What Do Waxworms Eat?

Do you need a multi-purpose feeder insect? Then you should learn how to raise waxworms. Pet reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and even certain birds can be fed waxworms. Whether you’re looking to satiate a hungry bearded dragon or provide a meal to an adorable hedgehog, waxworms can do the trick. Waxworms belong to the Pyralidae family and live throughout the world. They aren’t expensive to purchase and incredibly easy to care for. But what do waxworms eat? Read on to find out.

What Do Waxworms Eat?

Waxworms in the wild eat pollen, beeswax, shed bee skins, and cocoons. However, captive waxworms often live off a diet of honey, bran, and grain cereal. Their captive diet is similar to the foods that mealworms and superworms eat.

In the wild, waxworms also feed on the wax that bees use to build their honeycomb. To become full-grown adults, waxworms need protein from the brood comb. The proteins from the brood comb or brood cell cleanings help the larvae completely develop. In captivity, a waxworm can go a long time without eating. They can go even longer without eating if you keep them at a cool temperature.

It’s important to know that waxworms don’t need to drink water. The honey provided in their diet includes plenty of hydration. As long as you’re storing your waxworms at a cool temperature, they can go days without eating anything.

How to Care For Waxworms

Waxworms must be kept at a cool temperature of 55 to 60°F. The cool temperatures help the waxworms remain dormant, which means they can last several weeks.

You should avoid storing your waxworms in a refrigerator since it’ll be too cold for them. If you must use the refrigerator, keep the worms in the fridge door. The door tends to be a little bit warmer, which can help keep your waxworms alive. If you have a wine cooler, that can also be the perfect place for storing waxworms.

It’s essential to keep these worms at low humidity. If the bedding feels moist at any time, replace it with dry bedding immediately. However, even when you provide the ideal environment, some waxworms will die. It’s essential to remove the dead waxworms every day. The dead worms will be easy to spot since they usually turn black.

Where to House Waxworms

You can store waxworms in the same container you receive them in. If you decide to transfer them to a new container, you’ll want a plastic tub with a secure cover. If the waxworms turn into wax moths, ensure you keep the container covered at all times. Allowing the moths to fly throughout your home could cause an infestation.

For ventilation, you’ll want to punch small holes in the container. You could also create a window with a mesh opening secured with hot glue. Good ventilation is a must since waxworms require low humidity.

How to Feed Waxworms

As long as you have the right type of food available in their enclosure, your waxworms will get all of the nutrients they need.

If you want to put together some food for your waxworms, then some of the best ingredients are:

• Wheat cereal
• Barley baby cereal
• Oats cereal
• Liquid glycerin
• Honey
• Multivitamin powder
• Calcium powder

Baby cereals are a great choice for your waxworms. After picking a cereal, add enough honey to make the mixture moist. Add a little bit of liquid glycerin to moisten things up even more.

The mixture should be able to form a ball without being too wet. Add in a tiny amount of vitamin powder and calcium in equal quantities. However, be careful not to add too much, as less is better when it comes to adding supplements.

The liquid glycerin will help keep the food from drying out too fast. Your waxworms will be able to get all the water and nutrients they need from this honey-filled food mixture.

Can Waxworms Reduce Plastic Pollution?

Every year, the world produces millions of tons of plastic. A lot of this plastic is polluting our planet rather than being recycled. Surprisingly, waxworms can eat plastic bags. This begs the question: could these larvae help save our planet?

A waxworm has the powerful ability to chew through plastic at a fast rate. Their physiology gives them the ability to break down plastic. Similar to how they break down beeswax, they can work their way through all sorts of plastic materials. Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most problematic plastics, and it isn’t biodegradable. However, researchers have discovered that waxworms can chew through PE with ease.

Both beeswax and plastic are polymers that use similar chemical bonds. It’s still unclear if the waxworm uses enzymes from its skin or microbes from its gut to break down the materials. Plastic doesn’t provide enough nutrition for the worms to live on, and they cannot survive on plastic alone as a food source. However, to help with ethical issues, manufacturers consider adding nutrients to the plastics before feeding them to waxworms.