Changed the bedding for my superworms this morning:
https://youtu.be/WeU9HFn4qG0
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Changed the bedding for my superworms this morning:
https://youtu.be/WeU9HFn4qG0
Thanks for the video,I've been raising mealworms for about 10 years,I started out with oats,but soon changed to bran,and have never looked back.Im not sure how you raise a new batch of super worms, from your description it appears it's a bit different from mealworms.
Much bigger than mealworms. My local pet store sells them for bird and reptile food.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yaker
Yeah it's simple to breed them. They won't morph into adult beetle while they together as maggots. You take the ones out you want to breed, place them in an isolated container. Once they morph into adult beetle, you place them back into the main colony to breed and lay eggs. This allows you to regulate your bait stock.
The problem with mealworms you end up having an entire colony of adult beetles and no bait! With superworms you have control over when they'll pupate, so you have control over when they'll breed. That mean you can maintain a large number of worms at all times for fishing.
Ok,I see why you seperate them.I found a simple way to slow down the development of regular mealworms,not sure if everyone knows the trick or not,I pull out a couple hundred mealworms and refridgerste them for a few weeks,this forces them into dormancy.
After a few week in the fridge,back to the colony they go,by doing this,I maintain a year round supply of bait,this is how I control And manage my colony.Again great video,
I see. That's makes sense. By keeping a couple hundred in dormancy then revitalize them at the right time, you stagger the pupation process of the whole colony.
Superworm would die in the refrigerator. I thought I had killed them over Christmas when I went to my mom for a couple days. I left the heat off here, but fortunately it didn't get cold enough to kill them. The refrigerator would definitely kill them.
I prefer the size of superworms. They're nearly the size of a European nightcrawler.
We can purchase jumbo mealworms from a local dealer,but from what I understand they are a type of hybrid.....not sure if that's true or not.I may give super worms a try sometime.
Right, na, you don't want jumbo mealworms. They can't reproduce. You want superworms, i.e., Morio beetle larvae: Zophobas morio is the Latin binomial name.
I keep all life forms in one plastic tote with oats... the beetle,mealworm, pupa, eggs and the circle of life repeats over and over.The first time I have enough to take fishing with me I accidentally had some pupa mix in with the mealworms and didn't think anything about it.
That day I was with a friend, and the fishing was slow,until he motioned me over to where he was and said "they're tearing up these little white things" he was using the pupa instead of the mealworms.I tried some on my line and sure enough they got more attention from the fish than the regular mealworm.
I didn't think you could use the pupa because they seemed to be too delicate,but no they cast just fine.Being on the delicate side is to your advantage, because biting down on pupa is almost like biting down on a bare hook.
OK...mealworm vs its pupa... the winner is the pupa.For years now I have fished side by side with my girlfriend (who won't use the pupa because she thinks they look weird) and I always get way more bites than she does.You would think she would switch over to the pupa,but noooo...how stupid is that ? For those out there that raise regular mealworm give the pupa a try... I think you will be surprised.
In Europe, mealworms are almost unknown as bait, but maggots are as common as worms and crickets are here. The maggot pupa (known as a "caster") is a great bait and is very commonly used. You can walk into bait stores and buy a pint of casters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
Yeah... I can see how marketing maggots is a problem, maybe people would have more luck with marketing the casters.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
It's not a problem over there. ;) Maggots are the #1 bait, by far. (They sell three different types and in multiple colors.) It's just that casters are preferred for certain situations.Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
Man, yeah! When I'm out fishing and don't want to talk to anyone at the boat dock. When they ask what bait I use.Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno2000
I say, "Maggots. I grow them."
Man, they start walking backward real quick. Mission accomplished. I didn't have to talk to anyone, lol. You can call them casters, larvae, gubs or anything, but you mention maggots and people start back peddling and half-stepping. That's fine with me that's what separates fishermen from sportsmen. Sportsmen playing at fishing. Fishermen are feeding their families.
Yup! Best fishing videos on YouTube are our brethren overseas using maggots. A lot of my fishing is inspired by them. Those waters have been over fished since the middle ages. They've developed far more exacting methods than ours.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
I don't get the squeamishness. Maggots are clean, dry and have no smell. Worms are slimy, and they live in dirt.Quote:
Originally Posted by funbun
Exactly! I've had wildlife officers get squeamish when they see me fishing with maggots. They see all kinds of dead bodies all the time. mention maggots and even they get sqeamish. :dono
How do the superworms compare to other live bait in terms of success? Our local petco sells them, and it happens to be located pretty close to one of my favorite bank spots.
Compared to other baits, it all depends on what you mean by success. For I rank them in this order:
1. black soldier fly larvae
2. superworms
3. European nightcrawlers
I like black soldier larvae the best because they totally raise and take care of themselves. The down side is they don't run during the winter. Thy love hot weather, so keeping the alive during summer's heat is easy. They have a thick, tough skin, and I often catch several fish one one maggot.
European nightcrawlers are my #3 choice. (I know someone else will jump in and yell and scream because I didn't list their favorite bait at #1. Please grow up, and understand that people have differing opinions.) Euros are great, but they can't take the heat of summer like my soljas! I've never had luck in raising them. They always escape no matter how well prepared the living environment. They just leave.
Superworms are my #2 because they somewhat sit in the middle of my list here. They have a much thick hid than euros, but not at thick as soljas. They are much bigger than mealworms and about twice as long as my soljas. Where as I would have to use two soljas, I only need one superworm. Breeding them is more involved, but because they won't escape, I can breed them inside and year round.