“The caterpillars are not just eating the plastic without modifying its chemical make-up. So they smooshed up some of the worms and applied the paste to the plastic, which also caused holes to appear. Within 12 hours, they had eaten about 92 milligrams of plastic, which Bertocchini says is pretty fast, especially compared to bacteria discovered last year which dissolves polyethylene at a rate of about 0.13 milligrams per day.Īs Ian Sample at The Guardian reports, the researchers wanted to make sure the worms weren’t just chewing the plastic into microscopic particles.
Within 40 minutes, holes began to appear. In order to study the worms’ munching ability, the researchers put 100 wax worms in a plastic shopping bag from a U.K. This project began there and then," she says in a press release.īertocchini and colleagues from Cambridge University began studying the creatures and found that the common wax worm can not only munch but also metabolize polyethylene, the plastic in shopping bags which makes up about 40 percent of the plastics used in Europe. They published their results this week in the journal Current Biology. There was only one explanation: The worms had made the holes and had escaped. "When I checked, I saw that the bag was full of holes. When she returned, the worms were all over the place. But researchers have found another use as plastic recyclers.įederica Bertocchini, an amateur beekeeper and scientist at the Spanish National Research Council, picked some wax worms out of one of her beehives and put them in a plastic shopping bag. But in Europe, the worms are considered a beehive pest where they chew through the beeswax, disrupting the hive. Waxworms make excellent food for reptiles especially with their high calcium and protein content, but due to their higher fat content they shouldn't be used as a staple, although they are very useful to fatten up a thin reptile.Wax worms, which are the larval stage of the wax moth Galleria mellonella, are commonly used in the United States as fishing bait or birdfeeder snacks. Place a few waxworms in a small, shallow container in the cage/vivarium. Bran and honey can be provided for food and moisture. The waxworms can be stored in the tubs they come in, or in a larger well-ventialted container. Waxworms are available in clear plastic tubs for easy feeding and storage. At room temperature waxworms can be kept for around 3-4 weeks before they pupate, although moths can be a great treat. The warmer they are kept the faster they grow, and then pupate and become moths. Waxworms should be stored in a cool, dark, well ventilated area. Highly nutritious with soft skins Waxworms are suitable for feeding to any lizard or insectivorous aviary bird or wild bird. Waxworms are fed delicious nutrients such as honey and wheatgerm. Waxworms are the larvae of the waxmoth, specially treated with a completely natural process to inhibit pupation and aid storage.
0 kommentar(er)
