>>Maybe someone on this can help - I read the info that posted about raising to catipillers but I am still not sure of the set-up. How do you use the toilet paper rolls? Do you place the worms in the cut up tubes or do they crawl in there themselves? Also, do you keep feeding the worms - when do you stop. I've got some very big worms here and I am not sure what to do next.

>>

>>thanks



supply of food. I'm not 100% sure because I haven't seen results yet but when I didn't give them a continuous supply of food near the time they spun I had problems with the moths not being able to break out of the coccoons. They use a spit to disolve the silk when they are ready to come out and I think they need to build that up before they begin to spin. Plus, I think it's important for them to fatten up before changing into a moth.



I use a rubbermaid container and a fishing tackle container to put the rolls into. I think I got lucky, though, because the tackle containers were on clearance and it's more of a convenience than a necessity. The tackle containers are about 1" tall and have 1" square deviders.



The first time my worms spun I paperclipped the rolls together and made sure there were enough together that they weren't just sitting in the container. I did this because if you need to move the container or accidentally bump the rolls and disturb the coccoons that have begun to be formed the worm must start all over from the beginning to spin another coccoon. Now that kind of depends on how much progress they've made and how much the coccoon is disturbed. But early on it doesn't take much to mess them up. If it happens to be too late the worm will never finish spinning and just die inside the half spun coccoon.



If you place the worms into a container with the rolls they will find spost to spin their coccoons. I've tried to "guide" them into the spot where I wanted them to coccoon and it really doesn't matter. For some reason they may climb all the way to the other side of the container and spin. Who knows what drives them to spin where they do.



It's kind of tricky to know for sure when they are about to spin. I've found lately it's not as clear as I first thought and you are bound to find a few too late and place a few too early into the spinning area. Once you see it a bunch of times you will start to begin to have a better idea of what they look like when they are ready to spin. Then, for some reason, just when you think you've got it down the worm fools you and either looks for more food and if it's not there it just starves or spins a weak cocoon or it's too late and the worm doesn't have enough reserve moisture to produce the silk so again there's a half spun coccoon.



The best indicators I've seen for spinning time are as follows.



They will begin to move their head in a figure eight shape.



They will stop eating.



Turn the worm over and look between it's two back legs. If it's milky white they've gotten rid of the last of their waste and are ready to spin. If it's dark they have yet to do that.



The worm has climbed up the side of the container and stays there.



The worm has taken on a yellow hue with somewhat of a SLIGHT transparent look.



The worm has gotten noticibly smaller and slightly changed shape (difficult to recognize w/out experience).



Just last night I had a worm that met all the criteria above and I placed it into the spinning container. I always place a tiny amount of chow in there near the worm as well to see if it begins to eat again and sure enough the little bugger started eating again so I put it back in the feeding container.



Another thing that I have found helpful is to take the big worms and seperate them into their own container so it's easier to notice if they've changed in appearance.



Ever since I've started feeding them continuously after 3" they have gotten a lot bigger than any of the previous batch I had feeding only once a day. They will eat a TON of chow at this time. It's unreal how much they go through. You will have so many little black corn cob turds it's ridiculous! I have a lot of worms (not on purpose - different story all together) and the last few days I have had to make a new 1/2# batch of chow every day! Ughh!



If you need any help let me know and I'll help where I can.



Good luck!!
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Rob

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