GOLIATH WORMS!!

[portal_reptiles]

I almost don't wanta feed them to my reptiles.....lol
i think i might strat breeding them....i have tryed in the past, but it's hard, anyone tryed???

[honuman]

Well if they are like the tomato hornworms they burrow into the ground to pupate.   Limey just fed some of these to his beardies and they dogged them. GREEN DRUEL on their faces yuck

The moths from these are cool.  They look like humming birds sort of.

[portal_reptiles]

they are tomato worms.....i just dont know how to get them to breed...

[honuman]

they are tomato worms.....i just dont know how to get them to breed...

Tomato hornworms (at least the ones we have in NY)  look the same but have a red tail. 
If they are tomato hornworms why not try getting a few patio (potted) tomato plants and just put some on the plants and let them got to town.  They will eat their fill and when they get big enough burrow into the dirt in the pots and pupate.   Never tried it but it would be a rather inexpensive project to try. 
I don't know how they commercial produce them and I am sure they must have come up with some better way then letting nature take it's course but heck it might be fun to do it this way.

[portal_reptiles]

i think i read somewhere that you cant feed them tomatos, they become poisonous if i ever feed them off...

[honuman]

i think i read somewhere that you cant feed them tomatos, they become poisonous if i ever feed them off...

That's true but that these worms would be for breeding.  As long as you feed the eggs that result from these moths
whatever the food is that they come with you would be fine.   You couldn't feed off the worms that are actually eating the tomato vine. 

OR maybe you could just keep feeding them whatever food they come with and see if they will just pupate for you once they get big enough. They get over 3 inches long.

[portal_reptiles]

i have emailed mulberry farms it see if they can help...thats where i get them from....

[krazymuttzpuck]

there is some great info and a very helpful guy at greatlakeshornworm.com   ..i bet if you ask him questions he will gladly help!

[portal_reptiles]

i just e-mailed them......

[portal_reptiles]

 greatlakeshornworm.com   did not want to help me....said they dont give out care info on breeding.....

[krazymuttzpuck]

Really?? that is completely odd!!  He is always helping out people on a bearded dragon forum i visit...i mean all the time...That is ridiculous...and here i thought he was a nice and helpful guy!? Sorry 

[portal_reptiles]

he was acting like it was a big top secret thing......i bet he was thinking i was trying to start selling them or something.....lol

[krazymuttzpuck]

Their just worms! lol it would be better if more people had them, that way i could get some easier.... even if he did give you the info..its not like you would be going to straight to the top and knocking everybody else out?! 

[monster]

wow. had no idea they were THAT big. holy crap.

breeding info
http://www.harink.com/~benjamin/goliaengl.htm

[honuman]

wow. had no idea they were THAT big. holy crap.

breeding info
http://www.harink.com/~benjamin/goliaengl.htm

Wrong worm.  LOL.  This link is for Goliath beetle larvae.  Would like those just to have.  Nevermind for feeding.

[honuman]

he was acting like it was a big top secret thing......i bet he was thinking i was trying to start selling them or something.....lol

Yep that's you Lance -- the Worm Mogul of the continental U.S.-- 

I have a few ideas on what you can try to do.  The thing is when they are big enough they are going to pupate.  I would assume regardless of whether or not they have someplace to tunnel into.  You could just experiment with it until you come up with something. 

Try feeding them until they get huge and see if they just pupate eventually (of course we don't know if they put something in the diet that they sell in some way inhibits the pupae stage.  Soo try it this way and try it with  a substrate for the dig into (coco fiber, clean topsoil peat mix -- something like that) and see what happens.

If that fails I would try what I suggested before -- feed them out on Tomatoe vines until they dig in and  pupate.  Of course you can't feed off these worms that are eating the tomatoe vines but you don't want to do that anyway because they are what you want to turn into moths.  ONce they lay eggs and the eggs hatch you would have to feed them the special diet that the worm guy is feeding them so that these growing offspring won't be toxic.

Just a couple of ideas you could try.  In fact -- this summer I am going to collect a few wild tomatoe hornworms and try this out myself.   

[warnersister_2000]

Wrong worm.  LOL.  This link is for Goliath beetle larvae.  Would like those just to have.  Nevermind for feeding.

speaking of which, those are pretty cool bugs.  are they ever for sale in the U.S.?

[honuman]

Wrong worm.  LOL.  This link is for Goliath beetle larvae.  Would like those just to have.  Nevermind for feeding.

speaking of which, those are pretty cool bugs.  are they ever for sale in the U.S.?

Goliath beetles. I'm thinking yeah you could get some species.

[portal_reptiles]

i dont know what to feed the moths......

[samanthajane13]

Lance-

Where on earth did you get pictures of my ex-husband??

[honuman]

Lance-

Where on earth did you get pictures of my ex-husband??

You are ill ROFLMAO!!!  Will email you privately on the rest of my thought as there are youngsters on this forum.

Steve

[cfriskney]

Any body have any pictures of the moths?  I think I've seen them but I'm not sure.

[portal_reptiles]

Any body have any pictures of the moths?  I think I've seen them but I'm not sure.

[cfriskney]

Wicked!