Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...on a recent thread it was discussed about the ecological impact of releasing adult hornworms. They are native - not a problem (except for your tomato plants

HOWEVER.... PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW WAXMOTHS LOOSE!! I have been meaning to post this ever since that discussion and was just reminded as I work on a pollinator conservation presentation. Wax moths get their name due to their attraction to beeswax. They invade and destroy the hives/combs and do very serious damage. Neither honeybees nor waxmoths are indigenous to North America and it is an interesting case to see the benefits of an alien species and the destruction of another.

thanks,
lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Thanks for the note lele! So I take it Chams can eat Waxworms then? I didn't know they shouldn't be eating mealworms!! Can waxworms be kept in the mealworm bedding? I ordered some without knowing that they shouldn't be fed. Thanks-Maggie

Hi Maggie,

Yes, waxworms are great as a treat. They are very high in fat and should only be given ocassionally or to help a malnourished animal. As for not feeding mealworms...I saw that post and the poster is misinformed. They should not be fed as a staple since their nutritional value is lacking, but as part of a balanced diet they are fine. Thye should be dusted, but frankly, I find the dust to not adhere very well b/c of their slick exoskeleton.

Here is an article all about them from ChamNews www.chameleonnews.com/year2003/oct2003/mealworms/mealworms.html - the other poster may want to read it as well.
>>Thanks for the note lele! So I take it Chams can eat Waxworms then? I didn't know they shouldn't be eating mealworms!! Can waxworms be kept in the mealworm bedding? I ordered some without knowing that they shouldn't be fed. Thanks-Maggie
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

One thing about mealies is they can keep for a VERY long time in the fridge. About every two weeks take them out for about 24 hours to feed them. Just stick a piece of apple or potato on their bedding (sliced side down). Then take out what you are going to feed, remove fruit and put back in fridge.

Waxworms come in a sawdust bedding and depending how many you have you can just leave them in it (if you will be feeding them off quickly). I make a mix of bran, oatmeal, honey and beeswax (can get at health food store or online) and mix it together.

Here are a couple sites on rearing ww:
home.earthlink.net/~kenuy/waxmoths.htm (has additional links as well.

www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef011.htm

One last link for you is on insect nutrition - have fun!
bug nutrition

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Thanks a million Lele! Wow, I'll love devouring the info you posted in those links!!! Thanks for correcting my misunderstanding about the Mealworms, that one made me sweat a little(I started going over everything I read again to make sure I didn't get something else wrong). My boy arrives tommarrow(I'll post more about him later, going to bed now so I can be rested to be at my best on his first day with me), so your info reassured me a little. Hey, by the way, do you do anything to your silkies when you feed? This will probably be the first meal I'll feed.

Regards,

Maggie

0.1 D. Tinctorious Cobalt
1.1.1(tad) D. Imitators
2.1 Pampas Toads
2.0 Whippets(1.0 recently Championed)

...but you got me thinking about bugs.
Luna moths, how hard are they to keep, what do they eat, where can I get some?
Rhinoceros Beetle (eastern, I think), do you anything about their care, are they legal in CA?
No, I'm not gonna feed these guys off to my chameleons. I just really like keeping my roaches and I think it would be fun to keep and study some bugs.
That is, if California will let me.
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Victor Gomez
gomezvi.tripod.com/sdchamkeepers/
gomezvi@yahoo.com

Hi Victor,

Classes are back on so I have not been as active on the forum. I was looking back at unread messages and just found this.

Luna's are wonderful. The caterpillars have a selection of food plants so it depends where you live - paper birch, hickory, sweet gum, smooth and Staghorn sumac, are some. They are not indigenous to So. Cal (which is where you live, right?) Some are the Saturniidae are two of Hyalophora: H. columbia gloveri and Hyalophora euryalus these are related to the H. cecropia
You also have Antheraea polyphemus. The cats of these look almost identical to luna cats so it is amazing to see the differences in the adults.

I get eggs form a guy in PEI Canada but I don't think he sells anything to an area they are not native or it may be a regulation thing, but I could check or put you in touch. The adults don't feed (not of the giant silks do) and live for 5-15 days. Check out the site below and it lists the ones (with photo and info links) that are native in CA, but I am sure there will be variability to that due to the climate range in the state.

If you ever want to get a book on the Silks here is the one: The Wild Silk Moths of North America: A Natural History of the Saturniidae of the United States and Canada by Tuskes, Tuttle and Collins. It’s pricey, but a must if you ever get addicted! I’ll tell you, rear any for one season and you’ll be hooked. You may even have second thoughts about feeding the hornworms!

As for the rhino beetle….aren’t they cool? I have thought about rearing them. I know nothing about them, nor there legality but go to this site for info: http://www.insectnet.com/cgi/dcforum/dcboard.cgi. Check out their Coleoptera forum. There is also a forum on regulations and stuff. Cool site. For my non-Lepidoptera needs that is usually where I go –LOL!

Lele
Moths of North America

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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

Richie the roachman has rhino beetles. i'm sure he'd sell or trade for them

hmmm...does he sell them as feeders? Can't imagine too many critters wanting one! LOL!

>>Richie the roachman has rhino beetles. i'm sure he'd sell or trade for them
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 green anoles Jaida & Jetta
0.1 brown anole - Jamaica
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

this guy has lots o' stuff...rhino beetles, milipedes, assasin bugs, mantids in colors i've never seen, red eared sliders older than me (no where near as old as you though) and 25 box turtles hibernating in his backyard...he's a ummmmm...very interesting/colorfull person