How to Breed Superworms

By Sebastian Hayward

As your collection of animals has grown you have undoubtedly thought about breeding your own feeder insects. If you have been buying superworms week after week and are wondering how to breed them yourself you have come to the right place.

Constantly running to the local shop or ordering your feeders online becomes quite a chore after a short while. Breeding superworms yourself is not only cost effective but a lot of fun.

The first step in breeding superworms successfully is learning how to raise them. Healthier larvae will pupate with less problems and thus in turn become healthier and livelier beetles.

Once you can sustain a colony of healthy larvae then it is time to try your hand at getting them to breed.

There are a few things that cause confusion for most people when trying to breed their superworms.

The very first thing to note about breeding superworms is that they will not pupate and then turn into beetles if kept together as one usually does with mealworms. Unlike mealworms who will complete their life cycles and breed together all in the same container, superworms like to be left alone when it comes to becoming a pupa. When your larvae is grown you are going to have to separate each one into its own little enclosure.

A common method of doing so is to use film canisters to temporarily house each worm. Tackle boxes or screw boxes work equally well. Separate each superworm into its own little home. Once separated the larvae will eventually stop all activity, curl into a c-shape, slowly turn into a pupa, and then transform into a beetle all in the same small enclosure. This process will take a couple weeks, but it is quite fun to watch.

Once your larvae have completed their transformations you are going to have a lot of hungry and thirsty beetles on your hands. Take all of your new beetles and place them together into a container such as a Rubbermaid container with a secure lid. Additionally, line your Rubbermaid container with a substrate of wood shavings. Your beetles will need a source of water and food. Potatoes or apples work very well for hydration, and moistened dry dog food works well for a food source. The added protein in the dog food will help with egg laying.

Keep your beetles at a temperature of around 80 degrees. Maintain their enclosure's humidity with regular misting. Do not overlook giving your beetles a place to lay their eggs. This simple mistake can cause you to scratch your head months from now wondering why you never managed to get your superworm beetles to breed. A piece of cork bark laid across the substrate works nicely. Without this your beetles may lay their eggs in the substrate which can be eaten by other beetles.

In a few weeks you should be seeing very tiny wiggling worms at the bottom of your substrate.