# waxworms keep dying



## Guest (May 29, 2004)

I ordered 50 waxworms and made more than enough food for them. Slowly they keep getting a hard shell on half their body and then after a number of days they turn black. Has anyone encountered this before? Whats going on?


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

hard shell?? I think it's because you add too much honey.

SB


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

the brown covering is a cocoon, the black slimy is dead. If you are keeping thme in those wood shavings, they are bound to die. There are a few recipes out there on media, don't know them off the top of my head.


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## steelcube (Mar 17, 2004)

> getting a hard shell on half their body


I didn't read the whole sentence... if it's only on half their body then it's not honey crusted on their skins.

SB


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## Guest (May 31, 2004)

I am trying to get a digital photo; mabey it will help if you see it. Also, they do not spin any silk and I thought they were supposed to.


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2004)

they all go like this and die


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

egg, larva, pupa, adult...


the picture you have is the normal pupa (crysalis?). I have no idea why all of them would be dying at that stage. Sorry. Are you getting any moths? Most of my deaths occur in the larval stage.

JOSH


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2004)

they never spun silk, does that have anything to do with it?


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## Derek Benson (Feb 19, 2004)

Are you positive they are dead? When I first had them, I was curious and began messing with one like in the picture and it began to move some.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2004)

ya some still move at this stage, but then in about a week are black. Are they supposed to go black in the pupa stage?


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## JoshKaptur (Feb 17, 2004)

No... black is dead... they'll get mushy quickly after they die.

JOSH


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