Raising Super worm question....

lisagr07

lisagr07

Avid Member
I had read that super worms wouldn't pupate unless they were separated and deprived of food.... I had some small 1.5" worms that are pupating and turning into beetles. They're in a container with oat meal and wheat bran and being fed greens......
So does that mean they don't need to be separated to pupate and turn into beetles.
 
lisagr07 said:
I had read that super worms wouldn't pupate unless they were separated and deprived of food.... I had some small 1.5" worms that are pupating and turning into beetles. They're in a container with oat meal and wheat bran and being fed greens......
So does that mean they don't need to be separated to pupate and turn into beetles.
Click to expand...

You might have Mealworms if they are pupating on you at that size. If you have a camera and can post an image we could confirm that.

Superworms don't usually pupate till close to 2 inches and then only if they are separated from each other.
 
They dont need to be separated, but it is more efficient.
superworms under stress (inadequate hydration for example) will pupate earlier than those that are happy. If they pupate in colony, you risk having them eaten by the ones that are still larva, so be sure to separate.
 
I am wondering the same thing! I got some medium size superworms and have bred them, they are also pupating in the colony and not getting superworm size before doing so. I am thinking I got taken on this.

My question is one google cant answer. What are the VISUAL differences other then size between Zophobas morio and common mealworm? If I had two side by side one superworm and one mealworm the same size is there a visual indicator of the seperate species?
 
Colour is an easy way to distinguish.
Superworms will have darker bands, especially at head and tail ends, than mealworms.
Mealworms are light orange in colour, supers are more brown on tan
http://media.photobucket.com/image/darkling%20beetles%20superworm%20mealworm%20comparison/Blue_Eyed_PammySue/worms.png
mealworm.jpg
p-35047-47598-reptile.jpg

Size is the other factor, with supers getting much larger (unless the mealworms have been given a growth hormone / pupating arrester). The size difference is also evident with the beetles
http://media.photobucket.com/image/kingworms/michgecko/Beetlecomparison.jpg


Movement is also different, in that supers move quickly and mealworms not as quickly.
 
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sandrachameleon said:
Colour is an easy way to distinguish.
Superworms will have darker bands, especially at head and tail ends, than mealworms.
Mealworms are light orange in colour, supers are more brown on tan
http://media.photobucket.com/image/darkling%20beetles%20superworm%20mealworm%20comparison/Blue_Eyed_PammySue/worms.png
mealworm.jpg
p-35047-47598-reptile.jpg

Size is the other factor, with supers getting much larger (unless the mealworms have been given a growth hormone / pupating arrester). The size difference is also evident with the beetles
http://media.photobucket.com/image/kingworms/michgecko/Beetlecomparison.jpg


Movement is also different, in that supers move quickly and mealworms not as quickly.
Click to expand...

hey Sandra,,,
my original worms looked like the guys on the right , i seperated them, they pupated, turned to beetles. i placed the beetles in a container filled with oat meal and wheat bran, fed them greens and left them in there until i started noticing movement in the bran. so i removed the beetles so the larva wouldn't be eaten..

i dug around through the bran the other day and noticed a lot of pupa mixed in with the worms.... now at tis point the worms are 1"ish and look like the worms on the left in the above picture... the pupa are much smaller than the pupa that came from the large dark browm origional worms..

i'm beginning to think i didn't hydrate them very well as you suggested so the stressed and pupated.....
whats a good way to hydrate larva without getting the bran wet? i was feeding them greens...

thanks a lot,,, lisa
 
Perhaps you somehow got mealworms mixed in with your superworms and they are taking over the colony because the breed faster?

What body shape do the beetles have? Are they a generally uniform oval shape? Or are they more pointed in the butt region with the head clearly distinguished from the rest of the body because it is smaller and longer?
 
i'll take some pics and post them of "both" worms, "both" pupae and "both" beetles...
thanks for the help!!! lisa
 
ok here are some pics......
IMG2395-M.jpg

worms on top what i started with. worms on bottom what i raised through the above mentioned process..

IMG2398-M.jpg

larger pupae from larger above worms, smaller pupae found in meal with the smaller of the two worms.

IMG2402-M.jpg

larger beetles resulting from larger worm and pupae, smaller one found clamering around in the meal with worms and pupae...

let me know what you think, if the small ones are meal worms i have know clue whaere they came from because the only worms i started out with were sold to me as large superworms.. the big guys in the first pic...

thanks,, lisa
 
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Geez, how did that come about?? Where did the mealies come from? And how do I go about getting supers, NO mealworms?????
I want to raise supers!!!!!!

Thanks Sandra!!!!
 
How did I end up with mealies and the only worms i separated to pupate wer the large brown guys in my first pic?

Thanks again, lisa
 
Separate the beetles right away (and pupae). Use new substrate. unless a mealworm has attached some eggs to a super beetle (possible, but not likely) your next batch should be fine.

Almost impossible to separate small larva, and unfortunately they will eat each other as well. But larger larva you can separate out by looks.

just feed off the mealworms if you dont want to breed those also :)
 
sandrachameleon said:
Separate the beetles right away (and pupae). Use new substrate. unless a mealworm has attached some eggs to a super beetle (possible, but not likely) your next batch should be fine.
Click to expand...

but if i started out with the large brown worms, no smaller orangish guys,,,,, where did the mealies originate from.... the Quaker oatmeal?????? eeeewwwwww!!!!!

i didn't think that mealworms were a good food for chams, are the small larva ok to feed????
otherwise, i'm takin' them all to someone that has some bearded dragons!!!! :)

thanks again,,,lisa
 
Probably you did have a few mealworm larva mixed in with your supers and you just werent aware of it. Or if there were eggs in the substrate you used (likely not from fresh oats though). Or possibly the store sold you growth hormone enhances mealworms, which may have looked more like supers.
Mealworms are just fine as a feeder, so long as you gutload them and dont use too many too often.
 
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Or if you have a Dubia colony I hear you can throw them in there and they will keep it clean by eating all the old sheds. I have been wanting to get some to try it out.
 
sandrachameleon said:
Probably you did have a few mealworm larva mixed in with your supers and you just werent aware of it. Or if there were eggs in the substrate you used (likely not from fresh oats though). Or possibly the store sold you growth hormone enhances mealworms, which may have looked more like supers.
Mealworms are just fine as a feeder, so long as you gutload them and dont use too many too often.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sandra, I'm going to see if I can get some Superworms somewhere and start over with fresh meals. I really don't want mealworms.

Lisa
 
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