Data sheet wax maggots
Latin name:
Galleriinae
Origin:
worldwide distribution
Size:
up to 3 cm
age expectation:
up to 3 weeks
Breed:
Yes
Lining:
Suitable for reptiles, amphibians, rabbits, fish, birds gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, UK, Pyralidae. Galleriinae. Doloessa viridis – Flickr – gailhampshire, CC BY 2.0
General information
wax maggots are the larvae of wax moths. They are particularly popular as bait for fishing.
Many people don’t know that wax moths bee pests are that make beekeepers despair. wax moths lay eggs in beehives, from which the maggots hatch shortly afterwards. The Wax Maggots eat pollen remains, wax, bee larvae and honey from the honeycomb.
She smell like the beehive, so that the bees do not perceive them as enemies. To pupate, the wax moth larvae spin webs around the comb, preventing the bee larvae from hatching.
Wax moths have a special hearing because they hear frequencies up to 300,000 Hertzwhich allows them to avoid their enemies, bats.
attitude
wax maggots, which are kept as food animals, like temperatures between 15 and 20 °C. The Wax Maggots are pretty easy to keep. She like to eat a mixture of honey and wheat branwhich may be given as permanent food.
The insects should be kept in a container that has a well-fitting lidbut also has air holes so that enough air can circulate.
Take care of the regulation of the water balance Pieces of fruit and vegetables. When giving moist food, the temperature should be increased. Wax maggots can be good as storage animals be kept, as below 14° C they will not continue to grow and will also no longer eat.
The wax moth larvae can therefore be stored very easily in the refrigerator (vegetable compartment). and remove as needed for feeding pets. Adult wax maggots require no more food and are still healthy and alive for feeding to terrarium animals.
breed
Wax maggots kept above 15°C should be fed quickly. Is it cooler than 14 °C or in the refrigerator they freeze and don’t eat anymore. A breeding approach is only interesting if one wants to breed wax maggots.
In wax maggot breeding is some expertise is importantbecause the larvae break out easilybecause even plastic is no obstacle for them. cricket boxes are therefore not suitable for storage. The larvae also squeeze through very small cracks. Erupted wax maggots gnaw on everything, whatever comes near them, also solid wood furniture and Styrofoam containers. The fact that wax moths have broken out is usually only made clear by wax moths buzzing around.
The best containers are tall glass or metal cans with a tight-fitting closure. The larvae cannot climb up smooth walls, but they do they spin webs during pupation, which allows climbing again. It’s worth it for ventilation Cutting a hole in the claspin which a fine gauze made of stainless steel is attached.
These materials are required to breed wax maggots:
- a few cans of adult wax maggots or a breeding batch
- a large fauna box
- a couple of mason jars with a volume of 300 ml
- fine stainless steel gauze for ventilation
- heating mat or incubator
- enough honey-wheat bran mixture as feed
The lids of the mason jars get a ventilation hole and then the gauze is attached. Cutting the hole works with a hole saw very good.
In each of the mason jars comes some breeding approachso that they are about a third full. The lid is put on the mason jars and they go into the faunarium.
The maggots are fed a mixture of honey and wheat bran. Below the fauna box is one Heating mat, ideally with temperature control for an even 25 °C. A used one incubator is an alternative, because wax maggots like darkness. Only the preserving jars fit in here, no fauna box. The box may also stand on the terrarium, where the lighting waste heat goes.
Are breeding to avoid accumulation of moisture. If there are many larvae in a container, they produce a lot of heat, so the substrate becomes damp. This water also deposits on the edge of the container, where moisture always causes mold.
Adult wax maggots leave their substrate and wander about until they find suitable places to pupate find. If the lid leaks, they will escape and spread throughout the home.
Now the wax maggots spin the glass surface and pupation begins in the web.
Now the pupae are removed and put in fresh mason jars placed in the faunarium. As soon as all the sentry maggots have become pupae, the jars can be left open, because the moths that have hatched are supposed to be allowed to fly.
After about 2 weeks the moths hatch, which follow 5 days Lay eggs in the substrate. Some unwound toilet paper rolls in the fauna box offer the butterflies a place to sit. This box looks good on the terrarium because it gets a sufficient temperature.
After 10 days the preserving jars should be closed tightly, because the new wax maggots hatch after just under a week. The mason jars for the moths will be replaced to allow more maggots to hatch.
The tightly closed mason jars come to you dark placewhere the larvae are fully grown after about a month and are ready for consumption.
In between, the soil substrate should be checked for moisture and excessive dryness. A Remoistening the substrate does not make sense, replacing it is better. The wax moths have an approximately three week lifespan and are readily eaten by mantids, leopard geckos and birds.
fodder and feeding
Wax maggots like to eat a mixture of honey and wheat bran, so they are frugal. Some veggies or fruit will keep them hydrated.
She taste sweet because of their sweet diet. That tastes good reptiles or amphibians very good. They are ideal for getting sick pets or refusal pets to eat. They will quickly appreciate a crushed maggot as a pulp.
In addition, wax maggots are suitable for supplying the reptiles with medicines, because they do not notice it this way. Liquid medicines are injected into a maggot and fed immediately.
Wax maggots can be used in reptiles and other terrarium animals addictive care for. If they get some longer, they almost only want wax maggots and then it can several weeks of weaning need until they eat other food.
wax maggots contain a lot of fat and protein and are except for reptiles or amphibians also with birds or rodents popular. They are also suitable as bait for fishing. They should only be on the menu from time to time or help sick animals.
Even fish, for example They like to eat perch. They also like terrestrial and aquatic crabs.