This can be useful in keeping the tiny, young larvae in the container by placing a light source above it and at the same time give warmth to the culture. Wax moths and their larvae prefer darkness and warmth. It may take two to three weeks before they become evident in the culture, so be patient. The egg cases become transparent when the invisible (to the naked eye), minute larvae hatch and migrate to the food medium. The larvae are kept in these hatching containers until they have grown to a size too large to pass through fly screen, and then the contents are transferred to rearing containers described above.Ī piece of paper towel is used to line the hatching container and a 3/4 inch layer of food medium is added with a small piece of tissue placed on top. They mature in the growing container until pupating.įor the hatching container we can use small, round steel screens, which are sold for fuel funnels, to be glued into the lid of a smaller the hatching container approximately 10 x 6 x 2 in. The food medium is filled about one inch deep into the container and larvae are added. The hatching container should have very fine screen while the rearing container can have metal fly screen. The opening in the lid should be as large as practical, but by leaving a good rim for gluing in the screen with a hot glue gun. A useful sized container is 12 x 7 x 4 inches high (1 gallon or 4.4 1). The larvae are raised in shallow, plastic storage boxes with a large metal fly screen window in the lid to allow for good air circulation. The greater wax moth appears to be easier to be cultured. There is a greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) about 1 inch and a lesser wax moth (Achroea grisella) about 1/2 of an inch in size. They are a pest in beehives and can sometimes be obtained from a beekeeper when they have infested a hive. Wax worms are the larvae or caterpillars of the wax moth.
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