raising wax worms.

[sugarbush]

As a beekeeper I always have plenty available to toss to the chickens. They are really easy and cheap to raise. Contact a local beekeeper and see about buying some old comb or drawn out frames. Just don't tell the beekeeper that you are rearing wax worms with them...we hate wax worms and they probably will not sell you the comb if they knew. Crumble up the comb and mix with a little sawdust, wet the mix down with a little honey. Place it in a container (a small bucket with lid works well) and drill a few 7/16 inch holes in the side. Place outside around your yard. the adult moths will show up and lay eggs in the mixture. They will hatch out into wax worms which are 16% protein and great chicken feed.

Pick them out of the wax mixture and toss them to the birds. Don't feed the mixture to your chickens...it will start to ferment and make them sick if they eat it.

 

[needmorechickens!]

Why do beekeepers hate waxworms?

~Rebecca

 

[sugarbush]

They destroy beehives...... Not sure what the exact annual loss to wax worms/ wax moth is but it is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

[smom1976]

Quote:
great to know about the wax worms.. but I have a question out of curiousity.. can you melt down the honey comb after getting the honey out of it to make candles? How do they get those wonderful flat sheets of honeycomb to make rolled candles?

 

[sugarbush]

Quote:
great to know about the wax worms.. but I have a question out of curiousity.. can you melt down the honey comb after getting the honey out of it to make candles? How do they get those wonderful flat sheets of honeycomb to make rolled candles?

Yes but it takes a lot of comb to make a candle. We save the comb year after year for re-use unless it get damaged beyond repair. The "flat sheets" is called foundation and it is made by a foundation roller which looks like an old wringer from a washing machine. You can buy the foundation from a supply house like Betterbee, Mann lake, Dadant etc. It is pretty cheap and some of them sell it colored just for making candles.

 

[edible_chicken]

hey guys. not intending to bring the dead alive, but rather not post a new thread when i couldn't find my answer by search.

when raising wax worms, can i use vegetable oil or mineral oil instead of glycerin to keep food/bedding moist?

thanks





EDIT...nvm...i'm going to try vegetable oil to see how it works. thx!