kingofnobbys
Well-Known Member
I left the older lot of eggs laid by the 1st few moths from my 1st 2016 batch of worms too long (while waiting for the last of the eggs laid to change colour from yellow) and I've now got dozens of baby worms that hatched overnight, hatching sooner than I expected them to).
Is it too late to put the unhatched eggs in sealed containers and into the warmest part of my fridge (about 5oC in the door) ?
.... or will they be too far advanced and close to hatching now to chill and make dormnant ?
PS : just fed the last 8 moths (all look like they are males) to my little hatchies Toothless and Peppa with their 1st insect feed of crickets for the day.
- - - Updated - - -
Update
Bit the bullet, cut the sheets of scot-towelling the eggs were laid on into smaller pieces containing only grey eggs (a few yellow ones will be sacrificed) and so now about 60% of the eggs are in small glass sample bottles , lids on , so airtight ,and the bottles are in the fridge now.
The last of the silkworm moths (all males) went to Peppa and Toothless while still alive and didn't last long.
Can't be bothered advertising my silkworm eggs and trying to sell them..
Took great pains to ensure I gently transferred all hatched worms ( darned tiny !!! and hard or see sometimes against a thick mass of grey colored eggs ), from the paper to "young mulberry leafs" on fresh scot-towel in a f10ed (sterilised) 1.5L Clearview food storage tub. Sealed up with a sheet of Gladwrap to stop the tiny worms from crewing out the air holes in the lid and to keep bugs like tiny ants , baby roaches and baby spiders out .
Will have the most the rest in bottles tomorrow and in the fridge after I sterilise some more sample bottles with F10. I'll let about 300 - 400 eggs hatch immediately so I'll have more silkworms big enough to feed to Peppa and Toothless in about 4 weeks time. Will likely have more moths by then too.
Is it too late to put the unhatched eggs in sealed containers and into the warmest part of my fridge (about 5oC in the door) ?
.... or will they be too far advanced and close to hatching now to chill and make dormnant ?
PS : just fed the last 8 moths (all look like they are males) to my little hatchies Toothless and Peppa with their 1st insect feed of crickets for the day.
- - - Updated - - -
Update
Bit the bullet, cut the sheets of scot-towelling the eggs were laid on into smaller pieces containing only grey eggs (a few yellow ones will be sacrificed) and so now about 60% of the eggs are in small glass sample bottles , lids on , so airtight ,and the bottles are in the fridge now.
The last of the silkworm moths (all males) went to Peppa and Toothless while still alive and didn't last long.
Can't be bothered advertising my silkworm eggs and trying to sell them..
Took great pains to ensure I gently transferred all hatched worms ( darned tiny !!! and hard or see sometimes against a thick mass of grey colored eggs ), from the paper to "young mulberry leafs" on fresh scot-towel in a f10ed (sterilised) 1.5L Clearview food storage tub. Sealed up with a sheet of Gladwrap to stop the tiny worms from crewing out the air holes in the lid and to keep bugs like tiny ants , baby roaches and baby spiders out .
Will have the most the rest in bottles tomorrow and in the fridge after I sterilise some more sample bottles with F10. I'll let about 300 - 400 eggs hatch immediately so I'll have more silkworms big enough to feed to Peppa and Toothless in about 4 weeks time. Will likely have more moths by then too.
Last edited:
