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LA
Numerous glass worms in a four-inch ceramic bowl. 

Why the Name?  Glass worms are transparent – except for their tiny air bladders that look like black dots.  You have a hard time seeing them except when they move in twitches.  And they are not really worms.  They are the larvae of a non-biting midge.

Origins:  Glass worms grow wild in ponds, pools, and permanent puddles.  You won’t see them in lakes with fish, because fish eat them.  They are harvested in largest numbers from ice-covered lakes.

LA
One-inch puffer before eating glass worms.  Puffers can be picky eaters.

LA
Same little dude after eating glass worms for the very first time. 

Appeal:  Fish love the taste of glass worms – even the pickiest eaters.  You might have a hard time seeing them, but your fishes spot them almost instantly.  As they twitch and turn in the water, your fishes’ hunting instincts kick in.  They want to rip and rend their prey.  Bettas can stuff their guts to bursting if you over feed them.  Most fish are smart enough to know when to quit.

LA
Paradise fish before and after eating glass worms.

LA
Inch-long white cloud attacking a 0.75- inch glass worm.  The glass worm escaped.

Eating Size:  Glass worms hit the market at 0.5 to 0.75 inches..  Their size makes them ideal for two to six-inch fish.  Aggressive fish in the one-inch range such as puffers, young cichlids,  and bumblebee gobies also avidly devour glass worms.  One-inch feeder-size guppies will find them about an even match to wrestle with.  If they grab a glass worm, the glass worm will usually jerk them around and escape from their greedy grasp.  Baby guppies (and other fry) will be eaten by the carnivorous glass worms.

Adults.  Looking very much like mosquitoes, the non-biting parents lay their eggs in the water and flit off to die.  Adults live ten days.  They look like mosquitoes but do not suck your blood.  Some people call them phantom midges.  If you pedal your bike along the river trail up to Saylorville, you may have noticed these midges.  As the sun goes down on a hot summer evening, these midges (and mosquitoes) come out in mass quantities.  If you ride shirtless, they will stick to your sweaty chest.  Try not to breathe them.  Although, they are nutritious.

LA
Picky under two-inch discus before and after eating glass worms.

Larvae:  When the eggs hatch, the glass worm larvae start eating the various micro-organisms (as well as baby fish) that live in their aquatic universe.  They must take longer to mature than mosquitoes which pupate and flit off in 10 days., because they over winter under the ice.

Harvesting:  You can find small quantities of glass worms in shaded ponds during the non-winter months.  However, massive quantities of glass worms come out of states with colder and longer winters than we enjoy in Iowa.  We used to get our glass worms from the Worm Ranch in Minnesota, but they closed last century.  Our current crops come from the wilds of Wisconsin.

LA
Two-inch betta cup where the glass worms survived for week in the fridge.

LA

Containers:  We keep our glass worms in several shallow un-aerated plastic tubs.  They hold one or two inches of nearly solid glass worms.  You can keep small quantities in any container.  They will last (unfed) for at least a month.

African Connection:  Chaoborus larvae (probably not the same species) abound in the Rift Lakes .  African cichlids love the larvae and the emerging midges.  When the midges emerge, they are said to form a vast cloud over the lake – a time of plump cichlids (and plump people).  These “lake flies” are found in Malawi , Tanzania , Uganda , and Kenya .  Lake fly cakes (unfrosted) are eaten and considered a good source of protein in Uganda .

LA
Kinda cute up close and tasty.

LA
One portion of glass worms.

Last Comments.  Glass worms make an excellent menu item for picky eaters and potential breeders.  LA.

© 2006  LA Productions
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