What's wrong with my Zophobos?

[Chuck4th]

Been keeping super worms since April with the idea of raising them as lizard food.

 

We have slowly been isolating them so they'll pupate and the last is now a pre pupa, but we have seen no signs of eggs or hatchlings.

 

I think we have around a dozen adults in a egg crate bug condo. We keep apple or potato slices with them and a beetle jelly for moisture. The box has about a pound of corn meal in the bottom.

 

Do I need to remove larvae or adults to keep eggs from being eaten?

 

Thanks,

Chuck

[Hisserdude]

Superworms are bred a bit differently than mealworms, they will not lay eggs in corn meal or oats, they need moist coconut fiber or compost to lay eggs in. Additionally, they may need larva in their cage to lay eggs, the growth hormones the larva produce induce egg laying. The young larva need to be kept moist, or else they dry out and die. They will eat dog food, fruits, and veggies. Once they are older, they can be moved to a cage full of oats, etc. Hope this helps!

[Chuck4th]

Thanks Hisserdude,

 

One YouTube video said they lay eggs on the potatoes or apples, but maybe that was because of the moisture requirement. I'll try some moist substrate and see how that works. Will the adults eat the eggs, or just the larvae?

 

Can I use steel cut oats instead of rolled oats? Then I can sift the larvae out with a colander.

 

Thanks again,

Chuck

[Hisserdude]

The adults will not eat the eggs, and the larva shouldn't eat much either, as long as you are feeding them properly. I have no idea if steel cut oats will work or not, I keep mine on coconut fiber through all stages as I have had huge problems with grain mites infesting the oats in the past.