptile lovers which can't be found in our local pet store except crickets. Thank's for the great info!
I've been breeding (we call them King worms around here) for about five years now. The time from when the worm turns into 'aliens' depends on the amount of warmth they get. in the summer they can turn into beetles in just about three weeks. In the winter maybe even 10 days more. When they have turned into aliens they don't move much and don't eat anything. They love even temperature this is when I find the egg-carton to be the best. I check on them every couple of days. Once it gets to be closer to their turning point I open the eggcarton morning and night because once they turn into bugs they like to "walk-about" they are a bright tan-orange color when first turned which will darken to brown and eventually black. soon after they're black they are ready to mate and produce eggs. [Sorry Whitney I know this is your hub hope you don't mind it just looked like you needed a bit of help answering Jamberrys question.]
regards Zsuzsy
Oh Zuzsy it's not a problem! I do appreciate the help very much. As, I mentioned, I've never bred superworms (or King Worms). I thought about it at one point, but after a few months decided that they smelt bad, so I jsut fed them all off to my bearded dragons.
I have to agree with you Zuzsy about breeding the superworms it is fun and it's a big bonus that they are not slimy and same with the meals. But the most rewarding, i think, is hatching silkworm eggs. It is truely amazing watching the tiny little critters crawling out of the egg and onto the food and boy do they grow fast! Just a coupple of day's of feeding and there is already a size difference. I kinda feel sorry for them knowing they will be feed to my Beardies and Gecko's but of course i will be putting most of them aside to breed. I also have a question concerning the superworm beetles. I make sure they have fresh fruit every day but every so often i will see the eating eachother what's up with that? It's nuts how one will just attack another and won't stop until the body is all consumed.
wow...the lizard eat like that huh...cool
well l have started breeding superking worms but how long do the beetles live.thanks
I believe a few weeks. Depends on the temperature. Warmer the better, but don't fry them.
damn l thought it was longer but thats okay love the input. l guess l am yoused to raiseing meal worms.thanks whitney05.ps l am in ontario canada where are you from
I'm not 10-% on the time frame. It's been a while since I've breed them. But I don't belive it's too long. It's never taken me too long to breed mealworms either.
have more super king worms changing so we will see how many change to bettles for me
Wow they totally sound so amazing mabye i'll try one onetime l.o.l
does anyone know where superworms originally come from?
you can eat them
finnally have 60 superking beatles.Damn they are big.Does anyone know how long till worms start to show????
hey there... whats going on... I have a question...for nancy1424, with how many worms or beatles are u going to start to make your own business...?
HELP. I have had beetles for weeks now but I have seen no baby worms. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I assume that beetles eat the baby worms...and this might be part of the problem. But, we have moved the beetles around some...just not weekly. Someone else suggested I put a light over the beetles to increase the temperature just a bit. I have been doing this for a couple of days now.
I also have a small mealworm farm that someone gave me. All was going well for a few month. Now I have mostly beetles and very few worms. And, I am not seeing baby worms. So, I seem to be having the same problem with both the mealworms and the superworms...beetles but no babies.
My little boys are very anxious to get baby superworms...as we have been working at this process for many weeks now.
Thanks, in advance, for any help you can give me.
Mel
It will take time. Baby superworms are very small, and it will take a minute for you to be able to notice them.
Be patient. That's the key. It will take more than weeks of watching beetles and days of a light.
Leave the light there for the raised temps, but just be patient.
It took at least a month until I noticed the substrate moving after putting the beatles in the cage, but they grow quickly after that.
Hey, what a great hub! I have a couple things to add...
In my experience, if you have too many worms together, they will cannibalize, regardless of the amount of food available. This is more of an issue with the worms, but same goes for the beetles.
If you feed potatoes at all, the worms will stink. Try carrots instead, and there will be no smell. Beetles will only stink if they are unhappy or feel threatened, it is their only defense, as they dont bite.
i actually got bitten by a rather large adult superworm the other day, scared me. but they can eat through plastic if there is a spot for them to bite that had holes, so they very much are capable of bitting.
You were bitten by a beetle? Thants strange, Ive never heard of that. The larvae (worms) are usually the biters. And pupae (aliens) of course are incabable.
Great hub whitney05
Got my first colony of superworms statred.
Had the beatles on wheat bran for 5 weeks and was ready to give up.
I feed the beatles mustard green,collards,carrots ,whatever the lazy dragon won't eat.As i was about to give up i was removing the old mustard green leaves from beatle container and there was bunches of baby worms in there.Question is moving beatles to another container will they lay again
thanks in advance for info
Yes, you can and should go ahead and move the beetles to another bucket.
Zsuzsy Bee says:
2 years ago
Whitney05!
Great HUB!
The time span between the "alien" stage and morphing into brown beatles mainly depends on the temperature. The more even the better. Once the worm become aliens they really don't move much. Placing them in egg-cartons work the best. the change over can take anywhere from 3-4 weeks. At this time they need to be moved into containers with netting covers, otherwise they will 'walk-about'. When first changed into beetles they are hungry, hungry, hungry and a light reddish brown gradually getting darker and finally being totally black at which stage they're ready to 'mate'. They need a bran bedding with chunks of wood or moss to lay their eggs into. Once a week create a new home for the beatles, so that the baby worms have a chance without being eaten. After 5-6 weeks the adult beatles die.
For a continuous worm supply for your draggons or other lizards restart with a few worms in the film containers every week or two.
Breeding these worms is fun. They are quite beautiful shiny but not slimy.
regards Zsuzsy