# Superworms - Pictures



## Sdaji (Oct 11, 2011)

Hi all,

I recently started a Superworm (Zoophobas morio) colony, I was playing around with a camera, and for what it's worth I thought I'd share some pictures.

Enjoy 

This was my very first pupa. How adorable! I think I saw his friend bust out of Sigourney Weaver's chest a few years ago.







Here he is next to his cousin, a Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) pupa.






Getting pretty close to becoming a beetle...






Starting the final moult...






Brand new beetle with fresh colour (no, this isn't the same one  )











They quickly turn a dark reddish brown and then slowly become black over the next few days, just like mealworms.






Here is a comparison of an adult Superworm beetle and a Mealworm beetle.


----------



## Fang101 (Oct 11, 2011)

The sixth pic is awsome. I also like the last picture with the large size diffence.


----------



## -Katana- (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks for the pics.

Funny enough I was seriously contemplating starting my own colony and have made some inquires as to purchasing some superworms.

These are also known as Kingworms, yes?


----------



## mad_at_arms (Oct 11, 2011)

Great shots! So thats what I have to look forward to!
I separated some of mine last week.


----------



## GeckoRider (Oct 11, 2011)

Ok.. call me dumb but i had no idea meal-worms turned into bugs LOL


----------



## hissnbits (Oct 11, 2011)

Man those bugs must be HUGE...or you have a great camera


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 12, 2011)

GeckoRider said:


> Ok.. call me dumb but i had no idea meal-worms turned into bugs LOL



Not dumb at all, they don't turn into bugs, they turn into beetles 

Hissnbites: I took them using a POS (that's Piece Of $#!t not Point And Shoot  ) camera I bought in 2004, and didn't bother using until I dropped my favourite camera on a sand dune and killed it last year. I just had to choose a sand dune with ultra fine sand, didn't I?  Getting a decent camera has been on my to do list for nearly 10 years :lol:


----------



## hissnbits (Oct 15, 2011)

Cools..have to remember the POS type cameras as they work a treat!!! Only ten years! By the time you get one it will be powered by lithium spagnam carbon free nuclus reactor cells...lol


----------



## MathewB (Oct 15, 2011)

They are huge, how much better/how often can you feed Super Worms compared to Mealies?

Last pic is the cooliest


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 21, 2011)

Oooh! I like the idea of lithium spagnam carbon free nuclus reactor cell powered cameras! I have an excuse for being slack now; I'm waiting for the Nikon LSCFNRC! 

I keep my Superworms and Mealies in food, so they both are constantly being fed, Mathew. If you mean how often they can be fed to reptiles, it depends on the species and your personal preference. Some people say they should never be used, some people feed reptiles nothing but Mealworms. If I say they're bad and should never be used I am probably safest, so...

Never feed either species to your reptiles.

There, now no one can say I talked them into hurting their herps 

Well, I'm actually going to trial raising some pygopods on nothing but Superworms. If it goes well I'll stop using woodies. I don't know how it will go, so don't try it yourself, I'm the crash test dummy, not you


----------



## -Katana- (Oct 21, 2011)

I just got a few superworms and they are just the coolest lil critters.
Can't wait until they turn into beetles.

When I get the numbers up I'm planning on feeding them through a mincer along with their bedding to feed fish and quail and I'm sure the BTL's and the rats will gobble them up like they're lollys.


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 28, 2011)

Sounds good! I'm sure the BTS will love the minced SWAB, as will the VCF and the LFQ


----------



## PythonLegs (Oct 28, 2011)

Is there a nutritional benefit to feeding superworms over woodies? The only time I see the dragons get off their bums and run is when I chuck a few woodies in there...


----------



## -Katana- (Oct 28, 2011)

Sdaji said:


> Sounds good! I'm sure the BTS will love the minced SWAB, as will the VCF and the LFQ



You're odd.:lol::lol::lol::lol:


----------



## bowdnboy (Oct 28, 2011)

Hey Sdaji,

Good work. Just a word of warning to you and others. Keep an eye on the humidity

I just recently had the biggest bloody outbreak of fodder mite. Millions of the bloody things everywhere - over night.

Ive got 2 tubs going. using oats. They must have been in the new bag of oats I used just a few weeks ago to top up the tubs. Ive got thousands of small supers about 5mm long, and everything was fine untill the other morning. Little white specks everywhere.

Research tells me they love humidity over 65%. I am now keeping the tubs outside for a while, in the hope that I disrupt their lifecycle enough to allow the supers that I have left to hatch and grow to a size I can seive out the old material and replace with new.

Good luck
Colby


----------



## -Peter (Oct 28, 2011)

I was doing mori for a while there and most of the animals loved them. Unfortunately I left the door open one day and a couple of the chickens got in and ate my entire set up.


----------



## Sdaji (Oct 31, 2011)

PythonLegs said:


> Is there a nutritional benefit to feeding superworms over woodies? The only time I see the dragons get off their bums and run is when I chuck a few woodies in there...



Probably not. My guess is that nutritionally they'd be comparable.



bowdnboy said:


> Hey Sdaji,
> 
> Good work. Just a word of warning to you and others. Keep an eye on the humidity
> 
> ...



Haha, those little bastards are nasty! I had an outbreak of them in my woodies and my mealworms about 10 years ago, gee, they were a nightmare! Once I learned how to control them (very easy, just keep them dry) they vanished very quickly, but for a few months they gave me utter Hell! Even without the mites, I find the insect colonies do better when kept drier than most people recommend, so in the long run I suppose it was a benefit having them turn up. Good luck dealing with your hideous little monsters!


----------



## Jimbobulan (Nov 4, 2011)

Can any one give a detailed description on set ups and cycles for this or another thread that has one because that sounds like a great idea.


----------



## -Katana- (Nov 4, 2011)

The Herp Shop web-site The Herp Shop - Australia has a page in their Food section (see side bar) that is my go to guide on superworms.

Hope this helps.


----------



## ianinoz (Nov 4, 2011)

Excellent macrophotos.

What gear are you using ?

Next question - I've been waiting over a month for any eggs my mealworm beetles have laid to produce baby lavae .... can't see any even with a magnifying glass. How long do the eggs take to hatch ?
Starting to think my mealworms are infertile (maybe been made that way prior to going into the mealworm lavae punnets).... 
Getting pretty disappointed with the beetle's - shouldn't I have some by now - I replace the beetle's bedding every week and have the bedding eggs should in in a separate punnet.

Getting to the stage that my beetles are dying of old age and I'm starting to give new pupae to the lizards (they love them).


----------



## mad_at_arms (Nov 4, 2011)

I had two beetles emerge yesterday. One of them whilst I was checking on them.
As soon as I put them into a another tub with carrot pieces they headed straight for the carrot it was amazing how fast they moved.
Cool to watch the colour changes they go through.
I should have put more aside to breed, the guide recommends 50. 
I only had a container suitable for 12, of those 3 died, 7 changed, 2 emerged(so far) and 2 are still worms.


----------



## snakeluvver (Nov 4, 2011)

My mealworms have no problem turning into beetles once theyve escaped the pink tongues food dish and gone into their bark 
Had beetles all over the tank, I only put 4 mealworms in :?


----------



## Sdaji (Nov 9, 2011)

I had a look at the Herp Shop 'how to' page. I've been doing things a bit differently, but that's always the way when it comes to methods different people use. I use a lazier approach... 'cause I'm lazy 

ianinoz: The pictures were taken using a crappy point and shoot I bought about 8-10 years ago.

I find with mealworms that by the time the babies become visible their parents have died. If I set up a new colony with freshly-moulted beetles, they run around in there happily, die of old age, and I have what looks like a tub filled with oats and dead beetles. After another month or two I'll have a look and there will be gazillions of little mealworms squirming around in there  I'm not sure exactly how long it takes for the bettles to mature, lay eggs, eggs hatch, etc. It might be that I'm just not looking hard enough and they are just too tiny for me to notice around the time the beetles die. My first superworm beetles are now dead and I still can't see any larvae, but I'm guessing it's probably a similar timeframe, so I'm not worried. If it fails I'll splurge on another 250 worms for $20  They're surprisingly cheap even from the middle man.


----------



## Sdaji (Dec 5, 2011)

Just in case of the unlikely event of anyone caring, the first baby superworms are now running around, it's a similar timeframe to mealworms. No, I haven't separated the beetles from the babies, perhaps some will get eaten, but I'm still as lazy as ever


----------



## mad_at_arms (Jan 30, 2012)

Here's a pic of a few of mine.


----------

