# Preserving Catalpa Worms



## skiff89_jr

Since my river is flooded and my trees had some fat catalpa worms I decided to save them the old fashion way. Picked about 50 off 1 tree (left probably 50+). 

Filled a pan up with ice cubes and water. Dropped all of them in there and let sit for a few minutes. (preserves their color)

Got a mason jar and picked out the worms and filled it. 

Drained off excess water.

Poured cornmeal over the worms. (keeps them from sticking together)

Sealed lid tight.

Hid behind all of mom's stuff in the fridge. :whistling:

You can also freeze them. When you take them out of the freezer they will slowly unthaw and come pack to life. Pretty cool.


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## 2RC's II

skiff89_jr said:


> Since my river is flooded and my trees had some fat catalpa worms I decided to save them the old fashion way. Picked about 50 off 1 tree (left probably 50+).
> 
> Filled a pan up with ice cubes and water. Dropped all of them in there and let sit for a few minutes. (preserves their color)
> 
> Got a mason jar and picked out the worms and filled it.
> 
> Drained off excess water.
> 
> Poured cornmeal over the worms. (keeps them from sticking together)
> 
> Sealed lid tight.
> 
> Hid behind all of mom's stuff in the fridge. :whistling:
> 
> You can also freeze them. When you take them out of the freezer they will slowly unthaw and come pack to life. Pretty cool.


Call me when you thaw them out. I wanna see that!


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## Donald811

I heard freeze them in Oatmeal, also heard they would come back to.


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## skiff89_jr

Karo syrup works as well.

My buddy found some in his freezer that his grandpa had put up that he didn't know about before he passed in 2004. He got them out and put out bush hooks in all this back water we have and he still caught a few channels. That makes those worms about 10 years old...Wow!


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## 2RC's II

Donald811 said:


> I heard freeze them in Oatmeal, also heard they would come back to.


They will not come back to life after freezing. You can put in the fridge in a paper sack with a few leaves off the tree and they will go somewhat dormant and get lively when you warm the up. I froze about a million in my lifetime and not one came back to life after thawing. It's kinda like the Black Panther everyone claims to have seen around the south but no one has ever seen one on the back of someone's tailgate.


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## skiff89_jr

I stand corrected. Twodown is correct. They will come back to life after being in the fridge but not the freezer.


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