# General Topics > Food, Feeders, Live, Frozen, Culturing, etc >  Wax Worms dead over night..What happened?

## Steadfast

Anyone else have this happen?  Not moving at all.  Do they hibernate?  I'm assuming they're dead.

Thanks for the help.

Dave

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## Cap10Squirty

What color are the wax worms right now? Do you have them on a heat source, and what substrate/food do you have them in?

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## Steadfast

Keeping them at room temp. In oatmeal atm, was going to add bees wax today but market was out of honey with combs.  Still white, look normal, its just that there's no movement.

Thanks Garrett.

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## Cap10Squirty

Watch for them to turn into cocoons. If that's what happens great (unless of course you don't want moths and a new batch of wax worms). If they start turning black and appear flat/deflated then they are dead.

I keep my wax worms warm by using a 7w reptile heat mat (any heat source will do). Aim for 85 F. I have them in a plastic pitcher with a lid, and four inches of wheat germ with honey and glycerin added to make the right consistency. I had about 10 moths in this container and no larvae and no that the moths have done their thing and have died, there are thousands of VERY active wax worm larvae. The one's you buy from the store or elsewhere can't compare to homebred wax worms!

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## Steadfast

Thanks again, yes you know your wax worms. I put the small mason jar I have them in on top of the terrarium's light fixture to warm them last night, and low and behold the critters woke up.  They just like it a little warmer as you said.   :Smile:

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## Cap10Squirty

Alright, that's good to hear! Now if you want to keep them "inactive" to slow down their life cycle (yet risk losing reproductive capabilities) you can keep them in the low to mid 60s, which I don't know that may have been your room temperature  :Wink:  otherwise keeping them on top of the light fixture will liven then up and some will mature and proceed to form little cocoons. If that happens place them in a separate mason jar with crumpled wax paper and in 2-3 weeks (warmer temperatures = less time per stage of life) they will emerge as moths. Once you have moths, don't worry about feeding them just make sure they have a little bit of flying space (a tall jar is fine) and they will lay thousands of eggs in the food substrate if you have any in that jar. Once the moths die remove their bodies and keep the jar on heat and behold thousands of new wax worms. Rinse, repeat.

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## Steadfast

Great tips!  Thanks so much!

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