Silkworms and Hornworms... (i wrote alot) LOL

B

busterboy

Guest
Ive been looking around on websites to see where the best prices are for silkworms and hornworms, but they are just so expensive, not mentioning the food that you have to buy for them..(the special formulated food, with no substitues) lol.... Im just curious, is it really worth it to buy the silkworms and hornworms and food for them plus shipping charges? It will deffinitely put a big dent in my wallet. I wanted to maybe buy some and breed them to save money, but that also takes time, money(for bins and etc), more food to buy them to grow them to appropriate size. soo the questions are...

1) for people who breed, is it worth it? Or should i just buy my $1 a hornworm and 3 silkworms for 1$ at local pet store?

2) how much time (seriously) does it take to care for the breeding,eggs, hatchlings, and etc.

3) I know they are the best feeders, but the food they eat is what kills me in expenses. It costs so much to feed those mouths.

Whats everyones opinion.... and ofcourse I would love to give my chameleons, leopard gecko, and bearded dragon these foods all the time... but I just cant afford it.. I feel horrible :( .. and please dont say i cant afford them, because I do give them everything they need like new UVB bulbs and new accessories to their cages and new cages when they outgrow their old ones, but food kills me badly.

every friday I stop at the store and buy them hornworms as a little treat for them, but that costs me 10$ for one day of feeding :( but i do it because I love them.

Right now, to be honest I only feed them gutloaded crickets that I feed different vegetables, and foods to, to make sure they are getting everything they need, and occasionally some mealworms that i breed. and the every friday hornworms.

whats everyones view?
 
The best way for you to analyze this is to cost it out over a period of time, say three months. Add up what you are spending at $10 a pop at the local store times how ever many times you are stopping by and then figure out what hte cost would be to raise either or both of the caterpillars over the same period of time.

There is a lot involved in taking both through the entire life cycle so as to have a sustainable food source, but that can be almost as a rewarding an experience, especially if you have children.

THe hornworms seem easier to raise for me, although they do grow quickly, but it appears you have enough reptiles to feed them off and still be able to take some to the next stage.

Anyhow, do the cost analysis and then make the decision based off of math, not a guess.

Bobby
 
I dont where you live, but this website http://www.greatlakeshornworm.com has reasonable price for hornworm and it's location is in Michigan. I live in Rhode Island and the shipping cause me $12 and they delivery to my door in two days, so i was very satisfied with everything and my veil loves those worm...i would say is worthy it to get it...
 
i used to breed silks. Honestly its not worth it unless your selling them and have a big breeding batch. I'm growing some horn worms to pupate right now i got from mulberry farms. But i don't care to feed them the horn worm chow they sell i feed mine tomatoes but not the stem it makes then toxic for chams. I'm pretty sure they'll eat bell peppers and other stuff i gotta experiment with my next batch (if i hatch any out) but hey ill give you good deals on horn worms if i breed mine successfully. I'm also supposed to claim some free silkworms from mulberry farms because ALL 60 of mine i received died in 2 days.
 
I just got some hornworms from great lakes hornworms like everyone else is reccomending, and I always get great quality. I live in CA and they come in great shape. I got two hornworm cups with worms and food together with mesh in the cup for $31.45 including tax and shipping. Now, I don't know how many mouths you have to feed(I've only got one) or if they are growing and eat a ton right now, but these worms will last me around a month or a little longer because I put them in the fridge when they get to a good size and feed them off. I only have to feed a few at a time since they get so gigantic which makes them last even longer. They are super easy to care for in the cups (just tap the poop out into the trash) and this place sells them in teal which helps picky eaters want to eat them. Silkworms can be purchased from different sites like coastal silkworms or mulberry farms. I've gotten them from both places and like both equally. Mulberry farms has you at least buy 14 dollars I think at a time from them(and with tax and shipping I usually spend around 30 dollars), not sure about the other place. They both also have the "habitat" cups that are easy to care for, you just have to keep the silks as clean as possible and use sterile tools when handling them because they are delicate in that they bruise easily and catch bacterial infections easily. But they are very nutritious and they are one of the bugs I switch out on a regular basis. I don't have time to breed bugs, and I feel that there are some good prices out there as long as you get quality product and keep our babies healthy!
 
I breed both horn worms and silk worms. I don't find it too difficult or costly. However, I do spend an hour to 2 hours a day caring for all of my bugs.
 
Thanks for the reply guys. And wow 2 hours sounds tiring lol. It takes me abou an hour just to feed my animals. 3 hours a night sounds like hardwork. :p I might consider it though. I need my baby's to be as happy as they can be.
 
I would say plan on an hour to feed and clean them all. But it depends on how many bugs you are breeding. I have horns, silks, dubias and mantids to feed and take care of. And I have them at all different stages so its more work. I have to mist the hornworm pupae, feed and clean hornworms, feed and clean silk worms, feed dubias, collect eggs from silk worm moths, feed mantids, and soon I will have hornworm moths to deal with....collecting eggs daily.
 
Wow pigglet,

You sure do have your hands tied. Sounds like your committed though lol. I always wondered how you collect eggs from hornworm moths without letting them fly everywhere and escape...

Also how much does food cost you feeding them all? And do you have any recommendations on where to buy? And if it's better to buy in bulk? Powdered? Pre made food?

I've never dealt with these types of feeders. I've only had cricket and have bred crickets.... But I can no longer take the hassel of them nor the smell. I would do dubia roaches, but I live in Florida. So it's illegal unfortunately
 
busterboy said:
. I would do dubia roaches, but I live in Florida. So it's illegal unfortunately
Click to expand...

Ahh I was going to offer you enough dubia to start a colony...
I have dubia coming out of my ears!! lol

There are other roaches you can get in florida, and some are as easy as keeping dubia
 
I would have loved dubia. One day I will get my hands on some :D
Yeah, I might try discoid roaches? I don't know yet.
I want feeders that don't smell, don't jump, climb, and fly. Then I would be good to go.... Oh and don't need expensive a*s food lol.

I might just plant a mulberry tree in my backyard or something and buy silkworms lol.
 
The silk worms would eat that mulberry bush in no time! Ha! I buy silk worm powdered chow from mulberry farms and the hornworm chow from Great Lakes hornworms. I usually buy 3 bags at a time of each and it lasts me a couple months. In my blog I detail how I raise and breed the hornworms.
 
busterboy said:
I would have loved dubia. One day I will get my hands on some :D
Yeah, I might try discoid roaches? I don't know yet.
I want feeders that don't smell, don't jump, climb, and fly. Then I would be good to go.... Oh and don't need expensive a*s food lol.

I might just plant a mulberry tree in my backyard or something and buy silkworms lol.
Click to expand...

You can always buy from forum members and save a ton of cash. I sell the hornworm eggs and occasionally send out silk worms when I have too many.
 
I saw some people selling different types of silkworms. Which are the good ones? Some people sell all white ones and then other sell zebra.
 
If you raise hornworms you'll likely be able to sell the excess and if you aren't greedy it'll pay for the rearing. So basically self-sustaining. I've read anywhere from 200-2000 eggs per hornworm moth, Pigglett will likely be able to give a better average but I highly doubt you can feed off even 200 worms on a conservative level in 3 weeks (then they pupate). I already have two local stores interested in my excess eggs.

Pretty much anytime you successfully breed a batch of either you can minus the cost of buying them vs keeping them, selling off the excess (store you buy from may even be a buyer from you).
 
SarahcoadunatioZac said:
If you raise hornworms you'll likely be able to sell the excess and if you aren't greedy it'll pay for the rearing. So basically self-sustaining. I've read anywhere from 200-2000 eggs per hornworm moth, Pigglett will likely be able to give a better average but I highly doubt you can feed off even 200 worms on a conservative level in 3 weeks (then they pupate). I already have two local stores interested in my excess eggs.

Pretty much anytime you successfully breed a batch of either you can minus the cost of buying them vs keeping them, selling off the excess (store you buy from may even be a buyer from you).
Click to expand...

This is true. If you have healthy moths they lay hundreds of eggs. I have had 1800 eggs in a night from just a few moths. When I get that large of a supply I sell them off cheap and it pays for the food. When I am really desperate to unload they are even cheaper! Lol but if you sell them keep in mind you aren't only paying for food, you are putting a lot of time and effort as well.
 
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