Care Sheets
Care Sheets
Butterworms
- It is normal for Butterworms to form a doughnut shaped nest during shipping. Gently pull apart the nest to find your worms inside.
- On arrival let stand at room temperature with the lid open for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at 40-50 degrees
- Worms will become dormant and last for months
- Butterworms absolutely must be kept dry, any condensation or moisture in the bedding will cause mold to form on the bedding and death of the worms.
- Do not feed Butterworms to your pet if you notice mold growing in the bedding.
Crickets
- Keep crickets between 85 and 90 degrees; they will die rapidly at lower temps. We recommend using a radiant heater (like a ceramic bulb) if your room isn't this warm
- When crickets arrive, empty them out into a cage or commercial bin, place egg cartons on the inside wall of the cage, add cricket food and water bottle or water crystals
- To clean your bin: Shake the crickets off of the egg flats and remove flats from the cage, remove food and water. Using a 6" putty knife, scrape the sides and bottom toward the center. (the live crickets will jump from the pile to the corners) Wash water bottle, refill and put back (or replace water crystals), add grain.
- Crickets are very sensitive to chemicals, flea products especially! They should be kept far away from even flea collars
Dermesid Larvae as Their Own Colony
- Place your larvae in a container such as glass, sterilite or Kritter Keepers. They can eventually eat their way out of Rubbermaid!
- Use aspen shavings (not pine) as bedding material 1/2 to 1" deep.
- The ideal temperature is between 65 to 85 degrees and kept in the dark.
- Keep your containers open to the air, moisture will very quickly cause colony death
- Dermestid larvae love to burrow, a chunk of Styrofoam will give them lots of places to burrow and hide. It will need to be replaced eventually. Do not feed pets dermestid larvae that have eaten Styrofoam.
- The larvae need to eat at least 4 times weekly, they will eat raw or cooked meat readily. A great alternative is Repashy Meat Pie that is convenient to store and use. It provides both food and water in one source.
- Keep your beetles out of direct sunlight, if you need to use heat an undertank heater is preferable to a heat lamp that emits light.
Dubia Roaches
- Place your roaches in a container with smooth sides so they can't escape (plastic tubs, aquariums, etc.) this will also keep other insects from entering!
- Use a screen lid for an aquarium or cut a hole in a plastic tub, covering it with screen or plastic mesh.
- Add vertical egg flats to give them hiding places, and to keep them up off of their droppings.
- Keep your roaches warm (around 90°) and at least 60% humidity. Adult males will dehydrate rapidly through respiration from their wings.
- A ceramic heat emitter or under tank heater can be used with a thermostat to maintain the temperature
- The absolutely most easy and nutritious food for Dubia is Repashy's Bug Burger. It provides not only all the nutrition that roaches need but also is a water source. You won't need water crystals or have standing water that can breed bacteria or drown roaches.
- Roaches can also be fed oranges, protein-enriched bread, and ground dry dog food. Offer water in the form of water crystals to prevent drowning.
Fruit Flies
- Keep your culture moist, a dry culture will tend to mold. If you notice mold growing you can mist your culture very lightly with bottled water (not tap).
- Air conditioners and ventilation systems tend to harbor mold spores so store your cultures away from the vents in your home.
- Your culture should be kept between 65° and 80°. Always keep 5-10 flies minimum as a breeding culture to lay new eggs, on the other hand don't let too many flies breed as crowding will damage your culture.
- Mites are common in kitchens or areas that store grains or pet foods (even fish food!). Keeping your fruit fly cultures away from areas that contain these dry goods will help keep mites from invading your cultures.
Hornworms
- Keep the habitat with either the lid up or if upside down on a screen or grate so the worms get fresh air.
- If you'd like your worms to grow larger, keep them at 82°. Keep them at 55° to slow their metabolism when they're at the desired size (a wine cooler works great for this).
- Shake out the yellow little 'kernels', these are the droppings and will build up quickly
Madagascar Hissing Roaches
- Keep roaches between 85 and 90°, they will not breed below 65° readily
- Humidity can be maintained with daily misting but maintain ventilation with a screen cover to limit mold growth in colony
- Roaches LOVE to eat ground dry dog food! Repashy Bug Burger is a great way to gut load your roaches
- Fruits and vegetables can be given but must be changed frequently and washed prior to feeding
- Use vertically stacked egg flats to give surface area and prevent territorial fighting
- Care is very similar to Dubia Roaches
Mealworms & Giant Mealworms
- On arrival, shake worms out into a container (kitty litter pans or food storage bins work well)
- Keeping at room temperature:
- Add a 1” layer of wheat bran or mealworm bedding
- Supply moisture with raw carrots, potatoes, or celery (this is essential)
- Sift bedding when bedding appears ‘sandy’
- Large worms kept at room temperature will pupate very soon!
- Never let worms sit in direct sunlight or in temperatures 85° or higher
- Storing in refrigerator (recommended)
- Remove vegetation while worms are refrigerated
- Don't store in the coldest areas where the milk is kept or the crisper; it can get a bit too chilly here!
- Always let worms stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before placing into the refrigerator at 45-50 degrees.
- At this temperature the worms become dormant and last for months
- Worms must stay dry and have air at all times (do not place in a covered or sealed container)
- When removed from refrigeration offer moisture and food, worms will be lively and hungry as they warm up
Mealworms Pre-packaged in Resale Containers
- On arrival let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate at 45-50 degrees
- Worms will become dormant and last for months
- Tell customers to take the lid off and put in a small piece of carrot or potato; when worms are done feeding remove and place worms into the refrigerator
Phoenix Worms®
- Keep your worms in the original closed container to preserve the correct moisture balance. Phoenix Worms will keep for weeks at room temperatures from 60-70 degrees. For even longer shelf life, keep cool (50-60 degrees) but do not refrigerate.
- Large size Phoenix Worms are farther along in their life cycle and will darken in preparation for pupation more quickly than the smaller sizes. This is normal and the worms are not dead. Calcium levels are highest in the darker worms. We suggest feeding the darker worms first while they are still wiggly.
- Packing media can be easily removed from your worms by pouring out the worms to be served and allowing them to dry for a few minutes. Media will fall away from the dry worms. Any clinging residue can be easily blown off before serving.
- Serve dry Phoenix Worms in a shallow dry dish. Any moisture that is present will enable Phoenix Worms to climb out of the dish and hide in the substrate.
Superworms
- On arrival, shake worms out and put into a plastic container (kitty litter pan or dish pan).
- Add a 1” layer of wheat bran or mealworm bedding
- Moisture is provided by a small piece of raw potato, carrot, or celery (this is essential)
- Do NOT Refrigerate Superworms!!! It will kill them. Keep them between 75° and 85°
- They will not change to pupae or beetles, but their shelf life is roughly 4 months to 1 year when given food, water, and kept at room temperature.
Waxworms
- To prevent pupation, store between 50 and 60°, if this is not possible (refrigerators are colder) then at room temperature at the coolest spot available. Often the butter tray in a refrigerator door is the correct temperature.
- Order no more than a 2 week supply to ensure fresh stock
- If they arrive and the sawdust feels moist, leave the top off and make sure they dry out; waxworms prefer a low humidity environment.
- Waxworms don't need food, they are in the final stage of their larval form and use their own energy stores for survival. They will grow smaller rather than larger at room temperature and rapidly pupate because of this.