Waxworm Farm for Free!

I have an on-going waxworm farm I want to get rid of. I know they're not supposed to produce more than one batch, but I have been successful at having multiple generations produce in this one farm, and they just keep on going. I just did a little digging with my hand, no counting, but there must be a 50 to 100 in there right now. The problem is, I don't like fishing with waxworms anymore. To me they're too squishy, and they don't usually stay on the hook for more than one fish. I prefer maggots, so I want to get rid of this farm.

The "farm" consists of an aquarium tank painted black with a screen top and a felt cover to keep it dark. It has lots of food inside, consisting of weetabix, honey, and glycerin, and corrugated egg-laying platforms. I am actually surprised they are still thriving. I think if someone just put in another load of weetabix, honey, and glycerin, they would keep making wormies. Great for panfish, and supposedly for trout.

No charge. I live in Pasadena. If you're interested, let me know, and we can set up some place to meet and I will give you the whole thing and instructions how to keep it going!

Here's the catch. You have to swear that you will be a responsible waxworm farmer, and please, please, please, take it seriously. Waxworms make moths that hunt out and attack bee hives. There are lots of bee hives all over the place, even if you don't see them. Even one moth can destroy a whole bee hive. If you take this farm, please promise you will do everything you can to keep the moths under control and not let any of them get loose. That's all. Just let me know.

Interesting.

So waxworms are basically moth larvas?

how do you "keep the moths under control" ??
Kill them? or use the waxworms before they mature?

Wow.. I didn't know that.. 1 moth can destroy a whole bee hive? Impressive.

Docrunner wrote:how do you "keep the moths under control" ??
Kill them? or use the waxworms before they mature?

Wow.. I didn't know that.. 1 moth can destroy a whole bee hive? Impressive.

Waxworms get their name from the fact that they live in bee hives. The moth doesn't do anything in it's life but mate and lay eggs in a bee hive. Doesn't even eat. The eggs hatch, and the larvae, the waxworms, take over the beehive. When you raise them yourself, you feed them weetabix (or some similar cereal), honey, and glycerin. The worms love this, then they make webs, lots of webs around themselves, which will kill a bee hive. Then the worms pupate and turn into moths. When you raise them you have to be careful not to let the moths get loose. The moths lay lots and lots of little eggs. You give them strips of opened corrugated cardboard to simulate bee hives for the egg laying. The eggs hatch, the larvae crawl down into the weetabix/honey/glycerin mixture, grow big and fat, and then you can put them on a hook and catch fish with them. And so on and so on.

flyfishingfool wrote:

Interesting.

So waxworms are basically moth larvas?

Moth larvae of a moth that invades bee hives.