Phoenix Worms

[Pollywog]

Hi guys & gals,

Just a quick note to say that we are the official UK distributors for Phoenix Worms.
Phoenix Worms are a high calcium livefood developed in the US with 23-61 times the calcium content of other widely used feeder insects. They also have a very favourable Ca:P ratio meaning there is no need to gut-load or dust before feeding.

Our first shipment should be arriving very soon; the UK launch is planned for the IHS show in Doncaster on June 18th.

I know that Scott has tried them so maybe he can give a little feedback on them?

[Scott W]

Hi Andrew,
That's good news for you, well done.

I have read many papers on the worms and saw the 'hype' in Daytona last year. Unfornuately I haven't actually had the chance to feed any to my animals, all the ones that I had I kept to see about the possibility of breeding them over here, I did rear them to the 'wasp' stage but didn't have the space to set up any breeders :(

The reports on the calcium levels sound amazing, and I'm sure that most herps will love them, if cheap enough I can see them over taking the normal mealworms as a staple feeder item.

[Rickeezee]

So what exactly is a phoenix worm?

[JStroud]

Looks good Andrew, from the sounds of it there should be a nice little market ;)

[Scott W]

Originally Posted by Rickeezee

So what exactly is a phoenix worm?

It's the larvae from the Black Soldier Fly, research was done on using them as an environmentally friendly way of dealing with waste, they were found to be very easy to culture (if set up correctly) and the live food trade in the USA (thinking Allen Repashy might of been involved) saw the potential as a food source.

Interesting link
http://www.wral.com/news/1637376/detail.html

[Scott W]

Found this link http://www.esrla.com/brazil/frame.htm , really explains how the system works as a waste disposal concept.

[Rickeezee]

Cheers Scott, will have a good peruse.

[Pollywog]

if cheap enough I can see them over taking the normal mealworms as a staple feeder item.

The prices will be somewhere in-line with US prices, hopefully as time progresses we will be able to bring the price down.

So what exactly is a phoenix worm?

As Scott said they are the larvae of the Black Solder Fly, the flies were originaly being worked with for waste management but the strain of flies used to produce these feeder worms is 4 years in the making and many many generations removed from those used for waste management, all are lab bred & raised on a specialy developed grain based diet. They come in 4 sizes and have a long shelf life at normal room temperature without the need for feeding.

[mark_w]

I found this interesting; I know that Bert Langerwerf has been collecting and using wild soldierfly larvae as feeders for years.

Mark.

[Peter Parrot]

What sizes are they then Andrew?


(Like your new forum by the way, hope it takes off) 8)