How to keep bloodworms alive - several ways [2019]

What is bloodworm

Beginners who are just getting started with fishing have most likely heard about such bait and can even imagine what it looks like, but not everyone understands the source of its origin. A bloodworm is the larva of a long-lasting mosquito. You can find it on the muddy bottom of a reservoir with no or very weak current, in places overgrown with dense vegetation. Organic debris serves as food for bloodworms.

This larva is obtained by washing the bottom using a special sieve. The process is carried out all year round, but winter is considered the most favorable period. The overwhelming majority of people interested in fishing do not look for bloodworms on their own, but simply buy them in a specialized store.

How to properly store bloodworms at home

There are a huge variety of options for storing larvae at home. In this case, no special devices are needed. Let's take a closer look at the most popular methods.

Newspaper

To preserve bloodworms using newspaper, you need to use three sheets: the first is dry, a wet one is placed on it, then the bait is poured out in a thin layer and then a dry sheet again. The resulting “sandwich” is wrapped in a roll or folded into an envelope and placed in the refrigerator. The newspaper is changed daily, and the dead part of the larvae is removed.

Textile

The bait is laid out on a damp cotton or woolen rag. It is important not to allow excess moisture, otherwise you may lose the bait. The fabric is rinsed every day, first with hot, then cold water, after which it is used again for storage. This method allows you to maintain the life of bloodworms for up to 10 days.

Nylon stocking

A piece of women's tights or a sock made of the same material is also suitable for storage. A bloodworm is placed inside and a knot is tied on top. The resulting structure is placed inside the toilet tank, so that it does not interfere with the drain and fill mechanisms.

The good thing about this method is that, without much effort, the bait receives a fresh portion of clean, cool water, which washes away the products of their vital activity. This, in turn, allows you to sort through dead larvae every 2-3 days.

Bowl with water

When wondering how best to store bloodworms, you need to pay attention to this method. Any shallow container that holds clean water will do. The bait is poured onto the bottom in a thin layer. The water is changed daily. It is important to observe the temperature regime, avoiding sudden changes between old and fresh liquid, otherwise most of the bloodworms will be lost.

Mothworm

This term refers to a small flat box made of plastic, wood or foam. Foam rubber moistened with water is placed at its bottom, then a small amount of bloodworms is poured out. The box is located at the bottom of the refrigerator. The bait will keep for about a month and does not require frequent wetting or sampling.

Freezing

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The bait can also be stored frozen. The maximum period is 3 months. After thawing, the larva is suitable for mixing with bait or direct fishing, but the process must be started immediately.

Potato

An original option is to use a potato, which is cut in half. In one part, the middle is cleaned, where the bait is then poured. The second half is placed on top, the structure is held together with matches or toothpicks. The potatoes will have to be washed daily and unsuitable larvae selected.

Storage methods

Bloodworms are most often used as bait for winter fishing; some use the larva to feed fish in an aquarium. In both cases, it is important to store live bloodworms for as long as possible. It’s very convenient when you can go fishing at any time and not have to run around looking for bait.

It is possible to preserve bloodworms for up to several months, but for this you need to know some subtleties. In order for bloodworms to live as long as possible at home, you need to know what can shorten its life. The larva can die from:

contact with dead individuals nearby;
its own secretions have a detrimental effect on the bloodworm;
air and sunlight will only speed up the process of death.

But for real fishermen this is not a problem; they have found enough ways to properly preserve bloodworms at home for a long time.

There are different ways to preserve a larva for fishing in winter:

Many fishermen store bloodworms at home in a nylon stocking, or better yet, in two, inserted one inside the other. The place of residence will be unusual, a toilet cistern, where the water is always cool and fresh, and with each flush, all the waste of the larvae is washed out of the stocking. Maintenance with this type of storage is simple; once every 2-3 days you can sort through and remove dead individuals.
How to store bloodworms in the refrigerator? To do this, place a container of water on the bottom shelf, preferably flat. To store bloodworms at home in this way, pour a thin layer into a container so that it is slightly covered with water. Change the water once a day, thoroughly washing the larvae.
How to store bloodworms at home in the refrigerator? A good option would be to store it in cotton or woolen fabric. Storing bloodworms in the refrigerator in this way should be done in a damp cloth; to do this, it is washed daily under running warm water, squeezed out and the larvae are placed in it again. It is important that the fabric always remains damp and cool, this is how you can best preserve the bait.
In order not to wonder how long bloodworms can be stored, it is necessary to study the best preservation methods. Newspaper is considered one of the best, but simply wrapping the bait is not enough. Bloodworms in the refrigerator for winter fishing must be in a humid environment, which is why it is necessary to make a special bedding for them. You will need three layers of newspaper, two dry and one wet. You will have to alternate them like this: put a wet one on top of the dry one, then spread the bloodworms, the layer should not be more than 5 mm thick. Cover with a dry sheet of newspaper and store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. In this case, you can roll everything up into a roll or envelope. It is necessary to change the newspaper every day, and removing dead larvae is also necessary.
Experienced fishermen know how to preserve bloodworms at home; they recommend storing bait in a bloodworm container or small plastic container. To keep bloodworms fresh for a long time for fishing, you need to place a piece of foam rubber at the bottom of the box. It is cut to the size of the container and lightly moistened with water. Bloodworms are placed on top of the foam rubber and forgotten about for a week. Every seven days, the sponge must be thoroughly washed and the bloodworms sorted. Compliance with all rules and regulations will extend the life of the larvae by a month, or maybe more. An important point is that, being above the surface of the water, the bloodworm becomes more elastic, which is very good for fishing.

The bait can simply be frozen in small portions, but then its use in fishing will be less effective. This kind of bloodworm is more suitable for bait, rather than for hooking.

Important! When changing water or rinsing fabric for storage, it is necessary to strictly maintain the temperature regime. Heat can kill bloodworms very quickly.

Sorting bloodworms

When figuring out how to preserve bloodworms longer, one cannot help but notice that almost every method requires regular sorting of the bait. You can perform the task manually only if there are very few larvae.

For more convenient separation, a mesh with a cell of about 2 mm is used. A cat litter box is great for these purposes. The essence of the technique is to fill the lower container with water so that it lightly covers the mesh. The bloodworms poured to the top will crawl into the water after about 30 minutes, and all the dead individuals will remain on top.

Cassette

A container for storing bloodworms is prepared using two tubes of different sizes mounted inside each other. Holes with a diameter of 2 millimeters were made in the inner tube. Water goes into the large test tube, bloodworms are placed into the smallest one. The smallest test tube is located inside the larger one. After some time, the bloodworms will fall through the hole into a large test tube, and the dead ones remain in the smallest one. Storage depends directly on the size of the cassettes. It should not be filled in completely. The water is replaced once every 2-3 days, together we get rid of the dead larvae that remain in the smallest test tube.

Storage of bloodworms ranges from 10 days to a month. Such cassettes must be stored in the refrigerator.

How to store bloodworms in the summer when fishing in the heat

In summer, it is quite difficult to achieve satisfactory conditions for keeping bloodworms. Heat negatively affects the condition of the larvae, which quickly die and lose their appearance attractive to fish. However, there is a method that will help in this situation. It is based on the ability of water to perform a cooling function when it evaporates.

So, the bait is wrapped in a dampened piece of rag and placed in a metal container. Holes are first drilled or punched in the lid. The container is located in the shade and in the wind. Evaporating moisture together with wind blowing will cool the bloodworm to a comfortable temperature. It is important to moisturize the fabric in time and monitor the sun.

A kind of thermos made from a paint bucket is also used. The walls are lined with isofol. Before fishing, ice is frozen and then placed on the bottom. The bait is placed on top in a damp cloth.

We store bloodworms until we go fishing

Having bought, caught or received a good handful of bloodworms as a gift from a neighbor, you need to provide him with good living conditions as soon as possible. Fortunately, folk experience has enough methods that are quite suitable even for urban fishermen.

Bloodworm in the newspaper

This is probably the simplest and most easily accessible answer to the question of how to properly store bloodworms at home. For better preservation, you will first need to sort out the bloodworms from plant debris and dead fellows.

Then, the newspaper is folded in half, well moistened with water, and “raspberries” are laid on it in an even layer over the entire area. We carefully form an envelope from the newspaper, leaving a small space under the covered bloodworm.

You can put several wet lumps of paper in the finished envelope. After this, wrap the finished bag with several sheets of newspaper and find a cool place at home with a temperature no higher than 5 degrees.

For a resident of a private house, a cellar often comes to the rescue, but for a city resident it is easier to put bloodworms in an envelope in the refrigerator. It is important to remember that you will have to set aside some time every day to open the envelope and select the dead worms. If necessary, then change the entire newspaper. But using this method you can preserve “raspberries” for up to 10 days.

Bloodworms in the drain tank

Our fishermen came up with a rather extravagant way to properly store bloodworms. However, it is quite real and effective. Moreover, it allows you to preserve bloodworms for 2-3 months! To do this, take a nylon stocking, make a small wire frame and insert it into it.

Then we put bloodworms in there and... We are looking forward to our next fishing trip. It is important that the toilet tank itself works properly, because... The important point is water renewal.

But here you will also need to periodically take out the stocking to sort through the bloodworms for the presence of dead individuals. But you will always have bait ready at hand, and your wife will not guess where you are preparing to spend the next weekend.

Bloodworm in potatoes

A very interesting and practical method is storing bloodworms in fresh potatoes. Plus, it seems easier than fiddling with a newspaper. Take a large potato and cut a hole in it.

Mix the bloodworms with the tea leaves and pour it all into a potato “cup”. Don’t forget to secure the “lid” with toothpicks so it doesn’t fall off. All! Put it in the refrigerator and you're done. This way the bloodworm will live peacefully for 5 days.

Bloodworm in cassette

If you like all sorts of newfangled fishing things, then just buy a special cassette for storing bloodworms at a fishing store. The cassette has a fine sieve in its design, which naturally filters dead worms from living ones: the latter crawl through the holes and collect in one place.

It is enough to change the water once every 2 days. The cassette will allow you to preserve bloodworms for a whole month. The main thing is to maintain the purity of the water and the right temperature for the life of the bloodworm.

When choosing bloodworms for bait, you need to pay attention to large individuals that are minimally damaged during extraction. Ideally, there should be no damage at all, but it is problematic to keep track of this in conditions of large volumes. It is vitally important to clear the mass as much as possible of injured individuals, as well as debris.

What is the best way to store bloodworms in winter?

In winter, bloodworms made of foam or wood are used. The bloodworms laid out in such boxes are placed in the inner pocket of the jacket, where there will be an optimal temperature for it. Before placing in the box, the larvae are dried on a sheet of newspaper for 15 minutes.

Another good thing about this method is that large representatives become more active and acquire bright colors. Sprinkling the bait with starch will ensure that it remains mobile throughout the fishing day. It should be remembered that in such conditions the larvae can survive no more than two days.

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How to keep bloodworms alive for a long time?

My respects to the site poklev.com, tell us how to store bloodworms at home. I use the larvae for fishing and feeding aquarium pets. But due to the fact that the worms die quickly, you have to often go to the market to buy new ones, which is not very convenient. I would also like to know where the bloodworms live in order to independently prepare high-quality food and bait.

Bloodworms (raspberries) are worm-like larvae of dipterous mosquitoes, the bell (Chironomidae) or the twitch (Tendipedidae), which do not harm humans, unlike the blood-sucking relative of the squeak (Culex). The females of these widespread insects are capable of laying up to 150 eggs every 2-3 days, which affects the huge number of offspring. To understand where bloodworms are found, it is enough to know the necessary conditions for the development of larvae, which grow (5-20 mm), mature and pupate in stagnant or low-flowing water bodies.

The total residence time of raspberries in the aquatic environment is 2 years. The shelter is soft bottom soil, most often silt. Here the larva finds detritus and microorganisms for food. Thanks to the rich organic matter in the body of the colorless worm, hemoglobin is actively produced, which colors it from the inside in a rich red (crimson) color. To get live bloodworms, it is enough to remove several buckets of silt from the bottom of a pond, lake, canal, or reservoir. Mosquito larvae are also found in large numbers on quiet river shallows, in backwaters, and small streams.

The extracted soil must be gradually washed through a plastic sheet, which is sold by linear meters in hardware stores and is known to the general public as a mosquito net. A less practical alternative is tulle or several layers of gauze. To simplify the process, you can use a strong plastic mesh net, which allows you to conveniently scoop and wash the sludge directly in the pond. It is important to consider where the bloodworm lives in the warm and cold seasons - in summer it is located directly in the upper layer of bottom sediments (2-5 cm), and in winter it burrows into the ground to a depth of 30-50 cm.

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