Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013 - 27

Waxworms (also called waxies) are beige, ½-inch grubs with black-tipped feet and small dark heads. They are the larvae of wax moths including Achroia grisella and Galleria mellonella among the commercially grown versions. Some people have the mistaken impression that a waxworm molts into a bee, because the adult moths are sometimes called “bee moths.” Butterworms (also called Tebo worms) look like chunkier waxworms except they are a bit longer, plumper and range in color from yellow to orange. They are the larvael form of the Chilean moth, Chilecomadia moorei, dwelling on Tebo trees in Chile. When stored at 42 to 45 degrees F, they hibernate and remain alive as larvae without food or water for between three and four months. Trout, perch and panfish enjoy these bigger morsels, which are between ½ and ¾ inches in length. Mealworms (or mealies) are at least 1 inch long, with a segmented brown or bronze shiny exterior. They are the larvael form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor. They remain in the larval stage for between 12 and 54 days, and they keep well when stored in a refrigerator inside well-ventilated containers with a supply of flour or cereals such as fresh oats, whole wheat bran or grain with tiny pieces of apple as a water source. However, mealworms die in hours when stored in cornmeal.

If you are going on an extended fishing trip where you won’t have access to fresh larvae, consider buying an advance supply of preserved larvae. Gambler Lures markets preserved waxworms as “Mummy Worms.” They come in yellow, green, orange, red, white, violet, pink and rose colors. Uncle Josh Bait Company offers cream-color preserved waxworms. They also carry preserved mealworms (described as soft on the inside but with a tough skin to keep them on the hook). Exotic Nutrition includes dried mealworms, canned mealworms and wax snax (dried waxworms) among their pet food product lines. knife blade sharply until the gall splits open, and carefully pluck out the larvae. Not every gall will contain a healthy larvae. The time involved in gathering sufficient wild larvae are rarely worth the effort.

Preserved larvae

Theoretically, it would be possible to gather fresh maggots, but who wants to poke around road kill? The goldenrod gall moth (Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginis) and the goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis) both lay their eggs on goldenrod and the larvae burrows into the stem. Due to the insect’s by-products, the stem expands to form a round or elongated bump, which gives away the location of the ¼to ½-inch larvae. To extract a larvae from a gall, push a knife blade into the gall along the stem axis about ¼ inch. Twist the

Home-gathered larvae

This gear including a container of waxworms is ready for an ice angler.
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No ice angler seeking bluegills, perch, crappies or trout will be without wiggly, little larvae to dress their tiny ice jigs or bare hooks. Maggots and waxworms are probably the most popular for bluegills. Mealworms and butterworms get the nod for perch and trout. A waxworm or a couple of maggots on an ice jig or teardrop turns the colorful speck into a super fish attractor. A single mealworm or butterworm may be used for tipping an ice jig or on a plain #8 fine wire bait hook below a small bobber. With the arrival of early spring, open water anglers continue utilizing the same larvae presentations for panfish. Lightweight plastic split tail grubs tipped with maggots and suspended below a bobber is protocol for ice-out crappies in the backwaters and canals. The opening day trout chaser would be ill-prepared if a tub of butterworms or mealworms were not among his live bait entourage. When bluegills and pumpkinseeds begin spawning, the number one offering is a hackle ant tipped with a larvae. The use of larvae has expanded in recent years to year-round live baits for panfish, primarily as a scent teaser on jigs when fishing deep water. Without a doubt, maggots are the smelliest of the lot. However, there is other larvae to consider for mid-summer use, too. This past summer, I experimented with various larvae to determine which panfish preferred. To my surprise, mealworms caught the most fish and the widest variety of panfish species. And, while a maggot or butterworm typically lasted through only one or two fish landings, a single mealworm could be used through the process of bringing in four or five fish. An individual mealworm is strung on the hook so that most of its body tangles behind the hook or jig, thus resulting in a flapping movement when drawn through the water.
Pennsylvania Angler & Boater • January/February 2013

Fishing techniques

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - January/February 2013

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